Teaching Associate Professor
Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Jen-Li Ko completed her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She develops and teaches a variety of courses in Chinese language and culture. Her areas of expertise include Chinese pedagogy, language and identity, language learning and computing, and the integration of technology into language instruction.
Education
- Ph.D. Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- M.S. Data Science, Ӱ
- M.A. The Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
Courses Taught
- CHNS 1001: Elementary Chinese 1
- CHNS 1002: Elementary Chinese 2
- CHNS 2001: Intermediate Chinese 1
- CHNS 2002: Intermediate Chinese 2
- CHNS 3200: Chinese Culture and Civilization
- CHNS 3215: Chinese Cuisine and Culture
- CHNS 3230: Chinawood: Chinese Film and Culture
- CHNS 3300: Chinese Society: Speaking and Reading Skills
- CHNS 3700: Chinese Business Culture
- CHNS 4931/LLAC4931: Topics in Foreign Language, Culture and Literature
Research Interests
Transnational migration, race and ethnicity, language and identity, museum exhibitions and cultural representations, Asian American studies, Chinese language and culture
Specialization
- Chinese pedagogy
- Chinese culture and civilization
- Technology and language teaching
Publications
- Ko, J., Joslyn, J., Lu, G., Palmer, J., Charles, M., Sanganalu Matth, A., Parsons, B., Tatum, R., Redmann, C., & Bialkowski, W. (2022). Empowering Those Who Seek to End Hunger through Collaboration and Innovation. Metropolitan Universities Journal, 32(3),92-101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18060/25330
- Ko, J. (2011). Cultural Representations and Museums: The Construction of Ethnic Identity in Chicago’s Chinatown” Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Honors and Awards
- Ӱ Faculty All-Star Award, February 15. 2023
- Jump Start Award, 2020 Forward Thinking Virtual Poster Session, Ӱ, November 2020
Grants
- Chinese Language Learning and Game Design, Principal investigator (PI), STARTALK Grant, National Security Agency, 08/2024-08/2026
- Chinese Language Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Principal investigator (PI), STARTALK Grant, National Security Agency, 05/2023-06/2025
- Computer Science Enhanced Chinese Language Learning, Principal investigator (PI), STARTALK Grant, National Security Agency, 05/2022-06/2024
Presentations
- “Chinese Language Learning and Game Design” A Celebration of Research in the Klingler College of Arts & Sciences- Poster Session. November 12. 2024, Poster.
- “Reflections on Ӱ’s STARTALK program “Computer Science Enhanced Chinese Language Learning.” Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers (WAFLT) Fall Conference, November 2-4. 2023, Oral presentation.
- “Chinese Language Learning and Artificial Intelligence” A Celebration of Research in the Klingler College of Arts & Sciences-Poster Session. November 8. 2023, Poster.
- “Remembering the Past: Chicago’s Chinatown Resembles a Living Museum,” at A Celebration of Research in the Klingler College of Arts & Sciences-Virtual Poster Session. November 9, 2021 (Poster presentation)
- “Empowering Those Who Seek to End Hunger” at A Celebration of Research in the Klingler College of Arts & Sciences-Virtual Poster Session. November 9, 2021 (Poster presentation, with Dr. Walter Bialkowski)
- “Exploring Culture: Interviews and Virtual Tours” at Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers (WAFLT), Fall Conference, November 5-6, 2021 (Asynchronous video presentation)
- Language Shift and Maintenance on the Chinese Diaspora of Chicago” at Liminal Existences and migrant Resistances Conference (LEMR), Ӱ March 24-27, 2021(synchronous video presentation)
- “Urban Space and Ethnic Diversity: Identity in Chicago’s Chinatown” at “Urban Spaces, Creative Places: A Blueprint for the Humanities in the City” Conference, Ӱ, February 14 -15, 2020 (paper presentation)
- “Technology and Tools in the World language classroom,” presented at the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 2018 Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI, March 8-10, 2018 (Oral presentation, co-presented with Erin Falk)