Associate Professor Rickie Fisher
PhD (CQU),GradDipTeach(Sec) (CQU), BA (Hons) (CQU), BA (CQU), CertIV TAAHead of College - Education
School of Education and the Arts
Centre for Research in Equity & Advancement of Teaching & Education (CREATE)
19 - 3.38
Associate Professor Rickie Fisher is the Head of College, Education in the School of Education and the Arts at CQUniversity Australia, based at the Rockhampton North Campus and is Chair of the CQUniversity Education Course Committee and previous Deputy Chair of Curriculum Committee of Academic Board.
Rickie is an Executive Member and Policy Chair of the Queensland Council of Deans of Education (QCDE) contributing to the teacher education landscape through shaping teacher education policy and practice, offering feedback on national education reforms and advocating for evidence-based, research-led teacher training. As part of this role, Rickie is an elected HEI member of the Professional Standards Committee of the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) who oversee the implementation of teacher education within Queensland focussing on professional standards for teachers, including the accreditation of initial teacher education programs, Continuing Professional Development, and Returning to Teaching.
With extensive expertise in professional accreditation of initial teacher education, Rickie has chaired a number of external accreditation panels for the Queensland College of Teachers assessing initial teacher education courses against the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) National Standards for Initial Teacher Education. Additionally, Rickie has been engaged by AITSL as a consultant to develop a national accreditation exemplar and training package for the preparation of panelists assessing higher education institutions against the National Standards for Initial Teacher Education.
As an Expert Assessor, Rickie has been engaged by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) as an external expert to assess a registered higher education provider (without self-accrediting authority) to renew their accreditation of a suite of higher education courses of study.
Career transitions into the teaching profession is the focus of Rickie’s research and scholarly work. With a focus on pathways, processes and partnerships, Rickie’s work centres on understanding barriers, creating opportunities, exploring career change into secondary school teaching, investigating the notions of teacher identity, communities of practice in teacher education, and delivery mechanisms for pedagogic engagement in initial teacher education utilising grounded theory methodologies. Fisher’s ‘Theory of Becoming’ (2013) explains the reasons a person who has had a previous non-teaching career would ‘become’ a secondary school teacher by completing a postgraduate preservice teacher education degree and engaging in pedagogies and approaches to learning and teaching that enhance learner’s capabilities to realise their ambitions in their career change in becoming a teacher.
Rickie is a leader in strategic planning, execution, management and evaluation of initial teacher education academic courses with a reputation for innovative course and unit concept, design, implementation, and review with a focus on advocating access to education for those in regional, rural and remote communities.
Background
Prior to his appointment to CQUniversity in 2005, Rickie taught in secondary schools for 10 years teaching Drama, Media, Film and Television, Visual Art, Music and Studies of Society and Environment.
As a former member of the Rockhampton District QCAA Senior Film, Television and New Media panel, and Mackay District QCAA Senior Drama Panel, as well as a founding member of the Rockhampton Arts Network, Rickie has expertise in Arts education, curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment practices.
Rickie has facilitated workshops for school teachers, both primary and secondary in areas such as student engagement, classroom management, implementation of The Australian Curriculum: The Arts, middle school pedagogy, Arts Education and approaches to learning and assessment.
Universities Studied At
Doctor of Philosophy CQUniversity
Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) CQUniversity
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) CQUniversity
Bachelor of Arts CQUniversity
Certificate IV in Training and Assessment CSaT
Universities Worked At
CQUniversity 2005 - Present
Awards
CQUniversity Faculty of Arts, Business Informatics and Education Teaching and Learning excellence recognition:
- Valuing Quality Teaching Student's Choice Award (2010)
- Valuing Quality Teaching Student's Choice Award (2011)
- Valuing Quality Teaching Student's Choice Award (2012)
CQUniversity Teaching and Learning excellence recognition:
- Student Voice Award for Educator of the Year Commendation (Term 2 2015)
- Student Voice Award for Distance Educator of the Year Commendation (Term 2 2015)
- Student Voice Award for Distance Educator of the Year Commendation (Term 3 2016)
- Student Voice Award for Distance Educator of the Year Commendation (Term 1 2017)
- Student Voice Award for Distance Educator of the Year Commendation (Term 2 2017)
Media Citations
Parents not expected to replicate classroom experience, says Education expert (8 April 2020) (CQUni News)
CQUni’s hand in learning at home initiative to have big imprint (18 June 2020) (CQUni News)
Students Teaching Teachers (July 2019) (Capricornus Quarterly - The Rockhampton Grammar School)
Fast-tracking a greater diversity of teachers for Aussie classrooms (29 August 2017) (CQUni News)
Budding teachers offered helping hand (7 June 2017) (CQUni News)
Schools happy to 'byte' into Uni's stock of surplus computers (15 August 2011) (CQUni News)
Back to school for student teachers (24 September, 2010) (CQUni News)
Jet pilot lands job as 'rocket science' teacher (10 August 2010) (CQUni News)
Kate off to Rome thanks to 'saint praise' (2 August 2010) (CQUni News)
Fledgling teachers scoop pool in national WebQuest competition (26 March 2009) (CQUni News)
Book launch recognises scholarly projects (20 March 2008) (CQUni News)
Jade secures teaching position before finishingstudy (January 2007) (CQUni News)
Students hoping to 'perform' well in job market (8 March 2006) (CQUni News)
Unconventional staging a feature of performance (27 May 2005) (CQUni News)
Previous teaching
Department of Education, Queensland
- Pioneer State High School (1997 - 1999) Subject Coordinator (Drama)
- Yeppoon State High School (2000 - 2004) Head of Department (The Arts)
Professional Experience
Originally seconded from the Department of Education, Queensland to teach within the secondary initial teacher education course to bring industry currency, Rickie is now a teaching scholar and full-time academic within the School of Education and the Arts.
Rickie has had extensive experience in tertiary training for pre-service teachers, as well as drama and theatre studies within The Arts.
RIckie has also designed and taught units in Contemporary Performance within the Bachelor of Arts course at CQUniversity and Stagecraft and Design and Staging Performance units within the Bachelor of Performing Arts course at CQUniversity.
Associate Professor Fisher has been the Head of Course for:
- Master of Teaching (Primary)
- Master of Teaching (Secondary)
- Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
- Diploma of Secondary School Teaching (Major)
- Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching (Secondary)
- Bachelor of Learning Management (Secondary and Vocational Education and Training)
Professional Memberships
Queensland College of Teachers (Registered Teacher) - Registration Number 774961
Queensland Council of Deans of Education (QCDE)
Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM)
Drama Queensland
Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA)
Queensland Art Teachers Association (QATA)
Responsibilities
Head of College - Education
Responsible for the quality of all aspects for the course experience of students within the College of Education including Vocational Education and Training and Higher Education qualifications.
Key Achievements
Accredited Processional Accreditation Panelist
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Stage 1 Chair Training (completed 14 November 2016)
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Stage 1 Panelist Training (completed 15-16 November 2016)
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Stage 2 Chair Training (completed 24 March 2018)
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Stage 2 Panelist Training (completed 24 March 2018)
Queensland College of Teacher (QCT) Core Content Panelist Training (completed 23 April 2025)
Consultancy Work
National Training Package
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) (2019) National Training Package for Initial Teacher Education
Expert Advisory Groups
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) (2018 - 2019) Stage 2 Professional Accreditation Expert Advisory Group
National Course Accreditation (TEQSA)
Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA) Supply of expert advisory services - External Review of HEI Initial Teacher Education Courses for Accreditation
National External Professional Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Courses Panel (AITSL/QCT)
Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) (2017- current) Chair - Professional Accreditation Panel - National Stage 1 and 2 Accreditation against the AITSL (2015) Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia - Standards and Procedures
Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) (2014) Member - Professional Accreditation Panel - Queensland Accreditation against the QCT (2007) Program Approval Guidelines for Preservice
Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) (2013) Member - Professional Accreditation Panel - Queensland Accreditation against the QCT (2007) Program Approval Guidelines for Preservice
Accreditation
I am currently accredited for supervision in the following:
- 3904 Specialist Studies in Education
Current Capacity
Current Supervision
Specialist Studies in Education - Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators
