Midwifery participatory curriculum development: Transformation through active partnership

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Curriculum Development
• Pedagogy

Background:

• Accredited professional programs face challenges from evolving knowledge, practice, pedagogy, and technology.
• Limited international literature addresses curriculum development responsive to regulatory and societal drivers in professional programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a participatory curriculum development framework for its applicability in promoting engagement and ownership.
• To guide the development of a Bachelor of Midwifery curriculum at an Australian University.

Main Methods:

• Adapted a participatory framework from the community development sector.
• Conducted qualitative interviews with key curriculum development team members.
• Analyzed interview transcripts using inductive, essentialist thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Two primary themes emerged: 'it is a transformative journey' and 'partnership in action'.
• The participatory process yielded symbiotic benefits, fostering individual and organizational growth.
• Participants perceived a shared ownership of the developed curriculum.

Conclusions:

• The participatory curriculum development process is effective in promoting engagement and ownership.
• An operational model for developing accredited health programs through participatory processes was established.
• This model facilitates meaningful collaboration for creating contemporary, evidence-based curricula reflecting real-world practice.