Biology in Public Health: Course-Based Experiential Learning Strategies to Promote Active Experimentation Among Undergraduate Public Health Students

Abstract

Experiential learning is a critical aspect of undergraduate public health education. However, there is limited literature on the implementation of experiential learning in undergraduate public health programs. The course “Biology in Public Health” was developed to better link population-level public health concepts with the biological sciences through multiple experiential learning opportunities. The course provides students opportunities to apply concepts of population health and biological sciences to their own lives and the lives of others. The course includes several experiential learning components and over its tenure has been adapted to increase the emphasis on experiential learning. Three core experiential components that have been the basis for the class since its inception are: (1) weekly mindfulness and meditation practice, (2) guest presentations by individuals living with the week’s health condition, and (3) participation in an optional 10-day whole-food plant-based diet intervention. Data from course evaluations and surveys of diet intervention participants show impacts on students’ health behaviors and attitudes. Thirty-eight percent of students self-reported utilizing meditation outside of class to manage stress at the end of the semester, and all participants in the diet intervention stated that they would decrease their animal protein and dairy intake at the end of the intervention. This article provides an overview of the course structure and details the experiential learning strategies utilized to promote students’ active experimentation with health behaviors, improve student comprehension of the impact of stress and diet on health outcomes, and foster the utilization of this knowledge in their future public health careers.