Dr Xiaoli Wu

(she/her)

BA, MA, MES, PhD

Research

I hold a PhD in Educational Sciences with a specialisation in the development of second language curricula and teaching practices informed by instructional psychology, instructional design and educational technology. My previous research and publications were primarily focussed on second language acquisition (SLA) and vocabulary acquisition in particular, the role of social cognitive variables in SLA, task-based language teaching and the design and implementation of effective e-learning environments. My current research interests include task design and sequencing, exploring the role of visual-spatial memory, and investigating students' perceptions of GenAI use in learning Chinese as a second language.

Teaching

I am currently leading the following modules:

• Mandarin Chinese Language (Intermediate)
• Ex-Advanced Language Y2 Chinese
• Final Year Dissertation

I have previously led and taught:

• Specialised Chinese
• Introduction to Chinese Linguistics
• Chinese Society & Culture

I am also a tutor for the Translation as a Profession module.

Biography

I hold a BA (Distinction) in English and an MA (Distinction) in Language Curriculum and Teaching from Shenyang Normal University,  an MES (Cum Laude) and a PhD in Educational Sciences from KU Leuven.

I joined Cardiff in 2021. Prior to this, I worked at the Department of Sinology, Language and Area Studies at  KU Leuven, Belgium since 2010, where I taught Sinology degree courses and coordinated the Chinese language teaching team.

Throughout my teaching career at both Leuven and Cardiff, I have developed, designed and taught Chinese language, and content and language integrated modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Additionally, I have delivered research seminars in language teacher training programmes, including: conducting seminars on teaching Chinese as a foreign language, focusing on theories, research, and internship mentoring; leading seminars on foreign/second language education for the Master of Educational Studies programme; and supervising and evaluating bachelor’s and master’s dissertations in Sinology and Educational Studies. My research on second language acquisition and curriculum design has significantly enriched my teaching practices, allowing me to create engaging, research-informed learning experiences for my students.

Honours and awards

• Cardiff Eriching Student Life Awards Nominations

2025: Learning and Teaching Collaboration of the Year, Most Impactful and Outstanding Use of Assessment as Learning, Most Outstanding Learning Experience, Personal Tutor of the Year & Champion for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

2024: Learning and Teaching Collaboration of the Year, Most Outstanding Use of the Learning Environment, Champion for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

2023: Personal Tutor of the Year

• Outstanding Contribution Award (Teaching Category) 

Awarded by the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education, People's Republic of China, 2021

• EU grant “Chinese for Business”  (01.09.2014-31.08.2016)  Project no. 2014-1-PL01-KA200-003591

Fully funded by EU Erasmus + programme, the C4B project aimed at developing, testing and disseminating three main products: business Chinese language course, cultural and business guide and B2B platform. 

• Springer best published paper award of 2012 in the journal of Learning Environments Research (received this award at the American Education Research Association (AERA) annual meeting at San Francisco, 2013)
• PhD student award with grant for best paper presentation from European Second Language Association (EUROSLA) 2006

Professional memberships

• Member of the British Chinese Language Teaching Society (BCLTS)
• Member of the European Second Language Association (EuroSLA)
• Member of the European Association for Chinese Language Teaching (EACT)
• Member of the Belgian Chinese Language Association (BCLA)

Committees and reviewing

I serve on the Jury Committee for the European English-Speaking Region Chinese Teaching Skills Competition.

I regularly review manuscripts and book proposals for publishers, and conduct peer reviews for academic journals, including Instructional Science, The Modern Language Journal, and System.