2018 EDSIGCON Proceedings - Abstract Presentation

The pedagogy of emergency management academic programs: A balance between training and education

Mariama Yakubu
Quinnipiac University

Abstract
The emergency management field has seen tremendous increase for over two decades. Accordingly, academic institutions around the globe have responded by offering certificate and degree programs at various levels in emergency management and associated fields. The United States alone has at least 9 doctoral, 47 masters, 72 bachelors, and 69 independent certificate programs. The ensuing challenge is what the pedagogical content for producing competent emergency management graduates should be. What should qualified personnel know or be equipped with? Do they need exclusively hands on training, purely education, or both? Although the emergency management literature makes clear distinction between training and education, there is no preference of one over the other. However, emergency management profession’s similarity to medicine in life saving pursuit necessitates competence in both practice and theory—just as everyone would want to be seen by competent doctors. Using case study methodology, this study examines the undergraduate curricular of a cross section of highly rated emergency management programs in 5 academic institutions in the United States. Line-by-line coding was used to evaluate the courses taking into consideration requirements and objectives. The results show varying degrees of intensity in inculcating training/hands-on practice in the programs. However, majority of the programs rely heavily on education than training. Professional practice and policy implications are then provided with suggestions for creating balance programs that will produce highly skilled professionals who are competent in both theory and practice. Implications for future research are also presented.

Recommended Citation: Yakubu, M., (2018). The pedagogy of emergency management academic programs: A balance between training and education. Proceedings of the EDSIG Conference, (2018) n.4783, Norfolk, Virginia