Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Date of Award

5-22-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

College

College of Education

First Advisor

Andrea Kayne

Abstract

Have you ever felt lost while learning? Guided by this curiosity, the researcher embarked on a decade-long journey to understand how students navigate learning environments and how educational technology might offer clearer pathways. In response, the researcher designed and developed Navigating Knowledge, a learning platform informed by his dual roles as a higher education instructor and educational technology developer. This capstone is distinct in its simultaneous integration of theory, design, and implementation to bridge pedagogical insight with technological innovation. Using an analytic autoethnographic methodology, this qualitative research critically examined 33 instructional, platform development, and reflective journal artifacts from 2013 to 2024. Grounded in constructivist learning theory, instructional decision-making behaviors informed by Path-Goal Theory (directive, supportive, achievement-oriented, and participative), and the evolving landscape of educational technology, the study explored how the researcher's lived experience shaped instructional practice and platform design. The findings revealed a shift from structured, instructor-led environments to adaptive, participatory, and student-centered learning experiences. Tools such as Navigating Knowledge's NK Tree map, interactive learning cards, and AI-supported chatbot, Jo NK, demonstrated how constructivist pedagogy could be operationalized in scalable digital tools. These features were not developed in abstraction but were iteratively refined based on real classroom experiences. This capstone contributes to the field of education by offering a model for interdisciplinary, practitioner-led technology development. It challenges organizations to design learning technologies with instructors, not just for them. Furthermore, it advocates for more integrative approaches to instructional design wherein educational theory and technology inform one another in service of transformative, lifelong learning.

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