For a complete record of my academic and professional experiences, including work prior to my doctoral study, please view my full CV.
View web CV →Syracuse University · School of Education
About Me
Ying Chen
3rd-Year Ph.D. Student
in Instructional Design, Development & Evaluation
Advisor: Dr. Moon-Heum Cho
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Curriculum Vitae
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My Journey
Where I have been...
My path into educational research was not a straight one. I began my undergraduate studies in Educational Technology at Central China Normal University, with a minor in Chinese Language and Literature. During my early undergraduate years, I explored instructional design competitions, graphic design, journal editing, volunteer teaching, and library archival work before research became central to me. In my third year, curiosity about research and a desire to explore my field more deeply led me to reach out to a faculty member who later became my master's advisor. I started with simple tasks such as data cleaning and gradually became involved in different projects and stages of the research process. During the sudden shift to online learning in the COVID-19 pandemic, I observed online high school classes and kept field notes on what I noticed in these classrooms. Some of those observations later became part of a published study on online teaching platforms, giving me an early sense of how my own questions and observations could contribute to research. Seeing my own observations become part of a larger scholarly conversation was one of my earliest experiences of the joy I found in research.
I continued at Central China Normal University for my master's degree, where one project grew alongside me for several years. What eventually became my thesis began during the summer before I formally entered the program. My advisor, several peers, and I met weekly to design and revise instructional cases that were later implemented across undergraduate and graduate courses. In a Social Network Analysis course, I began applying what I was learning to our existing case data. I searched across disciplines for methodological examples and worked with peers from different backgrounds to test and refine the analysis. This work was eventually published in Thinking Skills and Creativity. Across my undergraduate and master's years, I participated in research on online collaborative learning, learning analytics, virtual reality, and case-based learning. I worked in different roles and at different stages of the research process.
Where I am...
I am currently a Ph.D. student in Instructional Design, Development & Evaluation at Syracuse University. I chose to continue my education in an academic and cultural environment different from the one in which I had studied before. I wanted this difference. My doctoral experience has introduced me to new ways of working, learning, and collaborating. Working with my advisor and with people from different cultural and academic backgrounds has given me many opportunities to learn through conversation and collaboration. I have become more attentive to listening, understanding others' perspectives, and contributing to shared work. These experiences have expanded the way I approach research and collaboration and helped me develop skills that received less attention in my earlier training. I am still learning, and I see my doctoral years as an ongoing process of exploring, adapting, and growing.
My research interests have continued to evolve along the way. My earlier work centered on online collaborative learning, learning analytics, and instructional strategies. Today, I am increasingly interested in AI in education, online learning, and collaborative learning, with a particular focus on AI-supported online case-based learning. I am interested in how AI is changing learning experiences and the interactions within them. I want to better understand what happens when learners turn to AI for explanation, feedback, or support. What roles can AI, instructors, and peers play in supporting learning? How do these interactions shape learners' autonomy, competence, relatedness, collaboration, and learning experiences? Through coursework, research, teaching, academic service, and collaboration with others, I continue to explore these questions and develop my identity as a researcher and educator.
Where I am going...
I see myself continuing toward an academic career centered on research, while remaining open to other research-focused settings. Educational technology is changing quickly, and I remain deeply curious about how people learn within these changing environments. This interest has never been purely academic. Years ago, I spent three years corresponding with high school students from rural communities in China. That experience has stayed with me. It reminded me that education is never abstract. It is connected to how people understand themselves, imagine their futures, and navigate the opportunities available to them. This is also part of why I am drawn to higher education. I see it as an important period for developing independence, critical thinking, skills and values, and a deeper understanding of oneself and the wider world. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in higher education, I want to explore how it can support meaningful learning and contribute to these broader purposes of education.
I do not yet know exactly where my career will take me, and I want to leave room for that uncertainty. What I do know is that I want to stay curious, keep asking questions that matter to me, and conduct research that remains connected to educational practice and human experience. The mentors and peers who welcomed my questions, gave me room to explore, and worked alongside me have played an important role in bringing me to where I am today. I hope that, over time, I can create that same kind of space for others. As I continue trying to understand a changing world and my own place within it, I also hope my work can matter, in some small way, to people I may never meet.
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Portfolio at a Glance
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Professional Goals
The kind of faculty career I hope to build, the questions I want to keep exploring, and the work I hope to do through research, teaching, mentoring, and service.
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Doctoral Plan
A record of my doctoral coursework and academic progress at Syracuse, along with the research preparation and questions that are gradually leading me toward my dissertation.
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Residency
The research, teaching, service, and professional development experiences that have been part of my doctoral life at Syracuse.