Associate Professor Silas Taylor
MBChB BSc MEd
I am a skilled, multiple award-winning teacher, including of the Vice Chancellors award (2017). My expertise is in Clinical Skills teaching and I have considerable experience in, and enthusiasm for, simulation-based medical education. As a medical educator, my research focuses on my teaching practice.
As a curriculum designer, I have successfully implemented a volunteer Simulated Patient Program (SPP) into the UNSW Medicine curriculum, as well as the technologically and educationally innovative Online Simulated Patient Interaction and Assessment (OSPIA) online platform. My research has shown that introduction of the SPP led to a significant improvement in student OSCE scores in our program across all skills domains. Similarly, OSPIA has been demonstrated to lead to significant improvements in students’ communication skills.
In 2017, I led the development of the Clinical Workplace-based Assessment application. CWAapp is now being used by students for all assessments in the clinical setting and to record clinical encounters and log competence in clinical skills and procedures. This powerful record will benefit students, tutors and administrators as well as improve academic oversight and quality assurance for the medical program. Furthermore, it will provide considerable data for research.
I welcome the opportunity to work with those who wish to work in the field of medical education research.
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
I have been successful with a variety of teaching grants, which subsequently allow research opportunities:
- Development of a Simulated Patient Program for Clinical Skills teaching in Phase 1 of the UNSW Medicine program. Awarded by Health Workforce Australia – Quality Clinical Training, July 2014. Amount: $100, 207
- Online simulated patient (SP) service for clinical communication skills training and assessment using an internet-based video-telephony service. Awarded by Department of Health, May 2015. Amount: $75,000
- An application to facilitate mobile clinical Workplace-Based Assessments (CWAapp). Awarded by UNSW Office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education). June 2017. Amount: $45,000
- Peer physical examination – pedagogical research award. Awarded by UNSW Learning and Teaching Unit. Oct 2011. Amount: $10,000
2017 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence (General category)
2016 Asia-Pacific Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare, Technical Innovation prize
2016 Faculty Award for Innovation in Learning and Teaching
2015 UNSW Staff Excellence Awards – Excellence in Community Engagement (Highly commended)
2014 Faculty Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning
2013 UNSW Staff Excellence Awards – Nominated for Excellence in Community Engagement (Individual)
Clinical skills, incl physical examination and communication skills (generic, clinical, verbal/non-verbal).
OSCE's - variables and reliability - stations, examiners, bias