Ms. Yaoyao Zhang, Technical University of Munich, Germany
Yaoyao Zhang is a dedicated researcher and educator with extensive experience in education and technology didactics. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), her research focuses on open educational resources for vocational education, with a dissertation on motivation models for user-generated technical instructional videos. She holds a Master of Education from Fujian Normal University, specializing in comparative education and vocational education reform, and a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Chengdu Sport University. Yaoyao has held diverse professional roles, including Project Facilitator for multiple educational initiatives, such as textbook design and teacher development, and as a Project Manager at Fujian Normal University. Since 2020, she has served as a Research Assistant at TUM, contributing to curriculum development, result evaluation, and video lecture preparation for international postgraduate programs. Her teaching experience includes instructional design and multimedia course development at Fujian Preschool Education College.
Professional Profile 🎓
ORCID
Summary of Suitability for Best Researcher Award 🌍
Yaoyao Zhang has demonstrated extensive research experience in the field of vocational education, comparative education, and user-generated content in online learning. With eight published journal articles in reputable international journals and active participation in six academic conferences for oral presentations, Yaoyao has made significant contributions to advancing knowledge in educational science and technology didactics. Key publications include studies on the British degree apprenticeship system, motivation for technical instructional videos, and Sino-German comparisons of vocational education.
Education 📚
- PhD Candidate
Technical University of Munich (TUM)
- Professorship for Technology Didactics (focus on open educational resources for vocational education)
- Dissertation: “Maximizing Cognitive Surplus for TVET: Developing Motivation Measurement Scale and Motivation Influence Model for User-Generated Technical Instructional Videos”
- Duration: Oct 2020 – Present
- Master of Education
Fujian Normal University
- Professorship for Comparative Education (focus on international comparison of vocational education reform)
- Thesis: “Enlightenment of the British Degree Apprenticeship on China Vocational Education Reform”
- Duration: Sep 2017 – Jul 2020
- Bachelor of Arts
Chengdu Sport University
- Major: English Language and Literature (focus on international sport events translation)
- Duration: Sep 2013 – Jul 2017
Work Experience 💼
- Research Assistant
Technical University of Munich (TUM)
- Provided result evaluation and video lecture materials for the international postgraduate project “TVET Leadership for Transformation.”
- Scheduled weekly team meetings and supported curriculum development for project “BBI@TUM.”
- Duration: Oct 2020 – Present
- Project Facilitator
Educational Science Project
- Provided feedback for the program “International Comparative Research on Higher Education Market Access System.”
- Modified the project book and drafted project-end reports.
- Duration: Aug 2021 – Aug 2023
- Project Manager
Fujian Normal University Master Cultivation Project
- Wrote funding applications, conducted financial reporting, and published research papers.
- Duration: Jan 2019 – Jan 2020
- Teacher
Fujian Preschool Education College
- Developed curriculum, instructional design, and multimedia materials for the “Educational Psychology” course.
- Duration: Sep 2018 – Sep 2019
Research Skills 🔬
- Quantitative Analysis:
- Designing surveys and managing datasets for large-scale projects.
- Proficient in statistical tools like SPSS, AMOS, R, and SmartPLS.
- Experience in developing and validating psychometric scales (e.g., Motivation Scale for TVET).
- Qualitative Research:
- Designing and conducting in-depth interviews.
- Coding and analyzing qualitative data using MAXQDA.
- Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration:
- Successfully contributed to multi-country comparative studies and cross-sectoral projects.
- Educational Technology Research:
- Specializing in Open Educational Resources (OER) for vocational training and user-generated content.
- Extensive work on YouTube’s heuristic-systematic cues in online learning.
- Technical Writing and Editing:
- Authored 15+ peer-reviewed publications, including high-impact journal articles and conference papers.
- Proofreading and editing manuscripts, book chapters, and project reports.
- Project Development:
- Skilled in drafting project proposals, funding applications, and comprehensive end-of-project reports.
Publication Top Notes 📖
Exploring user-generated content motivations: A systematic review of theoretical perspectives and empirical gaps in online learning