| Course | DBA-8080 Teaching Adults Archetypes, Tools, and Tactics - Andragogy Lab |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Module 1 written assignment: foundations of learning |
| Length | About 567 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Doctor of Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DBA 8080 Module 1
From Teller to Universal Banker: What Three Adult Learning Theories Say About One Hard Transition
Student Name
Doctor of Business Administration, Thomas Edison State University
DBA-8080: Teaching Adults: Archetypes, Tools, and Tactics - Andragogy Lab
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
From Teller to Universal Banker: What Three Adult Learning Theories Say About One Hard Transition
The Scenario
Our bank is closing teller lines in its fourteen branches and replacing them with universal bankers who handle transactions, open accounts and refer customers for loans and investments. Forty-six tellers, most with more than ten years at the bank, will move into the new role over six months. Many are anxious. Some see the change as a loss of the work they were good at; others doubt they can learn lending and investment basics. Our previous training for new products was a set of online modules followed by a quiz. That approach will not work here.
Andragogy
Knowles et al. (2015) set out andragogy as six working assumptions: adults want the reason before the lesson, see themselves as running their own lives, carry experience that can be used in class, become ready when a life or job change demands it, learn around problems more than subjects and are moved chiefly by their own motives. Several of these fit our tellers. Their experience with customers is deep, their readiness is created by a real job change and they will learn best through problems they will meet at the desk. Their need to know why is acute, because the change was announced as a business decision without much explanation.
Merriam (2001) cautions that andragogy describes tendencies of adult learners rather than a proven theory, and that it can ignore the social context of learning. That caution matters here. Not every teller is self-directed in this change, and some will want clear direction and structure at first.
Experiential Learning
Kolb (1984) saw learning as circular: an experience prompts reflection, reflection yields a general idea and the idea is then tried out in practice. The cycle suggests that training should start from experience the tellers already have, such as a customer who asked about a home equity line, then move through reflection and concepts to practice in role plays and supervised work on the floor.
Transformative Learning
Mezirow (1997) argued that adult learning sometimes requires changing frames of reference, the assumptions through which people interpret experience, through critical reflection, often triggered by a disorienting dilemma. For some tellers, the change is exactly that: their sense of themselves as careful processors of transactions must shift toward a role that includes advising and selling. Skills training alone will not address this. Structured reflection, in small groups with peers who have already made the change, can help them examine their assumptions about selling and about their own abilities.
Designing the Opening Fortnight
The first two weeks will open with a frank explanation of why the bank is changing and what it means for each person. Each day will begin with a real customer case drawn from the tellers' own experience, followed by short concept sessions on products and regulations, role plays and an end-of-day reflection. Peer mentors who have already become universal bankers will lead the reflection groups. Tellers who want more structure will receive step-by-step job aids, while others can move faster through optional cases.
Conclusion
The three theories agree that adults learn from experience and real problems, and they differ on how much learning requires a change in identity. For our tellers, skills training informed by andragogy and Kolb's cycle is necessary, but Mezirow's attention to frames of reference may decide whether the change succeeds.
References
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., III, & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (8th ed.). Routledge.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
Merriam, S. B. (2001). Andragogy and self-directed learning: Pillars of adult learning theory. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2001(89), 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.3
Mezirow, J. (1997). Transformative learning: Theory to practice. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 1997(74), 5-12. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.7401
What the DBA 8080 Module 1 instructions ask for
DBA-8080 has no required textbook; readings are linked journal articles and recommended sources in each module. Written assignments, four of them, carry the most weight at 45 percent; the trend review adds a quarter, the single-thread forums a fifth and two live events a tenth. The syllabus says the written assignments ask you to apply concepts and theories to answer questions or analyze scenarios related to the topics of each module. Module 1, Foundations of Learning, covers the theories of how adults learn. Expect to explain each theory's assumptions, apply them to a real or realistic teaching scenario, note limits and draw implications for teaching. Your mentor may supply a scenario; if you choose one, make it specific.
Inside the DBA 8080 Module 1 example
The paper begins with a concrete scenario: 46 veteran tellers moving into a new role, many anxious, and a training model that will not fit. Each theory gets its own section that states its assumptions and then applies them: Knowles's six assumptions to the tellers' experience and need to know why, Kolb's cycle to how sessions should flow and Mezirow's frames of reference to the identity shift some tellers face. Merriam's critique keeps andragogy from being treated as proven and prompts structure for those who want it. A margin note marks the difference between applying and summarizing. The implications section designs the first two weeks, and the conclusion compares the theories.
Where the marks sit in the DBA 8080 Module 1 rubric
Mentors grade DBA-8080 written assignments on accurate understanding of adult learning theories, application to the scenario, critical analysis, scholarly support and writing in APA style. Papers that state each theory's assumptions correctly and then show what they mean for specific learners earn more than papers that summarize theories in turn. Noting a theory's limits, such as the critique of andragogy as a set of assumptions rather than a tested theory, shows critical thinking. Implications concrete enough to schedule show the practical purpose of an andragogy lab. Comparing theories at the end, rather than treating them as interchangeable, shows synthesis. Mentors also value a design that offers structure to learners who are not yet self-directed.
DBA 8080 Module 1 help: mistakes that cost marks
Students lose marks by writing three summaries of learning theories with a paragraph of application at the end, or by applying andragogy as if every adult were self-directed. Others choose a scenario so vague that nothing can be applied to it. Pick learners you can describe, with their experience, worries and the change they face. State each theory's main assumptions and apply them directly to those learners. Name one limit of each theory. End with a design specific enough that a colleague could deliver it. Describe your own learners and a free first DBA-8080 draft can be written around them. Quote one or two learners' own words about the change if you have them, since they show which theory fits.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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DBA 8080 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DBA 8080 Module 1 sample paper?
The written assignment above applies andragogy, experiential learning and transformative learning to retraining bank tellers as universal bankers.
What are Knowles's assumptions of andragogy?
Adults need to know why, see themselves as self-directing, bring experience, become ready when life requires, focus on problems and respond to internal motivation.
What is Kolb's experiential learning cycle?
Kolb's four stages, an experience, reflection on it, a general idea drawn from it and a test of that idea, which feeds the next experience.
What is transformative learning?
Mezirow's account of adults changing their frames of reference through critical reflection, often after a disorienting dilemma.
Does DBA-8080 have a textbook?
No; readings are journal articles and recommended sources linked in each module.