Learning to See the Other Through Student-Created Dramas

An undergraduate course on teen sexuality incorporated a series of assignments that culminate in student-created dramatic performances. Assignments were designed to promote active learning and student reflection on teens' perspectives on sexuality and their health care experiences. After a teen population is assigned to student groups, the students conduct interviews individually or in pairs with teens who have had the relevant experience. Students transcribe the interviews verbatim and write reflective papers. After sharing interviews with their group, teams develop scripts that dramatize students' interview material. Groups perform their dramas on stage at the end of the course. Student evaluations have been uniformly positive since the course was first offered in 2009. Student feedback suggests that student-created dramas represent an untapped strategy for learning to see patients' perspectives and for imagining the habits and skills that integrate patients' perspectives with scientific content on teen health and development.