Current Fellows
Deanna Oye
July 2023 - June 2025
Bio coming soon
Sonya von Heyking
July 2023 - June 2025
I have been with the Dhillon School of Business since 2014, teaching a variety of courses in the accounting program, and leading significant program changes and innovations. Prior to joining business school, I spent eight years as head of internal audit at the U of L, and over three years in Big4 accounting firm. In addition to my CPA, CA designation, I also hold the ICD.D and CIA designations, as well CRMA, CCSA certifications from the Institute of Internal Auditors. As a recognized leader in the areas of governance and accounting, and a board director with four organizations at the local, provincial, and national level, I am continually engaged in strategy and adaptation, amid disruption and opportunity. These experiences allow me to bring theory to life in the classroom and excite my students about the future role of accounting, intelligent models for decision-making, and the role of organizations in responding to society’s changing needs and expectations.
This Teaching Fellowship provides much-needed time and support to develop accessible, high-quality, instructional materials for a diverse learner population. Through this partnership with the Teaching Centre I am able to contribute to a variety of their important initiatives, including article reviews for Light on Teaching and volunteering at SPARK, and they are able to provide valuable guidance and support with teaching initiatives or issues I am working through.
Toupey Luft
July 2024 - June 2026
Over the past six years at the University of Lethbridge, it’s been my honour to learn from colleagues at the Teaching Centre through engaging in various opportunities for development and seeking feedback on my teaching practice as it has evolved.
I have also been an active participant in the teaching community at UL by mentoring junior faculty members and participating in SoTL projects. I had the opportunity to be a co-investigator on a team led by Carina Zhu and funded by the Teaching Centre about how university faculty make meaning out of their teaching evaluations.
Through my role as a Teaching Fellow, I like to continue contributing to the development of fellow faculty members, and advancing strategic priorities to enhance teaching across the university. My project, loosely defined, will focus on how faculty members can understand and work with the diverse needs of international students. I look forward to continued conversations with the Teaching Centre to gain a sense of what would be most helpful for all parties.
Ryan Harper-Brown
July 2024 - June 2026
Ryan is a Teaching Fellow and the Internship Coordinator for the New Media Department in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Iniskim (University of Lethbridge). His classes successfully incorporate work-integrated-learning to provide students with rewarding educational experiences. He teaches classes on Social Media, User-Generated Video, Developing Media for Children, Canadian Sketch Comedy, and Portfolio and Professional Practice.
Ryan has an MFA in Screenwriting from the University of Victoria, a Master’s Degree in Film and Television Production from Bond University in Australia, and a BA in Communication Studies from Concordia University in Montréal.
You can usually find Ryan cycling around Lethbridge on one of his (too many) bicycles.
2025 - Incoming Teaching Fellows
Keltie Hamilton
July 2025 - June 2027
Prior to becoming a University Instructor, I was unaware there was an entire area of research dedicated to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). I have been fortunate enough to work with the Teaching Center receiving invaluable guidance and feedback as I navigated being a new instructor. While working with the Teaching Center I discovered a passion for SoTL research and realized many faculty members engage in SoTL work without knowing.
During my teaching fellowship I hope to understand what students need to feel included in the classroom and what supports faculty members need to increase equity and inclusiveness in the courses they teach. By getting both the learner and teacher perspectives, I hope to develop a targeted workshop series on classroom equity for faculty. The drive for equity in my teaching is also driven by my background in public health, and recognizing that students have vastly different lived experiences when they arrive in our classrooms. I am so excited to work alongside amazing teaching fellows over the next 2 years and contribute to our campus community.
Aaron Stout
July 2025 - June 2027
I have often been interested in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Before I came the University of Lethbridge I taught high school social studies for eleven years. During that time, I was curious about how students engaged with information and made it their own. I was interested in understanding how students learned in the best ways possible. These questions led me to do a M.A. in Education, working closely with the Faculty of Education and the History department. As an educator I value the conversations that are held among different people, departments, and sectors. As we talk together, we grow together. As a teaching fellow, I’m looking forward to working with Dr. Sheila McManus as we consider how little things that teachers do can have profound effects on student experiences.
I was fortunate to come to the University of Lethbridge, in 2016, through a program that invited K-12 teachers to teach in the Faculty of Education. In that position I was surrounded by mentors and students that enriched my own learning experiences. As a teacher we are always a learner. That one-year position opened the door to an instructor position that has kept me in the Faculty of Education. As an instructor I value the many interrelationships that we have as an institution. I continue to be involved with the K-12 teaching community as well as the Alberta Teachers Association. Another passion of mine is the intersection of wellbeing and learning. As a faculty we have been considering how to prioritize health and wellness as a precondition for learning. Working with colleagues in the faculty and in the province, I have been fortunate to belong to the Teacher of Tomorrow National Forum. I look forward to exploring how diverse interrelationships inform and transform how we approach teaching and learning during my time as a teaching fellow.
Sheila McManus
July 2025 - June 2027
The Teaching Centre can’t quite seem to get rid of me. I had the pleasure of receiving a Teaching Fellowship back in 2012, which led to the Instructional Skills Workshop and Facilitator Development Workshop, which led to serving as Board of Governors’ Teaching Chair 2014-1016, and then the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2018, then chairing the ReSet team since 2021…. and now another Teaching Fellowship, which I am lucky enough to share with Aaron Stout as we explore how to help colleagues across campus improve their first-year courses.