Nick Brown

Dr Nick Brown is an experineced educator who set about developing his scholarship of teaching and learning to deliver authentic, high quality, transformational experiences that will stick with learners long after graduation. Dr Brown grew his teaching philosophy on the concept of learners working alongside experts on real-world problems, without being constrained by past engineering thinking. He ensures his teaching incorporates lived experiences from industry as well as ongoing action research. Dr Brown has developed and delivered teaching for a rnange of levels incldiung bachelor honours (AQF level 8) and master (AQF level 9) whilst also supervising several Doctoral Degree candidates (AQF level 10). Dr Brown coordintes courses of varied sizes and composition of learners; for example, an introductory core course has over 1,200 learners, mostly men (85%), whilst specialist elective humanitarian engineering courses are much smaller (˜ 25 learners) with a gender balance (60% men) more reflective of society. Dr Brown has taught in fully on-campus mode, fully online (during COVID lockdowns) as well as more recently in blended mode. When coordinating courses with over 1,000 learners Dr Brown utilises skills in management, leading a teaching team of 32 educators.

In recognition of the evolving field, Dr Brown has developed a new minor in Humanitarian Innovation, which offers students interdisciplinary opportunities to explore sustainable solutions in global settings. Dr Brown is responsible for integrating experiential learning as the signature pedagogy into humanitarian engineering programs, fostering a hands-on approach that equips students with practical skills to address global challenges. Through these efforts Dr Brown is positioning RMIT University as a leader in humanitarian engineering education, ensuring graduates are well-prepared to make a meaningful impact in the world.