You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars and directed study, which will be related to your midwifery practice. Lectures and practical sessions will introduce a variety of midwifery enquiry principles and signpost further reading and learning activities. This approach will be supported by the use of action learning sets, which is a ‘hands on’ experiential method, involving you working with a small group of your peers to explore midwifery related issues relevant to your practice. This will enable you to rehearse your information retrieval skills in a session facilitated by a member of the module team. A range of resources will be used to consolidate your retrieval skills including technology enhanced learning. You will be expected to make active use of the e-learning portal (eLP), using it as a starting point for your own reading. The module team are committed to ensuring material is placed on the eLP in a timely manner so you are able to use this to complement your face-to-face learning and reading.

Action learning sets will form an opportunity for academic and peer support and feedback throughout the module. Information, source material and suggestions for directed and independent reading and activities will be available via the module eLP. The tutors involved in delivering this module will provide guidance and academic counselling to ensure that you are able to confidently engage with the academic rigour of this module. This dialogue will be face-to-face in lectures, practical’s, seminars or individual tutorials and is an essential aspect of the programme’s assessment for learning strategy. In addition, the module will be supported by University Library staff and resources, including study skills support packages. The library service caters for all your learning needs, has extensive access to electronic texts and tutorials that will directly support the development of academic skills aimed at improving your critical thinking and analytical writing.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Describe forms of evidence that may inform midwifery practice such as audit, practice development, evaluation, theory and research.

2. Demonstrate understanding of the process and techniques available to identify and retrieve evidence for midwifery practice.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. Demonstrate skills to identify access and retrieve evidence applied to midwifery practice.
4. Demonstrate effective approaches to learning and study skills for higher education and midwifery practice.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. Demonstrate an awareness and sensitivity to the range of voices and perspectives that inform midwifery practice.

Formative:
Action learning sets will form an opportunity for academic and peer feedback throughout the module (MLO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

You will be encouraged to submit a 500 word progress summary and receive feedback. In addition, you will have an opportunity for a tutorial that will support the development of your summative assignment. (MLO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Summative:
A 2,000 word report concerning an aspect of midwifery practice relevant to your practice experiences. The report will include a summary of the process and techniques you have used to access evidence concerning the practice issue and a summary of key findings (MLO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

NA

NA

One of the pre-requisites to becoming a midwife is the ability to make the most appropriate practice decisions. This relies on the midwife having the knowledge and skills to identify and use the best available evidence in practice. This module will set you on your journey to becoming a midwife who can make evidence informed practice decisions that will benefit the care of all childbearing women, babies and families in keeping with The Framework for Quality Maternal and Newborn Care (QMNC) .
The module will commence your midwifery research journey, equipping you with foundation skills to become an effective user of evidence.
The module sets the tone for research rich learning in the curriculum, utilising a range of teaching and learning strategies. This includes action-learning sets, which provides an experiential ‘hands on’ approach to identifying and retrieving evidence.