Cagri Guzel

Çağrı Güzel is an applied linguist and education researcher, specializing in second language acquisition (SLA), improvisational drama, and teacher education. His research explores the integration of immersive virtual reality and improvisational drama as innovative approaches to enhancing SLA.

Prior to UCD, Güzel worked as a Language Specialist at Google, providing linguistic expertise for language processing projects, particularly on the Google Assistant. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature at Erciyes University, where his thesis explored morphemic and phonological distinctions in Turkish dialects. He also holds a master’s degree in education with a TESOL focus from California State University, San Bernardino, where he examined the transformative potential of improvisational drama in enhancing oral proficiency and motivation.

Güzel has extensive experience teaching English as a Foreign Language in Türkiye across K–12, higher education, and adult education contexts, as well as participating in language teaching training in London, UK. Since 2014, he has taught a wide range of college and graduate-level courses across departments at various U.S. and international institutions. His teaching portfolio includes Writing Methods in TESOL, Principles and Practice in TESOL, Technology-Enhanced Language Learning, Educational Psychology, Diversity in K–12 Education, Introduction to Linguistics, Race, Culture & Society in the U.S., and Global Awareness through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In addition to academic teaching, Güzel teaches in internationally recognized TESOL certificate programs that serve both native and non-native English speakers, and both emerging and in-service teachers. He teaches in the 120-Hour TESOL Certificate Program that equips participants with academic and practical skills for English language teaching, hands-on teaching techniques, language development, and cultural immersion.

His innovative, learner-centered pedagogy is enriched by specialized training in improvisational strategies from Northern California’s largest comedy school, infusing his teaching and research with creative, dynamic, and embodied approaches to language education.