Dr Siân Shaw

Dr Siân Shaw is an Associate Professor in Digital Innovation in Nursing. Her research and leadership focus on digital transformation in healthcare education, simulation-based learning, and technology-enabled practice assessment.

Dr Shaw leads the Health @ Home Hub (H³), a flagship ARU initiative integrating education, research, and innovation to reimagine home-based and community care.

[email protected]

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Background

With over 40 years of experience in nursing and higher education, Dr Shaw has been at the forefront of digital learning transformation in healthcare. She completed her PhD at ARU, exploring the adoption of electronic assessment systems in nurse education.

Dr Shaw's leadership roles include Co-lead of the Digital Health Research Group in the Health and Care Research Centre (HCRC) and University Teaching Fellow. She previously was Director of Learning, Teaching and Assessment within the Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care. Her current work advances interprofessional education, digital fluency, and workforce innovation, aligning closely with the NHS Long Term Plan (2025).

Dr Shaw has secured multiple grants from Health Education England to develop technology-enhanced learning tools such as the ePAD system and immersive virtual reality simulation environments.

Research interests

• Digital health education and transformation
• Simulation and immersive learning in healthcare
• Artificial intelligence and data analytics in nurse education
• Technology-enabled assessment and workforce innovation
• Home-based and community care models (Health @ Home Hub)

Areas of research supervision

• Digital health innovation and applied healthcare technologies
• Nursing education and assessment practices
• Simulation and virtual learning environments
• AI and data-informed approaches to healthcare research

Teaching

Undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programmes: modules in leadership, clinical governance/clinical effectiveness, critical care nursing, acute care nursing, and organ donation/transplantation.

Qualifications

• PhD, ARU (2022)
• Master’s in Clinical Effectiveness, University of Cambridge (2006)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education, University of Cambridge (2006)
• BSc (Hons) 1st Class, Health Care Studies, Brunel University (2001)
• Registered Nurse Teacher, Nursing and Midwifery Council (2006)
• Registered General Nurse, St Bartholomew’s School of Nursing (1989)

Memberships, editorial boards

• Principal Fellow, Higher Education Academy (PFHEA)
• National Teaching Fellow, Advance HE
• Reviewer, Journal of Nurse Education in Practice

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

Research grants and knowledge exchange

• Research Lead, Simulation in Nursing – An Evidence Base for the Future, Council of Deans of Health (£24,000, 2023)
• Project Lead, Step into Healthcare Online Course, Health Education England (£180,000, 2020)
• Principal Investigator, Virtual Reality Clinical Placement for Student Nurses, Health Education England (£55,000, 2019)
• Project Lead, Sustainable Electronic Assessment Project (ePAD), Health Education England (2015–2018, total £450,000)

Awards

• Times Higher Education Award (THE), 2022: Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year Finalist: First credit-bearing simulated placement in the UK.
• Times Higher Education Award (THE), 2020: Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year Finalist: Using App Based Digital Practice Assessment for Decreasing Student Nurse Attrition.
• E-Assessment Association, 2019: Innovation of the Year Winner: MyProgress Project.
• Learning Technologies, 2019: Best Learning Technologies, Public and Non-Profit Sector Winner/Gold Award: MyProgress Project.

Leadership and external roles

• Associate Professor, Digital Innovation in Nursing, ARU (2023-present)
• Project Lead, Health @ Home Hub (H³) – ARU flagship for digital health and community care innovation (2025-present)
• Co-Lead, Digital Health Research Group, Health Care Research Centre (HCRC) (2025-present)
• Director of Learning, Teaching and Assessment, ARU Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care (2015-2023)
• External reviewer and invited speaker on digital health research innovation, simulation, digital education, and nationally and internationally.

Selected recent publications

Shaw, S. M. (2026) ‘Incorporating Sustainable Development Goal 12 into healthcare education in universities: inspiring change for sustainable practice’. In: Acevedo, B. and Malevicius, R. (Eds) (2026) Higher Education and Sustainable Development Goal 12. Bingley: Emerald Publishing.

Abdulmohdi, N., Edmonds, M., Prothero, L., Shaw, S. and Meads, C. (2025) 'Challenges, opportunities, and organisational readiness for simulation-based education in pre-registration nursing: A national survey across the United Kingdom', Nurse Education Today, 155, 106881. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2025.106881

Harrison, N., Edmonds, M., Meads, C., Abdulmohdi, N. and Shaw, S (2024) 'Simulation in nursing: An evidence base for the future', report for Council of Deans of Health.

Shaw, S. (2022) 'Case Study 15: HoloLens: Hilda’s Home'. In: Council of Deans of Health (2022) Pandemic Powered Improvements: Best practice in innovative healthcare education placements created during the pandemic (PDF).

Driver, P., Walshe, N., Shaw, S. and Hughes, S. (2020). 'Exploring virtual reality for teacher training, materials development and student engagement'. In: Pratt-Adams, S., Richter, U. and Warnes, M. (2020) Innovations in Active Learning in Higher Education. Sussex: Active Learning Network.

Hasan, S., Shaw, S. Gelling, L., Kerr, C., and Meads, C. (2018) 'Exercise modes and their association with hypoglycaemia episodes in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review', BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, 6(1). e000578. ISSN 2052-4897 (Number of Citations 11, SNIP 1.66, SJR 1.46, IF 3.42).

Shaw, S. (2002) 'Legal issues surrounding consent and withdrawing and withholding treatment: a case study', Nursing in Critical Care, 7(2), pp. 94-98. (SNIP 1.20, SJR 0.686 , IF 2.205).

Recent presentations and conferences

Keynotes and invited speaker

Shaw, S. (2025) ‘The H³ Hub: A living lab for digital health, education and innovation’, Virtual Health and Wellbeing Summit 2025, ARU, 19 October.

Edmonds, M., Meads, C., Prothero, L., Abdulmohdi, N. and Shaw, S. (2024) ‘Simulation in Nursing Education: An evidence base for the future’, Council of Deans of Health, 15 February.

Shaw, S. (2020) 'Presence in online learning and teaching', NHS Leadership Academy: Learning to lead in health and care, learning systems for the digital era, online, 20 October.

Shaw, S. (2016) 'Overcoming implementation challenges and getting buy-in from clinical staff', Direct Observation in Clinical Assessment, Ohio State University, USA, 29-30 June.

Shaw S. (2016) 'Myshowcase workshop', Direct Observation in Clinical Assessment, Ohio State University, USA, 29-30 June.

Shaw S. (2015) 'E-Practice Assessment: Lessons Learnt', Myknowledgemap User Engagement. Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.

Shaw. S. and Evangelinos, G. (2014) 'Using digital media to assess practice competencies in student nurses', Placement Assessments in Challenging Environments, Railway Museum, York.

Other selected conference papers

Shaw, S. (2025) 'How AI can be ethically integrated into systematic and scoping reviews', ARU Doctoral School Seminar Series (online), 30 July.

Shaw, S. and Janes, G. (2025) 'Wearable monitoring of vital signs in hospitalised adults: A scoping review', ARU HEMS Faculty Research Conference, 9 May.

Shaw, S. and Edmond, M. (2024) 'Redefining nursing education: How does simulated practice learning shape student and academic supervisor experiences? A case study analysis', ASPIH (Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare) Conference, Edinburgh, 3-5 November.

Shaw, S., Guthrie, N. and VEED (2024) 'Innovating simulated placement learning: Creating Ruskin Row – an AI-generated community simulated placement', ASPIH (Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare) Conference, Edinburgh, 3-5 November.

Shaw, S. (2024) 'From teaching flat to innovation lab: Building inclusive futures – co-creation workshop', Engage Conference, ARU, Chelmsford, 24 June.

Shaw, S. and Edmonds, M. (2023) 'Case study evaluation of simulated placement learning for mental health and child student nurses/, Advance HE NET conference (Networking and Innovation in Healthcare Education), Liverpool, 5-6 December.

Shaw, S. (2023) 'The use of AI for qualitative data analysis', Digifest, ARU, 4-7 September.

Shaw, S. (2023) 'Seacole Ward: Creating an interactive immersive learning experience in canvas learning management system', Engage Conference, ARU, 28 June.

Shaw, S. (2023) 'How an ePAD improved student placement support, engagement and retention', RCN Education Forum National Conference and Exhibition, Birmingham, 24-25 April.

Shaw, S. and Driver, P. (2019) 'A Virtual Reality Clinical Placement', Advance HE, NET conference, Warwick University, 3-5 September.

Shaw, S. and Driver, P. (2018) 'Rebooting Nurse Education', Swansea University Inaugural Virtual Reality Conference, 12 September.

Shaw, S. (2017) 'Rebooting Work Based Assessment for the 21st century, Shifting to Digital Technologies for Student Nurses', Annual Conference on Teaching & Learning Assessment, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA, 13-15 September.

Shaw, S. (2016) 'Qualitative Case Study – Using an electronic on-going achievement record', Higher Education Academy NET Conference, Churchill College, Cambridge, 6-8 September.

Shaw, S. (2016) 'Using Mobile devices to support mentor assessment of student nurse competence in practice', HEA (Higher Education Academy) Conference: Innovations in Healthcare Education, Glasgow.

Shaw S. (2015) 'Using an Electronic E-Portfolio (Myshowcase)', Digifest, ARU.

Shaw, S. (2015) 'Using mobile devices to support mentor assessment of student nurse competence in practice', Learning and Teaching Conference, ARU.

Shaw, S., Knowles, J., May, R., and Shaw, R. (2014) 'An evaluation of videos used to support clinical skills teaching for pre-registration student nurses'.

Shaw, S. (2012) 'Human error in acute care practice', The British Association of Critical Care Conference, Brighton.

Shaw, S. (2012) 'Development of e-learning masters in adult critical care nursing', The British Association of Critical Care Nurses Conference, Brighton.

Media experience

Shaw, S., Prothero, L., Abulmohdi, N., Edmonds, M., and Meads, C. (2024) '#InnovationMonth – A Journey through Simulation in Nursing Education', Council of Deans of Health blog, 20 May.

Shaw, S. (2024) #InnovationMonth – Florence Nightingale’s Legacy Reimagined: Nurturing Nurses through AI and Big Data in Modern Education', Council of Deans of Health blog, 13 May.

Shaw, S. (2024) '#InnovationMonth – AI-Powered Virtual Simulated Placement Learning: Immersive Learning in Ruskin Row', Council of Deans of Health blog, 7 May.

Shaw, S. (2024) 'ARU's Journey to Streamline Nursing Education with VEED's AI Avatars', VEED blog.

Shaw, S. (2022) 'Get started with virtual reality in teaching', THE Campus, 21 December.

Shaw, S. and Thomas-Gregory, A. (2022) 'Virtual and Augmented Reality Nursing Student Placements', CoDHCast (Council of Deans of Health Podcast), 25 January.