Nic Whitton

Nic Whitton is Professor of Digital Learning and Play at Northumbria University, with a career dedicated to exploring the intersection of play, technology, and education. She began her academic journey with a degree in Business Management from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, followed by several years in the not-for-profit sector. Driven by a passion for learning, she returned to higher education in her late twenties to complete a Master’s degree in Information Systems at Edinburgh Napier University, before earning her PhD on the potential of collaborative video games for learning.

Her career has spanned a range of roles in learning technology and academic development, including time at Manchester Metropolitan University’s School of Education, where she worked until 2018, and five years as Director of the Centre for Academic Development at Durham University. In September 2023, she joined Northumbria University, where she now leads pioneering work on playful learning in higher education.

Professor Whitton is principal investigator of the £1 million RE:PLAY project (Researching the Effectiveness of Playful Learning in Higher Education), a three-year study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and partner institutions. The project aims to provide robust evidence of the value of different approaches to playful learning across the higher education sector.

Her research reflects a deep commitment to co-design, collaboration, and reimagining how education can inspire creativity, critical thinking, and resilience through play.