This presentation addresses an innovative campus prenatal education program designed to meet the learning needs of expectant students, staff, and faculty. Pregnant and parenting students are a growing group on university/college campuses (Brown & Nichols, 2013). Attending to their needs offers added benefits to the students and to academic institutions (Brown & Nichols, 2013). The Lightning /Pecha Kucha will highlight the prenatal program design phase; the focus of the three prenatal education classes: pregnancy, birthing, and feeding your baby; 2008 to 2015 attendance statistics for students, faculty/librarians & staff; the impact of an equity informed decision to include partners in 2014; participant feedback quotes; and an analysis of the value of this program in creating a welcoming, supportive campus environment and supporting student empowerment on campus (Brown & Nichols, 2013). The guiding theoretical foundation is social constructivism, a learning theory that is learner-centered, builds upon and makes links between previous knowledge and new knowledge, and empowers learners to take charge of their learning ( Blumberg, 2008; Blumberg 2014; Weimer, 2002). Conference attendees will be prepared to identify the added value of incorporating a prenatal education program within their own universities/colleges to ensure that pregnant students/families on campus feel welcomed, supported, and committed to completing their educational programs.
References
Blumberg, P. (2008). Developing learner-centered teaching. (1st Edition) Chapter 1, (pp. 3-29). San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Blumberg, P. (2014). Assessing and improving your teaching: Strategies and rubrics for faculty growth and student learning. San Francisco: Jossey –Bass.
Brown, V. & Nichols, T. (2013). Pregnant and parenting students on campus: Policy and program implications for a growing population. Educational Policy, 27(3), 499-530.
Weimer, M. (2002). Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Geraldine (Jody) Macdonald RN EdD is an Associate Professor, Teaching Stream at the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. She teaches community health nursing and facilitating learning in the undergraduate and graduate programs. She also enjoys provides service to the... Read More →
