Lily Tan
Ph.D. Student, Learning Design and Technology; Graduate Learning Assistant, John Martinson Honors College
Learning Design and Technology,
Curriculum and Instruction
About
Lily Tan is a Ph.D. student in Learning Design and Technology at Purdue University, advised by Dr. Victoria Lowell, and a Graduate Learning Assistant in the John Martinson Honors College. Her work examines how emerging technologies reshape learning beyond the classroom, with a focus on AI-assisted self-regulated learning and Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE). She designs and studies authentic learning experiences and guardrailed AI tutors that help learners think rather than simply receive answers, bridging theoretical knowledge and real-world application. Before joining Purdue, she earned dual master’s degrees in interpreting and philology.
Education
Ph.D. in Learning Design and Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (in progress, started 2025)
M.A. in Interpreting, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China (2024)
Master of Philology, University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland (2024; double-degree program)
B.A. in Translation, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China (2022)
Career Experience
Graduate Learning Assistant, John Martinson Honors College, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (August 2026-Present)
Research Assistant, Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (September 2025-May 2026)
NSF-funded Research Training Participant, Modern Meta-Analysis Research Institute (MMARI), Chicago, IL (July 2026)
Guest Lecturer, EDCI 612: AI and Multilingual Learners, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (February 2026)
Career Planning Specialist, Honeybee Technology Co., Ltd., Chengdu, China (January-July 2025)
Lecturer, Institute of Linguistics, University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland (October 2023-June 2024)
Teaching Assistant, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China (February-July 2023)
Lecturer, English Department, TAL Education Group, Chengdu, China (February 2021-January 2022)
Awards & Honors
Summer Research Grant, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, Purdue University (2026)
Top 10 Best Practices in AIED, World Digital Education Alliance (2026)
Seeding Solutions Phase 1 Award, ShahLab.AI, Purdue University (2026)
Data Stewardship Award Finalist, Purdue Libraries (2025)
LDT Travel Support Program Award, Curriculum and Instruction / Learning Design and Technology, Purdue University (2025)
Erasmus+ Fund, Department of Linguistics, University of Silesia (2024)
National Academic Fellowship, Department of Interpreting, Northeastern University (2023-2024)
National Undergraduate Award, Department of Translation, Southwest University of Science and Technology (2019)
Professional Affiliations/Memberships
American Educational Research Association (AERA), 2025-present
Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), proposal reviewer, 2026
Purdue Association of Learning Design and Technology (PALDT), Marketing and Design Officer, 2025-2026
Purdue Graduate Student Education Council (GESC), Committee Member, 2025-2026
Research & Publications
My research examines how emerging technologies transform education beyond the classroom. I focus on three connected areas: Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE), AI-assisted self-regulated learning, and authentic learning design in AI-supported environments. Using mixed methods, meta-analysis, and epistemic network analysis, I study how learners use generative AI outside formal instruction to build pragmatic and communicative competence, and how guardrailed AI tutors can be designed to support thinking rather than answer delivery in higher education.
Selected Publications
Li, B., Tan, L., Zakharov, W., Acton, C. B., & Qiu, Q. (2026). Tutor, not solver: Designing a guardrailed AI assistant for learning in higher education: A design case of PeteChat. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2606.09845
Wang, S., & Tan, L. (2026). Doubao as a GenAI scaffold in senior high school EFL writing: A practice-oriented framework for improving writing performance. Psicologia Educativa, 14, 19-33. https://doi.org/10.22201/fpsic.24486957e.2026.14.181
Li, B., Tan, L. Y., Wang, C., & Lowell, V. (2025). Two years of innovation: A systematic review of empirical generative AI research in language learning and teaching. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 9, 100445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2025.100445
Tan, L. Y., & Gao, L. (2025). Pointing to context from a relevance theory perspective: A comparative study of human and machine interpreting. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 16(3), 1. https://doi.org/10.36941/mjss-2025-0023
Current Grants & Funded Research
Summer Research Grant – Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, Purdue University; .50 FTE Graduate Research Assistantship with tuition remission ($4,695.68), Summer 2026.
AI-Powered Personalized Support for Working Adult Online Learners (Seeding Solutions Phase 1 Award) – ShahLab.AI, Purdue University, in partnership with Purdue Global; Graduate Assistant, VIP AI for Education Team ($2,000), 2026.