1. Pedagogical Fellowship Helps Nurture a Passion for Teaching
When Duygu Akdevelioglu was accepted into the
Merage School PhD program, it was with her sights
set on a career in teaching. So, when the opportunity
for a Pedagogical Fellowship was presented,
Akdevelioglu was quick to apply. She was accepted
into the unique program in Fall 2015. In January
2016, she was awarded the $2,000 fellowship and has
taken full advantage of all the program has to offer.
“I have always loved teaching and I wanted to
learn more about pedagogy,” said Akdevelioglu.
“I was familiar with the Center for Engaged
Instruction (formerly the Teaching and Learning
Center) and had participated in several of the
great workshops and consulting programs they
offer. During this time, I had the opportunity to
meet with Daniel Mann, assistant director of Graduate Student Instructional Development, to
receive consultation on a video recording of my guest lecture. He told me about the PF program
and I applied.”
Already Akdevelioglu had been honing her teaching skills as a Teaching Assistant (TA), a position
she has held for the past seven years leading different undergraduate and graduate level courses
including Consumer Behavior, Marketing Management, and Social Media Marketing. At the
Merage School she has taught the Introduction to Marketing course and she has given
undergraduate and graduate level guest lectures on Social Media Marketing and Social Networks
at both UC Irvine and California State University, Northridge.
Akdevelioglu’s students have been quick to give her praise submitting glowing student evaluations.
“Great instructor, very passionate and knowledgeable about the material, helpful, kind.”
“Makes the class entertaining by including all the students, encourages participation.”
“She is very good at keeping the class interested during the lecture and making the
information exciting as well as educational.”
Since being accepted into the PF program, Akdevelioglu has taken two courses with De Gallow,
PhD, the academic executive director of Instructional Development at the UCI Center for
Engaged Instruction, the center which offers the PF program.
“Last May I conducted my first two TA Trainings and will conduct TAPDP training (the Teaching Assistant
Professional Development Program) on September 20th
and 21st
during orientation week. I am very excited
about it,” commented Akdevelioglu.

2. “To date, we have had over trained about 500 Pedagogical Fellows over the 27 years of the program,”
said Gallow. “PFs are highly regarded and do well on the academic job market; many also go on to win
prestigious awards. Duygu is an exceptional student and has the potential to make a huge impact in a
teaching capacity.”
“I have learned a lot about pedagogy and various learning and teaching theories through the
program’s coursework, practice, and feedback. I have improved my teaching by understanding
how people learn! It has been an amazing journey for me,” commented Akdevelioglu. “I have
friends from all departments across campus as a result of the program. Together, we have
gained a lifelong network of colleagues to consult when it comes to brainstorming pedagogy
ideas. As Pedagogical Fellows, we are a big family.”
In addition to providing a network of colleagues, the Pedagogical Fellowship program is providing
aspiring professors with the skills they need to be competitive in the job market.
“These days, even the research schools are expecting the candidates to be well qualified in
teaching,” said Akdevelioglu.
Akdevelioglu holds a Master of Science in Marketing from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. She
expects to complete the Merage School PhD program in 2017.
The Pedagogical fellowship (PF) program is for graduate students who are interested in learning
about and practicing advanced pedagogy, pre-professional/program development, and gaining
mentoring experience. Since the program’s inception in 1989, it has gained a strong reputation
and is highly regarded for preparing future faculty. Selection is competitive and is based on a
record of excellent teaching, promising scholarship and service to the University, department,
and the disciplines’ professional community. For more information about the program and
how to apply, visit http://cei.uci.edu/programs/pfprogram/.