Can you get a degree using just Wikipedia as a text book?

My daughter has just graduated with a BA and she was telling me about one of the papers she took this year. She did especially well in the exam but confessed that the only reference material she used was Wikipedia - she didn't refer to any class notes or text books.

This left me thinking about the credibility and relevance of Wikipedia in education today. As an educator, I encourage students to have a look at what Wikipedia says about a topic, but tend not to consider it to be as "credible" as a textbook or journal article. But just think how much money students would save on textbooks etc if all they needed to pass their degree is Wikipedia!?

I am also left with this question. If all a student needs is Wikipedia to get through assessments and exams to obtain a degree, what does it say about today's education? Should lecturers totally ignore Wikipedia and similar resources, or spend time looking at how they integrate it into their information delivery? Is university education as special as we like to think it is if all a student has to do is memorise what she reads on Wikipedia to pass assessments? How outdated are text books these days?

What do you think?

Goodbye to Mitzy

We got very bad news at the end of last week - our Mitsubishi Gallant had completely died and had to be towed to the wreckers. My hubby is very pleased because it gives him the opportunity to buy a new car. But I have been sad because to me, the car has represented our new life in New Zealand.

Mitzy was the first thing we bought when we arrived in New Zealand in 1996. We had an inauspicious start to our relationship because she broke down and stranded us in the Bay of Islands just a few days after we bought her. We were convinced we had been totally fleeced by the Auckland car salesman...who saw us as fresh victims just off the banana boat. But eventually she got fixed and away we went again.

Magic car
One of my fondest memories of the car was when we first bought her. She was programmed to make a ringing noise when we drove faster than 100 km/hour. At first we didn't realise what it meant but then we figured that it was an alarm to remind us about the speed limit. But we didn't tell the kids (who were 6 and 8 years old) - we told them that Mitzy knew if/when they were telling lies and made the ringing noise to warn us. So every time the kids talked, Mark would speed up over 100 km/hour and then we would tease them and tell them off for telling a fib. Of course they'd passionately deny it and it didn't take long for them to cotton on to us, but there for a moment they were extremely impressed with how clever Mitzy was.

Moving home
My other fond memory of Mitzy was driving her down from Gisborne to our new home in Dunedin back in 1999. This drive took us three days and is a distance of over 1000 km. We had the car packed with bedding, personal possessions, one dog, one cat and two children who were now 9 and 11. We had the cat on a lead...how we never lost her when we stopped for breaks, I'll never know. I'll also never know how the cat and dog managed to survive the journey without eating each other.

Stories
Other fabulous memories are the long journeys we used to make...because Gisborne was miles from anywhere...and how we'd pass the time by listening to story books. Our favourite author was Paul Jennings. We had a cassette with our two favourite stories..."Smelly Feat" and "Next time around"....about powerfully smelly feet and hypnotised chicken. I miss those times we spent with the children.

What fond memories do you have of your car?

Second batch

My new hobby of bird-watching has paid dividends this year. The blackbird couple who nested in our rose bush a couple of months ago ended up having three live chicks, whose progress we watched closely. I wondered if they would use the nest again, but they didn't...they moved into the tree that is next door to the rose bush and built another nest for a second batch of eggs.

I have been spending a lot of time in the garden over the past couple of weeks because the weather has been so good, and I have been amazed at how much work these blackbird parents put into feeding their young, and how much noise the chicks make.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fisFdw1Qy3c

I was thrilled to happen to walk past our front door just as the first chick fledged and rather precariously sat in a bush and had a look around. I'm just keeping an eye open to see how many chicks there are in total.

Mark has opened the compost bin slightly and mummy blackbird is finding it a hugely valuable source of food. I'm just wondering if they have enough energy for a third batch...and what happens to the chicks once they get chased away out of their parents' territory.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kHnwQHcoak

Mixed fortunes so far

Summer has hit Dunedin and we're just loving the beautiful weather. I know we'll pay for it later down the line with water shortages, but it makes such a difference to my personal feelings of well-being when it's warm enough to put on some pretty summer clothes, get into the garden and potter, or sit out and sunbathe with a book.

Basil
I have had mixed fortunes with my gardening so far. After 14 years of trying to grow basil with no success at all, I have finally found the secret...and that is not to over-water it. This year I have grown basil from seed and only watered it about once a week, letting it get really dry and that seems to done the trick...as you can see from the photo, the basil is really thriving.

Bok Choy
I am afraid I haven't had much success with my efforts at growing bok choy. They have gone straight to seed, which apparently is a major problem if you try to grow them at this time of year. According to my research I'll be better off sowing the seeds later in the autumn as the weather gets cooler. This is a real shame because I love bok choy mixed up with egg plant and mushrooms on the bbq.

Carrots
It also appears I have made a major mistake with the way I have been trying to grow my carrots. I grew them from seed in my porch and then transplanted them into the big pots I am using. But apparently, transplanting carrots is a big no-no. So I've been told they are very unlikely to come to anything. This is a big disappointment to me because I have four big pots of dwarf carrots on the go. I've deliberated what to do...to leave them or pull them out and start again. But for the time being, I've decided to leave them and see what happens.

Any other tips for me and my ongoing efforts to grow veggies in pots?

What kind of role model are you for your children?

I have been having a heated discussion with my grown daughter about my refusal to have a routine mammogram and as a result, she has accused me of being a poor role model to her and her brother. This has left me thinking about what message I want to give my kids about how to make informed decisions about their healthcare.

Routine mammograms
How this all started was when my daughter posted a comment on her Facebook account saying how cross she is with me because I will not have routine breast mammogram. She has seen one of my best friends die of breast cancer so she feels I am really stupid for not engaging with a screening process that she feels will reduce my chances of dying of breast cancer.

Cochrane review
But I have made the decision not to have routine mammograms at this stage because I am not convinced about the validity of routine testing, and I am very concerned about the risk of false positives and the effects of being over-treated. I am low risk of breast cancer and have taken on board what the latest Cochrane review has said about routine mammograms.

Role model
My daughter feels I am a poor role model because I have refused a screening program... I am giving her the message that it is OK to ignore tests that have the potential to improve one's health.

What I want to model is how to question healthcare practice and make informed choices about my care. But I do not know if I am doing a very good job of that.

How do you talk about the issues of healthcare and screening to your children? What sort of role model are you? Do you encourage your children to ask critical questions about healthcare practice?


Image: 'I DID NOT TAKE THIS PICTURE'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35468140263@N01/20522579

How to make time for blogging

A little while ago I was asked by Carrie to comment on how I find time for social media. I sort of answered this question a couple of years ago in this post: Do you have time to learn? So I'd rather focus on a more specific question - how do I make time for blogging?

How often should you publish a blog post?
This is a really important question in light of the commitment it takes to build and maintain a successful blog....ie....a blog that has an audience who reads your posts and participates by leaving comments. I have heard it said that it doesn't matter what you say in your blog as long as you blog frequently. Laureen Hudson, a social media commentator says you should blog at least three times per week. Sue Waters reckons that two quality posts a week will keep your readers happy.

Having a blogging schedule
The strategy I use for managing my time is to write a week's worth of blog posts in advance and then schedule them to go 'live' during the week (here is information on how to do this if you are using Blogger). This usually takes half a day at the weekend.

Better time management
This sounds like a big commitment but I find it is a lot more effective than writing blog posts as and when I get an idea. And I have found that my reader numbers have noticeably increased since I have started taking this more structured approach to blogging.

Darren Rouse "Problogger" has written a really useful article on this topic: Plan Your Next Week’s Posting Schedule.

What tips would you pass on that will help people manage their blogging more effectively?


Image: 'TIME FLIES.....................*'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31878512@N06/4644606033

Otago Polytechnic: a living campus

A couple of years ago, Otago Polytechnic set up a project called The Living Campus. My understanding is that the idea behind the project is to make the campus an example of sustainable practice, integrating learning experiences for students and developing community vegetable production.

I am not sure if the project is meeting its original aims but I have been enjoying watching the vegetables and flowers grow - the campus is currently looking really exciting and colourful.

At the moment there is a person employed to grow vegetables which are then available for anyone to pick, including members of the public. A couple of days ago I picked a meal's worth of broad beans which was the first time I have eaten fresh broad beans in many, many years.


I am not too sure how sustainable the gardens are. As far as I can tell, Otago Polytechnic is putting in all the funding and effort. I haven't seen any community activity going on. What I would like to see is some sort of reciprocal arrangement...if you take away vegetables, you replace them with seeds or plants. I've got some spare tomatoes plants which I'll take into work next week.

What I'd be really interested in is setting up a gardening club at Otago Polytechnic that meets in a lunch time...maybe that will be one of my projects next year. I'm just wondering if there'd be any interest.

My new job. Back to my midwifery roots

After having swearing blind I would never teach midwifery again two years ago, I have completely gone back on this and accepted a new job teaching in the midwifery program at Griffith University, Brisbane, starting in January 2011.

I will be working 0.5 fte as a "virtual" faculty staff member, doing mostly online teaching and development, with at least three visits to Brisbane for face-to-face meetings with students and staff. At the same time I will be keeping my current job as educational developer at Otago Polytechnic working 0.5 fte.

I thought long and hard about whether to take this job or not because in one way it feels like I am going backwards...into the stresses that I was so glad to escape. But I feel that moving into the Australian university sector is a good career move for me. And the team I will be working with is an extremely exciting, innovative team who is very interested in the work I am doing with ePortfolio, open education and the Virtual International Day of the Midwife. This move also takes away the decision about whether to get back into my PhD or not...it is an expectation for the role I am moving into.

At the same time, I am really pleased to keep my association going with the Education Development Centre at Otago Polytechnic, which includes facilitating the online course 'Facilitating Online' for another year.

So I feel I have my cake and am eating it. What more can a girl ask for?!


Image: 'Griffith University - Queensland Conservatorium'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37103425@N00/268598163

So proud of my kids

I had a terrible dream the other day...you know the sort...the sort that you think are real and when you wake up, you are so relieved that it wasn't real. My dream was that it was Christmas Eve and I had bought nothing and I was trying to get hold of a turkey, Christmas ham and crackers, and all the shops had sold out...all I could think about was how upset my family were going to be.....anyway...I digress...

So this has got me thinking about Christmas. Our Christmases are usually fairly quiet. Inevitably the kids are working all over Christmas, except for Christmas Day, to earn money to make up for being poor students all year. Our family live in England, so we usually hook up with family friends who are Australian, and also family-less. We always hope for good weather so we can go down to the local park and have our version of 'The Ashes'.

This year is going to be very quiet. Our Australian friends have moved back to Australia. And my husband has to work until 4pm on Christmas Day.

I was thinking about how the three of us would occupy ourselves while we waited for dad to come home from work, and suggested we do some voluntary work...like help out with the Christmas dinner for the homeless and lonely at one of our local churches. To be honest, I didn't think the kids would be very impressed with the idea. But I am thrilled that they think it is a great idea and are really keen to do something useful on Christmas Day.

I am so proud of their enthusiasm and willingness to get involved in something where they give to others, at a time when they'd be forgiven for focusing on their own needs. You never know, this may become a new family Christmas tradition.

Obstetric violence: a new legal term in Venezuela

I have just heard about this legal move in Venezuela from Jane Sandall on the Midwifery Research email group, that makes "obstetric violence" an action that midwives and doctors can be prosecuted for.

Obstetric violence may include:

1. Untimely and ineffective attention of obstetric emergencies;
   
2. Forcing the woman to give birth in a supine position, with legs raised, when the necessary means to perform a vertical delivery are available;
   
3. Impeding the early attachment of the child with his/her mother without a medical cause thus preventing the early attachment and blocking the possibility of holding, nursing or breast-feeding immediately after birth;
   
4. Altering the natural process of low-risk delivery by using acceleration techniques, without obtaining voluntary, expressed and informed consent of the woman;
   
5. Performing delivery via cesarean section, when natural childbirth is possible, without obtaining voluntary, expressed, and informed consent from the woman

You may well say..."but that's in Venezuela...that doesn't happen here in New Zealand...or Australia...or the UK!"

But doesn't it?

I can certainly think of occasions when I would say obstetric violence was inflicted on a woman. If I was traumatised by watching, how on earth would the woman and her family be feeling?!

What I think is so interesting about this legislation is that it talks about carrying out procedures without a woman's consent. As midwives, I am sure we pride ourselves that we would never do this. But what about the times we get consent from a woman when she is in no state to really think for herself...is this obstetric violence? What about the times we get consent by using our power of health professional...bamboozling her with science and "I know best...I am the midwife" attitude...is that obstetric violence?" What about the times we give information in a biased way to get a woman's consent without giving her the full story...is that obstetric violence?

Food for thought.

The full details can be found in the article: International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics Volume 111, Issue 3, Pages 201-290 (December 2010).


Image: 'Tears II'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33238999@N00/2594164716

My ePortfolio in the cloud

I am still thinking about the ePortfolio conference I went to a couple of weeks ago in Melbourne. When I was there, I presented my thoughts and experiences about being a health professional and having an ePortfolio in the 'cloud'.

Conundrums
The conference raised all the same dilemmas that I have been struggling with for the last couple of years like security of information, privacy for myself as a health professional as well as the people I work with, and digital literacy.


ePortfolio for nurses and midwives
As ePortfolio becomes more mainstream in education and professional practice, another issue nurses and midwives have to sort out is portability of ePortfolio and how it integrates between education and the profession.


Which way do we go?
So on the one hand I am personally committed to keeping my ePortfolio in the format I am currently using...ie a mix of blog, wiki, YouTube, Slideshare etc. But on the other hand I recognise why education and professional institutions, as well as hospitals and health organisations are moving toward standardised, closed ePortfolio platforms....places where midwives and nurses can reflect in private, and a technology that easily interacts with systems set up by professional regulatory bodies.

Bottom line?
I am about to get into discussions about implementation of ePortfolio in education and professional practice so feel I have to come to some sort of compromise. Yet at the same time, I do have several bottom lines, or at least, beliefs that I am really passionate about.

• Nurses and midwives, including students, should be allowed to have a choice about how and where they develop their ePortfolio.
• ePortfolio should have the facility for people to share in a community of practice, not just with individuals like a potential employer or lecturer.
• There needs to be collaboration between education providers, professional bodies and health organisations to make sure there is as little fragmentation as possible between systems and platforms.
  

Collaboration
I would love to hear from any nurses and midwives who are interested in this area and/or are working to implement ePortfolio, especially in Australia and New Zealand. What are you using for ePortfolio? How do you see hospitals implementing ePortfolio? Do you know of any collaborations between educational institutions, hospitals and professional bodies to implement a "standardised" platform across the board?

In the meantime, here is the presentation I gave last week.

ePortfolio Australia 2010

View more presentations from Sarah Stewart.

http://www.slideshare.net/sarahs/eportfolio-australia-2010

How do you know that clinical simulation makes a difference to learning?

I have been mulling how I can evaluate the Second Life Virtual Birthing Unit in a way that shows it makes a difference to student midwives' learning. A couple of things have happened in the last week that has moved my thinking a little further.

Simulation
Last week I introduced the Second Life Virtual Birth Unit to Associate Professor Margaret Hansen and some of her nursing students. The two main comments that came up were that the virtual birth unit felt a "safe" learning environment. The second comment the students made was that this simulation felt a lot more realistic and they could get more involved than they could with the simulations in their clinical laboratories.

In the "hot seat"
Yesterday, I had a fascinating conversation with Swee Kin Loke who is working with medical students in the Otago Virtual Hospital which he has developed in OpenSim. When I asked him how he measured learning outcomes, he said that this was very difficult and something he had not worked out yet. What is clear, though, is that for all the various simulations in Second Life that have been developed to teach health professionals, there are very few rigorous evaluations that show how the sims impact on teaching and learning, other than the "soft" data such as the students' experience of the sim.

Difficulty in quantifying learning
When it comes to measuring the learning experience of health professionals, in the clinical setting, there are many variables that need to be taken into consideration - the Second Life Birth Unit and OpenSim Hospital are not about teaching students new information, but rather giving them the opportunity to practice being "real" doctors and midwives...in other words...being in the "hot seat". Swee Kin said that in paper scenarios, medical students are given the whole context and all the information. With the simulations in the Virtual Hospital, they are thrown in the deep end and have to get on with things...just like they will have to do when they are registered doctors. As far as he was concerned, the learning in virtual simulations is more about the "a ha" moments, which are very hard to quantify and generalise.

Making comparisons
Going back to my question about how to measure learning outcomes, I have been leaning toward looking at hard outcomes like exam grades before and after exposure to the Birth Unit, but I appreciate there are a number of problems with this approach. Since my conversations with Kin and the American nursing students, I am wondering if it would be better to do a comparison between simulations held in the face-to-face classroom and laboratory, and the Second Life normal birth scenario.

Developing expertise
The other idea that Kin has is comparing how an expert practitioner behaves in the simulation...solves problems...communicates...makes assessments, compared to the students. This would help me draw conclusions about what the student has to do to progress to the level of "expert" but I am not sure how it would answer my question about the difference the Birth Unit makes to students' learning.

What Kin reminded me about was that it is possible to video and record students' interactions in SL which makes it easier to do content analysis, and also use for debrief with students.

How do you know clinical simulation works?
What has been highlighted to me is that I need to do a lot more reading about how students learn from clinical simulation in the traditional forms, and maybe I'll be able to take ideas from current research and adapt them for the virtual environment.

I'd love to hear from health educators who use simulation to teach nurses, doctors, midwives etc. How do you assess the effectiveness of this form of teaching and learning?

Global shut down of home birth

It seems to me that there is a global movement to shut down homebirth. In Australia midwives are finding it virtually impossible to practice as a homebirth midwife because of lack of funding and draconian statutory requirements for independent midwives. In Hungry, a homebirth midwife Agnes Gereb has been imprisoned for her practice. In Ireland, a law has just been passed that has made it virtually impossible for women to have homebirth. Even Holland, where homebirth has been shown to be a safe, viable option is undergoing a damaging media campaign, in other words, using flawed research to make assumptions that have scientific inaccuracies.

Why should we care?

Because women's rights around birth are being eroded and credible research that supports homebirth or at the very least questions the safety of birthing in hospitals, is being ignored.

If women have their ability to have a homebirth supported by a skilled midwife taken away from them, what is likely to be the knock-on effects? So I ask again...why should we care?


Image: 'wombed again'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33377700@N00/493492747