Ying Xu
Contact
Location
4029
610 E. University Ave.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1259
Ying Xu is an Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences & Technology in the Marsal Family School of Education. Her research stands at the intersection of education, psychology, and human-computer interaction, focusing on the design and evaluation of technologies that promote language and literacy development, STEM learning, and wellbeing for children and families.
Xu’s current projects center on the education applications of artificial intelligence, in particular, natural language processing and speech technologies. She explores how these conversational technologies play the role of social partners or learning companions for children. Xu’s research also aims to identify and actively challenge biases inherent in AI technologies used for educational purposes, with the goal of making these technologies more responsive and responsible to children, parents, and teachers from diverse backgrounds.
To carry out her research, Xu closely collaborates with national media producers, including PBS KIDS and Sesame Workshop, as well as industrial partners and local community organizations. Her work has been supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, Schmidt Futures, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Xu’s research has appeared in premier academic venues across psychology, education, and HCI (e.g., Child Development, Computers & Education, and the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems), receiving a number of best paper nominations and awards.
Xu received her doctorate degree in Language, Literacy, and Technology from the University of California, Irvine.