Scholar

Dr Sharon Lierse is a reseacher into excellence in education. She is currently working as an International Research Scholar at Tampere University in Finland. Here, she is investigating why Finland has been a global leader in education and the connection between education, the arts and culture. 

Dr Lierse has published widely and has given conference papers around the world including keynote presentations in Europe and Asia. Her research interests include; excellence in education, comparing excellence between countries, the connection between excellence and culture, and the characteristics of outstanding teaching and how institutions can best support and nurture excellence. 

She has also been actively researching in the field of the arts which is her area of specialisation. Publications have been in instrumental music performance and pedagogy, lecturing in the performing arts in an online environment and global comparisons to teaching.

As a scholar, she has worked for UNESCO as a Curriculum Writer for the Arts in Afghanistan, an Educational Consultant in Australia at a higher edcuation institution and working at universities in Australia and Asia. Her university work has encompassed lecturing at the Master and Bachelor levels, supervision up to and including PhD students, managing professional placements, course co-ordination and campus management.

In Australia she has lectured in Tertiary Learning and Teaching at the University of Tasmania, Master courses in Research Methodology at Queesland University of Technology, Literacy, Arts and Professional in Learning at Australian Catholic University, and at Charles Darwin University lecturer in Master in International Education, Course Co-ordinator in the Arts, Health and Physical Education, Manager of Education for students in Victoria and Tasmania and supervisor of Master and PhD students.

Prior to her appointment at Charles Darwin University, she was Associate Professor in the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Malaysia. Here she set up an orchestral program, developed a research seminar series for post-graduate students and was founder and Managing Editor of the Malaysian Music Journal (MMJ). During her appointment, she was invited guest speaker for the Perdana Lecture at Universiti Tecknologi Malaysia on ‘Rethinking National Innovation and Creativity in a Changing Global Economy’. Dr Sharon Lierse has also lectured in curriculum design in tertiary learning and teaching at the University of Tasmania, and has been the Manager of Professional Learning at the Australian Council for Educational Research. .