XunFei pronounced "shiun-fay” Li 李寻菲

Hi, I’m Fei, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Irvine School of Education.

My research looks at how curriculum policies and interventions shape students’ pathways through higher education and patterns of educational inequality, with a particular focus on community colleges.

My work has been published in AERA Open, The Internet and Higher Education, and AEA Papers and Proceedings. I currently serve as a Co-principal Investigator on projects funded by Ascendium Education Group and Arnold Ventures.

Projects

Evaluating Curriculum Policies

I use causal inference and mixed methods to evaluate developmental education reforms, cross-sector enrollment, and condensed course formats in Virginia and California, examining how these policies shape student success.

Scalable AI-Powered Interventions for Peer Interaction

I design and evaluate scalable, AI-powered interventions that help students connect with peers, participate in collaborative learning, and develop a stronger sense of belonging.

Measuring Curriculum Structures

I use catalog and student transcript data to measure curriculum structures, examining how course requirements, prerequisite networks, and course-taking patterns shape students' academic pathways and peer experiences.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Li, XF., & Xu, D. (2026). When intensity meets modality: The effects of condensed course formats in online and in-person instruction. AEA Papers and Proceedings, 116, 367–370.
Baker, R., Hill, M., Ledezma, G., Dorman, J., Fagioli, L., Bezem, P., Cooper, M., & Li, XF. (2026). Inducing cross-sector enrollment for community college students through burden reduction. AEA Papers and Proceedings, 116, 371–375.
Li, XF., Baker, R. B., & Arum, R. (2025). Same major, different peers: Gender sorting across and within majors. AERA Open, 11.
Arum, R., Calderon Leon, M., Li, XF., & Lopes, J. (2025). ChatGPT early adoption in higher education: Variation in student usage, instructional support, and educational equity. AERA Open, 11.
Zhou, X., Li, Q., Xu, D., Li, XF., & Fischer, C. (2023). College online courses have strong design in scaffolding but vary widely in supporting student agency and interactivity. The Internet and Higher Education.

Working Papers

Li, XF., & Xu, D. (2025). Efficiency or burnout? The effects of condensed course formats on student achievement in community colleges. Annenberg EdWorkingPaper: 25-1273 (Revise & Resubmit).
Li, XF., Li, Q., Xu, D., Holton, A., & Zhou, X. Can peer group design improve engagement in online STEM courses? The role of motivation to lead. Annenberg EdWorkingPaper: 25-1313 (Under Review).
Li, XF., Ran, F., Chhikara, D., Beamer, Z., & Xu, D. (2025). Mixed-methods insights into math corequisite support: Enrollment, completion, and stakeholder perspectives. (Under Review)
Perez Lopez, J., Li, XF., Xu, D., Pacansky-Brock, M., & Vincent-Layton, K. I see you: Equitizing online STEM courses through humanized instruction. (Revise & Resubmit)

Policy Briefs & Other Publications

Arum, R., Chang, D., Calderon Leon, M., Eccles, J., Heckhausen, J., Von Keyserlingk, L., Li, XF., McDossi, O., & Orona, G. The liberal arts advantage: Measuring the deeper value. University of Chicago Press. (Forthcoming 2026)
Xu, D., Peterson, E. K., Kellogg, A., Li, H., Li, XF., D'Amico, M. M., & Van Noy, M. (2024). Maryland noncredit data snapshot. Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center.
Xu, D., Finnegan, C., Bagreev, M., Li, XF., D'Amico, M. M., & Van Noy, M. (2023). Virginia state noncredit data report. Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center.
Li, XF., & Yu, R. (2021). Construction of weighted course co-enrollment network. In Proceedings of the NetSciLA21 workshop.
Xu, D., Perez Lopez, J., Liu, Y., Hill, M. S., Li, XF., Bañuelos, M., Pacansky-Brock, M., Smedshammer, M., Vincent-Layton, K., & White, J. W. (2022). Humanizing online STEM: Preliminary research findings. HumanizeOL.org.
von Keyserlingk, L., Li, XF., Yamaguchi-Pedroza, K., Eccles, J., & Arum, R. (2020). COVID-19 undergraduate response to initial pandemic phase, Card C-1.
Li, XF., & Kuan, P. Y. (2018). The effect of single-sex schooling on high school girls' curriculum tracking selection in Taiwan. International Sociological Association.

Education

2019–2024

University of California, Irvine

Ph.D. in Education, Education Policy and Social Context

2016–2017

University of California, Berkeley

Visiting Student Researcher, Sociology

2014–2017