About
The Maternity Series is an open educational resource (OER) containing four units and three simulation games ("games") on the essentials of maternal and newborn nursing assessment and care: Prenatal Nursing Care, Labour and Delivery Nursing Care, Postpartum Nursing Care, and Newborn Care.
Learners can test their retention of knowledge from each unit by practicing their skills in a safe environment by playing a simulation game. Note: The game for the Postpartum and Newborn units are combined into one game.
What Resources Are Included?
Learning Modules
The units in the Maternity Series contain learning modules that are granular in nature. These modules may be reused, adapted, and remixed in various ways based on the needs of learners and specific nursing programs. The modules facilitate flexible uptake because the components can be implemented individually or fully as a complete unit. Each unit or its component modules can also be remixed into varying content segments based on the specific curricular needs of nursing programs.
Games
The simulation games ("games") are designed to reinforce the knowledge and skills learned through each unit by applying new learning to simulated scenarios. The games replicate real-life clinical situations whereby learners have unlimited attempts to practice their skills. Learners will collect assessment data, choose from a variety of interventions, and experience the consequences of their decisions in a safe environment.
Throughout the games, feedback and rationales are provided to enhance learning. Furthermore, at the end of the game, learners are provided with a summary statement that synthesizes their clinical decisions and offers the basis for forming an individualized learning plan. For optimal learning, a debrief should be conducted after the game. The debrief can consist of a written self-debrief, or a facilitated synchronous virtual debrief, or in-person debrief.
Who Is This Resource For?
Learners
The Maternity Series is tailored for undergraduate-level nursing students. Other learners who can benefit from this resource include: nurses preparing for their certification exam, practicing nurses who would like to review these skills, and healthcare providers involved in prenatal care (e.g., midwives).
There are many ways to use this resource: learners can work through the modules before starting the game or proceed directly to the game to assess or review their knowledge.
Please note: To complete the learning activities inside each module, learners will need a current Maternal Child Nursing Care textbook and a medical dictionary.
Instructors
This resource is a learning tool to facilitate and promote the application of knowledge related to maternal and newborn nursing care. The learning modules in each unit can be used for teaching new concepts, to complement clinical experiences, as supplemental learning, and for practical application of skills required by the learner.
Development and Funding
This resource is a result of collaboration involving professors from Centennial College, George Brown College, Toronto Metropolitan University, and The Chang School.
The Digital Education Strategies team at The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Toronto Metropolitan University supported the design and development of the resources by providing innovative technology solutions, multimedia production, and usability testing.
Funding for this project was provided by eCampusOntario’s Open Content Initiative.
