Analysis of HIV/AIDS Integration into the Academic Curriculum at a Selected University in South Africa

Abstract

Background: Although there is evidence that education is a social weapon in the fight against HIV/AIDS, there is also evidence that, to date, HIV/AIDS is not fully integrated into all the disciplines in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Therefore, most of the university students in South Africa are not well prepared to be HIV/AIDS-competent graduates who can live and work in a society ravaged by AIDS. Objective: This study sought to analyse the extent of HIV/AIDS integration into the curricula in various departments at a selected university in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Materials and Methods: The study used quantitative and qualitative approaches to analyse the extent of HIV/AIDS integration into the curricula. The curriculum calendars were retrieved from the university website. An audit tool guided retrieval of HIV/AIDS content and was analysed using SPSS V 25. The qualitative content analysis was used to describe the nature of HIV/AIDS content. Results: Out of eight schools, about 68 modules had HIV/AIDS content. The majority of the modules (53; 78%) were offered at the undergraduate level. Furthermore, the majority of the HIV/AIDS content (62; 91%) was integrated into undergraduate compulsory modules. Most (34; 51%) of the HIV/AIDS content were located in health sciences disciplines. HIV/AIDS content was mostly integrated into existing carrier modules. Time allocation for the teaching of HIV/AIDS was not indicated. Most of the modules did have information about teaching and assessment strategies. Conclusion: It is recommended that discipline-specific HIV/AIDS content be integrated into all disciplines.