Lesson plans for Second Life virtual birth unit

Things are really hotting up now as the first stage of the SLENZ virtual birth unit is nearly complete. My current job is to develop lesson plans for the students to use for self-directed learning. The activities will be:

Group discussion

Learning objectives:

• Demonstrate an understanding of childbirth as a normal life event which occurs within diverse social and cultural contexts.
• Discuss the impact of the underpinning philosophies of midwifery on the childbirth experiences of women and the development of midwifery knowledge
  

Discuss the learning they have gained in a group that is set up especially for this in Facebook by responding to guiding questions I set them, as well as comments others make. This will be open to anyone who has a Facebook account. If it is successful, we could start similar groups in Bebo and MySpace. Whilst this is not the aim of the activity, it would be wonderful if a community of practice formed that looks at issues of birth and environment.

Compare and contrast

Learning objectives:

• Demonstrate an understanding of childbirth as a normal life event which occurs within diverse social and cultural contexts.
• Discuss the impact of the underpinning philosophies of midwifery on the childbirth experiences of women and the development of midwifery knowledge.

Write a small paragraph, record audio or make a video that compares and contrasts the virtual birth unit with the 'real' birthing environments they work in ie hospital, home, primary unit etc. This will encourage students to think about what is 'ideal' and what they see in real life. If they see gaps, hopefully they will think about how they can bridge the gaps to provide women with as ideal a birthing environment as possible. This paragraph can be published on the Internet wherever they 'hang out' such as the Facebook group.
Treasure Hunt

Learning objectives:

• Demonstrate an understanding of childbirth as a normal life event which occurs within diverse social and cultural contexts.
• Discuss the impact of the underpinning philosophies of midwifery on the childbirth experiences of women and the development of midwifery knowledge.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the midwife in the normal childbirth process.
• Demonstrate effective evidence based, midwifery practice guided by a sound knowledge base.

Carry out a 'treasure hunt' around the unit and answer multiple choice questions about the unit and what it is trying to portray in an online survey. If they get answers wrong, they will be directed back to the unit or to other resources that will inform them. I was thinking that I would use MyStudiyo.
Reflection

Learning outcomes:

• Demonstrate an understanding of childbirth as a normal life event which occurs within diverse social and cultural contexts.
• Discuss the impact of the underpinning philosophies of midwifery on the childbirth experiences of women and the development of midwifery knowledge.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the midwife in the normal childbirth process.

Write a 500 word paragraph, record audio or make a video that reflects on their experiences in Second Life, and their learning about Second Life, networking and birth, and birthing environments. This paragraph can be published on the Internet wherever they 'hang out' such as the Facebook group or personal blog.
Self-directed learning
I have no idea whether the students will carry out these activities. There will be no assessment attached to them, nor will we be checking up on the students. The activities are designed to complement what the students are learning in class, and enhance the learning of students from any midwifery program. This is a deliberate strategy to make the birth unit a sustainable learning resources.

However, as Leigh Blackall has pointed out, the lesson plans will not be so relevant to midwives in developing countries because the Second Life birth unit is designed for the western context. Another project would be to look at how this birthing environment compares to birthing environments in developing countries...but that's for the future.


What do you think of these activities? Do they match up with the learning objectives? Can you suggest another idea?


Image: 'young maasai mama' Arriving at the horizon
www.flickr.com/photos/60614633@N00/468032088