MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY IN

DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT

AND TRAINING
CONTENTS

• Challenges of disaster education

• E-learning

• The World Bank Institute disaster risk management learning program

• Conclusions
CHA LLENG ES OF
DISA S T ER
ED UCA TI ON
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGIES (ICT)
• Widely used in disaster risk management
• Can enhance the countries preparedness and response capacities to calamities.
• Examples
– Geographic information system (GIS)
– Sensor networks and early warning systems
– Wireless public safety infrastructure
– Data collection and processing facilities
– Generation of improved and actionable information for decision makers
– Integration of geospatial and on-line data
– Coordination of rescue operations,
– Management of collaboration among various players for better disaster management.
DEMAND SIDE CHALLENGES

• The people who are exposed, should have the basic knowledge on risks they are exposed to and
on the necessary actions that can be taken to reduce their risk and vulnerability to disasters.
• The number of people and the diversity of the potential target audience.
• Integration of key players in disaster management process.
• Different methods to reach, different knowledge to acquire for distinct key players with varying
educational background. (Hence need for diversified content and delivery modes)
• The shifting paradigm of disaster management from emergency to risk management with a
clear focus from post to pre-disaster phases.
SUPPLY SIDE CHALLENGES

• Countries relying on traditional methods

• No preparations and capacity for countries to reach out to as many potential participants.
• Limited capacity is a critical constraint in lower income countries (high vulnerabilities & long
impact)
• Few organizations or agencies to consolidate the knowledge of different disciplines as they
relate to disaster risk management.
• Even having good in-house expertise, most universities lack training in practical knowledge
• Less universities offer disaster risk management programs.
ADVANTAGES OF ICT

• ICT can change the way by which practitioners are trained in disaster risk management.
– adds both depth to training via multimedia simulations, by bringing the best expertise
– facilitates knowledge exchanges and breadth via blending knowledge from various sectors.
– allows professionals working in disaster risk management as well as in other areas to receive training
without interruption of their current work.
– makes possible to significantly scale up training both in individual countries as well as at the
regional and global level.
E-LEA R NING
ADVANTAGES

• Especially effective when large numbers of people must be trained quickly, when they are spread across geographic areas or
when it is desirable that participants stay at their workplaces or other operating environments.
•  Allows to scale up,
• Cuts on travel costs,
• Reaches experts not easily accessible
• Study without interruption of work.
• Side benefits
– Training practitioners with use of ICT accustoms them to apply technology later in their everyday work
– The required interaction during training makes easier to collaborate in real life environment;
– Learning to access on-line repositories of data, best practices and to blend research data and experience widens the options to solve real
life problems
– It contributes to development of a culture of knowledge sharing.
CHALLENGES

• It requires higher up-front investment and longer development as compared to traditional training.
• The more media (audio, video, flash, animations, simulations, etc.) is used the longer and more
expensive the development of learning modules will be.
• ICT includes design-time prototyping, evolutionary development, use of rapid development tools such
as templates, and template-based tools.
• When budget is limited one often limits multimedia by hyperlinked electronic text and/or audio/video
or PowerPoint with audio presentations of key experts. But replacing multimedia with “cheaper”
solutions might be not only because of up front cost considerations.
• When the programs are needed in different languages, sophisticated multimedia solutions can create
additional and often technical burden in making materials available in local languages.
STEPS IN E-LEARNING PROGRAM

• Course design
• Delivery
– Central model
– Decentralized model
CENTRAL MODEL

• The organization delivers the course by itself coordinating the work of the delivery team
(instructor, experts, facilitators, technical support people, etc) and handling all aspects of
delivery logistics.
• This model is scalable, allowing the delivery of the course to hundreds of participants. However,
in order to be able to maintain the necessary interactivity for quality learning, the number of
facilitators should grow together with the number of participants, keeping the participants to
facilitator ratio below 20-25.
• Complexity of coordination and monitoring will also increase and may lead to failure of the
overall activity, unless facilitators are well trained and have the experience in working in such an
environment.
DECENTRALIZED MODEL
• The organization that managed the course design and development delegates the delivery to its partners.
• The partner becomes responsible for course marketing, participants selection, assembling the delivery
team of facilitators, experts and technical support people, and for overall technical, organizational and
financial arrangements.
• This includes the development of a business plan for sustainability and a registration strategy.
• If registration is decided to be open then the course needs to be marketed, if registration is closed then
participants need to be identified and invited. In the open for registration course the participants are
selected according to the predefined criteria and logistical and pedagogical constraints. Registration
forms and the information to be collected from applicants should be designed accordingly.
Independently whether the course is open or closed, before the start date, accepted participants should
receive clear instructions on how to access to the on-line course, the course materials, CD-ROMs, etc.
 THE WORLD BANK
INSTITUTE DISASTER
RISK MANAGEMENT
LEARNING PROGRAM
INTRODUCTION

• The World Bank Institute (WBI), the learning arm of the World Bank (WB), has launched its
disaster risk management program in 2004.
• The Institute’s Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Program addresses the increased
demand for disaster assistance that calls for a structured, comprehensive disaster risk
management capacity building program.
• The program is designed at a global scale and offered to regions, particular countries, and to
partner institutions.
• The content and design of the program serves the specific learning needs of different audience
groups.
COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM

1. Analytical work in specific areas of disaster risk management (DRM) such as gender
mainstreaming, governance of DRM,
2. Development of new learning products including design of e-learning courses in specific areas of
DRM and certification program in urban risk management,
3. Knowledge dissemination through on- line courses, publications and web-site,
4. Technical assistance to partner organizations to expand their capabilities by introducing innovative
learning systems including customization of the courses to the specifics of the country in question
5. Platform for establishing and implementing South to South and Peer to Peer learning mechanisms.
COURSES OF THE ON-LINE LEARNING PROGRAM

Course Content
Introductory course,: • It gives an overview of main disaster risk management issues that are explored in more
Comprehensive Natural details in specialization courses.
Disaster Risk Management • It addresses basic questions such as “why are disasters development issues?” and “what
Framework are the components of comprehensive disaster risk management?”
• The course reviews the institutional arrangements and financing mechanisms of disaster
management systems and identifies the role of national and local actors in the processes
related to risk assessment, mitigation and financing.
• This course targets general development practitioners to raise their awareness and
sensitivity in prevention of natural disasters.

Financial Strategies for • It deals with macroeconomic aspect of risk financing.

Managing the Economic • It focuses on financial, economic and development impacts of disasters, and trade-offs
Impacts of Natural Disasters (costs and benefits) involved in disaster risk financing.
• The course provides policy makers and disaster managers with tools and institutional
designs for improved planning, budgeting processes, and national macroeconomic
projections. This specialization course targets officials from finance ministries, planning
organizations, and public works agencies.
COURSES OF THE ON-LINE LEARNING PROGRAM

Course Content
Safe Cities • Course addresses particular concerns of urban managers and planners. It
reviews processes, regulations (land use, infrastructure, building and
construction codes), enforcement issues and methods essential in reducing
exposure to hazards and limiting the physical vulnerability of high-density
settlements.

Community-based • The course focuses on prevention, mitigation and the need for active
Disaster Risk participation of local actors in design, development, implementation and
Management monitoring of activities related to phases of disaster cycle.
• The course presents examples of livelihood support and partnership programs,
micro-finance schemes, and formal and informal educational approaches that
aim at developing a culture of prevention.
• The course targets NGOs, municipal officials, city managers and community
leaders.
COURSES OF THE ON-LINE LEARNING PROGRAM

Course Content
Damage and Reconstruction • The course enhances the participants’ understanding of the social, economic and
Needs Assessment environmental effects of natural disasters, and enables them to assess these effects.
• The course is based on the UN ECLAC methodology and presents instruments for
quantifying direct damages, indirect losses, and the overall macroeconomic effects of
catastrophic events.
• The target audience includes the staff of government agencies, both central and local,
and representatives of international aid agencies

Earthquake Risk Reduction • The course aims to develop a wider understanding of earthquakes and to contribute to
increased knowledge of earthquake risk reduction practices.
• This objective is accomplished through sessions describing earthquake hazards and
vulnerabilities and presenting an integrated framework for assessing and reducing
earthquake risk through implementation of earthquake risk reduction programs.
• The course targets government officials, particularly from public works agencies and
planning organizations, as well as design professionals and utility operators, in order to
improve the planning and development of build environment and infrastructure.
COURSES OF THE ON-LINE LEARNING PROGRAM

Course Content
Climate Change and • The course is based on recognition that the rising risks due to climate change are taking
Disaster Risk Reduction a major toll on development, and on poverty alleviation efforts.
• This course intends to provide disaster management professionals with basic knowledge
on climate change; discuss implications of climate risks for development policy and
practice; and present some of the approaches, methods and tools that can be utilized to
integrate climate change into disaster risk reduction strategies.
• In particular, it discusses how knowledge about the way the climate is changing can help
to more effectively reduce vulnerability to disasters.

Reducing Disaster Risk • The course is addressing the challenge of natural hazards on built environment by
through Land Use Planning acknowledging the importance of residential areas, industries, critical public facilities
and services, as well as urban and metropolitan morphology in urban vulnerability.
• Land use planning, with its wide array of regulatory and non-regulatory techniques and
mechanisms, can become an effective tool for disaster risk reduction.
• This specialization course presents experiences in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction
objectives in land use and urban planning for local land use planners, zoning officers,
building officials and housing officers as well as for other professionals involved in
urban planning and development, and construction of public infrastructures.
ON-LINE COURSE STRUCTURE

• In WBI learning program the courses include presentations, case studies, readings, tests, assignments and
exercises. As much as the course materials, the communication and interactions – discussion forum, file
sharing, emails – constitute an important part of the learning process.
• They engage the participants in horizontal knowledge exchange and help to explore innovative instruments
and ideas that enable them to design right policies and carry out responsibilities in the selected areas of
disaster risk management.
• The duration of the courses stem from three to six weeks and throughout this time instructors and facilitators
work with participants to gain full extent of the learning by engaging them in various activities and
communication designed within the course framework.
• Accordingly, the courses have a start and end date and during this time participants should meet the pre-
announced course completion requirements to receive certificates.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
• WBI disaster risk management learning program clearly demonstrates the benefits of technology in disaster training
and education, in opportunities to scale up the outreach and in providing access to cutting edge knowledge.
• Based on WBI experience the following factors play an important role in making e-learning activities a success
– needs based high quality content
– adaptation, localization and ownership of the program via collaboration of content developers, adapters, prospective trainers
and program managers
– user-friendly and easy to navigate course materials, learning activities, and on-line environment ensured by the learning
management system
– clear expectations and assessment criteria
– high interactivity and well structured learning activities via scheduled discussions and strict assignments due dates
– commitment, capacity, and competencies of partners delivering e-learning activities
– administrative, pedagogical and technical support of both learners and instructors/facilitators
– building instructors competencies by taking the on-line courses as students
– demonstrating the benefits of e-learning to instructors and training them in the use of technology
– coaching and mentoring the instructors during their first few e-learning course deliveries
– blending traditional and technology based approaches especially in the interactions with partner institutions and their staff.
THANK YOU