DEPARTMENT OF ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES

Chin-Hung Chang’s teaching and research focus on Chinese language pedagogy, technology-enhanced language learning, and the use of generative AI beyond the classroom. She received her Ed.D. in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership, specializing in Learning Design and Leadership from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She also holds an M.A. in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language from National Taiwan Normal University.

Since joining Northwestern in 2012, Chin-Hung has taught Chinese language courses at various proficiency levels and has played a key role in curriculum and program development. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes communicative proficiency and fosters opportunities for students to deepen their learning beyond the classroom. She has developed technology-based initiatives that connect students with native speakers, integrated digital tools into language instruction, and contributed to the alignment of Chinese curriculum with proficiency-oriented instruction and assessment. Her dedication to undergraduate teaching was recognized with the 2025 Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Teaching Award.

More recently, Chin-Hung’s curricular innovation and research have centered on the application of generative AI in language learning. She is a co-developer of Jack the Chatbot, an AI-assisted conversational tool integrated into Chinese and Korean language curricula. Jack is designed to increase opportunities for students to practice vocabulary and communication outside of the classroom and is being further developed to support interactive role-play scenarios. This work has been supported by Northwestern’s Alumnae Award for Curriculum Innovation and the Hewlett Fund for Curricular Innovation.

Chin-Hung’s research explores how technology influences language learning both within and beyond formal instructional settings. Her doctoral work examined undergraduate students’ informal learning of Mandarin Chinese through technology and its relationship to formal language study. Her current projects build on this foundation by investigating AI-assisted conversational practice and the use of an AI Exam Wrapper to promote metacognitive reflection, effective study strategies, and self-regulated learning. Her scholarship reflects a broader interest in understanding not only the possibilities that emerging technologies offer language learners, but also how these tools can be purposefully integrated into curricula to support meaningful learning.

At Northwestern, Chin-Hung serves as Administrative Coordinator and Study Abroad Advisor for the Chinese language program and coordinates the second-year Chinese curriculum. She has contributed to experiential language learning as Assistant Faculty Leader for Discover Taiwan: Mandarin Language and Culture. In collaboration with Global Learning Office, she has also evaluated Chinese language study abroad programs in Taiwan. Beyond Northwestern, she serves as a Board Member and Newsletter Co-editor for the International Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). She is also a certified ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview tester, Writing Proficiency Test rater, and AAPPL rater.