Virak Chan
Clinical Associate Professor
Literacy and Language Education,
Curriculum and Instruction
Email:
chan201@purdue.edu
Address:
Steven C. Beering Hall of
Liberal Arts and Education
100 N. University Street
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2098
Links:
LinkedInAbout
Virak Chan is a Clinical Associate Professor in literacy and language. Courses Dr. Chan usually teaches include EDCI 37001 Teaching and Learning English as a New Language, EDCI 31950 Approaches to English Learner Education, EDCI 53000 English Language Development (online), EDCI 51900 Teaching English Language Learners (online), and EDCI61450 Seminar in Bilingualism and Multilingualism. Dr. Chan is a native of Cambodia and is a program leader for a summer study abroad program to Cambodia where students engage in rich Cambodian history and culture though meaningful cultural excursions, learn basic Khmer language and methods for teaching English Language Learners, and help teach ESL to local K-12 students. His research and publication are in the areas of language and education policies and practices for linguistically and culturally diverse students, teacher development, bilingualism and bilingual education, AI in language education, and linguistic landscape.
Education
- Ph.D. — Culture, Language and Literacy, University of Texas at San Antonio (2016)
- M.A. — Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, San Jose State University, California (2008)
- Grad. Dip. — Applied Linguistics, Regional Language Center, Singapore (2003)
- B.Ed. — Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia (2001)
Career Experience
- 2023 – present
- Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum & Instruction,
- Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 2019 – 2023
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum & Instruction,
- Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 2017 – 2019
- Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum & Instruction,
- Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 2016 – 2017
- Limited Term Lecturer, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education,
- Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Awards & Honors
- 2024 Outstanding Leadership in Global Engagement Award, College of Education, Purdue University
- 2023-2024 Seed for success Acorn Award, Purdue University
- 2023 Best of the Best in Higher Education, Indiana Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
- 2023 TIRF 2023 James E. Alatis Prize for Research on Language Planning and Policy in Educational Contexts, The International Research Foundation for English Language Education.
- 2022-2023 Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, College of Education, Purdue University
- 2022-2023 Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, C&I Department, Purdue University
- 2021-2022 Teaching for Tomorrow Award, Center for Instructional Excellence, Purdue University
Professional Appointments
- 2026 – 2030 Secretary, American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL)
- 2026 – 2027 Fulbright U.S. Student Program National Screening Committee Member
- 2022 – 2025 Strand coordinator of Bilingual, Immersion, Heritage, and Minority Education (BIH) of the American Association of Applied Linguistics
- 2023-2024: Reviewer of TIRF’s 2024 Alatis Prize Competition, The International Research Foundation
- 2016 – present – Editorial Review Board member, Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement
Professional Affiliations/Memberships
- American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL)
- Indiana Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (InTESOL)
- Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) International Association
Research & Publications
Dr. Chan’s research and publication is in the area of language and education policies and practices for linguistically and culturally diverse students, teacher development, bilingual education, and linguistic landscape.
Selected Publications
- *Choi, W., *Park, H. & Chan, V. (2022). “You don’t actually experience it until you’re actually in it”: A translanguaging simulation for preservice teachers. TESOL Journal, 13, e680. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.680
- Wright, W. E., Boun, S., & Chan, V. (2022). Implementation of multilingual mother tongue education in Cambodian public schools for indigenous ethnic minority students. Educational Linguistics, 1(1), 196–217. https://doi.org/10.1515/eduling-2022-0002
- Chan, V. (2018). The linguistic landscape of a Cambodia Town in Lowell, Massachusetts. Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, 13(1), 1-24. doi:10.7771/2153-8999.1137
- Wright, W. E. & Chan (2025). Khmer heritage language in the linguistic and broadcast media landscape of Cambodia Town USA. In K. Rolstad, J. MacSwan, W. E. Wright, and N. Liu (Eds.), Language diversity, policy, and social justice: A festschrift in honor of Terrence G. Wiley. Multilingual Matters.
- Chan, V., Morita-Mullaney, T., & *Kuleshova, D. P. (2022). Building a more resilient approach to ELL field experience in teacher education. In C. Pu & W. E. Wright (Eds.), Innovating the TESOL practicum in teacher education: Design, implementation, and pedagogy in an era of change (pp. 17-35). New York: Routledge.
- Wright, W. E., & Chan, V. (2022). Khmer language use and presence in the linguistic landscape of greater Los Angeles’ Cambodia Town. In C. H. Chik (Ed.), Multilingual La La Land: Language use in sixteen Greater Los Angeles communities (pp. 170-189). New York: Routledge.
- Chan, V. (2021) Cambodia language-in-education policy in the context of ASEAN economic integration and the internationalization of higher education. In K. M. Bailey & D. Christian (Eds.), Research on teaching and learning English in under-resourced contexts (pp. 31-44). New York, NY: Routledge and TIRF.
- Wright, W. E. & Chan, V. (2019). Multilingualism in North America. In S. Montanari & S. Quay (Eds.) Multidisciplinary perspectives on multilingualism: The fundamentals (pp. 77-100). De Gruyter Mouton
Courses Typically Taught
- EDCI 37001 Teaching and Learning English as a New Language
- EDCI 31950 Approaches to English Learner Education
- EDCI 53000 English Language Development (online)
- EDCI 51900 Teaching English Language Learners (online)
- EDCI61450 Seminar in Bilingualism and Multilingualism