11th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference June 2008 Jack L. Rozdilsky, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Emergency Administration and Planning Program Department of Public Administration University of North Texas Title Slide01. Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework

Introduction to Speaker Jack L. Rozdilsky University of North Texas Department of Public Administration Po Box Denton, Texas, USA Phone: Introduction Slide02. Professor at University of North Texas Teaching Duties in Emergency Management & Public Administration Research Area in Disaster Recovery Background:  Ph.D.Michigan State University Resource Development & Urban Studies  M.A. University of Illinois Springfield Environmental Studies  B.S. Bradley University Environmental Science  B.S. Bradley University Geology

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Agenda for Presentation 1. Premise for Presentation 2. The Disaster Research Methods Course 3. The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site 4. Pedagogy Conclusions 5. Implications 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Agenda for Presentation 1. Premise for Presentation 2. The Disaster Research Methods Course 3. The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site 4. Pedagogy Conclusions 5. Implications 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Premise for Presentation 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June Doctoral Course in UNT Public Administration – “Disaster Research Methods” The Course Incorporated Disaster Field Research into the Semester’s Work Disaster Field Research for Graduate Students is not New  Work of Disaster Research Center  Research Dissertations  Univ. of Colorado NHC/ NSF Quick Response Projects  EERI Post-Event Investigations However, Fieldwork is Not Often a Part of Coursework Incorporating Disaster Field Research Into Coursework is New This Presentation Comments on Results of An Innovative Teaching Method

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Agenda for Presentation 1. Premise for Presentation 2. The Disaster Research Methods Course 3. The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site 4. Pedagogy Conclusions 5. Implications 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework The Course 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June Grounding in Qualitative Methods “The studied use and collection of a variety of empirical materials – case study; personal experience; introspection; life story; interview; artifacts; cultural texts and productions; observational, historical, interactional and visual texts – that describe routine and problematic moments and meanings in individuals lives.” (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005) Applied Rapid Appraisal Techniques in the Field “A flexible method that is a tool that allows for collecting information, organizing the information so that it can be understood, interacting with community members, and quickly making initial interpretations of the data.” (Townsley, 1996) Specific Qualitative Techniques Applied  Case Study  Physical Reconnaissance Surveys  Primary Informant Interviews  Additional Snowball Sampling Interviews

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Semester Schedule Weeks 1-7:  Introduction to Qualitative Methods  Introduction to the Post-Disaster Field Work Field Project  Preparation to Enter the Field Week 8:  Field Excursion Weeks 9 – 15:  Introduction to Disaster Research  Post-Field Debriefings  Final Project, Report for Community th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Textbook #1: The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005) th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Textbook #2: Disaster Research Methods {R.A. Stallings (ed.), 2002} th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Agenda for Presentation 1. Premise for Presentation 2. The Disaster Research Methods Course 3. The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site 4. Pedagogy Conclusions 5. Implications 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Study Site: th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 Greensburg, Kansas Disaster on May 4, 2007:  EF-5 Tornado, With Winds >200 mph  City Catastrophically Destroyed  11 Causalities  Complete Rebuilding of City Needed Recovery In Early Phases For the Recovery, Greensburg has Decided to Rebuild as a Green Community Field Study  March 2008  Ten Months After Initial Disaster

Greensburg Tornado May 4, 2007 Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 Line 5 Line 6 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June Slide Source: Umscheid & Lemmon. “Historic Greensburg Supercell of May 4, 2007.” National Weather Service

Greensburg Tornado Damage May 14, 2007 Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 Line 5 Line 6 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June Slide Source: Greg Henshall. FEMA Photo Library.

Greensburg Disaster Recovery March 2008 Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 Line 5 Line 6 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June Slide Source: Dr. Jack Rozdilsky

Greensburg Disaster Recovery March 2008 Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 Line 5 Line 6 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June Slide Source: Dr. Jack Rozdilsky

Greensburg Disaster Recovery March 2008 Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 Line 5 Line 6 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June Slide Source: Dr. Jack Rozdilsky

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Field Study Based on the Question: th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 What are the threats and opportunities that Greensburg faces for its green (or environmentally friendly) disaster recovery?

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Agenda for Presentation 1. Premise for Presentation 2. The Disaster Research Methods Course 3. The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site 4. Pedagogy Conclusions 5. Implications 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Pedagogy Conclusions: 1 of 4 Course Logistics for Field Research Need a Small Course Size Students Will Need Human Subjects (IRB) Certification Funding for Transport, Lodging, and Field Expenses Designing Course for Active Participation (Student Researcher) Avoiding Taking Students on a Passive Tour (Field Trip Participant) Need for Alternative Course Evaluation Methods (Grading)  Failure of Field Projects May Be a Good Learning Experience 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June

Matching Scope of Field Project to Scope of the Course This Means Having a Limited Scope Typical Semester is 14 to 16 Weeks Exploratory-Type Field Study at Most Need to Find a Specific Aspect of the Disaster on Which to Base the Question 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Pedagogy Conclusions: 2 of 4 The Necessity of Limiting the Scope of the Field Research

Nature of the Course is Different from Other Courses  Travel, Working on Disaster Sites, Interactions with Disaster Victims, etc.  These Efforts Take Additional Time and Effort Certain Student’s Lives Do Not Allow for the Extra Commitment These Students May Feel They Are ‘In Over Their Head’ Better to Find that Out in a Class Rather than During One’s Dissertation However, Students Dropping the Class Creates Course Management Difficulties 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Pedagogy Conclusions: 3 of 4 The Question of Individual Student’s Readiness for the Course

Produces a Record of What Was Observed Writing Forces Students to Think Through a Debriefing Process Provides for Course Closure The Important Act of Sharing Results With the Community Under Study 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Pedagogy Conclusions: 4 of 4 Course Closure With a Field Research Report

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework End of Semester Project: Greensburg Rapid Appraisal Study: Report of Findings th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Agenda for Presentation 1. Premise for Presentation 2. The Disaster Research Methods Course 3. The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site 4. Pedagogy Conclusions 5. Implications 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework Implications There is a Gap in Incorporating Disaster Field Research Into Coursework Example of UNT ‘Disaster Research Methods’ Course & Greensburg Study Site Pedagogy Challenges in Bringing Field Research to Coursework Need to Make Adaptations to Standard Coursework Setting Disaster Field Research can be an Innovative Method for Graduate Teaching 11 th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June

11th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference June 2008 Jack L. Rozdilsky, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Emergency Administration and Planning Program Department of Public Administration University of North Texas Conclusion Slide27. Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework End of the Presentation