In Regard to Timescales and ADDIE vs Scrum

Over the last week I have been researching into different development methods and using them to construct a time scale for my project.

Firstly there is a two main methods of development, Scrum (agile) and ADDIE (waterfall). ADDIE stands for Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement and Eventuate. This is sometimes referred to as MADDIE where the M stands for Management. Scrum is not an acronym but named after the scrums during a game of rugby. 

A.D.D.I.E

The analyse phase would consist of analysing the problem to be solved. This is to ensure that the requirement is from a knowledge gap and not from a badly designed lesson plan etc. This phase is also used to ascertain the content types to be delivered along with the pre-requisite skills needed to undertake the learning as well as the types of technologies that are available to the teachers and learners.

Once the analyses is complete, the next step is design. During this phase all requirements and objectives are written up in a way that the learner would be able comprehend (much like an assignment brief). Assessment items are created and the design document is drawn up. In this method the design document is a complete plan from start to completion to show everyone involved exactly where the project is heading so there are no major surprises along the way.

Development is where the product is created. Throughout this process meetings are held with learners and stake holders to make sure that the project is still on track and performing to expectation. It is not unheard of for products to be scrapped and projects reverted back to the design phase if the products is not up to scratch.

After development is complete and the product has passed all tests and inspections, it moves on to the implementation phase in which the product is rolled out to learners. This includes making sure that all materials are ready and any computer based components work on every machine. 

Evaluation takes place throughout the entire project and is divided into two. 'Formative evaluation offers during the design and development, materials are reviewed, feedback is presented to the team, and changes are made as needed. Summative evaluation occurs at the end when an assessment is made of the utility of the instruction.' (Kapp, 2012)

Scrum

Scrum methodology is a form of agile development and is a much faster style of production in which a minimum viable product can be produced in a matter of weeks. To do this an iterative approach to development is used. All ideas and requirements go into a list called a backlog and, in contrast to a design document in ADDIE, is by no means complete. More requirements and ideas are added to the project backlog as they emerge. Alterations can be implemented in any of the sprint cycles as required and it also provides the facility to quickly iterate new ideas and mechanics with minimal risk. 

Scrums allow for much faster results and therefore far more opportunity for feedback and review. These reviews are often held between team members and stake holders and usually aims to answer several key questions. What have we done since the last meeting, what do we still need to do and what obstetrical have we encountered along the way? These meetings are held at regular intervals throughout the entire project. I am most familiar with this method as it is the style of development we implement at UCS.

Hybrid

These methods both have their pros and cons. Scrum allows for rapid alterations and prototyping as well as being more easily monitored, whereas ADDIE focuses more on preparation with a solid goal in mind. Unfortunately neither of these methods on their own fit what is required for developing gamified content. With gamification, due to the smaller workloads compared to large scale games development, scrum can be too much but ADDIE does not allow for the rapid changes and turnarounds that are inevitably required during development. In this case a hybrid method is most likely the best option.

Take mostly from Kapp's The Gamification of learning and instruction (2012) here is a step by step process that I will be using for development of my end product.

1. Determine learning outcomes. This is similar to the analysis phase from ADDIE. It should aim to answer the following questions
• Is the content delivering  an affective or behavioural change?
• Will productivity be improved?
• What will be the difference as a result of the learning?
2. Identify types of content.
• Conceptual learning?
• Problem solving?
3. Identify the learning outcomes and link them to each type of content to ascertain the game elements required for gamification.
4. Mind map with subject experts, the development team (me) and stake holders(lecturers) all of the requirements etc. for the project. This should yield a sufficient mix of content and process knowledge being integrated into the final product. This should also include a rough storyline if required, details on discussions of point/reward systems that may be implemented and in game activities that best teach the to the identified educational standards. By the end of the mind mapping session learning outcomes and game elements should be well aligned and the start of development should be well mapped out with clear constraints.
5. Learning outcomes then need to be linked to in game activities and assessments of learning. This is best achieved via use of the following table again taken from Kapp (2012)

Concept to be Taught	In-Game Activity	Assessment of Learning
Negotiation skills related to obtaining the best price in the shortest time for a given product	Bartering and purchasing supplies. (For example, in a space game, jet packs might be rare but extremely helpful within the game but expensive and hard to obtain, while oxygen tanks might be abundant and east to obtain.)	Learners will be required to purchase a jet pack and oxygen tank within “the right price range” based on the scarcity of the item. Learners will be assessed based on starting bid, subsequent bids, and amount of time to acquire object.

(Kapp, 2012)

At this point Kapp recommends paper prototyping the product and playing it to find out if the concept works and the game is fun and enjoyable. 

From this I have formed a brief timeline for the rest of this semester leading up to Christmas. 

Week Beginning	Task to complete
Week 1 - 16th November	Analyse learning outcomes and aim to answer the three questions noted above in step 1
Week 2 - 23rd November	Identify types of content and take the learning outcomes to link them to game elements and gamified mechanics
Week 3 - 30th November	I aim to hold a meeting between myself, relevant lecturers and subject experts who are to be sourced prior to this week. Then to have all of the knowledge and relevant information distilled and written up into a Gamification Design Document
Week 4 - 7th December	Link the learning outcomes, in-game activities and assessment of learning to each other and start my first weeks sprint with paper prototyping of the gamified elements attained from previous weeks
Week 5 - 14th December	Sprint week two, continued iteration of paper prototyping of gamified elements. Assessment of previous weeks findings and further readings into gamification
Week 6 - 21st December	Christmas Break, Reading and analysis. No official sprint.

The remainder of my timeline will come once I have read more into methods etc. This is because I want to avoid haphazardly guessing completion times. As you may see above the first few weeks are designed around the ADDIE methodology but from week 4 the agile method of development is implemented as well to allow for rapid iterations and modifications as development progresses.

References

Kapp, K. M. (2012) The Gamification of learning and instruction: Game-based methods and strategies for training and education. 1st edn. San Francisco, CA: Wiley, John & Sons.