MDWF12002 - Foundations of Midwifery 1

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit introduces you to the childbearing continuum and the role of the midwife in promoting and facilitating healthy processes. You will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the underpinning philosophy of midwifery care which emphasises the concepts of ‘with woman’, midwife-woman partnerships, and continuity of care.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 1
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2025

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Online
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 50%
2. Oral Examination 50%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 18.18% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: CQU Success
Feedback
Regarding having suggestions for improvement, a student wrote "I don't actually [have suggestions], I find this subject one of the most interesting and well-structured courses I have done, plenty of supporting information, relevant additional readings and good course content. [I am] thoroughly enjoying it!"
Recommendation
The unit coordinator will maintain the current structure of the unit, ensuring that study guides, lectures, and supplementary materials are reviewed and updated every year to maintain the current standard.
Action Taken
The unit coordinator will continue to maintain the current structure of the unit, with study guides, lectures, and supplementary materials reviewed and updated annually to ensure standards are consistently upheld.
Source: SUTE Feedback
Feedback
A student provided written feedback that they found one of the guest lectures to have used some "judgmental" language.
Recommendation
In consultation with the Bachelor of Midwifery academic staff, the unit coordinator will review the lecture and will make amendments if this is found to be an issue.
Action Taken
The unit coordinator reviewed the lecture materials, amended as necessary and will continue to monitor future lectures for professional and inclusive language and provide guidance to guest lecturers.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
I felt that I learnt a lot from the content in this unit. I would recommend that having more practice viva vocal exam questions available would be great, just to help students practice and prepare for the exam and build confidence.
Recommendation
A mock viva exam scenario (Zoom) and a viva study template, which are closely aligned with the assessment instructions and rubric, are currently provided to support student preparation. However, additional practice questions could be developed and incorporated in the future to further enhance student readiness and engagement.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Fantastic feed back received from assignments.
Recommendation
The unit coordinator will continue to provide timely and constructive feedback, particularly in the first term, to support student learning and development.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Feedback
The learning content was extremely informative and helpful. Very enjoyable subject.
Recommendation
The unit coordinator will regularly review and update the structure of the unit, including study guides, lectures, and supplementary materials to maintain the current quality and relevance.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Interpret the anatomy and physiology of human reproduction, pregnancy, birth and lactation
  2. Analyse the role of the midwife in promoting and facilitating normal processes of the childbearing continuum
  3. Apply current evidence associated with the provision of midwifery care.

The proposed changes to learning outcomes and the unit will meet the following:

The draft ANMAC Midwifery Education Standards (2020).

Standard 1: Safety of the public.

Standard 3: Program of study.

Standard 5: Student assessment.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Midwife Standards for Practice (2018).

Standard 1: Promotes evidence-based maternal health and wellbeing.

Standard 2: Engages in respectful partnerships and professional relationships.

Standard 3: Demonstrates the capability and accountability for midwifery practice.

Standard 4: Undertakes comprehensive assessments.

Standard 5: Develops a plan for midwifery care.

Standard 6: Provides safe and quality midwifery practice.

Standard 7: Evaluates outcomes to improve midwifery practice.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Code of Conduct for Midwives (2018).

Principle 1. Legal compliance.

Principle 2. Woman-centred practice.

Principle 3. Cultural practice and respectful relationships.

Principle 4. Professional behaviour.

Principle 7: Health and wellbeing.

The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) International Code of Ethics for Midwives (2014).

1. Midwifery Relationships.

2. Practice of Midwifery.

3. The Professional Responsibilities of Midwives.

4. Advancement of Midwifery Knowledge and Practice.

National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (2017).

Clinical Governance Standard.

Partnering with Consumers Standard.

Preventing and Controlling Healthcare-Associated Infection Standard.

Medication Safety Standard.

Comprehensive Care Standard.

Communicating for Safety Standard.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Written Assessment • • •
2 - Oral Examination • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Communication • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • •
5 - Team Work •
6 - Information Technology Competence • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence •
8 - Ethical practice • •
9 - Social Innovation •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10
1 - Written Assessment • • • • • • • • •
2 - Oral Examination • • • • • •