Di Xu
Professor
School of Education
School of Education
Ph.D., Columbia University, 2013, Economics of Education
University of California, Irvine
2054 Education
Mail Code: 5500
Irvine, CA 92697
2054 Education
Mail Code: 5500
Irvine, CA 92697
Research Interests
Higher Education Policy, Program Evaluation, Community College Research, Online Learning
Research Abstract
Dr. Di Xu is a Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and an expert in higher education policy, focusing on equity and student success. She is co-director of the Online Learning Research Center, which provides evidence-based resources to improve student outcomes and reduce equity gaps in online education. Additionally, Dr. Xu co-leads the Postsecondary Education Research and Implementation Institute (PERI²), where she oversees research on strategies to improve educational outcomes for underrepresented students, particularly in community colleges and workforce education programs.
Dr. Xu has established strong research collaborations with state higher education systems and institutions across multiple states, including partnerships with the Virginia Community College System and California Community Colleges. These collaborations have focused on improving student outcomes in areas such as online learning, developmental education, and noncredit career and technical education programs. Her research directly informs institutional policies and practices aimed at addressing the needs of economically disadvantaged and first-generation students.
Dr. Xu’s research has received over $20 million in funding from federal agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), as well as from philanthropic organizations such as the Ascendium Education Group and Lumina Foundation. Her work has been published in prestigious journals such as The Journal of Human Resources, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, American Educational Research Journal, Educational Researcher, Research in Higher Education, Computers & Education, and The Internet and Higher Education. Dr. Xu’s research has been widely cited in media outlets like The New York Times, Inside Higher Ed, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Dr. Xu received her Ph.D. in Economics of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2013.
Dr. Xu has established strong research collaborations with state higher education systems and institutions across multiple states, including partnerships with the Virginia Community College System and California Community Colleges. These collaborations have focused on improving student outcomes in areas such as online learning, developmental education, and noncredit career and technical education programs. Her research directly informs institutional policies and practices aimed at addressing the needs of economically disadvantaged and first-generation students.
Dr. Xu’s research has received over $20 million in funding from federal agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), as well as from philanthropic organizations such as the Ascendium Education Group and Lumina Foundation. Her work has been published in prestigious journals such as The Journal of Human Resources, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, American Educational Research Journal, Educational Researcher, Research in Higher Education, Computers & Education, and The Internet and Higher Education. Dr. Xu’s research has been widely cited in media outlets like The New York Times, Inside Higher Ed, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Dr. Xu received her Ph.D. in Economics of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2013.
Grants
Pathway to STEM Success: Improving Access and Success and Closing Equity Gaps in
College-level Math in a State Community College System, 2023-2026, PI, National Science Foundation (NSF), $1,969,430
Online Course Enrollment, Efficacy, and Design Features: Evidence from Three UC Campuses, 2023-2024, PI, UC Online, $50,000
Exploring noncredit CTE program factors that strengthen workforce pipelines, 2022-2025, PI, Institute of Education Sciences (IES), $1,700,000
Scaling humanized online teaching in STEM, 2022-2024, Co-PI, California Learning Lab, $700,000
Investigating success patterns and subsequent educational and labor market outcomes among students in non-credit programs, 2022-2024, Lumina Foundation, PI, $460,000
Online Student Support Hubs and Online Student Success, 2022-2024, Arnold Ventures, Co-PI, $267,767
Online Instructor Professional Development and Student Outcomes in Community Colleges, 2021-2025, IES, Co-PI, $1,698,340
CAREER: Multidimensional Support to Improve Distance Learning Experience in Community College STEM Gateway Courses, 2018-2024, NSF, PI, $655,237
Building Capacity: STEM Faculty Professional Learning in the Zone of Proximal Development, NSF, 2018-2023, Co-PI, $1,499,999
Using Behavioral Nudges and Insights to Promote Calbright Student Success, California Online Community College District, 2022-2024, PI, $2,936,487
From Training to Employment: A Multi-Inquiry Study of Noncredit Workforce Training Programs, 2024-2028, PI, Ascendium Education Group, $1,605,800
Using Behavioral Nudges and Insights to Promote Calbright Student Success, 2022-2026, PI, California Online Community College District, $4,100,000
Other Experience
Associate Editor
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 2023
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 2023
Research Centers
Community College Research Center: Research Affiliate (http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/)
UCI Postsecondary Education Research & Implementation Institute (https://educationresearch.uci.edu)
Noncredit Research Collaborative (https://noncreditresearch.org/)
Link to this profile
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=6178
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=6178
Last updated
10/10/2024
10/10/2024