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Students to learn about birthing in virtual world
Otago Midwifery students to learn about birthing in virtual world
New Zealand midwifery students, for the first time, are to enhance their regular study programme with learning in a virtual world, Second Life.
This week 27 first year students and 23 second year students will be introduced to the Otago Polytechnic’s virtual “model” birth centre (Te Wāhi Whānau), on the Government-funded SLENZ Project’s Second Life virtual island of Kowhai.
The students will be joined by another 15 third-year students in June as the School of Midwifery further develops the blended delivery tools it is using in its newly-revised midwifery education programme. Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) and midwifery students will also join the virtual world part of the programme in June.
The students range in age from their 20s to 40s, with a variety of life experiences and varying degrees of computer literacy.
According to Dr
Deborah Davis, the school's principal lecturer, students
will eventually access The Birth Centre from home via the
Internet through Broadband links.
In February Otago
Polytechnic in collaboration with CPIT began a new
“flexible” programme which allows the students to remain
in their home town or community while accessing course
material on line and working alongside local midwives and
women and meeting for face-to-face tutorials. Their virtual
world experience will be part of this.
“They are supported by a midwife from their area who provides face-to-face tutoring and support,” Dr Davis said, adding that these students travel to the polytechnic for "intensives" (two weeks, four times/year) where they “focus on skills and other learning that is more suited to face-to-face” teaching.
Dr Davis said the virtual Birth
Centre would also “provide an important learning
opportunity for second-year students, who are currently
focusing on the physiology of normal birth.
“While
students are currently engaged in real life midwifery
practice they may not have the opportunity to facilitate
physiological childbirth in a home or home-like environment
… we hope that the virtual birth centre will provide them
with an immersive experience and one in which they start to
feel the sense of responsibility and accountability that
comes with being a registered midwife.”
Dr Davis said
the virtual birth centre should also provide a useful
opportunity for third-year students to hone and practice
their midwifery decision-making skills while participating
in an "apprentice" style year on clinical placements with
midwives all over New Zealand.
The SLENZ Project, which
is running two pilot education programmes in Second Life, is
funded by the Tertiary Education Commission of New Zealand.
ENDS
Alastair Thompson
Scoop Publisher
Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.
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