Vanessa Ackland-Tilbrook
Women’s & Children’s Health Network, Australia
Title: Opening the mind of midwives to multi-dimensional learning: Midwives experiences using open the VALTâ„¢ (Visually Authentic Learning Tools)
Biography
Biography: Vanessa Ackland-Tilbrook
Abstract
Visually Authentic Learning Tools (VALT™) are an authentic, three dimensional visual representation of a written scenario. They were conceptualised post evaluation of the undergraduate student’s experience using written scenario activities and learning preference survey outcomes. Student feedback indicated scenario based activities did not necessarily meet their learning styles. Learning preferences indicated a high visual learning result. Literature on learning style preferences from a variety of databases supported healthcare professionals to be visual or multimodal learners. Normal physiology links positive engagement to memory formation. Visually Authentic Learning Tools (VALT™) were created to teach complications of pregnancy and applied to scenario based learning at an undergraduate, transition to practice and post-graduate levels. Learners were given visually authentic learning tools (VALT™) representing real life clinical presentations of a variety of complications for women in pregnancy. Post evaluation audits using a paper based survey which was a mixture of open ended questions and Likert scale responses were given to all groups. Participation in the audit was voluntary. Response rates ranged from 48–90%. Audit results indicated recognition of visual authenticity, application of multiple learning styles and positive learner engagement in the activity across all experience levels of practitioners. Results of the audit indicated that the VALTs construction provided the scenarios an added dimension, making them accessible to visual and tactical senses, whilst promoting collaboration and decision making processes in regards to the clinical management of the simulated scenario