International mobility

During three days last week, I had the opportunity to do an international mobility in the midwifery and teaching context. I was invited as a key-note speaker at the international conference  Society Health and Welfare at Riga Stradins University (RSU). 

 

During my stay, I also had a workshop with the local midwifery students at RSU. The topic of my workshop was the interpretation of cardio-toco-grafi (CTG). In the workshop, I use a web program (iSimulate online) the program gives you an opportunity to create CTG tracks with all the details as voice a real CTG will have.  During the workshop, the students and a midwife working in the local hospital interpreted CTG tracks and discussed how and what we interpret and what are the guidelines and clinical actions regarding the interpretation.

To be able to use a program like this you have to be familiar with the program and flexible. This program as well as other online, programs seem to live their own life according to wi-fi or network connections as well as program updates. During this workshop, the program drops out of connection and made some small unexpected reactions and solutions. This time I was prepared for these unexpected solutions and every time it happened I used it as an unexpected reaction from the patient. This way the network problems did not disturb the workflow of the students instead, it gave some new discussions and viewpoints of how and what we actually are interpreting.  The students gave feedback that they did find this workshop useful because of the discussions around and about the theme.  One student gave me a chocolate bar after the workshop to thank me for the active teaching method.

Even if I see myself as a residence in this specific online program I do have to act as a visitor because of the program living its own life. To learn and use online features and programs in education and teaching is fascinating and gives me as a teacher new opportunities and methods to achieve competences I in the past tried to give from the lectern.  By using online programs like this I can activate the students in a different way and the learning moves from being one way to be a together achieved competence. It is also easier to relate to the clinical reality when you have a program similar to the ones we use in the clinical setting.