AEGiS-06IAC: A model interdisciplinary university-wide course on AIDS.

6th International AIDS Conference


San Francisco, California, USA — June 20-23, 1990

Print this Article


A model interdisciplinary university-wide course on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS 1990 Jun 20-23; 6:342 (abstract no. Th.D.866)
Strauss R, Corless I, Luckey B, van der Horst C, Dennis B; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA

OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate a large interdisciplinary university credit bearing course on AIDS for health professional and arts/sciences students.

METHODS: Faculty from each of five health sciences schools at a large state university developed and taught a course on AIDS to a broad audience of 429 students, examining immunology, epidemiology and impact of AIDS on society.

RESULTS: Students in this 15 week course were from health (37%) and other (6%) professions, and arts/sciences (56%). A third were graduate students and over 50 faculty audited the course. It was offered for 1 to 3 credits, depending upon time commitment and seminar enrollment. The course met one evening per week for a 1 1/2 hour lecture, followed by a seminar. An anonymous survey (N=393) found that 88% of the students were female and 83% were younger than 30 years of age. At the start of the course 23% of the students indicated that they had been tested for HIV and another 10% expected to have an HIV test over the following year. When presented with a list of risk factors, 6.7% identified themselves as a member of a high risk group. In a post-course anonymous student evaluation, 95% felt the course should be offered again, with most finding it overall to be good (61%) or excellent (22%) and some finding it fair or poor (15%). Panel discussions with patients or on sexuality and lectures on prevention, behaviors and treatment received especially positive responses.

CONCLUSION: This paper presents a demonstration of how a large university can offer an accredited AIDS course for a diverse and sizable audience of students. Findings suggest this is an efficient mechanism for educating large numbers of potential community leaders and professionals about AIDS.

Keywords: AEGIS, Universities, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Students, Evaluation Studies, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Risk Factors, Female, Human, diagnosis, ICA6KWDaegis,universities,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,students,evaluationstudies,hivinfections,hivseropositivity,riskfactors,female,human,diagnosis,ica6

900620
ThD866

Copyright © 1990 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.