Congratulations to the 2026 Award Winner: Hsiao-Yun Liao!

Since becoming Chinese Program Director in Fall 2024, Hsiao Yun Liao has transformed Chinese-language offerings into experiential, career-connected learning environments. She redesigned courses such as Business Chinese (EALC 412) into immersive professional simulations involving industry practitioners, authentic tasks (resumes, interviews, media production), and public-facing presentations, while launching new courses like Extensive Reading in Chinese (EALC 109) to deepen advanced literacy. Her professional internship course (EALC 366) functions as a supervised, multi-sector clinical lab that actively integrates students into workplaces and community settings where Chinese is used professionally.

Hsiao Yun Liao presents a teaching philosophy and body of work centered on building a “Classroom–Career–Community” ecosystem that positions language learning as a pathway to professional, cross-cultural empowerment. Drawing on Backward Design, ACTFL proficiency standards, Gradual Release of Responsibility, and STARTALK principles, she aligns curriculum, assessment, and instruction toward real-world professional language use rather than isolated academic mastery.

Beyond the classroom, Liao has expanded institutional and regional impact through leadership in professional development, including conference organization, faculty workshops, and national presentations at ACTFL. She has also emphasized belonging and accessibility through culturally engaging community programming, peer-led panels, sustained language exchanges, and immersive study abroad experiences. As Director of USC’s Taiwan Summer and Maymester Programs, she designed community-based curricula that integrate daily life, local culture, and one-on-one language use into full immersion.

Past Winners

  • Dr. Peyman Nojoumian has played a central role in shaping the USC Dornsife Persian language program through the development of a student-centered curriculum grounded in language proficiency levels and real-world application. His courses are designed to help students achieve measurable progress across all four language skills by using authentic materials, task-based learning, and cultural immersion. Dr. Nojoumian has created opportunities for experiential learning through community-based projects, such as a field trip where students interact with native speakers at local restaurants and markets, culminating in food critiques written in the target language. In the library, students locate and translate books, pose questions to staff, and engage with the language in a meaningful academic context. His curriculum also includes group projects, role-plays, and interactive discussions that build both language confidence and cross-cultural awareness.

    In addition to his classroom innovations, Professor Nojoumian launched a pilot Virtual Reality (VR) project that allows students to navigate maps and follow directions in the target language –an initiative featured at an international conference and which will be published in a forthcoming academic volume. His students in advanced Persian create full-length documentaries that involve conducting interviews, narrating, translating, subtitling, and editing. Peyman also developed a multilingual smartphone dictionary app with nearly 10,000 entries to support student learning outside of class. As a certified ACTFL Workshop Facilitator, he mentors language instructors around the world, further extending his impact on the field. Dr. Peyman’s work reflects a deep commitment to student success, culturally informed pedagogy, and educational innovation.

About the Award

The CLC Professional Development Committee is pleased to invite nominations for the Dornsife Excellence in Language Teaching Award. This award offers an opportunity to recognize the outstanding work and significant impact of language faculty who consistently exceed expectations in their dedication to language education and cultural enrichment, with this year’s recipient receiving a $1500 contribution to their research fund.

We invite RTPC language faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding achievements over the last three academic years (2022–2025) to apply (self-nominations only). This award recognizes individuals who excel in teaching and have made significant contributions to the language community through various commendable activities. Full-time faculty from all RTPC ranks are eligible.


Evaluation Criteria:

Applicants should demonstrate:

  • Development or use of effective and innovative materials and activities in the classroom.
  • Participating or presenting on evidence-based or research-based language pedagogy at national or international conferences.
  • Receipt of research, educational, teaching innovation, or professional development grants related to language pedagogy.
  • Leadership or active service on pedagogical committees, working groups, or associations (departmental, college-level, state, or national), or mentoring of junior faculty or ALs.
  • Initiation, organization, or supervision of extracurricular events such as language clubs, movie nights, or cultural exchanges.
  • Excellent student course evaluations.


Application Guidelines:

To be considered, applicants should submit materials reflecting their work from the 2022–2025 academic years, including:

  • A statement (no more than 1500 words) outlining your contributions, with emphasis on effective or innovative teaching methods or materials.
  • Three complete sets of student evaluations—one from each year—drawn from language or culture courses.
  • Letter of support from a colleague at USC familiar with your teaching and work (submitted directly by the colleague to walis@usc.edu by 5pm March 2, 2026)
  • An up-to-date CV that includes current committee involvement and extracurricular activities.

Optional supporting materials may include:

  • Documentation of grants received in support of language pedagogy (research, teaching innovation, education, or professional development).

  • Materials illustrating leadership or active participation in pedagogical committees, working groups, or professional associations at the departmental, college, state, or national level, as well as mentorship of junior faculty or ALs.

  • Materials demonstrating involvement in initiating, organizing, or overseeing extracurricular activities such as language clubs, film nights, or cultural exchange events.

    Supporting materials may include flyers, reports, websites, or similar items.

Submission Deadline: Applications for the 2027 award will be due early Spring 2027. 

We look forward to your participation and to celebrating the exceptional contributions that make our language programs thrive.

CLC Professional Development Committee