Abstract:
South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV and AIDS in
the world. A concerted effort is needed to address this epidemic, lest a socioeconomic
crisis may cripple the country. Education may be the most powerful
weapon in this regard, with universities playing a critical role in addressing
this concern. In 2015, a funding program was initiated by Universities South
Africa to facilitate this integration. Subsequently, the Department of
Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering at a South African
University of Technology set out to re-design their curricula to include vital
aspects relating to HIV and AIDS. A responsive driven curriculum design
was adopted whereby the perceptions and expectations of facilitators and
students in this department towards HIV and AIDS education were sought.
An online open-ended questionnaire was used to gather both qualitative and
quantitative results. This paper presents the initial findings of this study. A
key recommendation of this study is to develop a digital online module
addressing advanced HIV and AIDS education with special focus on its
application in the workplace.
