Thursday 15 December 2011

In summary

In summary, the gist of my flexible learning plan is that I intend to ask the students in my first year SPF group next year to video themselves with a peer acting as 'the woman' doing some of the first year practise skills. They would use OP equipment. The videos would be shared with the rest of the SPF group in a supportive, session well facilitated by me. Watching their interaction with 'the woman' and reflecting on this will provide a great learning experience. This is just a beginning so once any issues that may present are sorted, the ultimate idea is that the videoclips could (if the students consent) be used as a resource for other students within the school as examples of best practice and perhaps further extended to include the Open education. Other aspects related to this are threaded throughout my blogposts as I have progressed through the Flexible learning course. Regards.

Activity eleven -Concepts of flexible learning: Cultural sensitivity and indigenous learners

I have been reading Hei tauira (Greenwood & Lynne-Hairata, 2009), Clayton, Rata-Skudder & Barai (2004) and Wakatipuranga Arapiki (National Institute of Maori Education, 2010) today to gain some knowledge of how I can best support Maori and Pacific students -what I can personally incorporate into my teaching. While many of the concepts are familiar to me, I have found it useful to have something concrete to read in order to aid my reflection on what I do currently that is or is not helpful. The videos (The Tertiary Education Commission, 2011) also give good insight into the perceptions Maori learners entering my educational institution may have and what contribution I can make to foster their comfort and learning, to make it a positive experience. I am heartened that having students meeting regularly with a lecturer in small groups as we do in our programme utilizing Student Practice Facilitator (SPF) groups, is acknowledged as being important, as meeting up in small groups in this way ensures lecturers become aware of the whole person –about students’ families and their lives as well as any academic problems that may present (Greenwood & Lynne-Hairata, 2009). This enables students and lecturers to work together collaboratively (The Tertiary Education Commission, 2011).

1. How can I include examples of NZs indigenous culture in the design of my learning courses? It is important to engage the community as the course is not just about the student –she comes from a family and community who will need to support her to enable her to succeed in her studies. Having titles of courses written in both English and Maori, holding a Powhiri welcome to the degree course, having the option to present assessments in Te Reo (I personally need to gain confidence in using basic Te Reo phrases –my fear of mispronouncing stops me from doing this), are easily instigated. It is all about people making some sort of effort (The Tertiary Education Commission, 2011).

2. What approaches can I utilise to meet the needs of indigenous learners? Being welcoming in any interaction they have with me, attempting to pronounce names correctly, acknowledging that we all come with our own knowledge and this knowledge is important, recognizing where people have come from –their family circumstances, making an effort to greet In Maori, using both the English and Maori title for Otago Polytechnic at the end of my emails, asking what I can do to help. This is all about working in partnership which is also a basic tenant of the model of midwifery practice we use in working with women in NZ (Guilliland & Pairman, 1995).

3. Outline any experience I have had working with indigenous learners. I currently have four students in my SPF groups who identify as Maori and one who is Pacific. Maori and Pacific students are represented in a higher proportion in my groups compared to other SPF groups within our degree programme, probably because of the geographical area my students come from.

4. What were some of the challenges that I and the learners faced? The biggest challenge I see is the difficulties some have in meeting the academic requirements of the course coupled with their living and social environments which directly impact on their ability to study and attend practice placements. These difficulties are centered on the relative poverty the students and their families often live in. This is well documented in the literature (The Children’s Social Health Monitor, 2010). Maori and Pacific people are also over represented in the statistics of school leavers with minimal qualifications (Clayton, Rata-Skudder & Barai, 2004) and in poor health statistics (The Children’s Social Health Monitor, 2010). ‘With very few exceptions the financially worst off experience the highest rates of illness and premature death’ (National Health Committee, 1998, p.8).

Challenges like no petrol to attend placements or follow through women, no money for books, no money to fix the car when it breaks down, no car WOF, no car registration, no money to pay the internet bill this week so it is cut off affecting access to the course material and study, no money to pay for the phone so missing being called to births of women they are following through, cold houses in winter as no money to pay for good heating in uninsulated houses (which are cheaper to rent than others), sick children, student loan, no money for doctors visits, no childcare as in debt to the childcare centre and they are wanting payment, relationship breakups are all common occurrences.

5. How did this affect their learning? Lack of academic qualifications may preclude many from being accepted for the degree programme in the first instance. Financial or social concerns impact greatly on learning. It is hard to focus on Bioscience when the internet is down and you have no money to get to your clinical placement the next day and the children are sick so can’t go to childcare either. The stresses and pressures on these students are enormous. When you really do not have a cent in the bank to fall back on, and neither does anyone else in your family what do you do next? While I can refer students to Student support services, the Learning centre to help with numeracy and literacy issues and some will gain scholarships to ease the financial burden, it seems ironic that these women are trying so hard to gain a qualification with the aim to change their own, their families and their communities circumstances, yet the attrition rate is high as there is no money to fund them for the changes they wish to make.

References
Clayton, J.F., Rata-Skudder, N., & Baral, H.P. (2004). Pasifika communities online: and implications. Paper presented at the Third Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning.

Greenwood, J., & Lynne-Hairata, T.A. (2009). Hei tauira: summary document. Wellington, New Zealand: Ako Aotearoa.

Guilliland, K., & Pairman, S. (1995). The Midwifery partnership: A model for practice. Wellington, NZ: VUW.

National Health Committee (1998). The social, cultural and economic determinants of health in New Zealand: Action to improve health. Wellington, NZ: National Health Committee.

National Institute of Maori Education. (2010). Wakatipuranga Arapiki : Developing the work of strengthening literacy and numeracy teaching and learning for adults. Wellington, NZ: National Institute of Maori Education.

The Children’s Social Health Monitor. (2010). Child poverty and living standards. Retrieved from http://www.nzchildren.co.nz/child_poverty.php

The Tertiary Education Commission. (2011). Engaging Māori Learners: an introductory resource for adult literacy and numeracy educators. Retrieved from http://literacyandnumeracyforadults.com/Professional-Development/Professional-development-modules/Knowing-Your-Learner-Engaging-M%C4%81ori-learners

Activity ten -Organisational policy and strategy

Traditional tertiary education -paced cohort-based classroom learning –remains the norm despite the advent of online education. There is a need to change the way education is delivered to more cost effectively meet the higher education aspirations of a worldwide population (Annand, 2007) especially for the current generation of students who are used to touching, tapping, swiping, jumping and moving as a means of engaging with and learning information (New Media Consortium, 2011) –somewhat different from the educators involved in their learning.

Otago Polytechnic’s (OP) Strategy (OP, 2008) outlines the planned direction of development at OP identifying how it plans to respond to key challenges it is expected to face through to 2012. One of OP’s Strategic goals, (OP, 2008) is to be a top performing institution in technology transfer. Likewise one of the goals in the OP Charter (OP, 2006) is to run nationally outstanding programmes which attract global learners through the creative use of innovative technologies to support learning.
Annand (2007) believes that one consequence of the increased emphasis on digital forms of communication will be increased demand from students for autonomy as reflected in their desire to move though a course of study at their own individual pace rather than as part of a group of other students undertaking a predetermined course. This conflicts with the advantages groups of student have in the support learning with and from each other brings (Annand, 2007). This conflict has been called learner autonomy verses social interaction. Further, Annand (2007) alludes to the generally silent struggle that is currently underway within each tertiary institution to determine the most appropriate means to employ technology –to either use it to fundamentally change the way education is delivered to students, or to use it to augment the traditional way that higher education has been conducted -by replicating the classroom in an electronic environment. This struggle is far from resolved.

If I look at the BM programme I am currently involved in I see how some students choose to undertake the first year of their degree over two years –the first being theoretical papers and the second encompassing midwifery practice experiences. While this could be seen as following a self paced learning programme, the reality is it still happens in a structured way undertaking prescribed papers within the BM degree. Same with students who fail a paper. Although they could be said to follow an individual programme, this too is within the constraints of prescribed papers within the BM degree. Even in third year when students are for the most part out on placements which they have had a choice in requesting, these too remain within the confines of prescribed papers within the programme.

Ensuring all New Zealanders have access to the level of numeracy and literacy skills which gives them the ability to participate in all aspects of life is fundamental to enabling access to Tertiary education (Tertiary Education Commission, 2010). The opportunity to attain literacy in English and Te Reo forms part of this plan (Tertiary Education Commission, 2010) the overall goal of which is to increase learning opportunities and therefore employment opportunities for a wider group of people as possible.

Gsiemens (2009) believes the real issue how we interact with information and with each other. This possibly sums up the crux of the matter. Which way is the best way? The jury is still out on this.

Whakatauaki
Kua tawhiti ka te harereka
Kia kore re haere tonu
He tino nui rawa ou mahi. Kia kore e mahi nui tonu
We have come too far, not to go further. We have done too much, not to do more
(OP Charter, 2006).

References
Annand, D. (2007). Re-organising Universities for the information age. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 8(3), 1-9.

Gsiemens. (2009). The Edgeless University. Retrieved from elearnspace.org/blog/2009/06/30/the-edgeless-university/

New Media Consortium. (2011). 2011 Horizon report. Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/publications/horizon-report-2011-higher-ed-edition

Otago Polytechnic. (2008). Strategy 2008-2012. Dunedin, NZ: Otago Polytechnic.

Otago Polytechnic. (2006). Charter 2006-2010. Dunedin, NZ: Otago Polytechnic.

Tertiary Education Commission. (2010). Getting results in literacy and numeracy. Retrieved from http://literacyandnumeracyforadults.com/New-Zealand-Overview/Getting-Results-in-Literacy-and-Numeracy

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Activity nine -Sustainable flexible learning

I am chuckling to myself as I sit here writing this -very aware of the irony of trying to complete this paper by the end of the academic year while also living through one of the busiest times of the OP year -being loaded down with marking and all the other things which must be completed and at the same time trying to sustain and look after myself so I can accomplish all that I need to. I am living the experience of being sustainable -ha!

In 2004 Otago Polytechnic (OP) committed to becoming a sustainable organisation and a leader in the field of education for sustainability by weaving education for sustainability into each programme of study (OP Leadership Team, 2004). Sustainability thus became part of the 2008-2012 strategy and strategic goals (OP Leadership Team, 2008a) as well as one of the priorities to enable achievement of the strategic goals (OP Leadership Team, 2008b). The OP sustainability vision was that

Our graduates, our practitioners and our academics understand the concepts of social, environmental and economic sustainability in order for them to evaluate, question and discuss their role in the world and to enable them to make changes where and when appropriate. Our goal is that every graduate may think and act as a “sustainable practitioner”. (OP Leadership Team, 2004, p.1).

The essence of the profession of Midwifery is midwives working in partnership with women promoting normal physiological birth (Guilliland & Pairman, 1995). Normal birth with minimal intervention is an underlying philosophy of midwifery practice (NZCOM, 2008) and is also sustainable practice, promoting low resource use and discouraging unnecessary intervention (OP School of Midwifery, 2008). Sustainability is integrated into the three years of the Bachelor of Midwifery degree. Firstly, as a blended course delivered in a flexible manner, students are able to stay in their own communities using local maternity facilities and local midwives for the majority of their practical requirements while studying the theoretical requirements in and close to home. By delivering a programme developed in collaboration with colleagues at CPIT, resources are shared which aids the sustainability of the School of Midwifery staff (OP School of Midwifery, 2008). In Year One students undertake a foundation sustainability paper which introduces students to the principles of sustainability, encourages reflection on personal sustainability as a midwifery student and explores the contribution that midwifery can make to sustainability (OP School of Midwifery, 2008; OP School of Midwifery, 2011). Sustainability is integrated into the learning objectives of each of the Year Two courses and in Year Three sustainability within the midwifery profession is the focus of a specific Sustainable Midwifery Practice paper, looking at running a small business, sustaining self in practice looking at work/life balance and sustainable practices in midwifery practice (OP School of Midwifery, 2008).

Other practices encouraged within the School of Midwifery to support sustainabiity include marking online, not printing off course outlines or other resources unless necessary, use of IT technology such as Adobe Connect for staff meetings or Teleconferencing where possible to save travel. Sustainable midwifery practice is something I can both discuss with the students and role model (not always that well if I have been up overnight at a birth!). Interestingly I have recently been asked to be a participant in a research study exploring sustainable midwifery practice from a community based caseloading midwife’s perspective. Ensuring students have the necessary skills and strategies to enable them to be still practising as midwives in 25 years time is essential. Not only do the students invest a lot of time and money in gaining their BM degree, but ensuring we have competent and confident midwives who providing supportive care to women is essential if midwifery as a profession is to sustain itself.

References
Guilliland, K., & Pairman, S. (1995). The midwifery partnership :A model for practice. Wellington, NZ; Department of Nursing & Midwifery, VUW.

New Zealand College of Midwives (2008). Midwives handbook for practice. Christchurch, NZ: NZCOM

Otago Polytechnic Leadership Team. (2004). Education for sustainability at Otago Polytechnic. Retrieved from http://www.otagopolytechnic.ac.nz/about/sustainable-practice/education-for-sustainability.html

Otago Polytechnic Leadership Team. (2008a). Strategy 2008-2012. Retrieved from http://www.otagopolytechnic.ac.nz/fileadmin/Corporate/PDFs/Strategy_2008-2012.pdf

Otago Polytechnic Leadership Team (2008b). Out priorities. Retrieved from http://www.otagopolytechnic.ac.nz/about/corporate-information/our-priorities.html

Otago Polytechnic School of Midwifery (2008). School of Midwifery. Retrieved from http://www.otagopolytechnic.ac.nz/about/sustainable-practice/education-for-sustainability.html

Otago Polytechnic School of Midwifery. (2011). Midwifery Permanent External Advisory Committee (PEAC) Report -November. Dunedin, New Zealand: Author