Baby Buddy Communicators: A socially interactive cross-sectoral communication skills-building training for competent antenatal educators who 'make every contact count”.

The project’s aim was to design, implement and pilot test a socially interactive digital environment, where practicing and in-training Midwives came together, under the watchful eye of service-use...

The project’s aim was to design, implement and pilot test a socially interactive digital environment, where practicing and in-training Midwives came together, under the watchful eye of service-users, to enhance the communication skills needed to deliver respectful consultations. The methodology is learner-centered and better aligned with work-based environments while the active participation of the service-users enriches the learning experience, thus further supporting emerging needs for future midwives (specific VET priorities). Furthermore, the project aimed to promote a sustainable training model, which reinforces the interaction between academia, clinical settings and the third sector, using participatory and digital methodologies. Ultimately, the project targeted the capacity and readiness of partner organizations in integrating good practices (simulations, reflection, peer-to-peer feedback) in their regular activities and making an effective shift towards the purposeful use of digital technology in communication skills training.

Through (a) situated, inverted & experiential learning, with (b) video artefacts making practices visible to the learners, and (c) peer-to-peer & service-user feedback, using social video, “Baby Buddy Communicators” developed, implemented and pilot tested a highly adaptable concept for delivering blended-learning communication skills training. With cross-national transfer of innovation (Ghostthinker, GE), the project created a socially interactive learning space, traversing higher education and professional development, where in-training and practicing midwives came together to practice communication skills (CUT, CY) with feedback from peers and simulated service-users (Birth Forward, CY), through an international perspective of a University hospital (Charité, GE). The project's activities unfolded in tandem, purposefully blurring the line between trainers and learners. In Activity 1: educators learned a different way of teaching communications skills (Annex 1), in Activity 2: practicing midwives learned a different way of practicing and mentoring (Annex 2) and in Activity 3: student midwives learned a different way of learning (Annex 3) in a problem-based, participatory and receptive to feedback environment.

The project developed a novel and highly adaptable concept for delivering blended-learning communication skills training where educators, students, practitioners and service-users are important elements of the learning process, promoting self-reflection. Tangible outputs of the project include: (a) two competence-based blended-learning training courses, co-designed by the educators and service-users. One for practicing midwives (accredited by the Cyprus Nurses and Midwives Association) and one for student midwives, including teaching material and formative evaluation tools (see documents in Erasmus Results platform). (b) the first pool of trained service-users and midwifery mentors who are enthusiastic to participate in replication courses (Annex 7). (c) video ‘artefacts’ documenting the consultations, which can be used in future training activities (Annex 8). (d) peer-to-peer feedback using collaborative video annotations, providing an insight into the strengths and challenges in clinical communication which can further inform communication skills training (Annex 9). (e) reflective blogs, documenting the learning process and the impact of the experience on all participant groups (Annexes 10.1 - 10.4, Annex 22).