Twenty-second International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

The purpose of this project was the embodiment design of a modern technology based mobile health education and awareness system in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. This vehicular system is conceived as a sustainable, culturally appropriate means to effecting positive personal and community health outcomes and broad STEM education in resource-limited communities. Through the collaboration between faculty in the College of Health and Behavioral Studies and the College of Integrated Science and Engineering and in partnership with various stakeholders in Marowe, a rural community in South Africa, we completed an interdisciplinary course on Rural Health Innovations in Fall 2021. The course, designed for engineering and nursing students, challenged students to develop viable ideas for effecting measurable positive health outcomes in Marowe. Based on a thorough understanding of the social and cultural context and norms in Marowe, student teams applied the creative design process to develop feasible solutions. One viable solution that has received significant stakeholder approval and thus likely to be adopted is a mobile health education system featuring modern technology. True interdisciplinary problem-solving aims to produce solutions that work in the real world, with all the attendant constraints. Yet many students have limited engagement with socio-cultural norms that are different from their own, and thus may not consider those differences in the problem-solving process. This project aimed to ameliorate this situation.