Transforming transnational intercultural sensitivity for midwifery students through an inclusive mobility model Erasmus Project

Project Title

Transforming transnational intercultural sensitivity for midwifery students through an inclusive mobility model

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Open and distance learning; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

CONTEXT/BACKGROUND
The current Erasmus model used in Midwifery education is exclusive rather than inclusive because of the focus on clinical placement experience and exclusion of a group of students whose personal and financial situation makes it impossible for them to live in another country for a protracted period of time. Finding and evaluating new ways to widen opportunities in transnational learning and the development of intercultural sensitivity is an urgent priority.

PROJECT AIM
The aim of the TOTEMM project is to promote equity, social inclusion and participation of non-mobile midwifery students studying in England, Italy, Estonia and the Netherlands through the creation and implementation of a new inclusive mobility model based on a combination of virtual and physical mobility activities. A secondary aim is to investigate if the combination of virtual and physical mobility activities can develop intercultural sensitivity.

PARTICIPANTS
Four project leads, four midwifery educators and twenty midwifery students will be contributing to the development of one European midwifery introductory e-learning package and four virtual mobility e-learning packages on public health. Two technicians from the University of Nottingham will support the creation of the digitally innovative e-learning packages. Two intensive study programmes will be held with midwifery students (10×2 events) and academics (10×2 events) to provide them with the required knowledge about the public health topics and innovative technologies to be used in the development of the project. Two invited speakers with relevant expertise will present at each event. Twenty midwifery students from each country will participate in the virtual and physical mobility exchange activities (n=100), with one midwifery educator hosting the students travelling to each partner. Consultations with an advisory group of 7 people with relevant expertise will be undertaken throughout the project. 160 participants will be invited to the multiplier events (E1 and E2). A total of 437 participants

ACTIVITIES
Project activity 1 – Curriculum mapping for mobility activities, needs analysis and collection of baseline data
Project activity 2 – Planning virtual mobility learning packages
Project activity 3 – Development of a digital distant learning management system
Project activity 4 – Creation of European midwifery introductory e-learning package
Project activity 5 – Creation of four virtual mobility learning packages and physical mobility programmes
Project activity 6 – Implementation of virtual and physical mobility activities within midwifery curricula
Project activity 7 – Research and educational evaluation of virtual mobility packages and physical mobility activities
Project activity 8 – Recommendations of use in terms of pedagogical aspects of an open innovative mobility model into midwifery curricula

METHODOLOGY
Midwifery students’ intercultural sensitivity, motivation, confidence, resilience, language development, communication, knowledge of the public health role of the midwife and team-work skills can be defined as soft outcomes. Baseline data of the above soft skills will be collected during the assessment phase prior to the students completing the virtual and physical mobility activities from which individual progress will be measured. The validated Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) assessment tool will be utilised to measure intercultural sensitivity (Chen and Starosta, 2000). A detailed evaluation project plan will be developed by the team as part of project activity 7 to measure the effectiveness of the model in helping midwifery students to improve soft skills and hard skills (e.g. the number of students undertaking physical mobility activities). Mixed-methods data collection and analysis methods will be employed.

EXPECTED IMPACT AND LONG-TERM BENEFITS
Midwifery students involved in the development, review and testing of the learning packages will gain significant benefits including stimulating creativity, improving team working skills, increasing knowledge of inter-cultural midwifery-related topics and showing personal and professional development by contributing to the creation of innovative higher education virtual learning resources in collaboration with international academics and IT technicians. The transnational collaborative context of the project will provide midwifery academics involved in the project with new perspectives on a) new ways of working with European colleagues b) achieving shared goals and delivering outputs as part of a big scale project; c) developing innovative thinking and creativity. A long-term collaboration with partner institutions from different European regions will be established by the TOTEMM study. A new model for midwifery student mobility and reusable open access e-learning resources will be made available to use by other higher education institutions, educators and students.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 363339 Eur

Project Coordinator

THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM & Country: UK

Project Partners

• TALLINNA TERVISHOIU KÕRGKOOL
• UNIVERSITA’ DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO-BICOCCA
• STICHTING HOGER ONDERWIJS NEDERLAND