Learning business Chinese through digital materials has become an inevitable tendency with the growth of the internet and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the increasing research-based publications and practices relating to Chinese language textbooks, there is a dearth of assessment indicators weight systems constructed by alternative research tools and statistical methods to evaluate the quality of the growing digital business Chinese materials. To the best of our knowledge, no literature review has been published on using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to construct the assessment indicators of digital business Chinese materials. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by reviewing the existing, but limited, literature and providing recommendations for developing a checklist—based on the assessment indicators weight system—to evaluate digital business Chinese materials. The preliminary PC2U (Production, Content, Use, and Usefulness) assessment indicators are constructed based on the current research on business Chinese, CLTML, and relevant assessment indicators. In addition, the analysis hierarchy process (AHP) is used to construct the weight system. The results show that it is crucial to prioritize the access of digital business Chinese content. Of the three criteria in the content dimension, learning needs and credibility are equally important, and both are more important than data update. The assessment indicators are not only beneficial to fill the knowledge gap on business Chinese research, but also helpful for publishers and teachers to compile and select high quality digital business Chinese materials.

Chinese learning materials for children has yet to be explored. This study revises the assessment form in Chinese Learning Materials Design Prerequisites, developed by Wang in 2008, to evaluate Chinese learning materials for Children, with a focus on a book series entitled Children’s Chinese Reader published by the Overseas Community Affairs Council in Taipei, Taiwan. The purpose of this study is two-fold. The first attempt is to find out the potential merits and the drawbacks that need addressing urgently. The second attempt is to see the potentiality of using the same materials on different groups of children leaners such as children learning Chinese as a second language, instead of the target learners that the book series has set on. The finding from the initial evaluation indicated a low score of 91 in individually evaluated categories except one, which is being systematic. Categories in being specific, being practical, being scientific, and being intriguing all received a low score. The current surmise is that the then Children’s Chinese Reader is a synchronic product of its time that now calls for advancement in latest theoretical research and contemporary teaching principles if materials for children’s learning can play an appropriate role in modern-day teaching.

China's rapid economic growth has lead foreigners would to increasingly become interested learning Chinese as a foreign language. Hence, not only in Taiwan but also in other countries, various business Chinese courses are being offered by universities, and international companies. Due to this increase in the need to provide to provide exceptional instruction, designing suitable business Chinese materials has become significance. To meet this need, this study aims to construct assessment indicators of digital Chinese materials toward non-native Chinese speaking businessmen and women (NNCSB). The preliminary “PC2U” assessment indicators are constructed on the basis of cognitive load theory, characteristics of adult learners learning Chinese, review on digital business Chinese materials, and previous empirical findings. The “PC2U” assessment indicators, which include 4 dimensions, 11 criteria, and 63 indicators, followed by the analysis hierarchy process (AHP) are used to construct the weight system for the “PC2U” assessment indicators. This study found that priorities, with respect to 4 dimensions (production, content, usage, and usefulness), to access digital business Chinese, that “content”, which consists of credibility, data update, and learning needs, is foremost. Moreover, it will be proven here that of 3 criteria in the “content” dimension to assess digital business Chinese, that “learning needs” is equally as important as “credibility”, and both are the former two are more crucial than “data update”. The constructed assessment indicators weight system of digital business Chinese materials is not only beneficial to fill the knowledge gap on business Chinese research, but also help publishers and teachers compile and select high quality digital business Chinese.

The rise of information and communication technologies has increased people’s access to educational resources and stormed the process of E-learners in the past decades. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic forced more people to stay at home to do things via online. Of course, education is no exception. While numerous distance Chinese learning tools or websites are booming, not all these tools or websites are suitable because of E-learners’ variations in Chinese language proficiency, computer literacy, or the complexity of the tools. Hence, being able to choose effective Chinese E-learning tools for Chinese learners is crucial for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers for Other Languages (TCSOL) as it affects not only learners’motivation and overall success as well as teachers’ teaching pedagogy and performance. The present study analyzed a series of user-friendly, freeWeb2.0 digital toolsfor distance Chinese learners to study along with a textbook, Practical Audio-Visual Chinese 2, designed and carried out experimental teaching courses for Japanese participants with elementary Chinese proficiency. Lastly, it concluded with ST2D implications for TCSOL based the feedback from users.

The present study analyzed a series of user-friendly, free Web2.0 digital tools for distance Chinese learners to study along with a textbook, <i>Practical Audio-Visual Chinese</i> 2, designed and carried out experimental teaching courses for Japanese participants with elementary Chinese proficiency, and lastly concluded with pedagogical suggestions for TCSOL based the feedback from users.<div>Based on the study results, two main themes were discussed: (1) how to design Web2.0 digital tools for distance Chinese learners as well as the pros and cons of using Web2.0 digital tools for TCSOL, (2) the timing, procedure, and effects of modular teaching using Web2.0 digital tools on elementary learners of Chinese.<br></div>