Bringing domestic and international perspectives to HIV/AIDS education continues to challenge even the brightest of minds, even after vast knowledge has been gained about this global epidemic over the past 20 years.
The 8th annual 2001 University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) summer teacher enhancement Rainbow Biology HIV/AIDS program brought public school teachers and students together to connect science to AIDS education. Participants from across the state of Wisconsin, as well as urban and rural locations in South Africa, came together to promote the inclusion of AIDS education into high school curriculum.
A vital component in this weeklong course includes the current HIV/AIDS development gained from community based service providers, researchers, scientists, treatment providers, and consumers.
Learning basic facts, understanding risk behaviors, and developing skill-building exercises all contribute to the intended outcome. However, a science-based lecture is important to separate fact from fiction, dispel myths, and provide information about transmission and prevention of HIV infection.
Due to unforeseen circumstances and the late arrival of the South African teacher-group, coordinating at the last minute a nationally acclaimed scientist to lecture became an almost impossible task until Dr. Rosemary Lehman, Distance Learning Specialist and the Pyle Center staff came to the rescue.
As a result, one of the most memorable experiences of the entire week brought Dr. David Pauza, Senior Scientist at the Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, Maryland and this group of domestic and international teachers together to learn, see, and interact in one of the most prestigious HIV/AIDS Research Laboratories in the United States.
The Pyle Center videoconference facility provided a flawless face-to-face interactive dimension to the workshop that was outstanding for both the lecturer and the participants and was later echoed in the schoolrooms of some South African classrooms.
Distance learning through videoconferencing saved us time, money, and saved an almost aborted but vitally important component to AIDS education.
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Last updated May, 2006