Ellen Yeh - Columbia College Chicago

Ellen Yeh

Associate Professor

eyeh@colum.edu

Biography

Ellen Yeh, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in English and Creative Writing Department and serves as Director of English as an Additional Language Program at Columbia College Chicago. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in second language education from Ohio University. She also holds a TESOL Certificate and CALL Certificate. Her research interests include media literacy in teacher education, social media literacy, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), intercultural communication, and culturally responsive teaching and social emotional learning (CRT-SEL). Her previous publications include articles in the CALICO Journal, the CALL Journal, Journal of International Students, and International Encyclopedia of Media Literacy collection.

Instructional Areas

I have bridged theory and practice in my teaching by integrating meaningful Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and intercultural instruction. In alignment with most of my research and theoretical frameworks, I attempt to enhance language learners’ intercultural competence, develop language abilities via sociocultural learning theories, and use a bridging-activity framework in CALL so that learners are able to transfer the skills they acquire in the classroom into the real world. In addition to teaching international sections of Writing and Rhetoric I and II and Oral Expression, I created and developed new curricula at both the Department and College levels. I developed and taught the curriculum titled “U.S. Academic Language and Culture” for first-year undergraduate and graduate students from our international partnership universities, namely Beijing Film Academy, Beijing International Studies University, and Tongji University. At the college level, I coordinated the Summer Intensive Program and co-taught the “Summer Intensive Program: U.S. Language and Creative Industries in Western Markets” for incoming international students whose language proficiency did not meet the college benchmark. As director of the EAL program, I also designed and led global education teacher training and professional development workshop series. I have demonstrated my leadership skills by providing training and support for faculty members working with international students in both the EAL and Writing and Rhetoric programs, such as multilingual writing pedagogy workshops. Another crucial role I provide is to serve as a bridge between faculty members and international students, particularly when students are struggling with academic work and adjusting to the target language culture.

Creative Practice and Research Interests

As a TESOL scholar, I ground my work within the three intertwining subfields of computer assisted language learning (CALL), family diversity in ESL education, culturally responsive teaching and social and emotional learning (CRT-SEL), and intercultural communicative competence (ICC). My scholarly work includes more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles within the past six years, including publications in top-tier journals in the field of CALL such as the CALL Journal (98th percentile; CiteScore of 5.5) and the CALICO Journal (94th percentile; CiteScore of 3.3); four peer-reviewed book chapters; an invited peer-reviewed article published in a media literacy encyclopedia collection; and a peer-reviewed media review article. The special issue study also opened up other scholarly opportunities, such as being invited to present at the Annual Arizona CALL 2021 Conference. I have co-written many of these publications with other supporting authors, as collaboration and co-authorship are encouraged and highly valued in these subfields, especially in CALL with intercultural exchange projects. I have also presented at numerous conferences at the national and international level and am currently serving as a reviewer for refereed journals in my subfields.

Degrees

B.A., English Language and Literature Soochow University 2009
M.Ed., Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages The University at Buffalo, State University of New York 2011
Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction Ohio University 2014