ONLINE LEARNING IN AN EMERGENCY WORKSHOP

Online Learning in an Emergency: Delivering the Curriculum When the Campus Is Closed
New Orleans, Louisiana ~ September 20-22, 2006

Below you will find resources to support the efforts of the workshop. Click on the title of the resource (hyperlink) to access the resources.

Resources are organized in the following categories:

• Lead article - "Learning after Loss" - setting the context for the workshop
• Sample University Plans - a sampling of emergency plans and dynamic search for plans
• Government and Related Resources for Natural Disasters
• Pandemic - Related Resources
• Related Articles and Resources

Learning After Loss - Chelan David, University Business

Learning After Loss: Well-planned online and distance offerings can give institutions of higher education the ability to keep education going in the wake of disasterThe familiar rhythms of academia lend a comforting presence on college campuses. Each autumn as summer temperatures begin to fall, days shorten, and leaves flutter down, fresh-faced students arrive en masse, their futures pregnant with possibility. Last year, however, as students and educators in the Gulf Coast region prepared for the onset of fall classes, an unexpected visitor interrupted the traditional proceedings: Hurricane Katrina. In the storm's wake, nearly 1,600 lives were lost, property damage numbered in the tens of billions of dollars, and educational institutions found themselves in disarray.

SAMPLE UNIVERSITY PLANS

University Emergency Planning: Google Search

Summary of emergency planning at colleges and universities. Dynamically updated Google search for - "emergency planning" + university.

University of Michigan Business Continuity Plan

BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING:UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ORGANIZATIONAL PRIORITIES

• Health and safety of faculty, staff, students, hospital patients, contractors, renters, and any other people on University premises.
• Delivery of health care and hospital patient services: admissions, diagnostic tests, outpatient appointments, surgery & other procedures, patient records availability, etc.
• Continuation and maintenance of research specimens, animals, biomedical specimens, research archives.
• Delivery of teaching/learning process and student-related services: registration, faculty assignments, classroom scheduling, drop/add, financial aid services, government reports, grades, admissions, housing, etc.
• Security and preservation of University facilities and equipment.
• Maintenance of support for community/University partnerships.

UNC Pandemic Influenza Response Plan—Incident Level Responsibilities

This is a DRAFT plan assembled by the UNC Department of Environment, Health and Safety. The actions listed below have not necessarily been agreed to by the departments and entities listed. Each listed departments and entities should please review this plan and forward their edits to EHS. This document incorporates good planning and response advice from various sources, including other universities, the CDC, public health officials, etc.

University of Minnesota Emergency Operations Plan

The University of Minnesota, like all state agencies, has an Emergency Operations Plan that conforms to state and federal regulations. It is a broad plan that establishes response protocol and a chain of command for serious emergencies that threaten the health and safety of the campus community or disrupt its programs and activities. It is intended to cover emergencies ranging from natural disasters to terrorist attacks. In an emergency, the University's goals are to protect life and safety, secure critical infrastructure and facilities, and resume teaching and research activities as quickly and safely as possible. The response structure outlined in the plan helps to ensure that these goals are met.

North Carolina State University Business Continuity Checklist

A 47- point checklist of essentials in planning business continuity and disaster recovery for universities.

Summary of Stanford University Emergency Plans

These documents provide a management framework for responding to major emergencies that may threaten the health and safety of the University community, or disrupt its programs and operations. The plans address earthquakes, fires or explosions, hazardous materials releases, extended power outages, floods, or mass casualty events.

GOVERNMENT AND RELATED RESOURCES FOR NATURAL DISASTERS

FEMA: Building a Disaster-Resistant University

“Building A Disaster-Resistant University” is both a how-to guide and a distillation of the experiences of six universities and colleges that have been working to become more disaster-resistant. This guide provides basic information designed for institutions just getting started, as well as concrete ideas, suggestions, and practical experiences for institutions that have already begun to take steps to becoming more disaster-resistant.

SREB Disaster Preparedness, Response and Recovery

The K-20 educational technology community has an increasingly significant impact on every aspect of teaching and learning. Recent events have underscored the fact that the SREB Educational Technology Cooperative states should be actively aware and involved in the statewide disaster preparation, response, and recovery processes. This knowledge base, active vocabulary and proactive mindset must be applied to prevention, protection, response and recovery relative to any natural or man-made emergency event.

National Hurricane Center

The Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) (formerly known as the Tropical Satellite Analysis and Forecast (TSAF) unit) is an integral part of the Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center. The TAFB performs a number of functions within the Tropical Prediction Center. TAFB products include: marine High Seas Forecasts over the tropics and subtropics, Offshore Waters Forecasts over the tropics and subtropics, Tropical Weather Discussions over the tropics and subtropics, and surface weather analyses and forecasts over the tropics, subtropics, and mid-latitudes. For further information about TAFB and TAFB products not included in these web pages, contact Christopher Burr, Chief TAFB at 305-229-4430.

National Earthquake Information Center - NEIC

The mission of the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) is to determine rapidly the location and size of all destructive earthquakes worldwide and to immediately disseminate this information to concerned national and international agencies, scientists, and the general public. The NEIC/WDC for Seismology compiles and maintains an extensive, global seismic database on earthquake parameters and their effects that serves as a solid foundation for basic and applied earth science research.

Emergency Email and Wireless Network

The mission of the Emergency Email and Wireless Network is to "Provide notification to citizens of local, regional, national and international emergencies utilizing the Internet and electronic mail (email) in a secure and expedient manner"

PANDEMIC RELATED RESOURCES

National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan

National Implementation Plan - Homeland Security Council, May 2006.

Pandemic Influenza Resources for Colleges and Universities

The documents and links below are a collection of pandemic planning documents as well as links to university, government, association and business web sites that have information that is relevant to colleges and universities. If you would like to share your pandemic planning documents or websites that are relevant to colleges and universities, please email the information to our Webmaster.

Gallagher Blueprint for Pandemic Flu Preparedness Planning for Colleges and Universities

This document was developed with input from leading Higher Education risk managers, as well as experts in pandemic flu, with support from the Gallagher Higher Education Practice Group. Planning can help to reduce virus transmission, decrease hospitalizations and deaths, maintain essential services, and reduce the economic and social impact of a pandemic.

World Health Organization - Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR)

WHO is coordinating the global response to human cases of H5N1 avian influenza and monitoring the corresponding threat of an influenza pandemic. Information on this page tracks the evolving situation and provides access to both technical guidelines and information useful for the general public.

Pandemic Flu - U.S. Government Site

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity, and for which there is no vaccine. The disease spreads easily person-to-person, causes serious illness, and can sweep across the country and around the world in very short time. It is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be. Wherever and whenever a pandemic starts, everyone around the world is at risk. Countries might, through measures such as border closures and travel restrictions, delay arrival of the virus, but cannot stop it.

University of Minnesota Pandemic Influenza Tabletop Exercise

Exercise based on month-by-month spread of Avian Flu - with focus on how university might respond to the developments.

RELATED RESOURCES AND ARTICLES

UI putting together plans to deal with different emergencies - Christine Des Garennes, the News-Gazette

Kip Mecum is in the business of planning for events – events he hopes never happen. If a tornado hit the University of Illinois campus, if a student came down with a case of avian flu, how would the UI respond? Unlike some businesses, the university, with its tens of thousands of students, faculty and staff, not to mention research animals, just can't shut down in the event of an emergency, said Mecum, the UI's director of emergency planning.

The Sloan Semester Archives

A unique event in higher education occurred in response to Hurricane Katrina (and later Rita), which struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in August. Using online learning, colleges and universities from across the country responded in record numbers to help students and institutions impacted by the storms. Dubbed "Sloan Semester" the initiative provided free online courses to students impacted by the storm.

This site provides a retrospective on the Sloan Semester initiative, information about how it was established, how it worked, who participated, and the students who were served. The site includes links to an archived version of the Sloan Semester Catalog, a case study of the project, data about participants and lessons learned.

The role of public libraries in e–government and emergency situations - John Carlo Bertot, Paul Jaeger, Lesley Langa, Charles McClure, First Monday

This article presents findings from the 2006 Public Libraries and the Internet study and other research that demonstrate the impact of public Internet access in public libraries on the communities and individuals that the libraries serve. This article focuses on the importance of public library Internet access in times of emergencies and for a range of electronic government (e–government) services at the individual and community–wide levels. Public access computing and Internet access in public libraries function as a first choice, first refuge, and last resort in a range of emergency and e–government circumstances, allowing individuals to engage successfully in essential e–government services such as registering for Medicare or other benefits and filing tax information. With this key centrality as agents of government services, public libraries increasingly play significant roles in times of emergencies, like the aftermath of a hurricane, in which communities rely on the public library Internet access to request aid, try to find missing family and friends, file Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and insurance claims, and begin rebuilding their lives. This article also discusses the need to revise government policy related to the role of public libraries in their support of e–government as public libraries increasingly serve as agents of e–government.

Schools try to prepare for flu pandemic - KATHRYN WALSON, Daily Press

If a flu pandemic strikes, will schools stay open? If they close, will the Internet be used to provide instruction? These are among the questions that school officials throughout Virginia are trying to answer at the urging of the state and federal governments. Local school officials are developing plans to prepare for a global spread of a new influenza strain. "We're due for a pandemic," said Kevin Pearce, emergency planner for the Peninsula Health District. "It's like a hurricane. It occurs naturally. It's coming. It's just a question of when."

Municipalities now winging it on bird flu - Allison M. Heinrichs, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

When it comes to preparing people for the next flu pandemic, Don Pepe heaves a deep sigh. "I don't even know what I don't know," said Pepe, borough manager for Zelienople, Butler County. "I don't know what resources I need." He's not alone. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review surveyed municipalities and school districts in Western Pennsylvania and found that only one school district and one municipality have pandemic flu response plans, even though the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has warned that when the next pandemic hits, communities cannot rely on federal or state governments for help. "A pandemic is different than disasters like Hurricane Katrina," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said in March at a flu summit held in Pittsburgh. "State and federal governments will all be hit just as hard at the same time, and won't be able to immediately help local communities. Local preparedness is vital."