Using PBL to prepare educators and emergency managers to plan for severe weather

Abstract

Within the past 10 years severe weather has been responsible for an annual average of 278 fatalities in the United States (National Weather Service, 2013). During severe weather special populations are populations of high concentrations of people that cannot respond quickly. Schools show both of these characteristics. The average lead time for tornadoes is only 11 minutes (Simmons & Sutter, 2008), so decisions must be made decisively and leaders must be prepared in advance. This paper describes how an instructional design process was used to develop an interdisciplinary problem based learning training for both school personnel and emergency managers. In this real world based activity, participants simulated difficult decisions that must be made during severe weather to develop a better understanding of each others’ roles and responsibilities.