The present study focuses on examining how digitally guided conceptual mapping can be used in orienting students in higher education to learn complex domain content and practices. The outcomes of conceptual mapping were investigated as the orienting bases created by the students that used digitalized conceptual tools to construct an external representation of domain content and related practices. The orienting bases by the students were considered to inform their further domain-specific activity and corresponding learning goals. The educational setting investigated was targeted at doctoral students in the behavioral sciences who were learning qualitative and mixed methods in their own research activities. The students were found to implement the digital guidelines in various ways, depending on their previous knowledge and current knowledge-driven needs. The orienting bases by the students allowed the teacher to tailor her guidance according to the domain specific challenges that the students encountered in studying the principles and practices of research methods.