Dr. Liu Shijuan is Professor of Chinese in the Department of Foreign Languages, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches the Chinese language at all levels. She has also taught at other institutions such as Renmin University of China, California State University at Los Angeles, and Northwestern University. She receives her doctorate in Instructional Systems Technology from School of Education, Indiana University Bloomington. She has been serving as the column editor for Journal of Technology and Chinese Language Teaching (JTCLT) since its inaugural issue in 2010 (and the journal executive editor since 2022). She has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles in various journals such as The Language Learning Journal, Journal of Educational Technology and Society, Journal of China Computer-Assisted Language Learning. She is the editor of two books published in 2022, one titled Teaching the Chinese Language Remotely: Global Cases and Perspectives published by Palgrave Macmillan, and Online Chinese Teaching and Learning in 2020 published by National Foreign Language Resource Center, University of Hawaii. She serves on the Board of Directors of national Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA), USA, 2018-21, and the Board of Directors of Chinese Language Teachers Association of Western Pennsylvania (CLTA-WPA), 2014-present.

Keynote Speech and Abstract

Teaching and Learning Chinese language in the 2020s

This session discusses some issues of the Chinese language teaching and learning in 2020s, such as whether we still require students to hand write Hanzi in class while most people are typing in their daily lives. Whether we need to update what and how to teach students in language courses when nowadays translation tools can help people understand a foreign language conveniently. How do we assess students when they choose to take language classes online, and what strategies are found useful in preventing online dishonesty and plagiarism? In addition to discussing these questions, the presenter will share a practical framework that she develops and uses in design and teaching of her Chinese language courses.