Applied Linguistics · Conversation Analysis · Design
I'm an applied linguist with a tech twist. I design and develop technological solutions that enhance user experience and drive real-world impact.
Generative AI Analyst · Conversation Designer · Product Designer · Applied Linguistics Researcher
About
Qualifications
Experience
My professional training in applied linguistics, particularly conversation analysis, gives me a distinctive lens for working with AI-generated language in real-world contexts. Beyond catching hallucinations, I examine turn design, sequential organization, and conversational context as anchors for evaluating the full exchange. My work includes prompt design and human-in-the-loop evaluation for LLM-driven systems, where linguistic precision directly shapes model output. The result is output that is accurate, coherent, and authentic in the ways that matter to real users.
Generative AI Analyst Contract
Nvidia
AI Solutions Consultant Part-time
JumpstartAI
AI Data Specialist Contract
Duolingo English Test
Education
Ph.D. Applied Linguistics
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa — Hawaiʻi, USA
Ed.M. Applied Linguistics
Teachers College, Columbia University — New York, USA
M.A. Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Hawaiʻi Pacific University — Hawaiʻi, USA
Credentials
Conversation Design
Conversational Academy
Product Design
Dribbble
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Texas McCombs School of Business
Projects
Things I've learned by doing:
GOALL
I co-founded a Chinese language learning app with Dr. Susanne DeVore. The AI-powered app helps learners improve their reading skills with user-provided texts.
UX & CxD
I am a certified Product Designer and Conversation Designer. I work in Figma and apply linguistic insight to craft interactions that feel natural and on-brand.
Tangle with Ann
I am a certified Zentangle teacher who specializes in Zendala. I designed this online course (10 lessons) for anyone interested in the art of Zentangle and Zendala.
Research
My research sits at the intersection of conversation analysis, second language learning, and digital/AI interaction. Much of my work examines multilingual interaction in institutional and educational settings. I draw heavily on ethnomethodology and conversation analysis (EMCA) to study the fine-grained organization of multimodal interaction.
A growing thread in my research explores human-AI interaction and AI-supported learning, including how learners' attitudes toward tools like ChatGPT shape their writing processes and outcomes, how generative AI can be leveraged in the applied linguistics classroom, and the impact of human-made vs. AI-generated podcasts on learning.
Peer-reviewed journal articles
Choe, A. T., & Jin, S-H. (under review). A conversation-analytic investigation of human-made vs. AI-generated podcasts and their implications for learning.
Choe, A. T., & Kang, J. (under review). Use of scales for assessing personal appearance in Korean variety shows.
Jin, S-H., & Choe, A. T. (2026). Investigating how learners' attitudes shape AI-supported argumentative writing processes and outcomes. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 42(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcal.70232
Choe, A. T., & Huang, S-Y. (2025). Marking pedagogical saliency with honh in Taiwan Mandarin interaction. Interactional Linguistics, 6(1), 66–94. https://doi.org/10.1075/il.24023.cho
Chang, Y-Z., Choe, A. T., Holden, D., Isbell, D. R. (2023). Making each point count: Revising a local adaptation of the Jacobs et al. (1981) ESL COMPOSITION PROFILE rubric, Language Testing, 41(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/02655322231217979
Choe, A. T., & Yagi, J. (2023). Embodied remembering in coordinated performances. Multimodal Communication, 12(2), 99–122. https://doi.org/10.1515/mc-2022-0029
Choe, A. T., Nguyen, H. t., & Vicentini, C. (2022). Epistemic and affective stance management online search during computer-mediated conversation for language learning. TESOL in Context, 30(2), 9–33. https://doi.org/10.21153/tesol2022vol30no2art1517
Nguyen, H. t., Choe, A. T., & Vicentini, C. (2022). Opportunities for second language learning in online search sequences during a computer-mediated tutoring session. Classroom Discourse, 13(2), 145–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463014.2021.2023597
Kyle, K., Eguchi, M., Choe, A. T., LaFlair, G. (2022). Register variation in spoken and written language use across technology-mediated and non-technology-mediated learning environments. Language Testing. https://doi.org/10.1177/02655322211057868
Kyle, K., Choe, A. T., Eguchi, M., LaFlair, G., & Ziegler, N. (2021). A comparison of spoken and written language use in traditional and technology mediated learning environments. ETS Research Report Series. https://doi.org/10.1002/ets2.12329
Choe, A. T. (2018). 'Can anyone help her?': Managing student embarrassment in the adult ESL classroom. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 33(Special Issue), 16–35. doi.org/10.16986/HUJE.2018038794
Book chapters and conference proceedings
Isbell, D. R., Choe, A. T., Holden, D., Kawasaki, A., Kim, J., Kim, Y., McGehee, M., Nishizawa, H., Park, L., & Tang, A. F. (under review). Investigating Duolingo English Test washback: A focus on test preparation activities. Handbook of digital language assessment: Innovations and insights from the Duolingo English Test.
Wang, J., Shin, M., Nishizawa, H., Miller, M., Larkin, R., Kim, J., Nguyen, H., Holden, D., Diez-Ortega, M., Choe, A. T., & Crowther, D. (under review). Multiʻōlelo's legacy and future: Cultivating research dissemination through multilingual and multimodal approaches. Cambridge University Press.
Choe, A. T., Yagi, J. (2022). Embodied remembering in coordinated performances. Proceedings of the 5th CAN-Asia Symposium on L2 Interaction (pp. 45–55).
Choe, A. T., & Reddington, E. (2020). But-prefacing for refocusing in public talk. In H. Z. Waring & E. Reddington (Eds.), Communicating with the public: Conversation analytic studies (pp. 87–110). Bloomsbury. doi.org/10.5040/9781350098213.ch-005
Working papers
Choe, A. T. (2025). AI as empowerment in the applied linguistics classroom. Hawaiʻi Pacific University Working Paper Series, 23, 67–72.
Choe, A. T. (2024). Using AI to enhance language teaching: Introduction. Hawaiʻi Pacific University Working Paper Series, 22, 89–90.
Chang, Y-T., Choe, A. T., Holden, D., & Isbell, D. R. (2022). An evaluation of HELP's writing placement test rubric using Many-Facet Rasch Analysis. Second Language Studies, 40(1). https://www.hawaii.edu/sls/wp-content/uploads/Chang-et-al.-2022.pdf
Phung, H., Choe, A. T., Diez-Ortega, M., Eguchi, M., Holden, D., Mendoza, A., & Nguyen, T. H. (2020). The Multiʻōlelo initiative for language research communications. Second Language Studies, 38(1), Article 2. https://www.hawaii.edu/sls/wp-content/uploads/Phung-et-al.-2020.pdf
Choe, A. T., & Reddington, E. (2018). But-prefacing for refocusing in public questioning and answering. Teachers College, Columbia University Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, 18(1), 44–50.
Choe, A. T. (2016). A critical review of Pimsleur® language learning programs. Hawaiʻi Pacific University Working Paper Series, 14, 108–120.
Tai, A. & Tregelles, E. (2012). Inquiry-based learning: Gender stereotypes in advertising. Hawaiʻi Pacific University TESOL Working Paper Series, 10, 107–137.
Book reviews
Choe, A. T. (2022). Review of the book Teaching and testing second language pragmatics and interaction: A practical guide by C. Roever. TESOL in Context, 30(2), 63–67. https://doi.org/10.21153/tesol2022vol30no2art1567
Teaching
My teaching philosophy centers on creating the optimal conditions for learning. I design interactive, project-based experiences that connect course content to students' real-world needs and interests. In my classroom, students are active participants — collaborating, problem-solving, and applying concepts in ways that are immediately meaningful to them. I also believe in bringing current, up-to-date knowledge into the classroom, ensuring that what we discuss reflects the latest developments in the field.
If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow.
Current & Past Courses
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2019–2021, 2025–Present
SLS 150: Learning Languages and Communicating Interculturally
SLS 302: Second Language Learning
SLS 303: Second Language Teaching
SLS 480E: Language Learning with Apps
SLS 675: Second Language Qualitative Research
Hawaiʻi Pacific University 2023–2024
UNIV 1000: First Year Success Seminar
AL 3500: Second Language Learning and Teaching
AL 3950: Language Classroom Experience
AL 3740: Technology in Language Teaching
AL 4710: Teaching Listening and Speaking Skills
AL 4720: Teaching Reading and Writing Skills
AL 4960: Practice Teaching
AL 6720: Second Language Reading and Writing
AL 6740: Research & Issues in CALL
AL 6961: Practicum I in TESOL
AL 7099: Practicum II and Capstone
Grants
Access Pakistan Teacher Training and Cultural Exchange Program
U.S. Department of State · Hawaiʻi Pacific University
Lead Instructor
Duolingo English Test (DET)
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Research Assistant
Education Testing Service (ETS)
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Research Assistant
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
Teachers College, Columbia University
Research Assistant
Awards
Honolulu Tech Week Hackathon: Best AI Project
Honolulu Tech Week
Calvin Shindo Student Venture Fund
Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE), Shidler College of Business
Achievement Scholarship
Department of Second Language Studies, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
CPB Foundation Scholarship
Central Pacific Bank
AAAL Graduate Student Award
American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL)
Graduate Dean's Scholarship
Graduate Division, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Merit-Based Award in Mentorship
Graduate Student Organization, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Venture Competition First Prize
Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE), Shidler College of Business
Bilinski Dissertation Fellowship
Russell J. & Dorothy S. Bilinski Fellowships
Dean's Special Fund
College of Languages, Linguistics, & Literature, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Teachers College Scholarship
Teachers College, Columbia University
Annual Teachers of Excellence Award
Chinese Culture University School of Continuing Education