Nick Irvin, SFHEA

Nick Irvin is a Senior Lecturer and pioneer of innovative global learning and teaching at Birmingham City University. He leads curriculum development, leadership responsibilities, and delivers learning and teaching to audiences within undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

His scholarly interests are focused on the relationship with positive psychology, internationalisation, design as the optimist, whilst his practice is based on experiential (learning by doing), problem-based learning and STEAM pedagogical approaches.

Having provided a significant contribution to the Master of Arts, Design Management course at Birmingham City University as co-lead, Nick's experience as Transnational Education (TNE) Link Tutor has shaped his interest in overseas collaboration, his engagement teaching cohorts and curriculum development for TNE partnerships in Hong Kong. Nick forged strong global relationships, developing new opportunities for collaboration and engagement with global industry partners.

Nick has written an innovative curriculum design, based on a flexible blended learning approach, to anticipate the needs of applicants in employment in the Hong Kong region, by encouraging the benefits of research, analytical, critical and professional skills, to a range of roles in the design and non-design-based sectors.

Nick's teaching philosophy, based on experiential learning, explores values of caring and nurturing in education, providing opportunities for exploration and ‘reflecting-in-action’ (Kolb, D, A, 2014) in a holistic and inclusive approach.

Nick promotes personal, emotional and professional skills development, design frameworks (Kelley D, 2004), empowering and enabling students with confidence to thrive.

Nick leads the postgraduate Professional Development module, focusing on positive psychology, person-centred care, intrinsic motivation ‘Self Determination Theory’, establishing the ‘shadow self’, whilst primarily exploring the ‘self-analysis of you’ through the lens of critical reflection, action research and visual communication. This journey of discovery nurtures confidence and employability. This caring, supportive and aspirational approach, aims to provide reassurance and positive wellbeing.

The experience during the Global Perspectives module, explores the ‘roles, responsibilities and benefits of design’ within a range of global/local contemporary themes, including; user experience, service design, sustainability, digital, social, ethical, through the lens of human/life-centred design, design thinking frameworks and systems thinking approaches to address global challenges and transdisciplinary outcomes.

Nick’s global and pedagogic impact is demonstrated through course leadership. In 2019, he wrote and headed the BA (Hons) Design Management Top-up course, and led the Design Entrepreneurship module, as a year lead for the BA (Hons) Design for Future Living course (3 years), providing a transformative experience for level 6 design students, encouraging positive module outcomes and strong communicative skills demanded by industry.

As former College Academic Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (2023-2025), Nick played a pivotal role, leading, mentoring, influencing and communicating inclusive initiatives, encouraging reflection with fellow colleagues, echoing activity with wider departments and faculty EDI committees, through positivity and action, whilst supporting staff and student-related challenges.