Viet Q. Vu
Biography
Viet Q. Vu, Ph.D., is a Unit 18 Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. Vu earned a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Language, Literacy, and Technology from UC Irvine in 2017, where his dissertation examined instructional practices in large introductory STEM lecture courses. His academic work focuses on digital literacy, multimodal composition, and the integration of technology in education. Prior to his academic career, Vu earned an MFA in Film and Television from UCLA and worked as a documentary producer, creating programs that aired on NHK Japan Broadcasting.
Vu has developed multiple courses at UC Irvine, including Education 30 Online, Education 50 Online, and Education 180: Digital Storytelling. He has also created programs for junior high and high school students, including a digital storytelling course offered through the UCI Writing Project and a robotics course implementing STEAM learning frameworks through the Beall Center for Arts and Technology. His research on digital storytelling and multimodal composition has been published in journals including the Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy and The CATESOL Journal. He is the author of two textbooks: 21st Century Literacies and Foundational Issues in Education: An Interactive eBook.
Vu has coordinated a learning community for lecturers in the School of Education since 2020, facilitating monthly meetings to discuss pedagogy and digital tools. He participated in the AI Writing and Digital Literacy Fellows program in 2025, working with over 40 fellows to implement PapyrusAI in writing instruction. Before joining UC Irvine, Vu spent eight years at Kohgakusha Ltd. Co. in Tokyo, where he developed standardized curricula for students across 11 schools, trained over 100 teachers, and wrote textbooks and workbooks for 4,500 students. He also taught mathematics and science at Alhambra High School in California.
Return to topEducation
- Ph.D. in Education (Language, Literacy, and Technology specialization), University of California, Irvine, 2017
- M.A. in Education (TESOL specialization), California State University, San Bernardino, 2009
- MFA in Film and Television (Screenwriting specialization), University of California, Los Angeles, 2000
- B.S. in Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, 1994
Distinctions
- Finalist, The Chesterfield Writer's Film Project (Paramount Pictures and Amblin Entertainment), 1998
- AI Writing and Digital Literacy Fellows Award, 2025
- Winner, Sloan Foundation Writing Contest, 1998
- UC Online Award, UCI, 2025
- Nomination, Digital Learning Award, UCI, 2019
- UC Irvine IMPACT Award, 2025
- Professional Development Award, UCI, 2019, 2021
- Teacher of the Year, Kaplan Inc., 2009
- Employee of the Year, Kohgakusha Ltd. Co., 2005
- Teacher of the Year, Kohgakusha Ltd. Co., 1998
Areas of Expertise
- Educational Technology
- Digital Storytelling Pedagogy
- Multimodal Composition
- STEM Instructional Practices
- Generative AI Writing Tools
- Expressive Robotics
- Synchronous Collaborative Writing
Recent Publications
- Vu, V., “21st Century Literacies”, Cognella, 2024.
- Maamuujav, U., Yim, S., Vu, V., “Rhetorical and Motivational Values of Multimodality in Writing: A Case Study Examining L2 Writers' Participation in Multimodal Academic Writing”, The CATESOL Journal, vol. 35, no. 1, 2024.
- Vu, V., “Foundational issues in education: An interactive eBook”, Cognella, 2022.
- Vu, V., Prado, Y., Yim, S., Le, P., “Digital storytelling for academic literacy: Culturally responsive multimodal composition course design”, Learning critical thinking skills beyond 21st century for multidisciplinary courses: A human right perspective in education, Cognella, 2020.
- Vu, V., Warschauer, M., Yim, S., “Digital storytelling: A district initiative for academic literacy improvement” (opens in new tab), Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, vol. 63, pp. 257-267, 2019.
- Vu, V., Liu, D., Begolli, K., “Expressive robotics”, Promoting language and STEAM as human rights in education, Springer, 2019.
- Yim, S., Wang, D., Olson, J., Vu, V., Warschauer, M., “Synchronous writing in the classroom: Undergraduates' collaborative practices and their impact on text quality, quantity, and style” (opens in new tab), Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work CSCW, vol. 0, pp. 468-479, 2017.
This profile was created with the help of AI.
Last updated on 5/19/2026.