Jingjing is a Ph.D. candidate in Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). At Northwestern University, she has taught various Chinese language courses at different levels, from novice to advanced, for heritage and non-heritage tracks. Each year, Northwestern students nominate professors to be on Associated Student Government (ASG) Faculty Honor Roll for their outstanding and dedicated work. Jingjing was selected to be honored twice in 2016-2017 and 2019-2020.

Jingjing was also the first prize recipient for Innovative Excellence in the Teaching of Chinese as a Foreign Language awarded by the Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA), USA, in 2021-2022. The relevant project was reported by the newspaper The Daily Northwestern. Additionally, her project that utilized technology to promote meaningful and active interactions among novice Chinese learners won the 2023 MAFLT LCTL Best Innovation Award, offered by the National Less Commonly Taught Languages Resource Center.

Before joining Northwestern, Jingjing taught Chinese at Washington and Lee University and the University of Virginia (UVA). She also has extensive teaching experience in intensive and high-quality summer programs. She taught at UVA in Shanghai summer program for two summers and Middlebury College (Summer Chinese School) for three summers. She is an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) tester certified by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

Jingjing’s research interests revolve around Chinese heritage language (CHL) education. Specifically, she focuses on various aspects, such as the development of educational materials, effective pedagogies, assessment, and family language policies related to CHL maintenance. Her publications have appeared as a column article in the journal Language Teaching and Linguistic Studies and as conference proceedings. Furthermore, her research work has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals such as Foreign Language Annals (FLA), Journal of Technology and Chinese Language Teaching, and Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages.

Besides her publications, Jingjing actively engages with the academic community. She regularly presents at conferences such as ACTFL and CLTA, and has also been invited to conduct webinars for CLTA SIGs. Her expertise has led to invitations to serve as a proposal reviewer for conferences such as American Educational Research Association (AERA), and as a manuscript reviewer for journals such as FLA. Recognizing her knowledge and insight, she was approached by the magazine Times Higher Education and a peer-reviewed journal Studies in Chinese Learning and Teaching, where she co-authored an article on language instruction during the pandemic, and a pedagogical report on DEI in language education respectively.

Additionally, Jingjing co-authored and published a Chinese textbook for heritage beginners with Yan Liu, Grace Wu, and Min-min Liang, titled 传承中文Modern Chinese for Heritage Beginners. The book aims to serve as a stepping-stone for Chinese heritage students' future Chinese learning, inspiring them to reflect on their identities, learn Chinese American history, and embrace their cultural heritage.

Book:

传承中文 Modern Chinese for Heritage Beginners Stories about Us (2023)