Gavin Baxter

Gavin Baxter is a Senior Lecturer in Games Development at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), based in the School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences. His expertise spans computer games design, the games development lifecycle, and pedagogical integration of serious games. He holds a PgCert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

His research focuses on social media in education, games-based learning (GBL), and the application of serious games to teach programming and computer science concepts. He has contributed to EU projects like Ed2.0Work and Web2.0ERC, and edited special issues for The Learning Organization and Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education.

Baxter investigates the effectiveness of social media tools in curriculum design, particularly in achieving learning outcomes, and explores virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR) in education. His work emphasizes empirical studies comparing GBL with traditional methods, including longitudinal assessments of student engagement and skill acquisition.

He has been recognized with awards including the Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education 2018 Highly Commended Award and two Staff Appreciation and Recognition Scheme (STARS) Awards (2019, 2020). His activities include doctoral supervision, curriculum development, and participation in international conferences on games-based learning.