Experiencing the Diverse Faces of AIDS in a First-Year University Student Classroom: Lessons Learned from the Innovative Use of Humanistic, Progressive & Radical Education Philosophies

HIV/AIDS is a public health issue that impacts a range of college-aged individuals. College students are an invaluable resource for promoting HIV prevention messages and activism to their peers. This presentation will detail an experiential-learning course for first-year University students at an urban campus. The course was developed to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and promote behavior change and activism, beginning with an intense 40-hour “Immersion Week” of hands-on, community-based learning followed by eight classroom-based weeks of learning. The course seeks to teach students about the diverse range of individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS and to discover a range of prevention, education, treatment, and advocacy services by visiting HIV/AIDS service organizations. Course teaching is led by a three-person team including a faculty instructor, University staff member, and University student leader. The course draws from humanistic, progressive and radical education philosophies, using a multicultural perspective to: 1) Facilitate learning aimed at promoting student development, and 2) Provide practical knowledge and skills that contribute to fundamental, social, political, and economic changes in the larger society. Students learn through various pedagogical techniques including: small group projects, guest speakers, social media, reflective journaling, creative artwork & self-directed learning projects. As students interact with those impacted by HIV/AIDS and those who provide HIV/AIDS-related services, they experience the human face of HIV/AIDS and explore, often for the first-time, the highly complex epidemic nature. Data from thirteen years demonstrate significant changes in HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and risk behaviors. Students have reported substantive engagement in campus and community volunteering and activism.