What is a DBA?
A DBA, or discussion-based assessment, is a verbal conversation between student and instructor. The DBA is a major assignment grade.
What is the purpose of a DBA?
The goal of a DBA is to provide students an additional way to show their understanding of the information in the course and make sure students are ready to move forward in their learning.
What are the student's responsibilities for the DBA?
Students are expected to:
- Complete all module (unit) assignments with, at a minimum, a 70% or greater final score
- When prompted in your course, follow the instructions to schedule your DBA
- Select an appropriate setting for your call (example: quiet with minimal distractions)
- Call your instructor at the scheduled time (if you need to cancel, make sure you follow the instructions on canceling and rescheduling the call)
- Be prepared for the conversation with notes and any questions you may still have
- Listen carefully to the questions asked by your instructor
- Speak clearly and directly into your phone/microphone
Are there any tips or suggestions for the DBA?
Students are often nervous about their DBA, but these types of “assessments” are just conversations where you have the opportunity to review the information from the unit AND show how much you understand about what you are learning.
Other schools also use DBAs. Florida Virtual School provides the following tips to help their students with DBAs:
Other schools also use DBAs. Florida Virtual School provides the following tips to help their students with DBAs:
- Look through your module (unit) and decide what topics are most important.
- Review the entire module carefully.
- Study the topics in the module which you struggled with most.
- Brace yourself when your teacher answers the phone. Who wants to talk with butterflies in their stomach?
- Make a mini study guide from your notes to study and highlight the major themes of the module.
- Never be afraid to ask your teacher questions beforehand – they want to see you succeed!