Qi Sun
Qi Sun, EdD
Associate Professor & Coordinator
Greetings! My name is Qi (pronounced as Chi or Chee) Sun. I have been with UT, Knoxville, for 7 seven years, developing and directing the Ph.D. program in the capacity of the Program Coordinator and a faculty member. Before that, I worked for the University of Wyoming as a faculty member and program coordinator. I hold a master’s degree in international and comparative education from Beijing Normal University, China, and a doctorate in adult and higher education from educational leadership and policy studies at Northern Illinois University (NIU). Before working as a professor in higher education, I was an administrator on a brunch campus of NIU, and I was an administrator in the Adult Education Department of the Ministry of Education of China. While working in my previous positions, I had the opportunity to contribute to several national and international research projects aimed at developing policies, theories, and practical solutions in adult education. I also had the pleasure of collaborating with renowned international organizations, including UNESCO and UNFPA, as well as educational research institutions in countries such as Germany’s DVV and Thailand’s IPST.
My research interests include adult and lifelong learning, international & comparative education, Confucian educational philosophy, Asian diasporas and cross-cultural learning and teaching, and online education. I have conducted extensive research and have been widely published in top journals with high impact factors, such as AEQ, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, International Journal of Lifelong Education, Distance Education, Journal of Transformative Education, and Asia Pacific Education Review.
As a bilingual scholar familiar with two cultures, I have dedicated myself to bridging the gap between the East and West through research, teaching, and involvement in professional organizations. I advocate for learning from each other among the global communities, not only from the West but also from the Rest. Learning from others helps integrate with invaluable human wisdom elsewhere to better our theories and practice. Through my research and teaching, I call that education and learning should promote not only lifelong learners but also life-wide learners, foster not only national citizens but also global citizens, who should strive to become holistically developed persons to sustain their capacity building for the globalized world.
I have been actively engaging and serving our professional communities, including our program, department, University, and professional organizations to which I belong. In research, I’ve been the Co-Editor of Adult Education Quarterly (AEQ) for five years and co-chaired the Steering Committee of the Adult Education Research Conference (AERC). I am the founder and Chair of the Asian Adult Education (AAE) Preconference (Formerly the Asian Diaspora Preconference) of the Adult Education Research Conference (AERC). I also serve on journals’ Review Boards, including AEQ, Adult Learning, Journal of Transformative Education, Comparative Education Review, Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Dialogues in Social Justice: An Adult Education Journal, and other journals in our field. I’ve served as a Guest Editor of multiple journals Special Issues, including Convergence, New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, and Dialogues in Social Justice: An Adult Education Journal. These diverse experiences enable me to constantly learn and gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and others, particularly in the current era of international education, to support my research, teaching, and services.
My professional leadership and services help enhance my teaching, providing me with up-to-date knowledge and skills to engage learners more effectively. My role is to assist each learner in effectively achieving their learning goals.
Honors
Awards and Honors
Sun, Q., 2024, Recipient, Commission for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Research Award, Chancellor’s Honors, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Sun, Qi, 2023, Recipient, Mid-Career Award, Commission for Professor of Adult Education, AAACE, for her significant contributions to scholarship and service to the field.
Sun, Qi, 2022, Recipient, Imogene Okes Award for Outstanding Research in Adult Education, the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE).
Sun, Qi. 2022 Recipient for Leadership Acceleration and Development for Rising Stars (LADRS), Office of the Provost, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Sun, Qi, 2022, Recipient, Excellence in Graduate Advising Award, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Sun, Qi, 2021, Recipient, Excellence in Graduate Student Mentorship Award, EPC, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Publications
Recent Publications (*with students)
Sun, Q., Kang, H., & Lin, X. (2024). Editorial adult and continuing education research and practice: Voices from Asians and Asian diasporas. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. Online first, 2024(182-183). 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.20529
Sun, Q., Lin, X., &., Zhang, X., & Rui, R. (2024). Situated learning for community engagement: Chinese and Chinese Americans transformative action combating the U.S. anti-AAPI in the context of the politicalized COVID-19 pandemic. Adult Education Quarterly. Online first 1-20. DOI: 10.1177/07417136241246737
*Jiang, S., Sun, Q., & Lin, X. (2024) Analyzing Chinese international students’ critical thinking skills: A systematic literature review. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education 2024(182-183). Online first.
*Devol, T., Sun Q. (2024). Paying attention: Female ADHD students learning in graduate school. Adult Education Quarterly. 74(2) 112-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/07417136231217473
*Giffin, A., Sun, Q., & Glowacki-Dudka, M. (2023). Empowering Adult Sexual Assault Survivors in Higher Education through Emancipatory Learning and Feminist Pedagogy. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education 2023(180), 89-100.
Lin, X., Sun, Q., & Zhang, X. (2023) Increasing student online interactions: Applying the video timeline-anchored comment (VTC) tool to asynchronous online video discussions, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, DOI: 10.1080/10447318.2023.2247554
Lin, X., & Sun, Q. (2023). Student‐generated memes as a way to facilitate online discussion for adult learners. Psychology in the Schools, Open access, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22884.
Lin, X., & Sun, Q. (2022). Discussion activities in asynchronous online learning: Motivating adult learners’ interactions. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education. Published online 14 Nov 2022 https://doi.org/10.1080/07377363.2022.2119803
Sun, Q., & Kang, H. (2022). Learning through academic collaborations in/with the East:
North American adult education scholars’ insights. Adult Education Quarterly. 72(1), 3-23. DOI: 10.1177/07417136211050119
*Delgado, R. K. G., & Sun, Q. (2022). Challenges, Changes, and Choices: Immigrant Academics of Color in American Academia. Adult Learning, 33(3), 114-122. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159521997583
Lin. X., Sun, Q., & *Zhang, X. (2021). Using learners’ self-generated quizzes in online courses. Distance Education, 42(3), 391-409, DOI: 10.1080/01587919.2021.1956303
Roumell, E. A., Bian, X., & Sun, Q. (2020). Noetic dispositions: A model for intellectual excellence. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 39(3), 291-304. DOI: 10.1080/02601370.2020.1779833
Kang, H., Sun, Q., & Lv, L. (2020). Learning to transform through interplay between the
Confucian and Western cultural heritages: A case study of school leadership development in Beijing, China. Journal of Transformative Education, 18(2). 163-182. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344619877166
Sun, Q., Kang, H., Chang, B., & *Lausch, D. (2019) Teaching international students from
Confucian heritage culture countries: Perspectives from three US host campuses. Asia Pacific Education Review, 20, 559-572. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-019-09604-1.
Sun, Q., & Chang, B. (2019). The 40 years’ evolution of the Chinese adult and continuing education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. 162, 11-23. First Published Online 18 June 2019. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.20322 The journal publishes the most updated research and frontline perspectives in adult education.
Sun, Q., & Kang, H. (2019). Themes and implications of the new vistas of adult and continuing education for change in Asian context. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. 162, pp. 139-152. First Published 18 June 2019. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.20332
English, L. M, Gleiman, A., Hansman, C. A., Sun, Q., & Zacharakis, J. (2019). Editing AEQ: Reflections on the editorial role. Adult Education Quarterly, 69(4), 338-347.
Sun, Q. (2019). Eastern thoughts, Western practices: Meditation and mindfulness relaxation activities for learning and well-being in adult and higher education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 161, 45-55. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.20310
Sun, Q. (2019). Conspiring to change the learning environment for adult learners in higher education. Adult Learning, 30(2), 89-90. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159519834959 (Editorial board members review this article for the Reflection section of the journal).