Evaluation of Women's Health & Social Issues Course
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Dr. Scott Butler
Abstract
This study assesses the importance, takeaways, and drawbacks of an undergraduate course titled Women’s Health & Social Issues. Using a mixed methods approach, the investigators surveyed students enrolled in two sections during the Fall 2023 semester. Before data collection, all procedures were approved by the campus IRB. The questionnaire was distributed during class, and five extra credit points were offered for participation. The first two sections of the questionnaire contained items assessing general opinions and overall effectiveness of the course utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. The third section assessed skills that were retained during the course, but also participant demographics. Forty-two students were present on the day of data collection, all of whom participated (100% response rate). A Cronbach Alpha test was run, with a resulting score of 0.93. Nearly all students (97.7%) reported the course taught them to be open to hearing others’ opinions, 90.7% reported being more comfortable informing others about women’s health topics, and 88.4% reported being comfortable with advocating for women’s health issues. The majority of respondents were female, white, heterosexual, and in their third year. Nearly half (48.9%) were public health majors, and 9.3% enrolled in a women & gender studies program. The results of this study suggest there are significant benefits to providing women’s health courses at the undergraduate level. Increasing this curriculum in universities can improve students’ ability to advocate for themselves and others, allow for student self-reflection, and improve students’ general knowledge on topics concerning women’s health.
Start Date
27-3-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
27-3-2024 9:50 AM
Location
Magnolia Ballroom
Evaluation of Women's Health & Social Issues Course
Magnolia Ballroom
This study assesses the importance, takeaways, and drawbacks of an undergraduate course titled Women’s Health & Social Issues. Using a mixed methods approach, the investigators surveyed students enrolled in two sections during the Fall 2023 semester. Before data collection, all procedures were approved by the campus IRB. The questionnaire was distributed during class, and five extra credit points were offered for participation. The first two sections of the questionnaire contained items assessing general opinions and overall effectiveness of the course utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. The third section assessed skills that were retained during the course, but also participant demographics. Forty-two students were present on the day of data collection, all of whom participated (100% response rate). A Cronbach Alpha test was run, with a resulting score of 0.93. Nearly all students (97.7%) reported the course taught them to be open to hearing others’ opinions, 90.7% reported being more comfortable informing others about women’s health topics, and 88.4% reported being comfortable with advocating for women’s health issues. The majority of respondents were female, white, heterosexual, and in their third year. Nearly half (48.9%) were public health majors, and 9.3% enrolled in a women & gender studies program. The results of this study suggest there are significant benefits to providing women’s health courses at the undergraduate level. Increasing this curriculum in universities can improve students’ ability to advocate for themselves and others, allow for student self-reflection, and improve students’ general knowledge on topics concerning women’s health.