Bio
Shenglan Zhang earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology at Michigan State University. Prof. Zhang’s main area of research is second language learning with technology. Within this area, her research program addresses how blended and flipped learning environments can be designed to maximize students’ language and cultural skills, how teachers can help students improve their self-regulated learning in blended learning environments, how Chinese script can be taught more efficiently, and how language teachers can contribute to and utilize Open Educational Resources.
Prof. Zhang’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Chinese as a Second Language Research, The International Journal of Chinese Language Teaching, Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, and The International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching. In addition, Prof. Zhang is a co-editor of the Journal of Technology and Chinese Language Teaching.
Prof. Zhang teaches all levels of the Chinese curriculum, including China Today and Chinese Film and Society. Based on her scholarship in language teaching, she has introduced blended and flipped platforms for Chinese language courses. Reflecting her passion for Chinese script, she also offers honors seminars such as Chinese Script: From Oracle Bone Inscriptions to Modern Characters and Animals in Chinese Script and Culture.
Courses Taught (Past & Present)
CHIN 1010: Elementary Mandarin Chinese (I) in a blended/flipped format
CHIN 1020: Elementary Mandarin Chinese (II) in a blended/flipped format
CHIN 2010: Intermediate Mandarin Chinese (I) in a blended/flipped format
CHIN 2020: Intermediate Mandarin Chinese (II) in a blended/flipped format
CHIN 3010: Advanced Mandarin Chinese (I), Online and FTF CHIN 3020: Advanced Mandarin Chinese (II), FTF
CHIN 3750: China Today, FTF and Online CHIN 3780: Chinese Film and Society, FTF
HON 323C: Chinese Script, FTF
HON 3210-18: Chinese Script: From Oracle Bone Inscriptions to the Modern Characters.
FTF HON 3210-03: Animals in Chinese Script and Culture
CHIN 000: A Short Course for Engineering Students, Survival Chinese, in a blended format
Curriculum & Instruction 202: Integrating Digital Technology in the Secondary Classroom
Curriculum & Instruction 407: Principles and Practices of Flexible and Distance Education (online)
Curriculum & Instruction 507: Principles and Practices of Flexible and Distance Education (online)
Research Areas
Chinese language pedagogy; Chinese script
Selected Publications & Awards
- Zhang, S., & Da, J. (2025). Technology-assisted Chinese character teaching. J. Jin, S. Ke, Y. Yang (Eds.), Chinese language education and second language Chinese acquisition: An interface with Chinese linguistics (pp. 227-246.) New York: Routledge.
- Zhang, S. (2025). Integrating technology into beginning level CFL students’ tone learning at the curriculum level. In S.-H., Deng, L. Chang, & T.-H., Liu (eds). Handbook of Chinese Language Learning and Technology (pp. 417-448). Springer.
- Zhang, S. (2024). Curriculum design in teaching Chinese characters to American students: When and what? Chinese as a second Language Research. 13(1), 29-57.
- Zhang, S. (2023). Effective character teaching methods for L1 English Chinese-as-a-foreign-language learners: A review of empirical research. Chinese as a Second Language, 58(3), 205-236.
- Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) Excellence in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Award, 2024
- Fulbright Research Scholar, Taiwan, September 2022 – June 2023
- Iowa State University J. H. Ellis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Introductory Teaching, 2021
- Fulbright Scholarship Taiwan, 2022-2023
- Iowa State University Miller Open Education Mini-Grant, 2022-2023
- Iowa State University James Huntington Ellis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Introductory Teaching, 2021
Outside the university
Drawing; Long-distance walking; Studying Buddhist sutras and philosophy