The Developing Understanding and Engagement Together (DUET) Fellow Program is an exciting opportunity to bridge the gap between teaching and learning. OU students and faculty work together as pedagogical partners, where they share their different perspectives in order to explore, analyze, revise, affirm, or imagine ways of teaching and learning that will benefit the broader OU community and both partners.
Student Fellows benefit from developing relationships with Faculty Fellows, which improves their sense of belonging on campus and confidence interacting with faculty. Faculty Fellows benefit from a better understanding of student experiences and, for new faculty, greater confidence in their teaching (Cook-Sather, et al., 2019).
This program is inspired by the Students as Learners and Teachers (SaLT) Program at Bryn Mawr University. For more information, contact M. Geneva Murray at geneva.murray@ou.edu.
DUET Faculty Fellows will be paired with Student Fellows outside of their disciplinary areas. Each week, Student Fellows will attend a class offered by their Faculty Fellow partner and attend a one-hour weekly meeting with their Faculty Fellow, in addition to weekly one-hour meetings with other Student Fellows. In addition to the weekly meeting with their student partners, Faculty Fellows will attend biweekly small group meetings with other Faculty Fellows to discuss the changes they’d like to make to their teaching or courses and implementation strategies. These small group meetings may also be attended by Student Fellows upon request.
Fellows may discuss classroom observations, syllabi language, diversifying learning activities, clarity of assignment instructions, student and faculty experiences, and more.
Faculty are encouraged to apply to be a fellow in the program! Applications are announced in the Center for Faculty Excellence’s newsletter each semester.
We encourage you to apply with another faculty member within your program or department. We hope that having two faculty participants from the same area will provide participants with greater support as they consider their teaching practices within their specific discipline, while they also build connections across campus with other members of the cohort.
Beginning in Fall 2024, Faculty Fellows will be paid $500 in supplemental pay, not including fringe, for successful completion in this semester-long program.
Students are encouraged to apply to be a fellow in the program! We post openings for student fellows through the University of Oklahoma’s student job site. Currently, student fellows work between four and five hours per week and earn $12/hourly.
Abrar is a student at the University of Oklahoma, where she is majoring in mechanical engineering. She is originally from Egypt and has a strong interest in the intersection between AI and mechanical engineering, namely in the areas of automation, and machine learning. She likes outdoor activities such as biking and mountain climbing. She also spent nine years playing field hockey in Egypt and Italy, where she gained a deep respect for discipline and collaboration.
Because she appreciates the relationships that education creates between students and instructors, Abrar is thrilled to be a DUET Student Fellow. She values interactive teaching strategies, particularly project-based learning, and thinks that practical experiences help students grasp difficult ideas more deeply. She aspires to learn fresh viewpoints on successful teaching techniques and add to conversations about enhancing college education through DUET.
Amer Ahalouch is an international student from Brussels, Belgium. He is pursuing a bachelor of science in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Oklahoma and graduating in 2027. He is a United World College Alumni and a UWC Davis Scholar. He just returned from a semester abroad in Arezzo, Italy. He is a laureate of Boost for Talent and the King Baudoin Foundation of Belgium. He has been a SEED (Sooner Engineering Education) Ambassador for K-12 outreach. He was also an intramural student official for the Athletic Department and is currently a student-athlete tutor. He is honored to become a DUET Student Fellow and to join the fantastic team.
Amer was looking forward to contributing positively to the education of his peers. As a DUET Student Fellow, he found the opportunity to reduce the gap between facts and students. He was raised in a multicultural neighborhood where people came from around the world. Moreover, he moved alone at sixteen to study in an international school in New Mexico. He has gained different cultural insights and a diverse vision of education. He plans to use his experience to share it with his peers and the faculty so that they can also use it as an example to improve the relationships between faculty and students.
Anayat Yousuf, from the picturesque region of Kashmir in the Himalayas, is currently a student at the University of Oklahoma. He is a member of class of 2027 and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology on a Pre-medicine track. Anayat is a Davis UWC Scholar and a proud alumnus of UWC Robert Bosch College Germany. Beyond his academic endeavors, he holds the position of President at M.Y. Educational Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Kashmir. This organization, inspired by his parents, aims to assist educationally disadvantaged students. In addition, Anayat serves as the General Secretary of “The United World” organization at OU, an initiative grounded in UWC values and mission. He is also an avid cricket player, a seasoned traveler having visited 11 different countries, and a lover of cooking, with a particular fondness for spicy recipes such as Biryani and kashmiri Wazwan.
As a Spring 2024 DUET Student Fellow, Anayat is excited about the opportunity to contribute to the educational community. He believes in the importance of building relationships between students and faculty. Anayat sees the DUET program as a platform to bring about change and innovation in education.
Besma Sidi is studying Management Information Systems and Accounting, with an expected graduation in May 2027. She is originally from Western Sahara and is exploring her interests in business technology and related areas. Beyond her studies, she enjoys being outdoors, especially hiking, walking, and playing volleyball.
As a DUET Student Fellow, Besma looks forward to growing through new learning experiences and contributing to the academic community. She believes education is a powerful and diverse journey, and she is passionate about being part of that process. Her aim is to help create opportunities that inspire curiosity and support lifelong learning.
Anushka Reddy is pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science at the University of Oklahoma and expects to graduate in May 2027. Originally from Hyderabad, India, she is fascinated by artificial intelligence and cybersecurity and enjoys exploring how technology influences everyday life. Beyond academics, she enjoys dancing, traveling, discovering new cuisines, and experiencing different cultures. Whether learning something new or meeting someone with a different perspective, Anushka is driven by curiosity and a genuine desire to understand how people, ideas, and technology connect.
Anushka believes that the best classrooms spark curiosity that continues long after a lecture ends. She values learning environments where questions are welcomed, different perspectives are respected, and students feel encouraged to think beyond finding the "right" answer. As a DUET Student Fellow, she is committed to supporting conversations that strengthen the partnership between students and faculty, with the belief that the most meaningful learning happens when everyone has the confidence to ask, listen, reflect, and grow together.
Big-Carnegie is an international student from Benin, pursuing a Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma and expected to graduate in 2029. Before coming to OU, Big-Carnegie spent two years at United World College of South-East Asia in Singapore, following six years at Prytanée Militaire de Saint-Louis in Senegal, where he earned both academic and military distinctions. Outside of architecture, Big-Carnegie is interested in storytelling, creative thinking, and many other forms of self and collective expression.
As a DUET Student Fellow, Big-Carnegie is particularly interested in the opportunity to experience the classroom from a different perspective, as a third person who can observe classroom dynamics without the personal stakes of either being a student or professor. Big-Carnegie enjoys careful observation and is passionate about teaching, learning, and understanding the different ways students engage with education. Big-Carnegie looks forward to collaborating with faculty members, learning from their teaching approaches, and applying these insights to future endeavors.
DeAndrea Samuel is a senior Public Relations student set to graduate in fall 2026. She transferred to OU after receiving her associate's degree in Mass Communications from Rose State College in 2024. She is passionate about making a difference in her community, as evidenced by her participation in the Grant Writers Association of Oklahoma, the Region Six Higher Education Collaborative and OU's Big Event. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, baking and playing with her two dogs, Arlo and Charlie.
DeAndrea is excited to participate in DUET to make a difference in the classroom. She looks forward to bridging the gap between professors and students, thus improving the learning experience of students who sit in the same classrooms where she once was. She also looks forward to developing a deeper understanding of professors' mindsets while organizing their pedagogical styles and how it all relates to student-professor dynamics.
Miguel is a masters' student in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) expected to graduate in August 2027. He completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Oklahoma in Social Studies Education and spent 3 years teaching history in the Oklahoma public school system. Miguel speaks Spanish and is interested in pedagogy that bridges gaps for students across language barriers. Miguel spends his free time rock climbing, playing board games, sewing, and cooking.
Miguel chose to participate in the DUET program at the University of Oklahoma out of a continuing interest in different experiences of teaching and learning. As a classroom teacher, Miguel often struggled to find and implement methods that were successful for all his students. Within the DUET program Miguel hopes to experience education from a variety of new perspectives and expand his views on what good teaching looks like.
Marscella Ling — who goes by Mars — is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Oklahoma, double-majoring in Political Science and Environmental Studies, with plans to graduate in Spring 2029. Born and raised in Malaysia, she is deeply passionate about public policy, particularly in developing equitable and high-quality education systems for all. Her commitment to political engagement and educational empowerment led her to join the United World College (UWC) movement, where she was awarded a full scholarship to pursue the International Baccalaureate at UWC Changshu, China, for 18 months. Beyond academics, Marscella enjoys performing arts such as theatre and live music, and dedicates her time to volunteering in grassroots initiatives that address global challenges within local communities. During her breaks, she loves traveling and connecting with diverse communities to deepen her understanding of the world, believing that effective public policy must be grounded in the lived experiences of the people it serves.
As a DUET Student Fellow, she believes that effective education stems from teaching practices centered on students’ learning experiences. She is passionate about bridging the gap between how teachers teach and how students learn through meaningful, two-way feedback. Through DUET, she hopes to help educators refine their pedagogical approaches by fostering greater intentionality, direction, and vision.
Pierrinot Mihigo is studying Management Information Systems at the University of Oklahoma, expecting to graduate in 2029. He attended United World College South East Asia in Singapore, surrounded by people from all over the world. Outside coursework, he works as an Intramural Sports Supervisor, enjoys reading ancient mythologies and legends, watching and playing sport and learning new skills like languages and conversations. He also writes a newsletter called The Unfinished Mind, where he thinks through open-ended questions about identity and life.
Pierrinot is a DUET Student Fellow because his time at UWCSEA taught him how small the world actually is, and left him with more questions than answers about how people learn from each other. He's curious what teaching looks like from the other side of the room, not just the student seat he's used to. Through DUET, he wants to bring that curiosity into conversations about what actually makes a classroom work.
Elizabeth Glass is a senior studying Computer Science and Data Science & Analytics, set to graduate in December 2027. Outside of her studies Elizabeth is involved in her sorority, where she served as both Fall Formal Chair and Spring Philanthropy Event Chair. In her free time, she enjoys knitting and playing board games with friends and family. She is also working toward becoming certified as a Salesforce Business Analyst.
Elizabeth chose to become a DUET Fellow due to an interest in higher education and how the relationships between students and faculty work. Elizabeth hopes to improve learning environments for both students and faculty through a better understanding of how teaching styles impact students and how they can be improved to create supportive and engaging learning spaces. Through the DUET program, Elizabeth is excited to work with faculty to create a lasting impact to help students thrive.
Joe Hanby is a senior on the Pre-Med track with a major in Psychology and minors in Chemistry and Classical Studies, set to graduate in May 2027. In his free time, he enjoys reading philosophy, writing poetry, tending to his garden, going to the gym, running, as well as playing guitar, chess, and strategic board games with his friends. Joe also has a passion for animals and wildlife, as he is a proud caretaker of a bearded dragon.
Joe is interested in being a DUET Fellow as academic life is incredibly difficult for many young adults to adjust to. He believes that academic excellence stems from the availability of good role models who are as passionate about their field of study as they are about the art of teaching. He wishes for every student to be given the grounds necessary for classroom success and that students take the greatest advantage of these most formative years. Joe hopes to further improve student-faculty relations through dialogue and mutual understanding during his time as a fellow. He finds DUET to be a purveyor of lasting and substantial change for the University of Oklahoma for many generations of students to come and is thrilled to contribute to their mission.
Sydney Schubert is studying meteorology with a minor in math at the University of Oklahoma, expecting to graduate in May 2028. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but moved around the South as a kid and ended up back in Memphis. Outside of the DUET program, Sydney is very interested in research meteorology and participated in the FYRE program through the Honors College, which laid the foundation for her love of research in meteorology. Apart from meteorology, Sydney loves sports, and you will always find her at the game on Saturdays.
Sydney is excited about participating in the DUET program because she values DUET's objective of improving students' experiences in the classroom by gaining insight into their perspectives. She is enthusiastic about being involved in a program that could change the way students learn for the better. She is also looking forward to learning more about a discipline that she has never been exposed to before. Overall, she is excited to build relationships with faculty and other students in the program and be a part of something bigger in her community at OU.
Mallorie Garcia is double majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience and minoring in Spanish at the University of Oklahoma and is expecting to graduate in 2028. Mallorie is heavily involved in her sorority and its philanthropy, Girls on the Run. After the school day, she loves hanging out with her friends and making new memories together! Mallorie is also involved in a variety of clubs on campus.
Being a Duet Fellow, Mallorie wants to improve the learning environment and experiences in the lecture hall. Mallorie believes that relationships between faculty and students are so important and have a huge impact on students' learning. With a strong relationship, students can understand specific teaching techniques, boost their academic performance, and improve their interest in the material being taught.
Thayer Smith is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology with a potential minor in Geographic Information Systems; he is expecting to graduate in 2028. He is the Director of Training at the Oklahoma Weather Lab with a passion for helping others learn and grow as individuals. In his free time, Thayer enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles, spending time outside, playing video games with friends, and watching sci-fi movies.
Thayer is interested in the DUET program because he wants to improve the student experience in the classroom, with the goal of enhancing communication and teaching for professors and their students. He also wants to improve the relationships between students and professors to help with the education process. Through these things, Thayer hopes that students' learning and development process can be smoother.
