Celebrating Shan Zhang's Ph.D. Candidacy

We're thrilled to celebrate a wonderful milestone: Shan Zhang successfully defended her Ph.D. qualifying examination on October 31, 2025, and is now officially a Ph.D. Candidate in Educational Technology with a minor in Research, Evaluation, and Methodology at the University of Florida!

Research Impact and Publications

Since joining the VIABLE Lab in Fall 2023, Shan has contributed to research across multiple high-impact venues. Her work spans AI in Education, AI Education, AI literacy, pedagogical agents, collaborative learning, LLMs, multimodal learning analytics, and educational data mining. Her publications include top-tier journals and competitive conferences:

Journal Publications

• Computers & Education (IF 10.5) - Systematic review on pedagogical agent design for K-12 education
• Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence - Framework for inclusive AI learning design for diverse learners
• Educational Psychology Review - Meta-analysis examining pedagogical agents' impact on student motivation
• Journal of Educational Computing Research - Systematic review of reviews on AI literacy
• Journal of Research on Technology in Education - Scoping review on pedagogical agents in K-12 education
• Journal of Computing in Higher Education - Research on gender attributes in educational AI models
• Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence - Opportunities and challenges of large language models for whole-learner support

Conference Proceedings and Presentations

• SIGCSE - Work on LLM-based frameworks for programming knowledge assessment and K-12 music programming education
• AIED - Multiple studies on AI systems for deeper learning, collaborative problem-solving, and productive failure teaching
• AAAI - Research on co-designing AI microcredentials with K-12 educators
• EDM - Studies on real-time collaboration analytics and teacher perception analysis using topic modeling
• ICCE - Research on predicting students' higher-order questions in collaborative problem-solving (🏆 Best Paper Nomination)

Recognition and Leadership

Shan has earned several recognitions for her research contributions:

• Best Paper Nomination at International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE) 2024
• Best Student Paper Award from AERA SIG-IT (American Educational Research Association Special Interest Group on Instructional Technology)
• Workshop Co-Organizer for the 9th Educational Data Mining in Computer Science Education (CSEDM) Workshop at EDM 2025
• Program Committee Member for AI Literacy for All (ALIT4ALL) Workshop at AIED 2025

Mentorship and Dissertation Committee

Under the mentorship of Dr. Anthony Botelho (VIABLE Lab Director and co-advisor) and her dissertation committee members Dr. Maya Israel (UF CS Everyone Center Director), Dr. Daryn Dever, and Dr. Walter Leite, Shan is well-positioned for an exciting dissertation journey ahead.

Looking Ahead

Chip Li, who has collaborated closely with Shan on multiple research projects, shared:

"Shan is one of those rare colleagues who makes everyone's research better. Whether we're analyzing data together, brainstorming research ideas, or refining papers under tight deadlines, she always brings both brilliance and warmth to the work. I've learned so much from her thoughtful approach to research and her ability to see connections others might miss. This candidacy achievement is so well-deserved—congratulations, Shan!"

With Ph.D. candidacy achieved and over 200 citations reflecting her research impact within just two and a half years, Shan now enters the dissertation phase where her most significant scholarly contribution will take shape.

We're proud to have Shan on our team! Congratulations, Shan—we're excited to see where your dissertation research takes you!

LinkedIn Announcement

To learn more about Shan's research and publications, visit her team profile page.