LINKS
B: PARTICIPATIVE LEARNING
4.4 Part Three - Explanation Of Each Model
4.4.2 Model Two - Teaching HIV/AIDS Education Through Set Project Work and Research Work
Example 1- Project Work - The Urban Planning Model
In the department of Urban and Regional Planning, a two-year masters programme, students carry out project related work in the first year. This project work includes physical planning of new areas and integrated development planning and requires that the students make links with the community outside of the university. This project work must take into account the needs of future population. (Interview with Alison Todes, 26thJuly 2002)
Purpose
The main aim was to look at the economic impact of HIV/AIDS and its effect on society, also what, if anything, can be done about it? The purpose of this HIVIAIDS Education was stated as;
'The students need to understand the demographic impacts, the economic impacts, social impacts, facility impacts, and the needs that will emerge, due to the HIV/AIDS crisis. We also want them (the students) to think about the critical interventions that that the government could make, for example, thoughtful housing and health care'. (Interview with Alison Todes, 26th July 2002)
Formatl Teaching Methods
Lessons are taught throughout the two years on issues such as:
delTIographics, economy, and social issues. External lecturers are also brought in to talk about HIV/AIDS issues. The students then carry out proj ect related work and the HIV/AIDS information learnt must be taken into account. (Interview with Alison Todes, 26thJuly 2002)
Assessment
The projects are all marked and the mark will reflect that the students have taken into account the HIV/AIDS issues discussed. But it was stated that there were difficulties encountered with examining, these were stated as:
'We are not sure that we are entirely on top of how to carry the HIV/AIDS knowledge through to the project work, so when marking projects we are not always certain that we are picking up on
HIV/AIDS issues properly. Maybe as a discipline we have not worked through this enough yet.' (Interview with Alison Todes, 26th July 2002)
Ann-Marie Williams
STUDENT NUMBER 201509038 Page 64
Learning/Impact of this module on the students
I did have the pleasure of speaking with one past student on this course over the telephone although it was a very brief discussion. The student confirmed what Alison had explained regarding the project work and also went on to describe the work they were doing at present. This student had gone on to work in architecture that was very involved in HIV/AIDS issues as they were designing medical facilities
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and housing projects aimed at HIV positive people. The student explained that the Urban Planning course had been an enormous asset regarding learning about HIV/AIDS issues in planning. (Interview with Urban and Regional Planning student, 30thJuly 2002)
Disciplinary Link
HIVIAIDS is one of the important social and economic factors that the students need to consider in Urban and Regional Planning. The HIV/AIDS education is linked to the needs of populations in the future and the nature of these needs i.e.
housing (the fact that its current form could be problematic), issues about home ownership and future employment issues. (Interview with Alison Todes, 26thJuly 2002)
Ann-Marie Williams
STUDENT NUMBER 201509038
Page 65
Example 2 - Research Work - The IOLS / Sociology Example
In Industrial and Organizational Labour Studies and Sociology the HIV/AIDS education is included mainly in research projects in the third year.
Purpose
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The main purpose of the HIVIAIDS education is that they are hoping to help the learners to make informed opinions regarding HIV/AIDS. (Interview with Ari Sitas, 30thJuly 2002)
Format
Due to the fact that a large maJonty of students are interested in research in HIV/AIDS related fields; HIV/AIDS issues are arising informally in lectures. The main HIV/AIDS issues discussed in lectures were:
'Macro Social Relations - what produces silence about it? What is the role of social science in understanding and helping give a voice about HIV/AIDS?' 'Institutional Level - what kinds of institutions need to be created to cope with this phenomenon as existing models tend to isolate the phenomena and institutionalize people?'
'Problem Solving - HIVIAIDS demands a transformed civil society to cope with it. We need non repressive ways of dealing with HIV/AIDS.'
Following this informal teaching around HIVIAIDS issues the students then go on to undertake research in the field in their 3rdyear as undergraduates. The research covers many of the issues discussed above, but Inainly deals with the social aspects of the disease. (Interview with Ari Sitas, 30thJuly 2002)
Teaching Methods
Case Studies are used to get students to think about HIVIAIDS issues, for example, a sugar mill, with a high staff sickness level. The students then need to find
organizational solutions that also take into account human rights issues. The students also use HIV/AIDS to look at social questions of crisis, citizenship issues, able people acting responsibly and issues around making informed opinions. It was felt that the students were more at ease discussing issues in the third person to explore their own attitudes and so external case studies were used for this purpose.
(Interview with Ari Sitas, 30thJuly 2002)
Ann-Mane Williams
STUDENT NUMBER 201509038 Page 66
Assessment
There are some questions on the formal exams that cover HIV/AIDS, but it is not taught or examined as a separate module. Research projects are examinable through a standard marking criteria but again HIV/AIDS information is not necessarily examined. (Interview with Ari Sitas, 30th July 2002)
Learning/Impact of this module on the students
Itwas hoped by the lecturers that this would go some way to challenging the student's attitudes and sensitising students to the problems of HIV/AIDS, that they wont just disappear and cannot be solved easily. In some instances the students were resistant to discuss HIV/AIDS issues as ' it is not cool stuff for youth to talk about, it conflicts with freedom, the right to silence and externalizing'. (Interview with Ari Sitas, 30thJuly 2002)
Disciplinary Link
As with Urban and Regional Planning the main disciplinary link here was with planning issues. Learning to plan and manage a workforce and take into account the social, econolnic and demographic factors of HIV/AIDS.
Ann-Marie WilIiams
STUDENT NUMBER 20 I 509038 Page 67
Limitations and Possibilitiesof the Project Work/Research Module
This model appears simpler to undertake than that of cOInmunity based learning, mainly due to time constraints, the number of partners involved, and budgets. But it still involves linking with the community and bringing in external people to discuss HIV/AIDS issues in the classroom. Itappears from these two examples that this is a
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more straightforward model as students can be given a HIV/AIDS topic to research and can go ahead and undertake this research without much prior teaching of HIV/AIDS education taking place. The difficult part of this model comes with examInIng:
What exactly is to be examined and how will lecturers know if the purpose of the exercise has been met. Will for example the students go on to make informed opinions regarding HIV/AIDS? How do they know if the students are prepared for working in a HIV/AIDS society?
Neither of the examples mentioned that the students were required to formally reflect on their own attitudes and opinions within the research. Itmay be that the more formalized the project work is the easier it is to examine with relation to HIV/AIDS issues. Also although this point does not arise with these exmnples I feel it is important to note other HIV/AIDS research concerns those of ethics, control groups, and confidentiality.
Ann-Mane Williams
STUDENT NUMBER 201509038 Page 68