QIUP is proud to appoint Dr Deborah Sue Harcourt, one of Australia’s leading Early Childhood academics as our External Advisor for the Early Childhood Education (ECE) programme under the Faculty of Business, Management and Social Sciences (FBMSS).
This appointment is in line with the University’s commitment to ensure that our programmes meet global standards and are Industry relevant to ensure our students are job ready when they graduate. We are confident that Dr Harcourt’s vast experience will contribute immensely to the future development of our ECE programme.
Among her contributions to ECE will be programme review with an expert’s focus on its relevance to industry requirements and continued enhancement of programmes that meet the future requirements of the industry. She will also advise the Faculty on relevant matters to stay abreast to sustain academic standards of programme.
Dr Deborah Harcourt has worked in the field of early childhood education for the past 27 years around the world. She is the Executive Director for Asia Pacifica Early Childhood Consultants, Visiting Professor at Karlstads Universited, Sweden and Deputy Editor for the Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. She was the Foundation Professor of Early Childhood at the Australian Catholic University, in Queensland Australia.
Dr Harcourt began her career as a preschool teacher, working with 3-5 year old children and then moved to the university sector where she has taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in teacher education, health sciences and within a school of medicine. She is interested in researching with young children to explore their views and opinions about matters that might concern them in order to uphold the UNCRC in research practice. Deborah has been working with the principles of Reggio Emilia, and what they might mean to early childhood education outside of Italy, since 1994. Reggio Emilia is a town in northern Italy that has become synonymous with high quality early childhood practice. Educators from all over the world visit Reggio Emilia and the municipal schools and infant toddler centres.
We take this opportunity to welcome Dr Harcourt on board and look forward to be working closely to enhance our ECE programme.
