| Course | DBA-8080 Teaching Adults Archetypes, Tools, and Tactics - Andragogy Lab |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Module 2 written assignment: course design |
| Length | About 508 words, 4 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 2
Start at the Desk: A Backward Design for a Small Business Lending Course for Universal Bankers
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
Start at the Desk: A Backward Design for a Small Business Lending Course for Universal Bankers
The Design Problem
Our new universal bankers must handle a first conversation with small business owners who ask about credit: understanding the request, gathering the right documents and deciding whether to refer the owner to a lender. Today they receive a two-hour presentation on loan products. Lenders report that referrals arrive incomplete and that bankers sometimes promise what the bank cannot deliver. The course needs a new design.
Working Backward
Wiggins and McTighe (2005) propose backward design in three stages: identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence and then plan learning experiences. The order matters because many courses begin with content and never define what learners should be able to do.
The desired results come from the job, not from the product manual. Evidence is chosen to show performance, so the quiz carries little weight and the role plays and referral package carry most.
| Stage | Design decision |
|---|---|
| Desired results | Bankers conduct a first credit conversation, gather a complete referral package and explain next steps accurately |
| Enduring understanding | A good referral serves the owner and the lender by matching the need to a product, not by selling a loan |
| Evidence | Two recorded role plays rated on a checklist, one complete referral package from a case file, a short quiz on product rules |
| Learning experiences | Cases, demonstrations, guided practice, field shadowing of a lender |
Ordering the Learning
Merrill (2002) synthesized instructional design theories into five first principles: learning is promoted when learners engage with real-world problems, when existing knowledge is activated, when new knowledge is demonstrated, when learners apply it and when they integrate it into their own work. The four weeks follow those principles.
Week one centers on a real problem: three loan requests from bank files, with names removed, ranging from a bakery's equipment purchase to a contractor's line of credit. Bankers begin by discussing what they already know from their own customers. A lender then demonstrates a first conversation with one of the owners, played by a colleague, and explains each choice.
In weeks two and three, bankers apply the skills in role plays with feedback, assemble referral packages from case files and shadow a lender for one afternoon. In week four they integrate the learning by bringing one real conversation from their own branch to a session where peers and a lender review it.
Fit With Adult Learners
The design reflects the assumptions Knowles et al. (2015) describe. Bankers learn why the course matters through incomplete referrals they have seen, they use their own customer experience and they work on problems they will meet within days. The blended format, with short online product lessons and in-person practice, respects their time in branches.
Conclusion
Designing backward from the desk changes the course from a product presentation into practice for a real conversation. Evidence of performance is defined before activities, and Merrill's principles order those activities around real requests. The course will be judged by what lenders see in the referrals that follow.
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.
Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43-59. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02505024
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd ed.). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Reading the DBA 8080 Module 2 assignment instructions
The DBA-8080 written assignments, four in all and worth 45 percent of the grade, apply the theories of each module to questions or scenarios, so Module 2's assignment centers on course design. Expect to design or redesign a course for adult learners using a recognized model, such as backward design or first principles of instruction, and to show how each stage of the model produced a design decision. Name the job performance first, then the proof you will accept, then the activities, and show why the plan suits working adults. A table or outline that a colleague could use is more persuasive than a description of the models alone.
Inside the DBA 8080 Module 2 example
The paper opens with a problem a design must solve: incomplete referrals and overpromising after a product presentation. A table walks through the three stages of backward design, with results drawn from the job and evidence weighted toward performance. Merrill's five principles then order four weeks of learning around three real loan requests, from activating what bankers know to integrating the skill in their own branches. A section checks the design against adult learning assumptions from Module 1 and explains the blended format. The conclusion names the measure that will matter: the quality of referrals lenders receive. A margin note marks how a model becomes a schedule. Field shadowing of a lender gives bankers a model of the conversation before they attempt it alone.
DBA 8080 Module 2 rubric: what earns full marks
The design is marked on whether the model is used correctly, whether results, evidence and activities line up, whether it suits adults, and on its sources and APA form. Designs that start from performance on the job and choose evidence that shows that performance demonstrate understanding of backward design. Ordering activities by a stated set of principles shows method rather than habit. Connecting the design to adult learning theory from the previous module shows integration across the course. Concrete details, such as the cases used and the weighting of evidence, show a design that could actually run. Mentors look for evidence and activities that clearly serve the same stated result.
DBA 8080 Module 2 help from the desk
Common weaknesses are lists of topics presented as a course design, objectives written as content to cover rather than things learners will do and assessments chosen before results are defined. Some papers describe backward design without using it. Begin with what learners must do on the job. Choose evidence that shows that performance and give it most of the weight. Plan activities in an order you can justify with a model, and use real cases. Explain how the design suits adults with limited time. A free first sample of your DBA-8080 Module 2 course design, built on the course you are designing, is available on request. Give the evidence of learning a weight in the grade, so the reader sees what the course values most.
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.
More DBA 8080 and Doctor of Business Administration sample papers
- DBA 8080 Module 1: Written Assignment: Teaching Tellers to Become Universal Bankers, Through Adult Learning Theory
- DBA 8080 Module 3: Written Assignment: Passing On What Retiring Lenders Know
- DBA 8080 Module 4: Final Project: The Future of Assessing Adult Learners When AI Can Write the Answer
- DBA 8020 Module 2: Written Assignment: Estimating Demand and Elasticity for a Refill Subscription
- DBA 8000 Module 2: Written Assignment: The Traps Hidden in the Core Lab Decision
- DBA 8800 Module 1: Written Assignment: Leading a Change to How Supervisors Are Promoted at a Port Warehouse Firm
- DBA 8030 Module 3: Cultural Analysis: Two Bank Cultures Under One Name
DBA 8080 Module 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DBA 8080 Module 2 sample paper?
The paper above designs a small business lending course for universal bankers using backward design and Merrill's first principles.
What are the three stages of backward design?
Identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence and plan learning experiences, in that order.
What are Merrill's first principles of instruction?
Learning is promoted through real-world problems, activation of prior knowledge, demonstration, application and integration.
Why weight performance tasks over quizzes?
Because they show whether learners can do what the job requires, while quizzes mainly show recall.
How much are DBA-8080 written assignments worth?
The four written assignments are worth 45 percent of the final grade together.