Research Interests
Daryl Ann Borel, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor
My research and expertise center on educational leadership and technology integration, informed by more than 40 years of experience as a classroom teacher, district technology leader, nonprofit executive, business leader, and applied researcher. This work is organized around three interconnected themes.
Digital Learning and Instruction. This strand examines how students engage with online and technology-rich learning environments and how instructors can design effective, evidence-based instruction for them. My work includes studies of graduate students’ perceptions of online learning in educational leadership programs and of how teachers integrate emerging technologies into lesson design to elevate their practice. Drawing on my experience leading technology initiatives at the district level, I explore how innovations can be integrated meaningfully into educational settings, not as add-ons, but in ways that support organizational change and improve teaching and learning at scale.
Artificial Intelligence in Education. This strand investigates the applications of AI across educational contexts, from K–12 classrooms to graduate research preparation. My recent work examines secondary teachers’ lived experiences with AI in English language arts instruction, AI-enhanced pedagogy and lesson design, and whether AI can help educators develop more effective student support plans when paired with human insight. In graduate education, I study how aspiring educational leaders perceive and adopt generative AI in academic research, including their ethical comfort with these tools and the institutional implications for online doctoral and research methods programs. I am particularly interested in the ethical complexities of generative AI in academic research and in balancing innovation with responsibility, rigor, and transparency. This work connects to my involvement with the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) AI Special Interest Group and the American Educational Research Association’s Qualitative Research SIG, as well as my work guiding doctoral researchers through the dissertation process.
Educational Leadership Development. This strand focuses on preparing school leaders to meet the challenges facing contemporary school systems. My research examines principal candidates’ preparedness for instructional leadership, including the knowledge, skills, and support they need, and how coherently sequenced practicum experiences develop collaborative instructional leaders. I also study the design of Ed.D. programs through the lens of CPED principles. A central commitment of this work is developing culturally proficient leaders who advance equity within their institutions, including through research on graduate students’ multicultural awareness, professional development for linguistically responsive teaching, and educators’ awareness of twice-exceptional learners. Informed by my background in both education and business, I also examine how workforce design and development can reshape the ways schools are staffed and operated, including human resource strategies for teacher recruitment and retention and the role of dedicated emergency managers in building school resilience. Across this work, I consider how technology and innovation can support more inclusive learning environments in which every student feels valued.
Digital Learning and Instruction. This strand examines how students engage with online and technology-rich learning environments and how instructors can design effective, evidence-based instruction for them. My work includes studies of graduate students’ perceptions of online learning in educational leadership programs and of how teachers integrate emerging technologies into lesson design to elevate their practice. Drawing on my experience leading technology initiatives at the district level, I explore how innovations can be integrated meaningfully into educational settings, not as add-ons, but in ways that support organizational change and improve teaching and learning at scale.
Artificial Intelligence in Education. This strand investigates the applications of AI across educational contexts, from K–12 classrooms to graduate research preparation. My recent work examines secondary teachers’ lived experiences with AI in English language arts instruction, AI-enhanced pedagogy and lesson design, and whether AI can help educators develop more effective student support plans when paired with human insight. In graduate education, I study how aspiring educational leaders perceive and adopt generative AI in academic research, including their ethical comfort with these tools and the institutional implications for online doctoral and research methods programs. I am particularly interested in the ethical complexities of generative AI in academic research and in balancing innovation with responsibility, rigor, and transparency. This work connects to my involvement with the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) AI Special Interest Group and the American Educational Research Association’s Qualitative Research SIG, as well as my work guiding doctoral researchers through the dissertation process.
Educational Leadership Development. This strand focuses on preparing school leaders to meet the challenges facing contemporary school systems. My research examines principal candidates’ preparedness for instructional leadership, including the knowledge, skills, and support they need, and how coherently sequenced practicum experiences develop collaborative instructional leaders. I also study the design of Ed.D. programs through the lens of CPED principles. A central commitment of this work is developing culturally proficient leaders who advance equity within their institutions, including through research on graduate students’ multicultural awareness, professional development for linguistically responsive teaching, and educators’ awareness of twice-exceptional learners. Informed by my background in both education and business, I also examine how workforce design and development can reshape the ways schools are staffed and operated, including human resource strategies for teacher recruitment and retention and the role of dedicated emergency managers in building school resilience. Across this work, I consider how technology and innovation can support more inclusive learning environments in which every student feels valued.