Lillian C. Jones

Biography

Lillian C. Jones, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Teaching and Language Program Director in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Irvine. Jones received a Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics with a Designated Emphasis in Second Language Acquisition from the University of California, Davis, where her dissertation examined the relationship between text messaging and oral fluency in second language Spanish learners. Her research focuses on computer-assisted language learning and the integration of digital technologies in language instruction.

Jones has published research on technology-mediated language learning in journals including the Journal of Spanish Language Teaching, CALICO Journal, and L2 Journal. Her work examines the use of mobile applications such as WhatsApp and Zoom for communication activities, automatic speech recognition for pronunciation training, and artificial intelligence in language education. She has presented her research at conferences including the American Association of Applied Linguistics, Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Consortium, and the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

Jones serves as an Executive Board Member of the Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO) and as a Faculty Board Member of Spanish and Portuguese Review. She previously served as Senior Managing Editor of Spanish and Portuguese Review and as Chair of the CALICO Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence. At UC Irvine, Jones designed and launched four new online intensive Spanish language courses and supervised a team of six instructors in online language instruction. She received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at UC Davis in 2024 and the Outstanding Graduate Student Award from CALICO in 2023.

Education

• Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics, University of California, Davis, 2024
• M.A. in Spanish, Saint Louis University, 2019
• B.A. in Spanish, University of Washington, 2008

Distinctions

• Ursula Williams Graduate Student Conference Grant, IALLT, 2023
• Outstanding Graduate Student Award, CALICO, 2023
• Mango Languages Dissertation Award, 2022
• Research Exchange Fellowship, University of Salamanca, Spain, 2022
• Leaders for the Future Fellow, Mike and Renee Child Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of California, Davis, 2023-2024
• Nomination for FLAM Outstanding Future Foreign Language Teacher, 2019
• World Languages 360 AI Grant Program, 2025
• Outstanding Teaching Award, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of California, Davis, 2024