Effects of an Undergraduate HIV/AIDS Course on Students' HIV Risk

In this study, the authors use a quasi-experimental pretest and posttest survey design to examine the effects of a course, called HIV/AIDS: Science, Behavior, and Society, on undergraduate students' HIV knowledge, attitudes, and risky sexual behaviors. With the assistance of social work faculty, the course incorporates experiential learning pedagogy and a transdisciplinary perspective. Although the course was not designed as a prevention program, the theory of health behavior suggests the incorporation of experiential learning will impact crucial HIV/AIDS attitudes and behaviors. When regression models were applied, relative to the comparison group (N = 111), the HIV/AIDS class students (N = 79) reported an increase in posttest HIV knowledge, perceived susceptibility to HIV among females, and a reduction of risky sexual attitudes among sexually active students.