Midwifery BSc (Hons)

Teaching

The midwifery curriculum is delivered using an enquiry based learning approach (EBL). This active learning method encourages students to work together to explore specifically designed clinical enquiries. These increase in complexity as you progress through the course moving from normal birth in year 1 to complex birth in year 2 and working towards being an autonomous practitioner in year 3.

The EBL process encourages students to identify key questions and locate the resources to answer them. Working in small groups students develop sophisticated teamwork and communication skills and, with tutor support, find that shared learning promotes personal and professional development. EBL helps students to apply theory to practice and to acquire the skills needed for development as evidence-based practitioners able to individualise the care that they give.

The knowledge generated by the EBL activities support the module learning outcomes. Three modules span each year of the course. The Midwifery course runs during 45 weeks each year with seven designated annual leave weeks.

The curriculum content supports students to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes for safe and effective practice, as identified by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. You will learn how to:

• Care compassionately and competently for low risk women and their babies
• Care compassionately and competently for high risk women and their babies
• Make evidence based decisions to support high quality and sensitive care
• Promote health for the individual, family and community
• Identify and sustain your role as a professional
• Promote the values of the University and the NHS Constitution

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are normally scheduled on at least 5 occasions in each year.

You have an opportunity to discuss how you are settling into University life, adapting to the course and gain feedback and support to complete academic and practice assessments.

Contact time

In a typical week you will have around 3 days (18 hours) contact hours of teaching. The precise contact hours will depend on the timetable and in the final year you will normally have slightly less contact time in order to do more independent study.

Typically each year will involve approximately 400 scheduled study hours and approximately 270 independent study hours. In addition you will undertake 2448 hours over 3 years in clinical practice.

Typically class contact time will be structured around:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Workshops
• Resource locating - gathering information
• Group work
• Group tutorials

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 12 hours of personal self-study per week (see above). Typically, this will involve working in groups if you wish but most likely to involve self-directed study, either at home or in the library.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including The Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Teaching staff

The majority of the teaching team is educated to Master's level and have experience of carrying out primary research. About a third of the team has, or are working towards a PhD. Staff lecturers have a higher education teaching qualification and are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or 'formative' assignments. Each module has one or more formal or 'summative' assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade.

In order to support differing learning styles we incorporate a range of assessment approaches.

• Assessments each year are an unseen written examination, group presentation with individual paper, e-portfolio and clinical practice. An independent study replaces the e-portfolio in year 3.
• 50% of your learning takes place at university facilitated by the midwifery teaching team; 50% takes place in clinical practice supported by mentors.
• Clinical practice learning will take place in allocated placements that include labour ward, ante and post-natal wards, community and antenatal clinic. You should expect to gain practice experience in both Herefordshire & Worcestershire, therefore some travelling across these counties is required. There are a small number of practice placements in Gloucestershire.

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.