Case Study
Haning Hughes
Professor of Chinese and Deputy Department Head of the Department of Foreign Languages and International Programs
at the United States Air Force Academy

  1. Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your role?

I am Haning Hughes, Professor of Chinese and Deputy Department Head of the Department of Foreign Languages and International Programs at the United States Air Force Academy.

  1. How long have you been using TCB?

Not exactly sure… about 8 years.

  1. How did you learn about TCB? What exactly did you like about TCB that made you interested?

A colleague of mine who is a Professor of Political Science at USAFA, introduced me TCB.

Authenticity and up-to-date materials – all the materials are based on current news articles.

  1. Could you please tell us about the challenges Chinese language instructors face these days that TCB helps to solve?
  • availability of authentic Chinese reading materials — especially finding the appropriate levels for students
  • increasing students motivation to read – constantly trying to gather interesting, short reading materials for students
  • finding appropriate materials for Chinese heritage language learners – especially reading materials
  • lack of materials for advanced/beginner language learners
  • additional listening and reading materials for students as homework
  1. Are there any specific challenges of teaching Chinese in comparison to other languages?

Not really.

  1. Have you tried other language learning tools in your work? Is there any advantage that TCB has that you would like to mention?

Yes, but not consistently. For 1-3 year students, we still heavily rely on “Integrated Chinese”, the textbook series. For the advanced students in year 4, we create our own materials for courses such as: Culture and Civilization through Film, Chinese Idiom Stories, Chinese Military Studies, etc.

  1. Please describe your digital toolkit you use in your work (different digital tools you use and what function they perform)

Teams: faculty – student communications; post teaching materials and assign homework, etc

Blackboard: grades

  1. How is usually decision made regarding the tool to use at the Chinese class? Is it made on the school level or is it left to the each teacher discretion?

Usually at the department level and then left to language division’s discretion.

  1. What TCB features do you find especially useful / are your favorite?
  • I honestly liked all the elements about the program, particularly the following features:
  • Authenticity and timely : all the materials are based on current news articles
  • Various categories
  • HSK levels to choose from: great for both instructors and students to choose the appropriate learning materials.
  • Grading and testing systems for instructors: a big plus
  • Self-study friendly for students: very handy for motivated learning learners
  • Vocabulary and grammar lists: very helpful!
  • Perfect preparation materials for the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT)
  • Very responsive and accommodating staff from TCB!
  1. Please share some best practices on how you integrate TCB in your daily work in the classroom.
  • I intend to use TCB as the main platform to offer an advanced course on Chinese military studies with a focus on the Chinese Air Force, Space Force, AF academies, and other related topics.
  • We integrate TBC materials to all 2nd, 3rd and 4th year Chinese course to learn about Chinese culture, society, and traditions.
  1. In your opinion, what would be the top benefits of using TCB in schools and universities?

All the benefits I mentioned in Question 9.

  1. Could you share how TCB improved the efficiency of the language teaching process in the classroom? (It shouldn’t be necessary a number, one of the teachers mentioned he saw the deadline completion rate increase after the tool has been introduced)
  • Increased motivation for students to practice reading and listening.
  • Heritage learners now feel that they’ve found a good place to practice reading comprehension.
  • Other languages wish they would have their version of TCB. Spanish and French are excited about Newsdle.
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