Week Six
Successive Approximation Model (SAM)
SAM is a project management approach to learning development; the focus is split into two varieties depending on the complexity of the project, it lays out the order of steps for an interative approach to learning design, one that is flexible and responsive to rapid feedback and continuous improvement.
Visualization of the two SAM models
Strengths and Limitations of SAM (Higher Education and Elsewhere)
| Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Iterative Approach | Resource intensive (all hands on deck from start to finish) |
| Multiple Stakeholder Collaboration | Complexity (cycling through several stages near-concurrently) |
| Flexibility | Potential for Scope Creep (frequent changes, longer timelines) |
| Responsiveness | Steep Learning Curve (more time ultimately impacts efficiency) |
| Focus on learner needs | Budget Impacts (many cycles means spending more money) |
Instructional Design Implications for – A Personal View
Like many other models and project approaches, the SAM model is probably what you make of it, in other words, its application will either succeed or fail based on the availability, talent, and skills of the team involved. As I’ve often said from my perspective as an Instructional Designer in Higher Education, the idealized application of any model is entirely theoretical to me, and so alien to the conditions of my actual work life, that it’s difficult to imagine even attempting them with a straight face. In contrast, Instructional Design models that address the creation of learning materials and assessment in more detail are well regarded and much easier to integrate into office life than these purely project management approaches to idealized steps and timelines.
In truth, SAM appears to be the least practical of the models studied so far. I’m confident that corporate Instructional Designers may have the time and resources to repeatedly reserve the time of multiple stakeholders and compensate them, but I’ve never had adequate time or budget to even imagine it.
WORKS CITED
SAM 1 & SAM 2
An Introduction to SAM for Instructional Designers – E-Learning Heroes. (2023). E-Learning Heroes. https://community.articulate.com/articles/an-introduction-to-sam-for-instructional-designers