8 Guiding Theories
Each card below captures the headline of what that theory brings to the design of this program. If you want to go deeper on any of them — origins, core principles, and why it matters specifically in a hybrid executive program like DRIVE — click the card to learn more.
Foundation
Constructivism
Knowledge is built through experience and interaction — not received from authority.
Mechanism
Dialogic Learning
Meaning is negotiated through dialogue among equals — not delivered from expert to novice.
Modeling
Cognitive Apprenticeship
Expert thinking is made visible so learners can observe, practice, and internalize it.
Integration
Transdisciplinary Theory
Problems are solved between, across, and beyond disciplines — not from within one alone.
Community
Communities of Practice
Learning happens through participation in a community — identity and knowing develop together.
Adult Learning
Andragogy
Adults learn differently than children — self-directed, experience-anchored, problem-centered.
Hybrid Design
Community of Inquiry
Meaningful online/hybrid learning requires cognitive, social, and teaching presence — all three.
Async Design
Multimedia Learning Theory
People learn better from words and pictures together — but only when designed with care.
These eight theories are not independent frameworks sitting side by side. In this program, they work together: Andragogy and Constructivism set the assumptions; Community of Inquiry and Multimedia Theory guide the hybrid architecture; Cognitive Apprenticeship and Dialogic Learning govern the live sessions; Communities of Practice and Transdisciplinary Theory define the program's identity and ambition.