Professor of Digital Learning and Play Nic Whitton

Professor

School: Computer Science

I have a varied academic background starting with a degree in Business Management from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne followed by several years working in the not-for-profit sector. In my late twenties I returned to education and undertook a masters degree in Information Systems at Edinburgh Napier University followed by a part-time PhD while working in a range of learning technology and academic development roles.

After completing my PhD in the potential of collaborative video games for learning I moved to the School of Education at Manchester Metropolitan University where I stayed until 2018. This was followed by a five-year stint as Director for the Centre for Academic Development at Durham University before moving to Northumbria in September 2023.

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

My main research interests are in using playful approaches and digital games to support adult learning, as well as impacts on work, social engagement and wellbeing. I am particularly interested in the potential of games and play to support learning, but also how they can unintentionally create barriers to engagement. More widely, I am interested in digital learning and digital practice in Higher Education.

I am interested in the design of digital play and video games for learning, and how playful learning approaches can be used to make learning more engaging and inclusive, and how play can be used to create safe spaces in which to learn from failure.

My work is interdisciplinary and draws on user experience design, video game design, play studies, education, and psychology.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Beyond Digital Games: Playfulness and Positive Failure in Learning, Whitton, N. 28 May 2026, Gaming in a Postdigital World, Cham, Switzerland, Springer
Digital inclusion in later life: the role of libraries in helping older people thrive in a digital world, Scott, L., Casselden, B., Hastings, D., Howley, S., Whitton, N. 26 Mar 2026, In: Behaviour and Information Technology
Technology, Joy, and Justice Through the Delightful Encounter, Robson, I., Whitton, N. 27 Apr 2026, In: Interactions
Development of multi-site teamworking skills in scientific interdisciplinary doctoral training: a case study, Cramman, H., Eerola, P., Elliot, Z., Shields, L., Robson, J., Whitton, N. 21 Aug 2025, In: Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education
Measuring Flow: Refining Research Protocols that integrate Physiological and Psychological Approaches, Wonders, M., Hodgson, D., Whitton, N. 14 Feb 2025, In: Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies
Review of Noreen Dunnett (2024). Reimaging Boredom in Classrooms through Digital Game Spaces: Sociomaterial Perspectives: Abingdon and New York: Routledge. 160 pp. ISBN 9781032334547 (Hardcover), Whitton, N. 1 Jun 2025, In: Postdigital Science and Education
The Magic Circle of Learning: A Framework of Play in Education, Whitton, N., Goodley, C., Lewin, C., Woolley, D. 1 Jun 2025, In: Postdigital Science and Education
Digital play and learning, Whitton, N. 18 Jun 2024, How to Use Digital Learning with Confidence and Creativity, Cheltenham, United Kingdom, Edward Elgar
Escape rooms as tools for learning through failure, Whitton, N., O'Brien, R. 18 Mar 2024, In: Electronic Journal of e-Learning
Exploring play as the nexus of games and playfulness, Whitton, N., Moseley, A. 9 Oct 2024, Proceedings of the 18th European Conference on Games Based Learning, Reading, Academic Conferences International Limited

PGR Supervision

Andrew Turnbull An exploration of the ambiguities surrounding the Information Technology Ecosystem in Universities Start Date: 06/03/2024 End Date: 01/06/2026
Amelia Doran Learning to Fail Together: Intergenerational Experiences of Failure in Museum-Based Digital Tinkering Start Date: 01/10/2024 End Date: 31/10/2025

Qualifications