Mila Zhu

Dr. Mila Zhu is Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Coordinator of the EDUC Program at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where she also serves as Founding Director of the Center for Interconnected Curriculum and Networked Learning (ICoN Learning). Her research centers on Ludic Scholarship, integrating game-based learning, play, and narrative into educational contexts. As series editor of Ludic Scholarship: Games, Learning, and Innovative Pedagogy, she advances work that merges gamification, ludology, and pedagogy. Her book, StrataPlay Methodology: A Lorekeeper’s Game Design in Postqualitative Inquiry, anchors the series by modeling multi-layered, game-inflected approaches to research. Building on this foundation, her current projects extend into health-science–informed XR learning design focused on resilience, mental fitness, and ethical decision-making.

Before joining Southeastern, Dr. Zhu lived, studied, and taught in Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Shanghai, experiences that inform her global perspective on curriculum and teacher education. A grand winner of the First Asian Youth Piano Competition and an active freelance musician, she integrates musical practice into pedagogy, infusing teacher preparation and curriculum theory with interdisciplinary inquiry across the arts and multicultural education.

Dr. Zhu was named to Oklahoma Magazine’s 2025 “40 Under 40,” recognizing her leadership in shaping the future of education. She is the recipient of Southeastern’s 2024 Faculty Senate Recognition Award for Outstanding Research and Scholarly Activity and the 2023 Faculty Senate Recognition Award for Excellence in Teaching. These honors reflect her commitment to bridging rigorous scholarship and compelling storytelling and to partnering with pre-service teachers and underserved communities to advance inclusive, high-impact learning across contexts.