About

UBC midwifery faculty come from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds but are united through their support of the British Columbian Midwifery Model of practice. This provides the framework for the midwifery undergraduate curriculum. The Midwifery Model of Practice promotes:

• Midwives as autonomous, community-based primary care providers
• Continuity of care
• The right to make informed choices
• Choice of place of birth including homes, hospitals and birth centers
• Collaborative care and consultation with other health care professionals
• Ethics, accountability and evidence-based practice

The Midwifery faculty apply an eclectic selection of teaching and learning philosophies to their work. These philosophies have common components and include Adult Learning (Andragogy) initially proposed by Malcolm Knowles, Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Social Constructivism as presented by Lev Vygotsky, and Cognitivism explored by Piaget. The midwifery teaching and learning principles outlined below are consistent with these pedagogies and the World Health Organization Midwifery Education Modules (2008) thus making them applicable to UBC Midwifery global health experiences.

UBC Midwifery Faculty recognize and value that students bring a wealth of knowledge and experience and come from diverse backgrounds including age, family structure, communities of origin, and prior education. Faculty expect that students are intrinsically motivated to master the theory and clinical
practice of midwifery. As adult learners, students are responsible for their education and assuring that faculty provide them with learning experiences that meet their individual learning needs.

UBC Midwifery Faculty strive to provide a learning environment that is welcoming, intrinsically motivating and culturally safe. Faculty build responsive, respectful teacher/learner relationships that enhances content mastery. The learning environment is responsive to student and community priorities.
Interdisciplinary learning opportunities are designed to prepare students for changing health care environments. A global placement option provides students with opportunities to have hands-on practice with global midwifery in international settings and to become global citizens in their midwifery
careers.

Teaching methods are purposefully designed for the motivated learner. The variety of methods includes case based learning, discussion, debate, immersive learning through simulation and apprenticeship, community-based learning, modified lectures group work with feedback storytelling and synchronous and asynchronous distributed learning through the online Canvas platform and videoconferencing.

UBC faculty strive to be self-aware, open to new knowledge and to continuously review, update and improve their teaching styles, methods and skills. UBC supports educational excellence and pedagogical innovation through the Center for Teaching and Learning Technology, the Center for Health Education
Scholarship and other resources. UBC midwifery students learn from a variety of teachers including academic faculty, clinical faculty (preceptors), interprofessional colleagues, and fellow students. Midwifery clients are engaged to teach students through their unique experiences. The community is a teacher, particularly in Indigenous, rural, remote and underserved communities. At the core, students
are their own teachers, learning from their own experiences and sharing this new knowledge with others. This prepares them for lifelong learning and continued professional development required for professional midwifery practice.