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General
Disaster Management and Emergency Planning
Course Code: PHUDMEP21BWelcome!
All communities are vulnerable to emergency situations. The question is not "if" a disaster will occur, but "when". The ability to assess the hazards and to address them can help reduce the risks of a disaster occurring. This is more effective and as important as responding to disasters and dealing with the consequences.
Aims
This module has been developed to introduce you to the concepts and processes of emergency planning and management of disasters within a developing world context.
Module Structure and Expectations
The structure of the module is as follows: A number of competencies have been identified, that a Public Health practitioner would require to meet which are based on a review of the literature and the opinion of course designers.
The course is structured into five 2-week-long “Topics” (Topics 1-5), each being facilitated by different tutors from our team. For each Topic, we have prepared a set of online reading resources to help you meet the course competencies. The basis of learning is to read these Resources, reflect on them, and discuss them in the Discussion Fora with fellow students and tutors during each 2-week Topic. In many cases, there are Quizzes after the Topic to allow you to self-assess your learning. It is expected that you read all core resources and contribute to all discussions as frequently as possible to make the most of these learning opportunities and give you the best chance to pass the module.
Participation requirements
Participation in Discussion Fora is an essential part of learning and not optional. You should respond to the original discussion question by the tutor, as well as to your fellow classmates' contributions. In your responses, you should support your arguments with examples from your own experience and/or with information from other resources, such as academic or other literature. Discussion Fora are therefore also an opportunity to practice academic reasoning and writing (including referencing your sources).
To help you with your contributions to the Fora, please read the part of the Student Handbook labelled Discussion contributions.
Students need to make at least one substantial discussion contribution in each of three separate Topics, before being permitted to submit an assignment – see Student Handbook [http://www.peoples-uni.org/content/criteria-pass]. To really benefit from the course, you are expected to contribute much more frequently than that.
Help and support
Do ask for clarifications about the course reading the Discussion Forum – in this way, all students can share the learning.
Each student at Peoples-uni is also enrolled in a Student Support Group, led by one of our Student Support Officers. If you have any queries or concerns about your academic skills such as academic writing, referencing, searching for literature, or critical analysis, we would strongly encourage you to make use of the SSOs.
If you need to contact the module Student Support Officer (SSO), Tutors, or Module Leader directly outside the Discussion Forum, you can do so by sending them a message via the Moodle system (from the Participants list on this module website, or by clicking on their name in the module – Instructions are here).
You are strongly advised to look carefully through all sections of the Student Handbook and refer to it regularly.
To build your generic study skills, particularly if you are new to online learning or academic writing, you will find the Study Skills Resources on Students Corner helpful.
For technical inquiries about problems with the Internet or any of the resources, please contact our friendly Helpdesk at techsupport@peoples-uni.org.
Assessment
There are one or two formal assignments for each module if you wish to gain credit or work towards an academic award. The final assignment is found under Topic 5. The assignment is assessed for credit, and students will be judged as to whether their work satisfies the standards required at the UK Masters level (50% pass mark). The assignment will test the course learning outcomes. You are advised to read the section Assignments, assessment writing, and plagiarism in the Student Handbook to help you understand the expectations. Also please study the Study Resources on Student Corner, particularly the Academic Writing Forum self-study course, to help you prepare your assignments.
The deadline for the assignment is shown on the module calendar.
Assignments may be randomly processed by plagiarism software. Students found to have plagiarized material from elsewhere for their assignment risk automatically being failed for the module.
Feedback
We want you to help by telling us what needs to be changed in the module and the resources we have identified, and also to suggest new resources or approaches, in particular, to give examples of relevance to your work or country setting. We will also be asking you to assess the module and give us feedback on it after the semester.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.Timetable and the tutors
Module Leader:
Student Support Officer:DMEP Module Dates Facilitator Topic 1 September 14th - September 27th Topic 2 September 28th – October 11th Topic 3 October 19th - November 1st Topic 4 November 2nd – November 15th Topic 5 November 16th – November 29th Assignment due December 30th, 2020
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Disaster Management and Emergency Planning Homepage
Introduction
All communities are vulnerable to emergency situations. The question is not "if" a disaster will occur, but "when". The ability to assess the hazards and to address them can help reduce the risks of a disaster occurring. This is more effective and as important as responding to disasters and dealing with the consequences.
The Disaster Management and Emergency Planning course has been developed to introduce you to the concepts and processes of emergency planning and management of disasters within a developing world context.
The course is designed to help you:
- Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the key stages of emergency planning and response, the hazards, and potential public health needs in the event of a disaster occurring.
- Be able to devise, critically review and appraise an emergency plan.
- Apply knowledge and understanding of the importance and value of the emergency needs assessment, and be able to explain the process of how this assessment is organized and carried out.
- Apply knowledge and understanding of the need for, and methods of, programme monitoring, evaluations, and impact assessments.
- Critically evaluate the role and activities undertaken during the disaster recovery stage.
This course is an Open Online Course (OOC) which has been adopted from Peoples-uni. It was further developed by NextGenU.org (NGU).
There are five (5) modules to complete, which include:
Module 1: General introductions - Disaster Planning - Assessing Hazards
Module 2: Emergency Planning and Preparation
Module 3: Responding to a Disaster: Emergency Needs Assessment
Module 4: Monitoring and Assessing the Impact of the Disaster Response
Module 5: Response and Recovery - Role of International Organisations and NGOsApproximate time for completion of this course is 17 hours at an average reading rate of 144 words/minute.
Engaging with this course
- To register for this course, complete the registration form. Begin the course with Module 1. For each lesson, read the description.
- Each lesson comprises introductory remarks. You can click on the collections of resources in each module.
- There is a final quiz to assess your understanding of some important concepts. Click on the hyperlinks to take you to these items in each topic.
Requirements to obtain the certificate
You may browse this course for free to learn for your personal enrichment. There are no requirements.
To obtain a certificate, a learner must successfully complete:
- all reading requirements
- the final exam with a minimum of 70% and a maximum of 3 attempts and
- the self and course evaluation forms
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Module 1
Modules 1 introduces students to the study of disaster management and emergency planning. It will cover briefly the various types of disasters and the key stages of emergency planning and response. The discussion forum will introduce students to the first stage of Disaster Planning which focuses on the identification and analysis of the risks posed by hazards.
Headline competence (learning outcome):
Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the key stages of emergency planning and response, the hazards, and potential public health needs in the event of a disaster occurring.
Assessment criteria:
- Illustrate the variety of disasters that can occur,
- Identify where emergency planning and response fits into the overall development spectrum,
- Discuss the key stages of emergency planning and response, e.g. Integrated Emergency Management System (US) and Anticipation/Assessment/ Planning/Preparation/ Response/Recovery, and what medical and other assistance is likely to be needed following a disaster .
- Explain the importance of considering mental health and substance use in disaster management planning and key actions to address these issues in the event of a disaster.
- Identify hazards in your setting that has the potential to become a disaster, and
- Gauge the risks (likelihood and severity) posed by the hazards identified.
1 Page, 7 Files, 1 Forum, 2 URLs -
Module 2
Topic 2 explores emergency planning. This includes various key elements of emergency planning such as capability assessment and disaster preparation. Key to any emergency plan is a sound knowledge of what resources are available locally that can be called upon in a disaster, as well as an awareness of what gaps exist in available resources that may be essential for a response. Good emergency plans will specify what needs to be done in the event of a disaster, who will do it, as well as specify how, where and when it will be done. The plans also need to address any gaps or deficiencies identified. A separate but vital issue is also the identification of any special ("vulnerable") groups in the community who may have different needs and vulnerabilities.
Headline competence (learning outcome):
Be able to devise, critically review and appraise an emergency plan.Assessment Criteria
- Identify key components of an emergency plan, e.g. clarified roles, vulnerable groups, identified resources available locally,
- Discuss shortfalls or gaps in available resources that are likely to be needed in the event of an emergency or disaster,
- Discuss possible interventions to either mitigate the disaster/hazard or respond to the disaster,
- Critically review and appraise an emergency plan, and
- Devise a locally appropriate emergency plan.
2 Pages, 1 File, 1 URL, 1 Forum -
Module 3
In the initial stages after a disaster has happened, the natural impulse of many health professionals would be to rush-in to assist. However, the most critical function at this stage is an accurate, timely assessment of the effect of the disaster, and the needs of the survivors. A proper needs assessment would help inform and prepare proper response plans. Topic 3 will cover the importance and process of conducting an initial needs assessment in the aftermath of a disaster.Headline competence (learning outcome):
Apply knowledge and understanding of the importance and value of the emergency needs assessment, and be able to explain the process of how this assessment is organized and carried out.
Assessment criteria
- Discuss the purpose and importance of carrying out a needs assessment in the aftermath of a disaster, how the needs assessment is organized, and how to assess the needs of survivors.
1 Page, 3 Files, 1 Forum -
Module 4
Module 4 explores the monitoring and evaluation of programs and interventions that are implemented in response to humanitarian crises. This includes a justification of the need to assess the impact of programs and interventions and a discussion of the methods and indicators used for monitoring and evaluation.
Headline competence (learning outcome):
Apply knowledge and understanding of the need for, and methods of, programme monitoring, evaluations, and impact assessments.Assessment criteria
- Why programme monitoring and evaluation is required,
- Relevant and appropriate indicators for monitoring program activities,
- Appropriate methods, including qualitative and quantitative, of evaluation and impact assessment.
1 Page, 1 File, 2 URLs, 1 Forum -
Module 5
Following a disaster, the initial response phase rapidly evolves into the subsequent rehabilitation and recovery phase. This recovery process may take months or years and is beset with its own challenges. In addition, there is a need to ensure steps are taken to prevent a recurrence of such a disaster (mitigation). Various actors are involved including international and local non-governmental organisations, state actors, civil society, international organizations, and donors. These actors all have different mandates and motivations, with aid agencies usually striving to adhere to universal humanitarian principles.Headline competence (learning outcome):Critically evaluate the role and activities undertaken during the disaster recovery stage.
Assessment criteria - identify and appraise:
- key activities were undertaken during the recovery stage including interventions for the mitigation of future disasters.
- Principles, roles, and mandates of the main international players, in particular, UN-OCHA, WHO, IFRC, and NGOs during humanitarian emergencies.
- key humanitarian principles.
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Course and Self Evaluation & Certificate
In this section, you can provide feedback about this course to help us make NextGenU.org better. Once evaluations are completed, you will be able to download your certificate of completion.
Click here give your feedback