Nick Schwab
briefcase iconLearning Experience Designer
location iconOrange County, California, USA
Nick combines his background in psychology, education and design to create physical and digital experiences that empower, engage, and excite learners. His passion lies in constantly developing new learning pathways for students that challenge the status quo in education.
graduation icon
Master of Science in User Experience DesignKent State University, 2023
Master of Arts in TeachingUniversity of California, 2006
Bachelor of Arts in PsychologyUniversity of California, 2004
Throughout Nick’s career as a public school educator, he has demonstrated a track record of building and leading teams focused on innovative projects aimed at addressing critical issues in education. The most exciting aspect of Nick’s career has been collaborating with various groups and individuals to identify problems and develop solutions that promote positive change in the learning experiences available to students.
As the CTE department coordinator, Nick led a team of teachers to increase funding and pathway offerings at the site, providing students with more opportunities for industry-standard learning experiences. A significant part of this role involved connecting with external organizations and businesses to ensure the curriculum remained relevant to current societal needs. Nick also formed a design team that studies new concepts, presents prototypes to stakeholders, secures grant funding, and pilots ideas to gather feedback.
Additionally, Nick recently developed a new U.S. History and Digital Media program as part of a new CTE Entrepreneurship pathway aimed at promoting student choice and offering an alternative avenue to traditional learning. Grounded in the C3 Framework for social studies, this program creates a meaningful and engaging learning environment where students actively explore and create the story of American history through modern design and media. The integration of Universal Design for Learning Guidelines with a focus on increased accessibility has attracted a diverse set of students.
In his role as a site tech leader, Nick led the adoption of the school’s first LMS by working directly with district administration, teachers, and students to highlight its value and the instructional opportunities it offered. Nick successfully garnered support from staff and students by implementing personalized, flexible, and ongoing Professional Development and support. Within a year of identifying the LMS as a potential solution, there was over 80% teacher adoption. The success of this project depended on the implementation of an anytime, anywhere support tailored to different user ability levels and content areas.
