While traditional didactic coursework is important for learning about the scientific aspects of HIV/AIDS, it is difficult to convey social aspects of the epidemic. Due to effective drug therapies, an HIV diagnosis is now considered a chronic lifelong health condition if medication is taken properly and on time. Despite scientific advances, stigma and discrimination are still directed against people living with HIV/AIDS in part due to misinformation about the current state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This mock drug therapy lesson was designed to allow students to experience how easy or difficult it is to adhere to drug therapy. The goal of this experience is to enhance understanding of HIV drug therapies and highlight the challenges faced by people living with HIV. In this activity students are assigned to one of three drug regimens that have been used to treat HIV/AIDS throughout history. Over six days, students take Tic Tac® mints or Kool-Aid® drink mix as replacements for medication and record their adherence, taking the “medication” properly and on time. Students then complete a reflective written assignment to report adherence and discuss challenges of the activity. In the following class period on HIV drug treatments, students engage in small group and class discussion about their experiences. Adherence data from the activity is examined during class to discuss the challenges of medication adherence. This lesson increased student learning of HIV drug therapies and medication adherence while successfully highlighting some of the social aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Introductory genetics courses are part of the core curriculum in many different fields, including plant breeding, animal science, biology, microbiology, and natural resource management. Concepts involving genes, inheritance, evolution, and genome editing are foundational to both modern biology and agriculture. Understanding these concepts is not only important for training scientists but also for citizens who will make personal health and consumer decisions. For this learning to happen, however, we need to use evidence-based education practices to bring our teaching of the biological and agricultural sciences into the 21st century. This case study uses historical plant pathogen epidemics, such as the Irish potato famine, to guide student learning about how genes are passed from one generation to the next, the advantages and disadvantages of different farming strategies, and how the interactions between a disease-causing organism, its host, and the environment lead to epidemics. In learning about plant disease outbreaks, students also learn basic genetics and crop breeding concepts. This case study also provides teachers with instructions on how to evaluate host, microbe, and environmental data with the students and also guides student groups as they design and discuss plans to optimize yield while minimizing the risk of crop loss due to disease.

Primary image: Field images of Southern Corn Leaf Blight (SCLB) and Potato Late Blight (PLB) Outbreaks.