2025

Organized by UCSB Chinese program, the American Association for International Education Advancement (AAIEA) and Hanfeng Education Technology, in collaboration with UC Irvine Chinese Program, UC Davis Chinese Program, Chinese Language Teachers Association of California, and Southern California Chinese Language Teachers Association, the symposium welcomed delegates from six countries including the United States, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Vietnam.

Pioneering AI Integration in Language Education

As generative AI continues to transform education, Bridge 2025 explored innovative approaches to enhance curriculum design, student assessment, and immersive language experiences.

“This conference represents a significant milestone in bringing together distinguished speakers and diverse stakeholders committed to share, disseminate, and collaborate on the future of Chinese language education.,” said Dr. Katherine Saltzman-Li, Professor at UCSB and Chair of Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies.

The event featured:

• The first U.S. symposium specifically focused on AI applications in Chinese language instruction alongside international study programs
• Specialized curriculum focused on teaching Chinese for business, law, healthcare, tourism, and technical fields
• Strong industry-academia partnerships with participation from educational technology companies, publishers, and study abroad organizations
• Representation spanning K-12 schools, higher education institutions, EdTech startups, and global education providers
• Collaborative vision-setting for Chinese language education in a technology-driven, globally connected world

Comprehensive Program Highlights

Bridge 2025 offered more than 40 sessions across varied formats. Key events included:

• Industry Roundtable: Leaders from educational technology companies discussed aligning AI tools with pedagogical goals and student needs
• Future Directions Panel: Experts explored program innovation across educational levels, cultural integration strategies, and evolving teaching models
• Academic Presentations: Researchers from institutions including UCLA, UC Irvine, Dartmouth, McGill and Pomona College shared findings on AI-assisted language acquisition, multimodal instruction methods, and specialized curriculum design
• Study Abroad Innovations: New program models integrating language study with business, cultural activities, and technology-enhanced learning experiences

Moving Forward

The symposium established a foundation for ongoing collaboration between researchers, technologists, and educators. Participants left with concrete strategies for implementing AI tools in language classrooms and developing more effective international exchange programs. Selected outstanding papers from the conference will be published in the journal Global Chinese Language Teaching & Research.

One of the distinctive features of this conference was the “Bridge Dialogue” session, which brought together educational organizations such as Phoenix Tree Publishing, LingoAce, and IPERC for a conversation hosted by Dr. Zhongqi Shi, President of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, USA. In this session, these organizations engaged in dialogue with Chinese language educators to analyze and explore the current state and future prospects of the global Chinese language education market, with a particular focus on Chinese education in the United State

“Bridge 2025 has initiated important conversations about how we can responsibly harness technology to create more engaging, personalized, and globally relevant Chinese language education,” said a representative from AAIEA. “It is also a new attempt to build a platform for dialogue among stakeholders from different sectors of Chinese language education, representing an innovative approach in both organizational format and content exchange.”

About the Organizers

The symposium was jointly organized by UC Santa Barbara’s Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, the American Association for International Education Advancement (AAIEA), and Hanfeng Education. Together, these organizations represent expertise in Chinese language education, international academic exchange, and educational technology innovation.