Faculty
Dr. Sharon E. Andrews |
Dr. Sharon E. Andrews received her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Dakota; she joined the Education Department in 1989 and served as Department Chairperson from the fall of 2005 until the spring of 2011. She currently teaches EDUC 335 Literacy in the Content Area, EDUC 360 Foundations of ENL, EDUC 370 Literarcy for ELLs and EDUC 607 Foundations and Principles in Curriculum (M.A. in Education online graduate program). In addition, she supervises student teachers, serves as the program’s Chalk and Wire ePortfolio Administrator, and teaches the ePortfolio Labs (EDUC 200L, 300L, and 400L). Dr. Andrews provides leadership for the Teacher Education Program’s assessment and accreditation efforts and has been trained as an NCATE Board of Examiner (BOE) since 2002, serving on accreditation teams in Ohio, North Carolina, Indiana, Florida, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, and Kentucky. Dr. Andrews is past-president of the South Dakota Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (SDACTE). Current publications include an article co-authored with Dr. Sheryl Feinstein entitled Addressing the Reading Needs of English Language Learners
and a manuscript entitled The Impact of Modeling Upon Pre-service Teachers in a Content Area Reading Course.
Dr. Julie Ashworth |
Dr. Julie Ashworth teaches EDUC 275 Teaching, Learning and Connecting in Today’s Classroom, EDUC 350 Social Studies Methods for the Elementary and Middle School, and EDUC 355 Human Relations in Education. She received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, Special Education and Deaf Education from Augustana College, her master's degree in Education with an emphasis in science and technology from Augustana College, and her Ed.D. in Educational Administration and Adult Higher Education from the University of South Dakota. Her research and passion involves preparing future teachers to be prepared to teach all students, especially students from diverse backgrounds, students living in poverty and students with disabilities. Dr. Ashworth was named the Sioux Falls School District Teacher of the Year in 1992 and the South Dakota Teacher of the Year in 1993. Dr. Ashworth received the 2009 Vernon and Mildred Niebuhr Faculty Excellence Award which recognizes brilliance in the classroom and the 2009 Augustana Student Association Professor of the Year. She created and directs Augustana FRIENDSLink, which is a United Way Partner Agency that establishes authentic friendships between college students and their peers with disabilities. She is also the Children’s Choir Director at Asbury Methodist Church.
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Kim Dobson |
Kim Dobson received her B.A. in Elementary and Special Education from Augustana College in 1990. She received her master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Southwest State University in 2000. Professor Dobson worked for the Sioux Falls School District for 21 years. She was a special education teacher in a self-contained classroom for 14 years. She was an Integration Specialist and an Elementary Autism Team Leader for seven years. Her areas of specialization include cognitive impairments, autism and curriculum modifications. Professor Dobson will be teaching Introduction to Developmental and Cognitive Impairments, Assessment of Children and Youth with Disabilities, Secondary Programs in Special Education, Educating Children and Youth with Cognitive Impairments, and Consultation, Collaboration and Communication.
Marlee Dyce |
Marlee Dyce received her master's degree from Northeastern University in Boston where she studied education and sign language interpreting. She currently teaches courses in Sign Language Interpreting, Process Models, and Translation. She holds certifications in interpreting including an NAD IV, NIC Advanced, and SD State Level 5. Marlee has been a community interpreter for 16 years working in a variety of settings, including medical, legal, mental health and Video Relay Service. She has spent recent years studying the effects of gender on interpretation and is currently researching academic acceptance of American Sign Language in post-secondary settings.
Dr. Tony Durr |
Dr. Tony Durr has had a well-traveled and diverse career path thus far. He received his bachelor’s from the University of Nebraska in marketing. After working in computer network sales, he returned to the University of Nebraska for a Master of Secondary Teaching. Dr. Durr began his teaching career in Houston, Texas, where he spent two years teaching high school mathematics. His next stop was Columbus, Ohio, where he continued to teach high school mathematics while he attended The Ohio State University and earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in teacher education and educational psychology. Upon completion of his doctorate he worked as an Assistant Professor at Capital University. Dr. Durr joined the Augustana faculty in 2010. His research is focused on teacher education, motivation, and urban education. He has presented his findings at several regional and national conference and has coauthored a book chapter. He also manages the Educational Research for Teachers Facebook page dedicated to connecting the latest educational research to practicing teachers. Dr. Durr is married and has two daughters.
Dr. Sheryl Feinstein |
Dr. Sheryl Feinstein earned her doctorate from University of South Dakota in 1995. She earned her M.A. in Curricululm and Instruction from Northern University and her bachelor's degree from University of Northern Iowa. She teaches Adolescent Development for the Education Department. She was a Fulbright Scholar to Tanzania 2007-2008. While in Africa she participated in a documentary entitled The Disabled Maasai
which was nominated by CNN for Best in Africa, 2008. She has authored the following books: Secrets of the Teenage Brain Research-Based Strategies for Reaching & Teaching Today’s Adolescents 2nd Ed., a national and international bestseller for Corwin Press; Parenting the Teenage Brain: Understanding a Work in Progress; Learning and the Brain: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators, Parents, and Teachers; Teaching the At Risk Teenage Brain; (Rowman & Littlefield); The Praeger Handbook of Learning and the Brain. 2 Vol. (Greenwood Publishing); Inside the Teenage Brain: Parenting a Work in Progress; 101 Insights and Strategies for Parenting Teenagers; and Tanzanian Women In Their Own Words: Stories of Disability and Illness.
Becky Hatch Fiala |
Becky Hatch Fiala joined the Education Department in the fall of 2002. She received her bachelor’s degree at Augustana College in 1983 with majors in Business Administration and Business Education. In 1989, she returned to complete a major in elementary education. Becky taught in the Sioux Falls Public Schools at the middle school level in science, language arts, reading and mathematics. She was a middle level and varsity coach. In 2002, Becky earned her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Southwest State University. Currently, she serves as the Field Placement Coordinator and course instructor in the Education Department. She serves as a liaison between the Education Department and local school districts coordinating field experiences and student teaching experiences. Other positions that she has held include, Admissions Representative – Augustana College; Director of Operations, U.S. Senator James Abdnor – Washington, DC; Management Intern at Citibank, Sioux Falls. She is originally from Tracy, Minn.
Christa Gunderson |
Christa Gunderson teaches American Sign Language I, Introduction to Interpreting, Building Translation Skills and a variety of other interpreting-related courses. Prior to joining Augustana College Faculty, she worked as a Sign Language Interpreter for 20 years. Christa received her M.Ed. from South Dakota State University and holds certifications in interpreting that include NAD V, NIC Advanced, SD State Level 5, and EIPA level 4.5. She has served in a variety of roles with the SD Interpreters Association, most recently as vice-president.
Dr. Mark Hallenbeck |
Dr. Hallenbeck teaches courses in foundations of American education, learning disabilities, and curriculum and instruction for students with disabilities. Prior to joining the Augustana faculty, he taught high school English in Michigan for six years and secondary level special education in Iowa for 16 years. His primary area of research interest is effective writing instruction for students with severe writing disabilities; he has conducted writing instruction research in both special education and general education classrooms. Dr. Hallenbeck received his Ph.D. in special education from Michigan State University.
Dr. Perry C. Hanavan |
Dr. Perry C. Hanavan teaches Introduction to Audiology, Introduction to Aural Rehabilitation, Speech Science I, Speech Science II, Anatomy and Physiology of Speech Processes, and Technology in Education. His interests include audiologic rehabilitation, hearing assistive technologies, and technology applications in education and communication disorders. He received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Northern Colorado and his Au.D. from Central Michigan University.
Matt Johnson |
Prior to coming to the Augustana Education Department, Professor Matt Johnson was a special education teacher in Omaha, Neb., Sioux Falls, S.D., and Chicago, Ill. In his 13 years of public school teaching, Matt has K-12 experience in teaching students with learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, physical disabilities, autism, emotional disturbance, and behavior disorders. Matt received his B.A. and M.A. from Augustana and also has coaching experience as an assistant and head coach at the high school level. Courses that Matt teaches at Augustana are: Foundations of Special Education, Secondary Programs in Special Education, and Teaching in Inclusive Classrooms. Matt is currently working on his dissertation focusing on interventions for high school students with behavior disorders. Matt and his wife Melissa have two children ages 5 (Katie) and 3 (Ryan).
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Dr. Lindsay Laurich |
Dr. Lindsay Laurich earned her doctorate in Teaching and Learning (Language, Literacy, and Culture) from the University of Iowa in 2012. She holds an M.A. in Developmental Reading from the University of Iowa, as well as a B.A. in Elementary Education from Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minn. Dr. Laurich has taught in elementary and middle schools in Minnesota and Iowa. Her research interests include investigating the sociocultural underpinnings of literacy teaching and learning, with a particular emphasis on the role of relationships in learning environments. Dr. Laurich will be teaching Children’s Literature and Language Arts, Teaching of Reading in the Elementary and Middle School, and Methods of Teaching Elementary Mathematics.
Dr. Karen Mahan |
Dr. Karen Mahan is certified as a Speech/Language Pathologist with the Amercian Speech and Hearing Association. She received her doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University. She received her Master of Arts degree in Speech/Language Pathology from the University of South Dakota. Professor Mahan’s areas of specialization include language development, language disorders in children, and autism spectrum disorders. She serves on the University of South Dakota Center for Disabilities’ Autism Advisory Committee, and is the Special Education Division Head for the Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disorders program with the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota. Professor Mahan advises students in the Communication Disorders program who are interested in becoming Speech/Language Pathologists or Audiologists.
Julie Simko |
Julie Simko is the Certification Officer and supervises student teachers at the elementary and middle school levels. She obtained her B.S. and M.A. Degrees from the University of South Dakota. Julie joined the faculty at Augustana College in 1989. She serves as the Co-Advisor to the Education Department's Augustana College Education Association (ACEA). Julie is the proud grandmother to eight grandchildren.
Dr. Monica Soukup |
Dr. Monica Soukup is an alumna of Augustana, receiving her bachelor's degree with an emphasis in Deaf Education and Elementary Education and her master's degree in Special Education. She received an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Dakota. She taught in the elementary and secondary grades at the South Dakota School for the Deaf for 23 years. While teaching at the SD School for the Deaf, she was involved in additional activities such as the Family Learning Weekends, SDSD Summer Camps, Summer School, and various curriculum committees. Her involvement with Deaf individuals also includes her life-long experiences with various family members and friends who are Deaf. Her course load at Augustana includes Foundations in Deafness and Culture, ASL 1, ASL 2, Language and Reading Assessment and Instruction of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, Curriculum and Instruction of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, and supervision of practicum and student teachers. In addition to teaching, she has worked with her colleagues and other members from the Deaf community to plan the Midwest Conference on Deaf Education. She collaborates with the South Dakota School for the Deaf outreach consultants by participating and encouraging Augustana students to participate in social gatherings for deaf and hard of hearing youth and their families. Her areas of research and interest include language and literacy development of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, Deaf and Hard of Hearing students who have additional disabilities, Curriculum Based Assessment, and creating enriching educational environments for deaf and hard of hearing students using the Circle of Courage model.
Carmen Steen |
Professor Carmen Steen is a 1991 graduate of Augustana College, receiving her bachelor's degree with an emphasis in Deaf Education and Elementary Education. She teaches courses in American Sign Language, Fingerspelling and Special Topics. She received her M.A. in Education from the University of Sioux Falls. Prior to coming to Augustana, she taught elementary students at the SD School for the Deaf (SDSD) for 17 years. While at SDSD, she served on several committees and brought programs such as the Shared Reading Project and the Sign Language Proficiency Interview to campus. She holds certification in interpreting including NAD level 5 and EIPA level 4.8 and has been interpreting in the Sioux Falls community for more than 20 years. In addition to teaching, Professor Steen is the Coordinator for the Summer Enrichment Program which brings together Deaf and Hard of Hearing children from the Sioux Falls area for 4 weeks each summer.
Dr. Steve Van Bockern |
Dr. Steve Van Bockern is a professor of education at Augustana College. He directs the Augustana Institute for Reclaiming Students (AIRS), an education department outreach program that works with schools to support the success of students placed at risk. Steve was a teacher in Sioux Falls, S.D., and a principal in Sleepy Eye, Minn. He has directed programs for talented students and grants funded by the National Science and Kellogg foundations. Along with colleagues Larry Brendtro and Martin Brokenleg, Steve co-authored the book Reclaiming Youth At Risk. The most recent edition has a forward by Desmond Tutu. In 1997, the three authors founded the non-profit organization Reclaiming Youth International, located in Lennox, S.D. The organization conducts research and does youth and family advocacy work and training. Steve serves as President of Reclaiming Youth International. The work of the authors has been shared in over 23 countries and extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada. Steve is married to Sarah Drennan. Steve has two children, Matt and Maggie.
