Jing Chai
Program Head, Chinese Language; Affiliated Senior Language Lecturer of Chinese
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: BA East China Normal University, MA East China Normal University
Research Websites: I Got One - Shared Strategies for Memorizing Chinese Characters - 汉字奇思妙想
Research Areas: Chinese Language Pedagogy; Chinese Characters; Technology-enhanced Language Learning; Experiential Learning; Intercultural Communications
Jing Chai is a Visiting Senior Lecturer of Chinese Language at New York University Abu Dhabi, with over thirteen years of teaching experience in higher education across the US, China, and the UAE. She has taught Chinese across all proficiency levels and is known for developing post-advanced, content-based curricula, including "Discovering Contemporary China Through Documentary Films," "Teaching Chinese Through Children’s Storybooks," and "Contemporary Chinese Communication in a Global Context." She received both her BA and MA in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages from East China Normal University and had previously held teaching appointments at NYU Shanghai and Washington and Lee University in the United States.
Chai's scholarly and pedagogical interests focus on technology-enhanced language learning, experiential learning, and Chinese characters. She is the principal investigator of "I Got One丨字圆其说," a crowdsourced learning platform through which Chinese language learners across the NYU Global Network and beyond share creative strategies for conceptualizing Chinese characters from learners’ perspectives. The initiative has expanded into exhibitions, workshops, and public talks engaging both learners and native speakers in academic and community settings, including city libraries, universities, and local community centers.
Chai is also recognized for integrating Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) into Chinese language instruction. She has designed and led in-city, regional, and international CEL study trips and has contributed to the development of Chinese and language programs across NYU’s Global Network University through cross-site collaboration and academic programming.
She serves as an accredited ACTFL Mandarin OPI tester, an accredited HSK grader for the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of China, and an evaluator for the US Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship program.