Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal profile
Current position:
Principal Language Lecturer; has worked for the English Language Centre, XJTLU, China since 08/2015.
Previous work experience:
IEP lecturer, 10/2014- 05/2015, Center for English as a Second Language, University of Arizona, USA
English lecturer, 09/2001-08/2006, School of Foreign Studies, Xuzhou Normal University, China
Education:
MA/PhD, 01/2007- 08/2014, College of Education, The Ohio State University, USA
Prior to joining XJTLU, Yunyan studied and worked in the United States for nine year, where she obtained her second master‘s and Ph.D. degree in Foreign and Second Language Education, and then taught as an IEP (Intensive English Program) lecturer at the CESL (Center for English as a Second Language) of the University of Arizona. However, Yunyan’s teaching experience can be dated back to 2001 when she began to teach EAP courses at Xuzhou Normal University (now Jiangsu Normal University) after obtaining her first master’s degree in Applied Linguistics.
Since joining the ELC of XJTLU, Yunyan has challenged herself with different roles, including not only an EAP lecturer, but also an internal moderator, a module convenor, the EAP Curriculum Manager, and Head of the Postgraduate Division.
Yunyan has taught students at different levels from undergraudate to PhD. She is now mainly working with research degree students (Master of Research and PhD students) through instructing "Get MRes Ready", "Get PhD Ready" and "Thesis Writing for STEM Students" courses and providing one-to-one writing consultations.. For Yunyan, teaching English is her profession as well as her passion. Her goal is always to help students derive fun and confidence from the process of learning the English language and experiencing the culture. Her original intention to be a dedicated educator has never changed over 25 years of her teaching career.
Education/Academic qualification
PhD , The Ohio State University, USA, - 2014
Person Types
- Staff
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Exploring Engineering Students' Attitudes and Experiences with Communication Skills in the Era of Advanced AI Technologies: A Mixed-Methods Study [Design finished _ ethics application in progress _ handover to Hunter and Joy]
Xing, P. (PI), Li, W. (CoI) & Zhang, Y. (CoI)
Project: Internal Research Project
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Investigating the interplay between students’ and teachers’ digital academic literacies in an EMI university
Sun, Q. (PI), Zhang, Y. (CoI) & Bi, X. (CoI)
1/01/25 → 31/12/25
Project: Internal Research Project
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Investigating the effectiveness of a master-level Pre-sessional English Programme in an EMI University in China – A Longitudinal Study
Zhang, Y. (PI)
1/01/23 → 31/12/25
Project: Internal Research Project
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Pedagogy and beyond: A scrutiny of the ecosystem of postgraduate English for Academic Purposes (EAP) reading and writing modules
Sun, Q., Zhang, Y. & Li, T., 15 Jan 2025, In: Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Enabling Disciplinary Voice in Postgraduate Students’ EAP Writing: Evaluating Practices of Assessment for Learning
Sun, Q. & Zhang, Y., 1 Jan 2024, English for Academic Purposes in the EMI Context in Asia: XJTLU Impact. Springer Nature, p. 181-204 24 p.Research output: Chapter in Book or Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
The development of professional identity and its associations with emotions: An empirical study of university eap teachers with diverse ethnic backgrounds
Shi, Z., Zhang, Y. & Yan, R., 17 Jul 2024, Developments and Future Trends in Transnational Higher Education Leadership. IGI Global, p. 85-120 36 p.Research output: Chapter in Book or Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Using TED Talks in ‘English Corners’ to Boost Academic Discussion Skills of Postgraduate Students in a Chinese EMI University
Zhang, Y., Li, T. & Li, H., 1 Jan 2024, English for Academic Purposes in the EMI Context in Asia: XJTLU Impact. Springer Nature, p. 231-257 27 p.Research output: Chapter in Book or Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
Investigating Students’ Perceptions of Project-based Learning in an ESAP Course
Zhang, Y., Deng, S. & Zhang, W., Jun 2022, In: Language Teaching in China. 1, p. 56-73Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Activities
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‘An Investigation of Student Strategies for Utilizing Generative AI tools to Enhance English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Skills in a Sino-British University Context’
Wang, A. (Supervisor), Zhang, Y. (Co-supervisor) & Deng, S. (Co-supervisor)
15 Jun 2025 → 28 Aug 2025Activity: Supervision › Completed SURF Project
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Engineering students' perception of communication skills in the age of AI
Wenzhou Li (Speaker) & Yunyan Zhang (Speaker)
14 May 2025 → 16 May 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation at conference/workshop/seminar
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Introduction to qualitative research design
Wei Zhang (Speaker), Yunyan Zhang (Speaker) & Jingfei Zhang (Speaker)
11 Nov 2023Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation at conference/workshop/seminar
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Effects of Kahoot! on Students’ Motivation in Chinese EAP Context
Yunyan Zhang (Supervisor)
Sept 2023 → Jan 2024Activity: Supervision › Master Dissertation Supervision