What is DBL?
DBL or “Design-Based Learning” is a type of learning that is project-based. In this concept of learning, students are asked to design a particular product and then go through the process of developing it, building it, and evaluating it afterwards.

Design-based learning through projects is said to be good for students because it will help them be more creative and collaborative with other students or group members. Projects will also entail lots of hands-on work and so improve their skills in design and problem solving. Based on studies of this learning approach, DBL is said to improve students’ critical thinking and observation skills. These are all attributed to the active participation by students in developing projects. And because projects are developed from mere ideas to development and to actually creating and evaluating them, students are able to squeeze out more creative juices. This overall experience will then give an extra boost of learning confidence for the students, as studies have shown.

DBL is also said to help students learn faster and gain more knowledge because of the group project concept involved. And since activities are made from design up to critical evaluation, many students gain valuable experience, good or bad, along the entire process. Having such experience in the whole process of design, development, and critical evaluation of a particular project, students are said to be able to apply lessons learned in real life situations. One very positive value of DBL is the active involvement of students. This allows for more creative stimulation when compared to traditional means of learning passively from books and other written material.

Overall, various studies have proven that DBL is an effective learning technique in the sense that students are able to acquire knowledge from a particular project and use or apply this knowledge to other projects or other situations in real life.