Kemp Design Model (Morrison, Ross & Kemp)
The Kemp Design Model describes nine interdependent elements of instructional design arranged in an oval rather than a line, so designers can start with any element and revisit others as needed. It keeps the learner's perspective central and surrounds the nine elements with ongoing revision, planning and evaluation.
When you need to design a complete learning experience from scratch
You're planning a workshop, training, or learning session and need a proven structure to organize your content and activities.
When designing a course or programme where requirements are still moving and you need structure without a fixed sequence of steps.
Instructional problems
Clarify the goals and the performance problem the programme should address. Check whether instruction is actually the right answer.
Learner characteristics
Map the participants' prior knowledge, motivation and context. These characteristics shape every other element.
Task analysis
Identify the content and the tasks that make up the goal. This determines what the sessions must cover.
Instructional objectives
State what learners should be able to do at the end. Objectives connect the analysis to the choice of activities and assessments.
Content sequencing
Put the content in a logical order for learning. Decide which topics build on others across sessions.
Instructional strategies
Choose the methods that help each learner reach each objective. This is where activities and group formats are selected.
Designing the message
Decide how information is presented: media, examples, visuals and wording. Keep it matched to the learners and the content.
Development of instruction
Build the actual materials and session plans. Resources and support services are arranged here.
Evaluation instruments
Develop the ways progress and outcomes are measured. Formative and summative evaluation feed revisions of any element.
Ensures your session has clear goals, logical flow, and measurable outcomes.
Use the nine elements as a checklist when shaping a programme, starting from whichever element is clearest (often the problem or the learners) and working around the oval until all are consistent.
- 1Start by defining what success looks like at the end
- 2Work backwards from outcomes to activities
- 3Build in checkpoints to verify learning
- 4Allow time for practice and application
- Course and curriculum design
- Redesigning existing programmes
- Projects where requirements evolve
- Higher education and corporate learning
- Non-linear, flexible design
- Learner-centred planning
- Interdependence of design elements
- Continuous revision and evaluation
- Flexibility can make it hard for novice designers to know where to start or when they are done.
- Oriented to formal instruction; less guidance on facilitation dynamics within a session.
- Works best with access to learner data and time for evaluation.