In this post Prof. Michael Brown reflects on the challenges to, and opportunities for CPAD in the School of Nursing and Midwifery by moving to a connected learning model.

As most people know, CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development and is the term used to describe the learning activities professionals engage in to develop and enhance their knowledge, skills and abilities.  Evidencing Continuing Professional Development is a requirement of revalidation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council every three years. The evidence required can take different forms which creates exciting and innovative opportunities for nurses and midwives.  CPD activities that often spring to mind include the mandatory elements required by the job, such as Equality and Diversity updates; the list of mandatory updates seems to grow every year.  Other examples of CPD might relate to education and training regarding specific developments regarding new treatments and interventions, necessary to enable nurses and midwives to deliver safe and effective patient care. For colleagues working in higher education, the focus may be on activities such as new technologies to support Connected Learning approaches to delivering education.  

The pandemic has seen a rapid increase in the need to move from ‘traditional’ teaching and learning approaches where we meet face-to-face with students and get to know the individual learner. For us all this is the heart of what motivates us within higher education. The move to Connected Learning brings many challenges and opportunities. It has been challenging to move rapidly to develop new learning materials and resources for on-line delivery with limited time, sometimes leaving the feeling of being a bit under prepared and flying by the seat of our pants. Chocks away!   Chocks away conjures up the image of the start of a journey with a planned destination, yet where the route is less clear.  

The opportunities involve a period of self-reflection on personal approaches to pedagogy per se and approaches to teaching and learning.  From a personal perspective the move to Connected Learning has presented an opportunity to think about what motivates ne as an educator and how I can continue to sustain it during these ‘unprecedented times’ to use a much-used phrase from the BBC.  Having little choice but to adopt new teaching and learning strategies has not been a bad thing. Stressful at times, yes, but not a bad thing.  It is often too easy to adopt a Manjana approach of ‘tomorrow’ as there is always a list of other priorities that need to be met.  Working collaboratively with academic and IT colleagues to share knowledge, skills and ‘know-how’ has been invaluable.  Without sharing newly acquired knowledge and skills many of us would struggle in a rapidly changing higher education environment.  

Recognising the opportunities and the challenges leads me to reflect on the ones presented to our students.  Many are working in health and social care services providing essential care and support to patients and their families while at the same time coping with changing life circumstances and uncertainty. As the School of Nursing and Midwifery lead for Continuing Academic and Professional Development, I have the privilege to lead a team of perfectly formed academics and to work with first rate administrators.  The role gives a clear overview of the education programmes, courses and modules provided. It is a complex picture of academic levels, studied ate different times full-time and part-time. We have a mix of local students undertaking studies to support development and delivery of health and social care service.  Studies which are coupled with professional demands and family commitments.  International students, often with their government’s support choose Queen’s to undertake further study. 

Yet, despite these demands, students have risen to the challenge of adapting to our Connected Learning approach to continue with their studies.  The new journey has been forced upon us all and is not how we would have planned it.  However, while it is clear that there remain challenges to be overcome, there are new opportunities to change our teaching and learning practice for the future, thereby opening the learning opportunities for students of the future.  To quote C.S Lewis who wrote many books including the Chronicles of Narnia, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” 

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