'A life-changing experience': Students reflect on experiential learning courses
By Phoebe Melvin
Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) students graduate from their degree programs with an excellent education that leaves them equipped to become the next generation of global leaders in health science research, practice and policy.
In addition to lessons from FHS鈥� interdisciplinary network of faculty and staff, some FHS students also participate in experience-based, hands-on learning that enriches and augments their classes.
Each year, the faculty offers international experiential learning courses that are a once-in-a-lifetime experience. They are a blend of formal lectures and opportunities to learn first-hand from those living and working in the areas where the field schools are based.
This year, 33 students took part in FHS experiential learning courses, including Henrietta Ezegbe, who travelled to Durban, South Africa, and Stefanie Machado, who travelled to the the U.S./Mexico border crossing between Tijuana and San Diego.
The Durban experiential learning course, led by professor , is a collaboration between SFU and the Sub-Saharan African Network for Tuberculosis and HIV Research Excellence (SANTHE), and focuses on HIV and youth. Students learned directly from young women living with HIV, sex workers鈥� rights advocates, researchers and medical professionals.
Ezegbe says that visiting Durban, the epicentre of the global HIV pandemic, reinforced the importance of integrating classroom learning and field experiences.
鈥淚 feel like this course has provided me with building blocks for my future career as a public health practitioner,鈥� she says, 鈥淎nd helped me gain a clearer understanding of the underlying issues, major challenges and current developments in HIV prevention, treatment, care and support among youth.鈥�
Before departing for Durban, students were briefed on a number of topics. For example, they learned about the role of traditional South African healers, known as 鈥楽angomas,鈥� who are heavily involved in the HIV response. Although, says Ezegbe, 鈥淭his is definitely not an experience that can be learned in any lecture room.鈥�
鈥淚t was truly fascinating to see the traditional healers describe the step-by-step processes and guidelines in counselling and screening their clients for HIV,鈥� she says. 鈥淎dditionally, experiencing the Sangomas performing the traditional ceremony and sharing a lunch with them was a truly rich and life-changing experience.鈥�
The U.S./Mexico border experiential learning course, led by professor , is a collaboration between SFU and the University of California San Diego. Students learn about global migrant health through experiences that prioritize the lived experience of immigrants, and those working on the front lines to support their needs.
For Machado, the course was eye-opening, particularly in regards to the value of field work, and community-based research and programs.
鈥淎s someone who wants to further delve into the research world, I realized the importance of engaging with the community and people with lived experiences in order to broaden my perspective and understanding of issues before researching and writing about them,鈥� she says.
In the lead-up to her departure, Machado says she spent three months researching the Mexican health care system, but once in Tijuana she experienced it first-hand.
鈥淯nsurprisingly,鈥� she says, 鈥渢he reality of health systems and population health is often quite different from what is available in the literature and discussed in the classroom. The course allowed me to take what I鈥檝e learned at SFU and apply it and understand real-world issues within specific contexts.鈥�
When Ezegbe and Machado were asked if they would recommend these experiential learning courses to other students, both responded with a resounding 鈥榶es.鈥�
鈥淚t was an extremely impactful course that shaped my perspective in a way that no lecture and classroom-based learning ever has,鈥� says Machado.
鈥淚t was incredible,鈥� says Ezegbe. 鈥淓very single day provided its own kind of valuable opportunity and experience. However, the opportunity to network, make new contacts, and learn together with students from other universities around the world was the most valuable aspect for me.鈥�
You can view more information about the 2018 experiential learning courses in South Africa, and at the US/Mexico border on . The courses run in May of each year, so check back in the coming months for information about opportunities in the future.