11th annual fema higher education conference june 2008 jack l. rozdilsky, ph.d. assistant professor...

11th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference11th 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 SpeakerIntroduction to Speaker

Jack L. Rozdilsky


Department of Public Administration

Po Box 310617 Denton, Texas, USA 76203-0617

Phone: 940.565.3786 Email:

[email protected]

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

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as CourseworkEngaging 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

11th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008 03.






5. Implications



Premise for Presentation


• 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






5. Implications



The Course


• 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 • 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

08.11th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference: June 2008


Textbook #1:

The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005)



Textbook #2:

Disaster Research Methods {R.A. Stallings (ed.), 2002}







5. Implications



Study Site:


• 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

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

Greensburg Tornado Damage

May 14, 2007

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

Greensburg Disaster Recovery

March 2008

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Slide Source: Dr. Jack Rozdilsky


March 2008

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Field Study Based on the Question:


What are the threats and opportunities that Greensburg faces for its green

(or environmentally friendly) disaster recovery?






5. Implications



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


• 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




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




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




Course Closure With a Field Research Report


End of Semester Project:

Greensburg Rapid Appraisal Study: Report of Findings







5. Implications



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


11th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference11th Annual FEMA Higher Education Conference

June 2008

Jack L. Rozdilsky, Ph.D. Assistant Professor

Emergency Administration and Planning Program Department of Public Administration


Conclusion Slide 27.

Engaging Graduate Students in Disaster Field Research as Coursework

End of the Presentation

11th annual fema higher education conference june 2008 jack l. rozdilsky, ph.d. assistant professor...

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