Juan Escalante began his career at BYU–Hawaii as a student. He received a bachelor’s in TESOL Education in 2015. In 2018, he earned a master’s in TESOL from BYU in Provo. As part of his research, he used eye-tracking technology to observe and analyze Second Language Learners’ reading behaviors while taking tests. After graduating from BYU, Juan was hired as visiting faculty, and he worked as a skill area supervisor at BYU’s English Language Center, where he taught ESL and coordinated a community ESL program. His teaching experience also includes Utah Valley University. Juan’s primary research interests include technology enhanced-language education, teacher training, and language assessment.
EDUCATION
Brigham Young University, Provo UT
Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, June 2018
Emphasis: Curriculum & Assessment
Thesis Title: Interacting with Multiple Choice Distractors in Reading Comprehension Tests: An Eye-tracking Study
Brigham Young University Hawaii, Laie, HI
Bachelor of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages – Education, June 2015
Minor: Psychology
Summa Cum Laude
EXPERIENCE
Brigham Young University–Hawaii, January 2020 – Present
Assistant Professor
- Teach English as an International Language courses within the EIL program.
- Teach TESOL 240 Introduction to TESOL to undergraduate students.
- Oversee the Academic English II curriculum which is composed of over 100 students per semester.
- Edit and maintain the TESOL/EIL website
English Language Center, September 2018 – December 2019
Visiting Faculty
- Coordinated Community OutReach English (CORE)
- Hired and trained mentor teachers.
- Observed student-teachers and provided feedback.
- Managed and directed placement and end of semester testing.
- Worked on curriculum development projects.
- Taught 2 – 3 ESL courses each semester.
ESL Instructor, January 2016— September 2018
- Taught in the Foundations and Academic program.
- Taught listening/speaking, writing, and reading, and grammar classes.
- Graded and developed tests, essays, and other assignments as well as provided constructive feedback.
Mentor Teacher, January 2016- September 2018
- Mentored undergraduate students pursuing a minor in TESOL.
- Mentored graduate students pursuing a Masters in TESOL.
- Provided feedback related to teaching, classroom management, and materials development.
- Met weekly to discuss progress, goals, and course progress.
Community Outreach English Instructor, January 2017-April 2017
- Taught a low-intermediate Listening and Speaking course.
- Planned a syllabus based on needs assessment.
- Developed course learning outcomes.
- Planned lesson plans for the ten-week course.
Curriculum Assistant, August 2016-July 2017
- Worked with a team of teachers on various curriculum development projects.
- Meet weekly to discuss progress and goals.
ESL Tutor , January-August 2016
- Tutored students from all proficiency levels on a variety of topics, including, but not limited to listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
Utah Valley University, August 2017-May 2018
ESL Instructor
- Taught Advanced reading courses.
- Taught Intermediate writing courses.
- Developed materials and assessment tools.
Brigham Young University, August 2015-December 2015
Research Assistant
- Worked closely with the Associate Director of Research and Assessment at BYU’s Center for Language Studies.
- Analyzed OPIC interviews.
- Created reading tests in various languages.
Internexus Provo, July 2013-April 2016
ESL Instructor
- Taught reading, writing, grammar, listening, and speaking courses.
- Taught beginning, intermediate, high intermediate, and advanced proficiency levels.
- Assisted in coordinating and conducting teacher training meetings.
Brigham Young University–Hawaii, August 2015-December 2015
Remote EIL Instructor
- Taught an Intermediate reading level class.
- Organized assignments and communicated through Canvas and Skype with students.
- Provided timely feedback.
Online Lead EIL Tutor and Teacher’s Assistant, July 2013 – April 2015
- Tutored online students from Asian, South Pacific, and South America.
- Tutored listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
- Tutored in average 20 students each semester.
- Responsible for placement tests into the program at the beginning of the semester.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Pack, A., Escalante, J., (2024, April). Mastering the basics of prompt engineering (ChatGPT). NAFSA Region XII Hawai’i Pacific District Conference. Hawai’i Tokai International College. Kapolei, Hawai’i.
Escalante, J., Pack, A., Wilson, M. (2024, January). Insights into the effectiveness of AI-generated writing feedback and English Language Learner student preferences. Thailand TESOL International Conference, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Pack, A., Escalante, J., Wilson, M. (2024, January). Using Generative AI (ChatGPT) to generate written feedback. Thailand TESOL International Conference, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Pack, A., Escalante, J., Wilson, M., Barrett, A. (2023, September). How reliably can large language models use a holistic rubric to place English language learners based on writing? Artificial Intelligence Research in Applied Linguistics Conference, New York City, New York, United States.
Escalante, J., Pack, A., Wilson, M., Barrett, A. (2023, September). Exploring English language learners’ preferences of AI and human generated written corrective feedback. Artificial Intelligence in Applied Linguistics Conference, New York City, New York, United States.
Pack, A., Escalante, J., Wan, H. C., Browne, M. (2023, March). Understanding student opinions of using VR film for language learning: Traveling while black. TESOL International Convention, Portland, Oregon, United States.
Eckstein, G., Matthews, K., Koltovskaia, S., Escalante, J., Maloney, J. (2023, March). To pay or not to pay: A freemium comparison of Grammarly. American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference, Portland, Oregon, United States.
Escalante, J., Green, B., Wright, V., Nitta, S., & Meyer Brice, L. (2022). The creation and use of a local EAP learner corpus. TESOL International Convention, Pittsburgh, PA.
Escalante, J., & Wright, V. (2021, February). Developing an English learners corpus. Hawaii TESOL Conference, Laie, HI.
Escalante, J. (2019, October). Let us all be engaged. Intermountain TESOL Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.
Escalante, J., & Summers, M. (2019, October). Intentional placement testing. Intermountain TESOL Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.
Escalante, J. (2019, October). A purposeful observation form for mentors. Intermountain TESOL Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.
Escalante, J., & Eckstein, G. (2018, October). L2 reading behaviors during multiple-choice tests: An eye-tracking study. Intermountain TESOL Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.
Escalante, J., & Stephens, C. (2018, October). Mentoring: A tale of two teachers. Intermountain TESOL Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.
Escalante, J., & Eckstein, G. (2018, March). Interacting with multiple choice distractors in reading comprehension tests: An eye-tracking study. American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference, Chicago, IL.
Escalante, J. (2017, June). Short stories. Intermountain TESOL Mini Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.
Escalante, J. (2017, October). How to incorporate course learning outcomes into a reading course. Intermountain TESOL Conference, Provo, UT.
Escalante, J. (2016, October). Factors in second language acquisition. Intermountain TESOL Conference, Provo, UT.
PUBLICATIONS
Pack, A., Barrett, A., & Escalante, J. (2024). Large language models and automated essay scoring of English language learner writing: Insights into validity and reliability. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100234
Escalante, J., Pack, A., & Barrett, A. (2023). AI-generated feedback on writing: Insights into efficacy and ENL student preference. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00425-2
Carlson, M., Pack, A. & Escalante, J. (2023), Utilizing OpenAI's GPT-4 for written feedback. TESOL J e759. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.759
Escalante, J., Eckstein, G., Cox, T., & Luke, S. (2023). Multiple-choice reading behaviors of ESL students: An eye-tracking study. TESOL Communications, 2(1), 46-62. https://doi.org/10.58304/tc.20230104
Pack, A., & Escalante, J. (2023). Traveling while black. TESOL Journal, 13(2), e719. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.719
Escalante, J.; & James, M. (2015). Mission Impossible (Our Job). The Word, 24(2), 14-15. Retrieved from http://www.hawaiitesol.wildapricot.org/Resources/Documents/Word/2015 Feb.pdf
WORK IN PROGRESS
Pack, A., Carter, S., Barrett, A., Escalante, J., & Wolfersberger M. (under review). How well can GPT-4 use an analytical rubric to assess English language learner writing? Submitted to The Internet and Higher Education
Pack, A., Escalante, J., Gillette, N., Hartshorn, J., & Hunt, A. (work in progress). How well can GenAI (GPT-4) provide written corrective feedback on English language learners’ writing?
TEACHER TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Pack, A., Solis, L., Escalante, J., Springer, A., Maloney, J. (2024) How to use AI in your classroom. Edward D. Smith Center for Learning & Teaching, Laie, Hawaii.
Pack, A., & Escalante, J. (2023). Unlocking ChatGPT’s potential for providing automatic feedback on student writing. Edward D. Smith Center for Learning & Teaching, Laie, Hawaii.
Pack, A., & Escalante J. (2023). A practical exploration of how generative AI can enhance English language education. HITESOL 2023 Practical Workshop, virtual Pack, A. (2023). Developing and maintaining a research agenda at BYU-Hawaii. Edward D. Smith Center for Learning & Teaching, Laie, Hawaii.
CV Last Revised, June 18 2024