# Presentation: 562965

## Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework 

**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 Slide **

**01.**

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework **

## Introduction to Speaker            

**Introduction to Speaker**
**Jack L. Rozdilsky**

- University of North Texas                                                                                                                                           Department of Public Administration                                                                                                                                Po Box 310617                                                                                                                                                                          Denton, Texas, USA                                                                                                                                                   76203-0617                                                                                                                                                                  Phone: 940.565.3786                                                                                                                                             Email: jack.rozdilsky@unt.edu

**Introduction Slide **

**02.**

-  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 *

## Agenda for Presentation 

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**Agenda for Presentation **

** ****Premise for Presentation **
** ****The Disaster Research Methods Course**
** ****The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site**
** ****Pedagogy Conclusions**
** ****Implications**

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**03.**

## Agenda for Presentation 

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**Agenda for Presentation **

-  Premise for Presentation
-  The Disaster Research Methods Course
-  The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site
-  Pedagogy Conclusions
-  Implications

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**04.**

## Premise for Presentation 

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**Premise for Presentation **

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**05.**

-  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

## Agenda for Presentation 

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**Agenda for Presentation **

-  Premise for Presentation
-  The Disaster Research Methods Course
-  The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site
-  Pedagogy Conclusions
-  Implications

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**06.**

## The Course  

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**The Course  **

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**07.**

-  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

## Semester Schedule  

**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 *

**08.**

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

## Textbook #1:

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**Textbook #1:**
***The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research                                         *****(Denzin and Lincoln, 2005)  **

**09.**

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

## Textbook #2:

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**Textbook #2:**
***Disaster Research Methods                                                                    *****{R.A. Stallings (ed.), 2002}  **

**10.**

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

## Agenda for Presentation 

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**Agenda for Presentation **

-  Premise for Presentation
-  The Disaster Research Methods Course
-  The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site
-  Pedagogy Conclusions
-  Implications

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**11.**

## Study Site: 

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**Study Site: **

**12.**

**11****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             

**Greensburg Tornado**
**May 4, 2007**** **

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**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**13.**

- Slide Source: Umscheid & Lemmon . “Historic Greensburg Supercell of  May 4, 2007.” National Weather Service http://www.crh.noaa.gov

## Greensburg Tornado Damage            

**Greensburg Tornado Damage**
**May 14, 2007**

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**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**14.**

- Slide Source:  Greg Henshall. FEMA Photo Library. http://www.photolibrary.fema.gov/photodata/original/30066.jpg

## Greensburg Disaster Recovery             

**Greensburg Disaster Recovery**
**March 2008**

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**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**15.**

- Slide Source:  Dr. Jack Rozdilsky

## Greensburg Disaster Recovery             

**Greensburg Disaster Recovery**
**March 2008**

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**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**16.**

- Slide Source:  Dr. Jack Rozdilsky

## Greensburg Disaster Recovery             

**Greensburg Disaster Recovery**
**March 2008**

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**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**17.**

- Slide Source:  Dr. Jack Rozdilsky

## 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**
**Field Study Based on the Question: **

**18.**

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

## Agenda for Presentation 

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**Agenda for Presentation **

-  Premise for Presentation
-  The Disaster Research Methods Course
-  The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site
-  Pedagogy Conclusions
-  Implications

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**19.**

## Pedagogy Conclusions: 1 of 4

**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 2008 **

**20.**

## Pedagogy Conclusions: 2 of 4

-  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 2008 **

**21.**

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
_**Pedagogy Conclusions**_**: 2 of 4**
***The Necessity of Limiting the Scope of the Field Research ***

## Pedagogy Conclusions: 3 of 4

-  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 2008 **

**22.**

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
_**Pedagogy Conclusions**_**: 3 of 4**
***The Question of Individual Student’s Readiness for the Course  ***

## Pedagogy Conclusions: 4 of 4

-  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 2008 **

**23.**

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
_**Pedagogy Conclusions**_**: 4 of 4**
***Course Closure With a Field Research Report***

## End of Semester Project: 

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**End of Semester Project: **
***Greensburg Rapid Appraisal Study: Report of Findings***

**24.**

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

## Agenda for Presentation 

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework**
**Agenda for Presentation **

-  Premise for Presentation
-  The Disaster Research Methods Course
-  The Greensburg, Kansas, Study Site
-  Pedagogy Conclusions
-  Implications

**11****th**** Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 **

**25.**

## Implications

**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 2008 **

**26.**

## Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework 

**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 Slide **

**27.**

**Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework **

**End of the Presentation**