Michigan State University

Arts and Letters College Directory

Hala Sun

  • (She/Her)
  • Teaching Faculty
  • Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures
Biography

Teaching Faculty, Korean Program (Dept of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures)
Associate Director of Assessment & Evaluation, Evidence Driven Learning Innovation

Ph.D. in Education, dual specialization in Applied Linguistics & Writing Studies, UC Santa Barbara
MATESOL & MPA in International Management, Middlebury Institute of International Studies

She specializes in qualitative research, sociolinguistics, and classroom discourse analysis. Complementing her research expertise, she has extensive experience teaching ESL, linguistics, education, and writing courses at universities and supervising ESL teachers in K-12 and community contexts. Her teaching and research have informed numerous publications on topics of immigrant multilingual children’s ethnolinguistic and translanguaging practices, AI-integrated curriculum/assessment design in multilingual writing, and the application of AI in qualitative research methods.

She is a polyglot and an activist advocating for sociolinguistic justice, including transforming deficit perspectives of multilingual immigrant speakers into celebratory ones. She is also passionate about implementing effective strategies that help educators nurture and empower their students, particularly multilingual learners.

RESEARCH PROJECTS:

(1) Multilingual immigrant children and youth’s identity and diverse language practices

(2) Multilingual and multicultural capacities of AI and emerging technologies 

(3) Effective and ethical use of AI/digital tools in teaching & learning contexts, including curriculum and assessment integration 

(4) Participatory action research: K-16 teacher partnership in AI/edu tech literacy, focused on multilingual and Indigenous learners 

(5) Research methodologies using generative AI (focused on qualitative methods) 

(6) Impact of AI tutoring tools on self-efficacy & self-regulated learning

(7) Exploring AI inclusivity in teacher education

(8) AI emotions amongst multilingual writers 

Works

PUBLICATIONS:

  • Sun, H. (2025). Teacher agency in response to the emergence of generative AI: A scaffolded writing project within a multiliteracies framework. In G. C. Zapata (Ed.), Generative AI technologies, multiliteracies, and language education (pp. 79-95). Routledge. doi.org/10.4324/9781003531685
  • Sun, H. (2025). Embracing change: Navigating curriculum and assessment for AI literacy in higher education writing. Journal for Research and Practice in College Teaching, 10(2). https://journals.uc.edu/index.php/jrpct/article/view/8819
  • David Pandya Kumar, J. A., Sun, H., Van Hof, J., & Vandepol, N. (2025). Midsemester course feedback from students as reflective practice: A pilot exploratory study on instructors’ and students’ insights. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2025.2559199
  • Sun, H., Kim, M., Kim, S., & Choi, L. (2025). A methodological exploration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) for efficient qualitative analysis on hotel guest’s delightful experiences. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 124, 103974. doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.103974
  • Saroken, K., Nam, Y., Kim, B., Kim, M. R., Sun, H., & Walker, T. (2025). Enhancing workforce readiness in the hospitality industry: A gender-based study of hospitality business students’ internship experiences. ICHRIE Research Reports: Vol. 10: Iss. 5, Article 5. doi.org/ 10.61701/834305.751
  • Lee, J. S., & Sun, H. (2024). Valorizing heritage language speakers’ multicompetence: Sociolinguistic justice for a Korean American ethnolect. In A. Kibler, G. Bunch, & A. Walqui (Eds.), Equity in multilingual schools and communities: Celebrating the contributions of Guadalupe Valdés (pp. 30-40). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781800417199-005
  • Sun, H. (2022). Hybrid Semiotic Practices of multilingual children and teachers in two-way immersion programs [UC Santa Barbara]. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mb9k4pd
  • Lee, J. S., Lee, W., & Sun, H. (2021). Raciolinguistic positioning of language models in a Korean- English dual language immersion classroom. In N. Flores, N. C. Subtirelu, & A. Tseng (Eds.), Bilingualism for all? Raciolinguistic perspectives on dual language education (pp. 177-198). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.22730640.12

 

GRANTS:

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) – PI (awarded, 2025), Generative AI ethics design sprint workshop for STEM educator (#2427666)
  • College of Education’s Inclusive Teaching Grant, Michigan State University – PI/mentor (awarded, 2025), AI as a Teaching Facilitator: Empowering Education Faculty to Integrate AI for Inclusive Classrooms
  • Community Engaged Research Fellowship Grant, Michigan State University – PI (awarded, 2025), Culturally responsive AI for multilingual equity: Addressing the needs of immigrant and refugee communities
  • Catalyst Grant, Michigan State University – PI (awarded, 2025),  Advancing student success and equity through personalized learning / AI tutoring (Tailored Tutor/HiTA) 
  • Statler Foundation – coPI (awarded, 2025), Enhancing hotel industry workforce readiness: A comprehensive study of impacts of hospitality business students’ internship experiences and outcomes (#015605)   
  • MSU Provost’s Undergraduate Research (CAL-URI) Grant – PI (awarded, 2025), Designing a digital mini-textbook to create an authentic curriculum: Students as co-designers   
  • Learning Communities, Office of Faculty & Academic Staff Development – (awarded, 2025), AI in language, learning, and education: Ethics, research, pedagogical innovation
  • Korean Education Center in Los Angeles (KECLA) Research Grant – PI (awarded, 2025), Korean research lab: Creating multimodal modules for language learning
  • Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership – (awarded, 2024), AI ethics and self-regulated learning (SRL) training module for business students
  • Catalyst Grant, Michigan State University – PI (awarded, 2024), Fostering student-driven learning & innovative performance in design education through generative AI
  • Korean-American Educational Researchers Association (K-AERA) – PI (awarded, 2024), Negotiating identity: Portrayals of Korean-American Kyopos and Kyopomal in South Korean media and their impact on youth identity development
  • Provost Cillag Endowment Funds – IRB PI/program evaluator (awarded, 2024-2029), Holocaust and genocide curriculum teacher fellowship
  • National Science Foundation – Researcher (PI Kirby; awarded, 2023),  Improving learning outcomes and equity in blended online and face-to-face learning
  • U.S. Department of Education – Co-investigator (awarded, multi-year $6M/yr project: 2014-2019), HSI STEM grant, Title III Part F grant, Title V Student Success grant, Oxnard College, Institutional Effectiveness Division
  • Foundation of Child Development – Researcher (awarded, 2008), Dual immersion program grant, Dr. Jin Sook Lee Lab, University of California – Santa Barbara

AWARDS:

  • Community Engaged Research (CER) Fellow (AI Project) (2025)   Michigan State University
  • College of Education’s Inclusive Teaching Grant (2025)   Michigan State University
  • Meritorious Research Paper Award (2025)   International CHRIE / University of South Florida
  • Fulbright Scholar (Semi-finalist, 2025)   US Department of State / IIE
  • Korean Diaspora and Diasporic Education (Selected Paper, 2025)   Pennsylvania State University
  • K-AERA Education Research Award (2025)   Korean American Educational Research Association
  • UURAF, Best Paper Award (Research Mentor, 2024)   Michigan State University
  • ANC Merit Scholarship (2022)   ANC Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
  • Graduate Division Summer Research Grant (2021)   University of California, Santa Barbara
  • President’s Work Study Award (2020–2021)   University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Dorothy M. Chun Fellowship, Applied Linguistics (2019-2020) External Fellowship
  • Centrally Administered Dissertation Fellowship, Grad Div. (2018-2019)   University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Dissertation Fellowship, Education Department (2017-2018) University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Priscilla and Susan Drum Memorial Endowed Fellowship (2017) External Fellowship
  • GSA Excellence in Teaching Award (Nominee, 2016, 2020) University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Gevirtz Graduate School of Education Block Grant (2013-2021) University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Chicano Studies Institute Dissertation Fellowship (2016) University of California, Santa Barbara
  • The National Honor Scholarship (2016) The Embassy of South Korea
  • Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship (Honorable Mention, 2014, 2015) Ford Foundation
  • Outstanding Teaching Award, Academic Senate (Nominee, 2015) University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Dean’s Ambassadors Circle Fellowship (2013) University of California, Santa Barbara

 

PUBLIC-FACING PUBLICATIONS:

College of Arts & Letters News
Notice of Nondiscrimination | Privacy Statement | Site Accessibility
SPARTANS WILL | © Michigan State University