不良研究所

Dr. Chunling Niu, an Assistant Professor at the 不良研究所's Dreeben School of Education, is a trailblazer in graduate teaching and educational research. She innovatively blends advanced data science with applied artificial intelligence to shape the future of education and leadership. Dr. Niu's research expertise encompasses data mining, machine learning, assessment & measurement, program evaluation, and interdisciplinary research methodological innovations. Her work spans educational technologies, mental health, strategic leadership, and educational & social equity.

With approximately 40 peer-reviewed publications, over 60 conference presentations, and involvement in 12 grants, Dr. Niu has made significant contributions to her field. Although still in her early academic career, her 600 citations and h-index of 11 underscore her research's impact. Dr. Niu has recently developed six new graduate-level AI courses for interprofessional AI applications certificates and has been a sought-after public speaker on AI literacy/applications in education, demonstrating her commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology into various educational settings.

PhD Quantitative and Psychometric Methods
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
Specialized in: Psychometrics, Research Design, Assessment & Measurement, Data Science, & Program Evaluation.

EdD Educational Leadership
Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, USA
Specialized in: Educational Assessment, Program Evaluation, Organizational Leadership

MA Applied Linguistics
Guangdong Foreign Studies University, Guangzhou City, PRChina
Specialized in: Second Language Acquisition, Translation Studies, & Simultaneous Interpretation

BA English Language and Literature 
Guangdong Foreign Studies University, Guangzhou City, PRChina

• TeachScape Certified Classroom Observer Using Danielson’s Framework for Teaching (Fft)
• Trained & Experienced Classroom Observer Using Kentucky’s Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES)

不良研究所, San Antonio, Texas
August 2021 to present
Assistant Professor
Dreeben School of Education

University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
August 2016 to July 2021
Research Administrative Coordinator Principal
College of Social Work

Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky
May 2015 to July 2016
Clinical Program Evaluator
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky
August 2012 to August 2016
Teaching Assistant
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky
August 2013 to May 2015
Research Assistant
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Sichuan University of International Studies, Chongqing, PRC
August 2006 to Jan 2011
Lecturer
College of English Language and Arts

• Academic Writing for Research
• Advanced Data Analytics – Cluster Analysis in R
• Advanced Data Mining Techniques with chatGPT
• Applied Survey Research Methods & Questionnaire Design
• Automated Data Management & Analytics Using Artificial Intelligence
• Bayesian Decision Making in Strategic Leadership & Game Theory
• Contemporary International Issues/Issues in Higher Education
• Contemporary Issues/Adult Education/International Issues/Issues in Higher Education
• Program Development in Adult Education
• Program Evaluation Methods
• Program Evaluation Theories
• Qualitative Research Methods & Analysis
• Quantitative Research Methods & Analysis

Recent Publications:

Sadeghi, S., & Niu, C. (2024). Augmenting Human Decision-Making in K-12 Education: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Assisting the Recruitment and Retention of Teachers of Color for Enhanced Diversity and Inclusivity. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 1-21. .

Kato, H., Niu, C., Sweigart, J., Kaye, C., Castellanos, C., Muhammad, W., Amr, M., & Aung, Z. (2024, May). Belongingness as a crucial element for advancing diversity and inclusion: Insights from Unfolding Multidimensional Scaling Analysis. Abstracts from the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. J GEN INTERN MED 39 (Suppl 2), 137–1008 (2024).

Niu, C., Gutierrez, G., Cossette, L., Sadeghi, S., Portugal, M., Zeng, S., & Zhang, P. (2024). Introducing Bibliometric Analysis: A Methodological Tutorial Using Adult Online Learning Motivation Literature (2000-2022). American Journal of Distance Education.

Niu, C. (2024). Impact of Missing Data & ICC on Full Information Maximum-Likelihood Estimation in Multilevel SEMs. Model Assisted Statistics and Applications, 19(1), 49-59. DOI 10.3233/MAS-231444,

Greener, R. K., Love, A. S., Niu, C., & Downs, L. T. (2023). Improving Military Medical Retention Through Growth Counseling: A Cross-sectional Retention Survey of US Army Physician Assistants. Military Medicine, 188(9-10), e3112–e3117. .

Cai, J., Sun, Y., Niu, C., Qi, W., & Fu, X. (2023). Validity and reliability of the Chinese version of robot anxiety scale in Chinese adults. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 1-10.

Niu, C., Gutierrez, G., Sadeghi, S., Cossette, L., Portugal, M., Zeng, S., & Zhang, P. (2023). What changes in adult online learners’ motivation? A systematic meta-review of the scholarly landscape of research on adult online learning motivation. In A. E. Lyn & M. Broderick (Eds.), Motivation and momentum in adult online education (pp. 1-17). IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-7712-0.

Zhang, J., Cabrera, J., Niu, C., Zippay, C., & Dietrich, S. (2021). Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceived Preparedness in Clinically Oriented and Traditional Teacher Preparation Programs. Journal of Education, DOI: 00220574211053581.

Miller, J. J., Poklembova, Z., Niu, C., Balogová, B., Podkowińska, M., Paldanius, K., Gojová, A., & Owens, L. (2021). Examining self-care practice frequency among social workers: an international comparison. European Journal of Social Work, 25(5), 766-776. DOI:10.1080/13691457.2021.1997927

Miller, J. J., Bode, M., Adcock, A., Niu, C., & Freeman, D. (2021). “I Know What I Know… Unless I Don’t”: Examining Faculty Knowledge 不良研究所 Social Work Licensing. Journal of Social Work Education, 58(4), 640-651. DOI:10.1080/10437797.2021.1963896

Recent Presentations:

Love, AS., Valadez, R., Love, RJ, Niu, C. (2024, October). The role of AI and social media in enhancing epidemiologic research and public health surveillance. Paper proposal accepted for 2024 American Public Health Association, Minneapolis, MN.

Niu, C., Love, A., Miranda, E., Olivan, L., & Alhamami, N. (2024, October). Beyond Traditional Metrics: AI-Enhanced Approaches to Evaluating Leadership Effectiveness. Paper proposal accepted for the 2024 Evaluation Annual Conference for the American Evaluation Association (AEA), Portland, OR.

Love, AS, Niu, C, Labay-Marquez, J, Caffer, P, Hernandez, A, Valadez, R. (2024, October). Building Skills in AI Integration for Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach. Paper proposal accepted for the 2024 Evaluation Annual Conference for the American Evaluation Association (AEA), Portland, OR.

Niu, C., Waltman, B., Sadeghi, S., Cossette, L., Love, A. & Hernandez, A.(2024, August). AI Integration in Academia: Investigating the Impact on Faculty Organizational Belongingness. Poster presented for the 2024 Annual Conference for the American Psychology Association (APA), Seattle, WA.

Kato, H., Niu, C., Sweigart, J., Kaye, C., Castellanos, C., Muhammad, W., Amr, M., & Aung, Z. (2024, May). Belongingness as a crucial element for advancing diversity and inclusion: Insights from Unfolding Multidimensional Scaling Analysis. Paper presented at the 2024 Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.

Love, A., Niu, C. & Hernandez, A. (2024, March). Enhancing Public Health Evaluation: Integrating Quantitative Methods within the Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation Framework. Society of Public Health Education 2024 Conference, March 19-21. St. Louis, MO.

Niu, C., Sadeghi, S., Jin, R., Cossette, L., Molina, M., Bradley, K., & Love, A. (2024, April). Self-Reflection & Socialization in Shaping Trajectories in Early Career Research: A LACOID-Based Text Mining Approach. Paper presented at the 2024 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jin, R., Niu, C., Xia, Y., & Zhao, M. (2024, April). Comparing U.S. and Finnish Network Structures: School Climate, Student Well-Being, and Academic Performance. Paper presented at the 2024 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Waltman, B. & Niu, C. (2023, December). Are Universities Ready for Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI)? Topic Modeling and Sentiment Analysis of 100 Universities Policy Documents. Poster presented at the 2023 Trustworthy AI Lab for Education Summit, South Bend, Indiana.

Sadeghi, S., & Niu, C. (2023, October). Recruitment and Retention of Teachers of Color in K-12 Education through Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Enhanced Diversity and Inclusivity. Paper presented at the 2023 Mid-Western Educational Research Association (MWERA) Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Niu, C., Deaton, J., Terrillion, A., Kawasaki, J., & Freelon, R. (2023, October). Unveiling Two Decades of Progress: A Bibliometric Analysis of Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation. Paper presented at the 2023 Evaluation Annual Conference for the American Evaluation Association (AEA), Indianapolis, IN.

Niu, C., Love, A., & Hernandez, A. (2023, October). Toward an Enriched CREA Framework Exploring the Role of Quantitative Methods: Why? When? How? Poster presented at the 2023 Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) Conference, Chicago, Illinois.

Niu, C., Gutierrez, G., Cossette, L., Sadeghi, S., Portugal, M., & Molina, M. (2023, April). Toward An Interdisciplinary Theoretical Model: Meaningful Assessment and/or Measurement of Adult Online Learning Motivation. Poster proposal presented at the 2023 International Objective Measurement Workshop (IOMW) Conference, Chicago, Illinois.

Niu, C., & Love, A. (2023, August). Comparing Two Statistical Methods for Validating Rater-Mediated Performance Assessments. Poster proposal presented at the 2023 American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Conference, Washington, DC.

Niu, C., Cossette, L., Portugal, M., Carpio, V., & Hernandez, A. (2023, April). Exploratory Cluster Analysis of Adolescent Technology Use and Activities during COVID-19 in Relation to their Mental Health Conditions. Paper proposal presented at the 2023 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois.

McCray, P. D., & Niu, C. (2022, November). Evaluation Proposal: Animal Defense League (ADL) Employee Engagement Program Interventions. Poster presented the 2022 Evaluation Annual Conference for the American Evaluation Association (AEA), New Orleans, LA.

McCray, P. D., & Niu, C. (2022, October). How do Personal and Environmental Factors Impact Senior Adult Technology Access and Usage of Digital Resources? Paper proposal presented at the 2022 Mid-Western Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Cincinnati, Ohio

Niu, C. (2022, April). Examine the Mathematics Classroom Observation Protocol for Practices (MCOP2) Dimensionality Using the Many-Facet Rasch Modeling. Poster proposal presented at the 2022 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, San Diago, CA

Niu, C. (2021, November). Program Evaluation Theory and Methods. Roundtable discussion chaired and presented at the 2021 University of Incarnate Word (不良研究所) Dreeben School of Education (DSE) Annual Research Symposium

Niu, C., Bradley, K., Schroeder, M., Sampson, S. & Harrison, B. (2021, October). Control Rater Effects to Compare Mathematics Teaching Performance. Poster proposal presented for the 4th National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) Special Conference on Classroom Assessment, Virtual Conference.

Kato, H., Segon, A., & Niu, C. (2021, April). The power of Item Response Theory: Going beyond Cronbach’s alpha and inter-rater reliability in assessment and measurement. Seminar presented at the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM) 2021 Online Conference.

Niu, C., Bradley, K., Sampson, S., Jin, R., Xia, Y., Shen, L., Zhang, J., Wu, R. & Li, N. (2021, June). Simulation study: Evaluating Rater Category Ordering with the JML-Rasch-MFRM Model in Facets. Poster presented for the 2021 National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD.

Niu, C., Bradley, K., Wilson, N., & Jin, R. (2021, April). Simulation Study: The Effects of Missing Data on the Partial Credit Trees DIF Detection Performance. Poster presented at the 2021 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Virtual Meeting.

External Grants:

Title: Developing an Artificially Intelligent (AI) Coach for Reducing Sedentary Habits 
Role: Assisting Program Evaluator & Data Analyst
Funder: The Igniting Research Collaboration (IRC), 
University of Kentucky
Project Duration: July 2020 – July 2021
Funding Awarded: $39,270

Title: COVID19 - Assessing Self-Care Among Television Journalist: The Impact of COVID-19
Role: Data Analyst & Quantitative Methodologist
Funder: The UK CURE COVID-19 Pilot Program, 
University of Kentucky
Project Duration: January 2020 – May 2021
Funding Awarded: $10,000

Title: Evaluation of Kentucky’s Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project Initiatives
Role: Principal Program Evaluator
Funder: Kentucky Department for Community-Based Services,
State of Kentucky
Project Duration: August 2016 – May 2019
Funding Awarded: $6,000,000

Title: Quick Turn-Around Grant for Faculty Research Activities
Role: Principal Investigator
Funder: The Faculty Research Support Program,
Western Kentucky University
Project Duration: May 2015 – May 2016
Funding Awarded: $2,500

Title: Hilltopper Teacher Preparatory Academy (TopPrep) on Elementary/ Special Ed. Teacher Preparation and Assessment
Role: Program Evaluator & Co-PI
Funder: Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education,
State of Kentucky
Project Duration: January 2015 – December 2016
Funding Awarded: $500,000

Title: Clinical Experiences and Practices in Teaching (CEPT) Program on Teacher Preparation and Assessment
Role: Program Evaluator & Co-PI
Funder: Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education,
State of Kentucky
Project Duration: January 2014 – December 2015
Funding Awarded: $500,000

Title: ROCK SOLID Evaluation Project (Evaluating Implementation and Reporting Educational Impacts of GRREC’s kid-FRIENDLy Project)
Role: Program Evaluator & Research Assistant
Funder: US Department of Education,
USA Federal Government
Project Duration: January 2013 – December 2018
Funding Awarded: $42,000,000

Title: An Experimental Study on the Impact of Intercultural Sensitivity on Language Motivation
Role: Principal Investigator
Funder: The Doctoral Student Research Grant Program,
Western Kentucky University
Project Duration: January 2013 – May 2014
Funding Awarded: $2,500

Title: 2011 TELLKentucky Survey Research Grant (Teacher-Principal Perception Differences)
Role: Principal Investigator
Funder: Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education,
State of Kentucky
Project Duration: May 2013 – May 2014
Funding Awarded: $2,500

Title: 2011 TELLKentucky Survey Research Grant (TELL Survey in GRREC Region)
Role: Principal Investigator
Funder: Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education,
State of Kentucky
Project Duration: May 2012 – May 2013
Funding Awarded: $2,500

不良研究所 Grants:

Title: AI Integration in Academia: Investigating the Impact on Faculty Organizational Belongingness
Role: Principal Investigator
Funder: The Faculty Graduate Research Assistantship Awards Program, 
不良研究所
Project Duration: July 2024 – July 2025
Funding Awarded: $7,020

Active Membership:

• American Evaluation Association, AEA
• National Council on Measurement in Education, NCME
• American Psychological Association. APA
• American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, AACTE
• American Educational Research Association, AERA
• Mid-Western Educational Research Association, MWERA
• Mid-South Educational Research Association, MSERA

不良研究所 2024-2025 Faculty Graduate Research Assistance Award
2024-2025

American Evaluation Association Minority Serving Institute Fellowship
2022-2023

不良研究所 Provost’s Legacy Teaching Award
2022-2023

不良研究所 2022-2023 Faculty Graduate Research Assistance Award
2022-2023

不良研究所 2022-2023 Faculty Endowment Research Award
2022-2023

United Way of Southern Kentucky (UWSK) Shooting Star Award
2015-2016

WKU Outstanding Educational Leadership Doctoral Student Award
2014-2015

Service to the Profession:

Professional Conference Proposal Peer Reviewer , the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) , provided peer review on a total of 15 proposal submissions for various AERA SIGs and/or Divisions.
August – September 2024

Journal Article Peer Reviewer, Revista Colombiana de Estadística, provided peer review on the research design component of a simulation study on a new Bootstrap method in small area problems.
June 2024

Journal Article Peer Reviewer, Cogent Social Sciences, provided peer review on the theoretical and methodological component of a literature review on job risk, burnout, and well-being among child protection social workers during COVID-19.
March 2024

Journal Article Peer Reviewer,The American Journal of Distance Education, provided peer review on the research design, methodological component of an empirical research on the optimal small group size in online forums.
Jan 2024

Journal Article Peer Reviewer, Journal of Adolescent Health, provided peer review on the research design, methodological component of survey research on the impact of school reopening on Chinese adolescents’ mental health during COVID-19.
Oct  2023 & Feb 2024

Professional Conference Proposal Peer Reviewer, the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), provided peer review on a total of 15 proposal submissions for various AERA SIGs and/or Divisions.
August – September 2023

Journal Article Peer Reviewer, Model Assisted Statistics and Applications, provided peer review on the methodological component of Bayesian inference of financial networks.
July - August  2023

Journal Article Peer Reviewer, Journal of Adolescent Health, provided peer review on the methodological component of survey research and the interrupted time series (ITS) analysis.
June 2023

University Faculty Research Awards Reviewer, served on the reviewer panel and completed written reviews of 2 faculty proposals for the 2023-2024 不良研究所 Faculty Workload Reassignments Awards (FWRA).
December 2022

University Research Symposium Reviewer, served on the reviewer panel and completed written reviews of 3 proposal abstracts for the 2022 不良研究所 DSE Graduate Studies Research Symposium.
November 2022

Professional Conference Proposal Peer Reviewer , the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), provided peer review on 5 proposal submissions for AERA SIG-Research on Evaluation.
August – September 2022

Professional Conference Proposal Peer Reviewer, the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), provided peer review on 8 proposal submissions for AERA SIG-Measurement and Assessment in Higher Education.
August – September 2022

Professional Conference Proposal Peer Reviewer, the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), provided peer review on 3 proposal submissions for AERA SIG-Large-Scale Assessment.
August – September 2022

Professional Conference Proposal Peer Reviewer, the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), provided peer review on 5 proposal submissions for AERA Division H - Research, Evaluation and Assessment in Schools.
August – September 2022

Professional Conference Proposal Peer Reviewer, the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), provided peer review on 4 proposal submissions for AERA Division D - Measurement and Research Methodology/Division D - Section 1: Educational Measurement, Psychometrics, and Assessment.
August – September 2022

Professional Conference Proposal Peer Reviewer, the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Evaluation Association (AEA), provided peer review on 9 proposal submissions for AEA TIG: Integrating Technology in Evaluation.
May – June 2022

Professional Conference Proposal Peer Reviewer, the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), provided peer review on 10 proposal submissions for AERA Division D - Measurement and Research Methodology/Division D - Section 1: Educational Measurement, Psychometrics, and Assessment.
August – September 2020

Professional Conference Proposal Peer Reviewer, the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), provided peer review on 10 proposal submissions for AERA SIG-Cognition and Assessment.
August – September

2020 Professional Conference Proposal Peer Reviewer, the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), provided peer review on 10 proposal submissions for AERADivision D - Measurement and Research Methodology/Division D - Section 2: Quantitative Methods and Statistical Theory.
August – September 2020

Journal Article Peer Reviewer, the Journal of Family Social Work, provided peer review on the methodological component of correlational survey research.
May 2020

Journal Article Peer Reviewer, the Journal of Social Issues, provided peer review on the methodological component of linear mixed-effects models and generalized linear mixed-effects models.
December 2019

Service to the Community:

Invited open talks for the local K-12 teachers, teacher educators, & university faculty

• Fall 2024 , AI-Driven Decision-Making and Research in Higher Education at the 2024 不良研究所 Artificial Intelligence Mini Conference
• Fall 2024 , AI Conversion at the Brainpower Connection Back to School Event
• Spring 2024 , Served as panelist on AI technologies at the 2024 Texas Association of College Technical Educators (TACTE) conference
• Spring 2024, Guest speaker presentation on AI use and ChatGPT for HEB faculty

Invited open talks/workshops for the local research community

• Fall 2020 , Quantitative & Psychometrics Methods Workshop Series: Comparing the DIF Detection Capacities of the Rasch Trees Model Tests to Two Common DIF Approaches for Partial Credit Models
• Spring 2019 , Quantitative & Psychometrics Methods Workshop Series: Relationships between Structural Equation Modeling, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Bifactor Modeling
• Fall 2018 , Quantitative & Psychometrics Methods Workshop Series: Path Analysis and Its Application in Social Science Research

Other Community Services

• Regular attendance and services at San Antonio Chinese Christian Church
• Regular general volunteer work at various Ed White Middle School Sports Events
• Regular general volunteer work at various Bulverde Creek Elementary Sports Events
• Collaboration with various community partners in addressing their program evaluation needs
• Collaboration with community partners in drafting and submitting competitive national research grants for community betterment.

Service to the University (2021-Present):

• Fall 2024 – present, Served as DSE Senator on 不良研究所 Faculty Senate
• Fall 2024 – present, Elected and served as member of Faculty Senate Executive Committee, representing non-tenured faculty.
• Summer 2024, Served on the faculty search community for the Department of Computer Information Systems, School of Mathematics, Science & Engineering, 不良研究所
• Spring 2024 – present, Principal Program Evaluator and Methodologist for 不良研究所 QEP Assessment (2025-2030)
• Spring 2024 – present, Principal Architect and Developer of the AI Interface for 不良研究所 QEP interventions (2025-2030)
• 2021-2024, Served on the Graduate Council, 不良研究所
• Spring 2023, Served on the evaluation faculty search community for the Graduate Studies Department, DSE.
• Spring 2023, Served on the leadership faculty search community for the Graduate Studies Department, DSE.
• 2021-2023, Served onthe Grievance Committee, 不良研究所