Mrs Nicola Brown

Contact info

nicola.brown@abertay.ac.uk

01382 308453

Biography

I am a Lecturer and Programme Leader at Abertay University, with responsibilities across teaching, programme leadership, curriculum development, and enhancement of the student experience within higher education.

Previously, I served as Head of Abertay Online Programmes, where I led the strategic development and operational delivery of fully online postgraduate taught provision. This role developed my strong interest in the experiences of online postgraduate learners, particularly how institutional design, teaching presence, flexibility, and community influence student engagement and success.

My current research interests centre on online postgraduate taught students, with a particular focus on sense of belonging, student retention, and the wider student experience in asynchronous digital learning environments. These themes form the basis of my PhD, which is currently underway and explores how belonging is experienced and developed among online postgraduate learners.

My teaching and scholarly interests include project management, leadership, digital transformation, online and blended learning, and student success in contemporary higher education contexts. I am committed to practice informed teaching that connects academic theory with real world application, drawing on substantial professional experience in management and leadership roles within multinational organisations.

I am a Fellow of the HIgher Education Academy (FHEA), a Chartered Manager (CMgr), a Member of the Association for Project Management (MAPM), and a Member of the Chartered Management Institute (MCMI).

I hold a degree in Business Studies and a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership. My work brings together academic practice, professional standards, and leadership experience to support high quality teaching, programme development, and applied research.

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Teaching
Research

Module Leadership of On Campus Undergraduate and Postgraduate Modules (September 2025 - Present)

BMT202 Project Management (September 2025 to present) MBA530
Project Management (September 2025 to present) BMT530 Project
Management (September 2025 to present), Abertay University, Dundee

Lead curriculum delivery across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, ensuring alignment with learning outcomes, QAA expectations and programme aims.
Redesigned module structure and assessment for the forthcoming academic year, introducing authentic assessment and improved coherence across learning outcomes.
Developed comprehensive teaching materials grounded in evidence-informed pedagogy and appropriate cognitive demand for each level of study.
Provide clear, developmental feedback through formative and summative approaches, supporting progression and academic independence.
Implement inclusive teaching strategies to support diverse cohorts, including international students transitioning into UK academic expectations.
Undertake full quality assurance responsibilities including moderation, marking standardisation and contribution to Subject Assessment Boards.

Module Leadership of Online Postgraduate Programmes (October 2024 - Present)

HBA509 Developing New Enterprises (October 2024 to August 2025)
HBA530 Project Management (September 2025 to present) HBA504
Project Scheduling & Control (September 2025 to present), Abertay University, Dundee

Lead academic delivery of fully online asynchronous modules, maintaining a strong teaching presence that supports belonging, engagement and continuity in learning.
Enhanced clarity of assessment by introducing structured templates, weighted rubrics and improved signposting to institutional resources.
Designed weekly learning pathways, discussion prompts and structured guidance to sustain momentum and reduce the risk of disengagement.
Provided targeted academic support and facilitated appropriate referrals for wellbeing, academic practice and study skills.
Contributed to pre- and post-assessment moderation, ensuring consistency, rigour and adherence to quality standards.
Actively participated in Subject Assessment Boards, presenting student performance profiles and exercising academic judgement.

Supported Teaching of Undergraduate Programmes (January 2024 - December 2024)

Project Management, BMT202 (January 2024 to April 2024) and
EEM302 (September 2024 to December 2024), Abertay University, Dundee

Delivered lectorials combining conceptual input with active learning, scaffolding students’ confidence in core project management tools and analytical techniques.
Designed formative activities linked to assessment demands, enabling students to practise applying theoretical models to realistic scenarios.
Applied inclusive practice to support varying levels of prior knowledge and differing learning needs.

Staff Development for Abertay Online (June 2022 - Present)

Owner, Staff Development, on campus and online, Abertay University, Dundee

Designed and delivered academic development provision for online teaching, supporting staff across all Faculties.
Created two fully asynchronous development modules (Developing an Abertay Online Module and Delivering an Abertay Online Module) embedding guidance, templates and reflective activities aligned to UKPSF.
Led discipline-specific workshops and cross-department collaboration to strengthen pedagogical approaches, curriculum design and academic practice for online learning.
Initiated and facilitated institutional workshops with our Online Programme Management (OPM) partner to improve module development workflows, demonstrating curriculum leadership at programme and Faculty level.

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Leadership, Management and Administrative Roles / Experience

Abertay University, Dundee

Lecturer and Programme Leader (March 2026 - Present)

Abertay University, Dundee

Head of Abertay Online Programmes (April 2023 - March 2026)

Headed Abertay University’s Online Programmes, leading and managing the development and continuous improvement of the Abertay Online academic provision in collaboration with our partners. Building and managing successful relationships with a variety of staff at all levels, across both partners, ensuring effective delivery for the students on the programs, university, and partners.

Abertay University, Dundee

Project Manager (September 2021 - April 2023)

Headed Abertay University’s Project Management Office, supporting the commerciality and delivery of university-wide projects. Accountable for ensuring timescales, resources and budgets are effectively managed with diligent change control.

Carrick Management, Dundee

Development Director (March 2020 – September 2021)

Managed overall operations of Carrick Management including product development, marketing, and communications. Developed and approved strategies meeting client and employee needs. Responsible for managing multiple client projects, working with business leaders across Tayside and Fife to understanding their business finances, structure, culture, and strategy and develop and implement sustainable commercial approaches to achieve their goals. Support the innovation and streamlining of processes. Overseen the pipeline strategy and implement pilot and full-scale development projects. Built and Managed relationships with stakeholders, write proposals, research business opportunities and viable income streams.

Raytheon Systems Limited, Glenrothes

Programme Manager (April 2019 – March 2020)

Managed multiple complex contracts to quality, schedule, budget & resource requirements with P&L accountability. Effectively managed scope changes through proposal management with a solid track record of preparing & submitting winning proposals with the ability to understand & execute customer requirements. Excellent verbal, written & presentation skills with the ability to influence, providing leadership, motivation & direction to multi-disciplined teams, customer & senior management. Risk & opportunity management with a proactive approach to anticipating & mitigating risks.

TechnipFMC, Dunfermline

Product Project Manager (March 2017 – March 2019)

Responsible for the quality, delivery & cost of various projects throughout their life cycle. Led & motivated multi-disciplinary teams in multiple locations globally to achieve the collective project goals. Communicated the success of the project against its benchmark & shared lessons or best practices with stakeholders.

Strategic Planner (September 2014 – March 2017)

Responsible for the analysis, creation & maintenance of forecast, quotation & backlog plans for manufacturing sites globally. Facilitation of baseline review meetings with senior management. Supported the maintenance & development of P6 templates & process improvements in conjunction with global organisational needs. Trained hundreds of employees in the planning software through interactive one day courses.

Project Planner (June 2013 – September 2014)

Responsible for the creation & maintenance of the project plans within the Statoil portfolio. Ensured material availability for each project including the management of customer provided items & certification of lifting equipment. I initiated the development of the material shortage reports in the development of a macro-based solution, reducing the manual administration of these reports, therefore saving money and allowing efforts to be focused on value added activities. This was then innovated further into automated reporting through Microsoft Power BI.

Business Graduate Trainee (September 2012 – June 2013)

I gained a foundation of knowledge of the organisation through the various rotational placements throughout the organisation. This time allowed me to build my network and understand where my skillset was best suited.