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Suggestions for Accreditation Process and

its Policy for DM Technical Courses at

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Level

Deliverable 11

Revised 29 April, 2014

Preparing Long Term Training and Capacity Building Strategy for Disaster Risk Mitigation under NCRMP: Suggestions for Accreditation Process and its Policy for DM Technical Courses at Undergraduate and Postgraduate Level

SEEDS Technical Services-Knowledge Links i

CONTENTS

ACRONYMS ...................................................................................................................... II

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... 1

1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 4

1.1 THE STUDY ......................................................................................................................... 4 1.2. THE STUDY APPROACH ........................................................................................................ 4 1.3 ACTIVITIES AND PROCESS LEADING TO THIS REPORT ................................................................... 4 1.4 CRITERIA FOR IDENTIFICATION OF GOOD PRACTICES .................................................................. 5

2. STATUS OF DM IN POSTGRADUATE COURSES ................................................................ 6

2.1 DM RELATED POSTGRADUATE COURSES IN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES .................................... 6 2.2 DM RELATED POSTGRADUATE COURSES IN INDIA ................................................................... 12 2.3 CURRENT STATUS AND SWOT ANALYSIS OF DM IN POSTGRADUATE COURSES IN INDIA ................ 17

3. STATUS OF DM IN UNDERGRADUATE COURSES ........................................................... 20

3.1 DM RELATED UNDERGRADUATE COURSES IN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES ............................... 20 3.2 DM RELATED UNDERGRADUATE COURSES IN INDIA ................................................................. 26 3.3 CURRENT STATUS AND SWOT ANALYSIS OF DM IN UNDERGRADUATE COURSES IN INDIA ............. 28

4. ACCREDITATION AND ACCREDITATION BODIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND

POSTGRADUATE DM COURSES ....................................................................................... 31

5. APPROACH AND METHOD FOR ACCREDITATION, QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND

CERTIFICATION .............................................................................................................. 38

5.1 NEEDS AND VIABILITY ......................................................................................................... 39 5.2 THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS ............................................................................................. 39 5.3 IMPLEMENTATION OF APPROACH ......................................................................................... 46

6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................... 48

6.1 FINDINGS.......................................................................................................................... 48 6.2 RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................................... 49


SEEDS Technical Services-Knowledge Links ii

ACRONYMS ADPC Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre

AICTE All India Council of Technical Education

AIIMS All India Institute of Medical Sciences

AIU Association of Indian Universities

ANSI American National Standard Institute

ATI Administrative Training Institute

BA Bachelor of Arts

BCI Bar Council of India

BSc Bachelor of Science

CCH Central Council of Homoeopathy

CCIM Central Council of Indian Medicine

CEM Certified Emergency Managers

CGPA Cumulative Grade Point Averages

COA Council of Architecture

DCI Dental Council of India

DETC Distance Education and Training Council

DM Disaster Management

DRR Disaster Risk Reduction

EM Emergency Management

EMAP Emergency Management Accreditation Program

FoHE Foundation of Higher Education

GoI Government of India

GPA Grade Point Average

HEI Higher Educational Institutions

IAEM International Association of Emergency Managers

ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research

IEI Institute of Engineers India

IEQA Institutional Eligibility for Quality Assessment

IGNOU Indira Gandhi National Open University

IIT Indian Institute of Technology

IMD Indian Meteorological Department

INC Indian Nursing Council

ISO International Organization for Standardization

IT Information Technology

LOI Letter of Intent

MA Master of Arts

MBA Master of Business Administration

MCI Medical Council of India

MHRD Ministry of Human Resource Development

MoES Ministry of Earth Sciences

MPhil Master of Philosophy

MS/MSc Master of Science

MTech Master of Technology

NAAC National Assessment and Accreditation Council

NABH National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers

NABL National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories

NBA National Board of Accreditation

NCIE National Council for Indian Education


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NCRI National Council of Rural Institutes

NCTE National Council for Teacher Education

NDMA National Disaster Management Authority

NEMA National Emergency Management Association

NGO Non Governmental Organisation

NIT National Institute of Technology

NPCBAERM National Programme for Capacity Building of Architects in Earthquake Risk Management

NPCBEERM National Programme for Capacity Building of Engineers in Earthquake Risk Management

NPEEE National Programme for Earthquake Engineering Education

PCI Pharmacy Council of India

PG Post Graduate

PGDDM Post Graduate Diploma in Disaster Management

QIP Quality Improvement Programme

SOSS School of Social Science

SPM Social and Preventive Medicine

SSR Self Study Report

SWOT Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

TISS Tata Institute of Social Sciences

T&P Training and Placement

UGC University Grants Commission

UK United Kingdom

USA United States of America

USD United States Dollar


SEEDS Technical Services-Knowledge Links 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study on accreditation process, quality management and certification process of disaster management in undergraduate and postgraduate technical education has been carried out as part of the larger initiative on preparing a long-term training and capacity building strategy for disaster risk reduction under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project. It forms part of a three-stage process that will look at accreditation and certification of disaster management trainings; accreditation and quality aspects of disaster management research and education; and accreditation of undergraduate and postgraduate technical courses in disaster management.

The study is based on a range of research activities including national and international literature reviews and interviews with key informants at the national level, as well as in the six states covered by the study namely Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. It also covers case studies drawn from national and international best practices.

The approach taken is cognizant of the fact that virtually no accreditation system for disaster management education currently exists in the country as of now and that any proposed system would need to be built from scratch. The study takes this into account, presenting a way forward that can be considered in making informed decisions towards establishing a contextualised accreditation and certification regime for disaster management education in India in an incremental fashion.

At the post graduate level disaster management education cuts across various disciplines covering different aspects related to disaster management as studied in sciences such as engineering, medical studies, architecture and geology, as well as social sciences such as psychology, sociology, geography and social work. International practices show that the highest number of courses on disaster or emergency management is found in the USA, UK and Australia. In international universities most of the courses are named as emergency management rather than disaster management. A study of fifty international postgraduate courses indicates a variety of areas of specialisation, including health care, public safety, crisis management and public administration. Internationally these are also seen as linked to careers in disaster management as consultants, planners, administrators, managers, analysts and safety officers.

Credit systems are also highly evolved internationally, with credit sharing and transfer options available across institutions and also across academic streams. The Bologna Process, a common degree and credit transfer system across Europe and Australia allows enhanced student and staff mobility and is an example of collaboration in quality assurance. There is high professional recognition for these courses. The programmes themselves are a healthy mix of coursework, independent research and field exposure.

Postgraduate courses on disaster management in India, on the other hand, are still in early stages of development and lack adequately trained faculty and contextualised course curriculum. Though their number is not high, such courses are increasing and at present this study has mapped 19 such courses across the country. The courses have little variation in terms of overall approach and thematic focus. Besides courses primarily on disaster management, the subject also finds a place in other mainstream technical streams such as urban, regional and environmental planning; architecture; and medicine. Some of the institutions like Tata Institute for Social Studies, Mumbai, VIT University, Vellore, IIT Roorkee, and School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, have also established specific centres on disaster management. There is however wide variation in the programme structure, curriculum objectives, course content, faculty, administration systems, facilities, networks and financial status of the courses and centres. While some are well funded and accordingly have good human resource deployment, facilities and activities, others are still



to develop to this level and currently operate with very little resources, weak agenda and limited programmes and outreach. Besides government universities and institutions, some of the private universities are also taking initiative in the area and are doing well.

Overall the number of courses offered in the country and the cadre being developed is miniscule in comparison to the projection of professionals needed in the sector as established in the SWOT Analysis and the Strategic Framework for Implementation of Training under the current study. A SWOT analysis indicates strengths in the areas of legal and policy framework, extensive institutional infrastructure, increasing interest in the subject, an evolved overall accreditation regime and developed curriculum in some streams; weaknesses such as lack of cross linkages across different levels of education, dearth of qualified teachers, total absence of quality management systems in disaster management education, and weak and ad-hoc curriculum; opportunities in the form of extensive institutional infrastructure, upcoming disaster management programmes at national level and related investments in the sector; and threats in the areas of widely varying quality benchmarks leading to confusion and inability to collaborate for this multi-disciplinary subject.

The status of disaster management education at the undergraduate level is lagging far behind the postgraduate level, even though it should be very strong at the undergraduate level as the foundation level for the subject. The study observed a large number of undergraduate degree courses on disaster management in developing countries, with 65 such courses just in the USA. In most of these courses students have options to choose disaster management either as a major or minor subject for their undergraduate degree. Most universities either give Bachelor of Arts or Science degree in Emergency Management, which address basic hazards and emergency principles. Many universities have combined public safety and homeland security with emergency management. Some universities also offer applied courses in emergency management at this level. Most of these courses include both theoretical as well as fieldwork relating to disaster management. The institutions offering a bachelors degree in disaster management and emergency management are accredited both for course and institution. Universities in the USA go further to get recognition from institutions such as the International Association of Emergency Managers which brings further credibility and on-ground validation to their courses.

In India however, the number of institutions providing undergraduate degrees in disaster management are very few. Disaster Management appears mainly a part of the major degree offered in any other course, mainly geography. There is only one full-fledged course at the bachelor’s level, offered at the Global Open University in Kohima, Nagaland that provides BA (Hons) degree in Disaster Management in Hindi medium. With only one full-fledged course, that too without established credentials and very few indirectly linked courses on DM at the undergraduate level, there is an acute gap between institutions offering undergraduate courses on disaster management in India and the need of trained professionals as established by the capacity building study.

He study thus established the urgent need for accreditation of disaster management education to be initiated in India. It is important to note that accreditation has multiple benefits for the institutions, courses, students and the sector. As there are a number of accreditation bodies for other courses in the country, their frameworks can be used for reference, and a national approach for disaster management accreditation can be developed with their involvement as disaster management is a cross cutting subject that is related to most other streams of education.

The model of the Emergency Management Accreditation Programme of the USA was found as suitable to the Indian context at present. Using this approach, a National Programme on Disaster Management Accreditation is recommended for establishment at the National Institute for Disaster Management, which is the national focal institution for disaster



management research and capacity building in India. Using the National Board for Accreditation as a reference, a fully evolved system of quality management and accreditation is proposed for disaster management training, research and education in India through the national programme. This will include accreditation methods and standards, quality management tools, accreditation criteria and parameters, and certification and credit systems. An implementation approach is outlined, with the establishment of the national accreditation programme, development of appropriate policies and institutions to support the programme, and initiation of a voluntary accreditation system. Once the programme is well established and the increased scope warrants, scaling it up to the level of an independent council may be considered.

The present report on DM in undergraduate and postgraduate education follows the reports on accreditation of short-term DM trainings, and of DM research and education. The overall recommendations from all the three reports converge and need to be seen together and comprehensively.



1. INTRODUCTION This report has been produced as Deliverable 11 of the study on preparing long-term training and capacity building strategy for disaster risk reduction in India. It is the outcome of a wide range of activities including literature review, compilation and analysis of case studies, and interactions at state and national levels. It presents the accreditation process, quality management approaches for DM related courses in undergraduate and postgraduate education, based on a comprehensive SWOT analysis.

1.1 The Study

DM research and education is recognised as a priority area in the Hyogo Framework for Action which underlines the use of knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels (Priority 3). At the national level, the National Disaster Management Policy of India highlights the need for capacity building through research, education and innovation, with specific mentions of communities, technical groups, school children, artisans and officials. Although DM education is pursued in India at different levels and forms, it is not accredited for its quality and standard. As this report is primarily concerned with DM studies in undergraduate and postgraduate education, accreditation has been assessed for universities and colleges only. University Grants Commission (UGC) defines accreditation as the process of quality control in higher education whereby, as a result of evaluation or assessment or by any other scientific method, an accreditation agency recognises a higher educational institution or any programme conducted therein as conforming to parameters of academic quality and benchmarking of such academic quality as determined by the University Grant Commission. This report looks into the current status, summary and strategy to develop accreditation for DM education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in India.

1.2. The Study Approach

The study is based on a range of research activities including national and international literature review and interviews with key informants at the national level as well as the six states covered by the study namely Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. It also covers case studies drawn from national and international best practices.

The assessment of DM in undergraduate and postgraduate education has been done at two different levels i.e. international and national scales, in order to bring out the intrinsic worth as well as gaps in DM education in India to be considered for accreditation. The study of international DM in undergraduate and postgraduate education has been carried out to learn, adapt and apply systems of fundamental and applied DM education in the Indian context. The assessment of this study is mainly focused on long-term education as short-term trainings at different levels have already been covered in deliverable 7. The lessons learnt from international and national DM education have been used to develop a roadmap for a comprehensive knowledge management system at the national level. This has been developed by taking into consideration both theoretical and applied education in DM.

1.3 Activities and Process Leading to this Report

This report on accreditation process and policy for DM technical courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level is Deliverable 11 of the study for preparing long-term training and capacity building strategy for disaster risk reduction in India. It is an outcome of the following processes:

Details outlined in the Request for Proposals, Contract and Inception Report. Field surveys across six states, and central research including literature review, in-depth

interviews of key informants, and consultations with NIDM.



Deliverable 7: Report on accreditation process, quality management & certification method of short-term DM trainings based on review of accreditation methods and international best practices, including the presentations and deliberations during the process of finalisation of the report.

Deliverable 10: Report on accreditation process and quality management, SWOT analysis of status of DM related research and education along with related processes including interviews, presentation and finalisation of the report.

Activity B.1 (Sub Activity of Activity B – Research and Education): Present status of research and education in field of disaster management as studied through a wide ranging literature review and interviews as presented in this report.

Activity B.2 (Sub Activity of Activity B – Research and Education): Policy for accreditation and certification of all DM/DRR related courses being organised at NIDM and other institutes, as covered through literature review, interviews and deliberations at NIDM.

Presentations, discussions and training workshops at NIDM carried out as part of the study activities under various sub activities and having direct and indirect links and relevance for DM research and education.

1.4 Criteria for Identification of Good Practices

This report is based on a study of international and national practices of post-graduate courses, under-graduate courses and accreditation systems related to DM education. It inventories practices and further discusses some of these as identified good practices. The identification of good practices is based on the following criteria:

Programme structure, curriculum and course work Faculty and administration Assessment and credit system and certification Career opportunities Institutional facilities and networks



2. STATUS OF DM IN POSTGRADUATE COURSES The Disaster Management education at the postgraduate level extends across various disciplines. Various aspects of DM are studied in different subject domains in sciences such as geology, engineering and medical studies as well as social sciences like psychology, sociology and geography. The universities that conduct postgraduate courses in DM are assessed here in the international and the national context.

2.1 DM Related Postgraduate Courses in International Universities

The highest number of courses on disaster or emergency management is found in the USA. The high number of courses and students can be attributed to direct links between educational quality and employability of students as emergency programme managers, instructors, risk management experts, coordinators or technical training supervisors. A similar situation is also noted in other developed countries such as the UK and Australia. In international universities, particularly in the USA, most of the DM courses are named as emergency management rather than disaster management.

The aim of the Masters programmes varies with different course types. The postgraduate DM courses do not only make students aware of natural and man-made disasters, but also cover methods of preparedness for and management of emergency situations. Professional programmes are however more focused as compared to a general DM courses. As shown in table 1, the nature of courses would differ depending on their specific titles, despite having a general focus on emergency and disaster management across the board.

Table 1: Postgraduate Courses in DM offered in International Universities

S. No.

Name of College/University

Country Course Title

1 Adelphi University USA Master of Science in Emergency Management

2 Adler School of Professional Psychology

USA Master of Arts in Emergency Management Leadership

3 American Public University

USA Masters Degree in Emergency and Disaster Management

4 Anna Maria College USA Master of Science in Emergency Management

5 Arkansas Tech University

USA Master of Science Degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security

6 Boston University School of Medicine

USA Master of Science in Healthcare Emergency Management

7 BRAC University Bangladesh Masters, Diploma and Certificate Courses in Disaster Management

8 California State University, Long Beach

USA Master of Science in Emergency Services Administration

9 Capella University USA Master of Science in Public Safety with Emergency Management Specialization

10 Charles Sturt University

Australia Master of Emergency Management

11 Columbia Southern USA Master of Science in Emergency Services



University Management

12 Coventry University UK MSc, PG Diploma and PG certificate in Disaster Management

13 Eastern Kentucky University

USA Master of Science in Safety, Security, and Emergency Management

14 Elmira College USA

Master of Science (MS) in Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Management and Advanced Certificate in Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Management

15 Georgetown University

USA Executive Master of Professional Studies in Emergency and Disaster Management

16 Grand Canyon University

USA Master of Science in Leadership with an Emphasis in Disaster Preparedness and Crisis Management

17 Jacksonville State University

USA Master of Science in Emergency Management

18 John Jay College, City University of New York

USA

MS in Protection Management with Concentration in Emergency Management and Master of Public Administration with Concentration in Emergency Management

19 Kingston University, London

UK MSc in Hazards and Disaster Management

20 Massachusetts Maritime Academy

USA Master of Science Degree in Emergency Management

21 Metropolitan College of New York

USA Master of Public Administration Degree in Emergency and Disaster Management

22 Millersville University of Pennsylvania

USA Master of Science in Emergency Management

23 Monash University Australia Master of International Crisis Management

24 New Jersey Institute of Technology

USA Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies with Emergency Management and Business Continuity Concentration

25 North Dakota State University

USA Masters Degree in Emergency Management

26 Nova Southeastern University

USA Master of Science in Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

27 Oklahoma State University

USA Master of Science in Fire and Emergency Management

28 Park University, Hauptmann School for Public Affairs

USA Disaster and Emergency Management Concentration within the Master of Public Affairs Degree

29 Philadelphia University

USA Master of Science in Disaster Medicine and Management



30 Saint Leo University USA MS in Critical Incident Management

31 Saint Louis University

USA Master of Science in Biosecurity and Disaster Preparedness, and Graduate Certificate in Biosecurity and Disaster Preparedness

32 Saint Louis University

USA Master of Public Health in Emergency Management and Crisis Leadership

33

The United Nations University-Institute for Sustainability and Peace (UNU-ISP)

Tokyo Postgraduate Certificate Program in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs

34 The University of Manchester

UK MA in International Disaster Management

35 Tulane University USA Master of Science in Disaster Resilience Leadership Studies

36 University of Chicago

USA Master of Science in Threat and Response Management

37

University of Colorado at Denver, Health Sciences Center

USA Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management, Policy, and Planning

38 University of Copenhagen

Denmark Masters in Disaster Management

39 University of Delaware

USA MS in Disaster Science and Management

40 University of Dhaka Bangladesh Post Graduate Diploma and Certificate in Disaster Management

41 University of Leicester

UK MSc Risks, Crises and Disaster Management

42 University of Nevada at Las Vegas

USA Executive Master of Science in Crisis and Emergency Management Program

43 University of North Carolina at Charlotte

USA Master of Public Administration with Emergency Management Concentration

44 University of Portsmouth

UK MSc in Crises and Disaster Management

45 University of Puerto Rico, School of Law

USA Post Graduate Courses on Disaster Law and Policy

46 University of Twente The Netherlands

MSc in Disaster Management

47 University of Washington

USA

Master of Infrastructure, Planning and Management with Concentration in Disaster Management

48 University of Washington

USA Post Graduate Courses on Hazard Mitigation Planning and Research



49 Virginia Commonwealth University

USA Master of Arts Degree and Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

50 Walden University USA Online Master of Science in Emergency Management

Source: Websites of respective universities and institutions accessed in November 2013

The list of courses taught for DM in these universities (table 1) highlight varied areas of specialisation developed in the field of DM. Apart from professional education in basic emergency management, specialised courses are offered in health care, public safety, emergency services, crisis management, disaster preparedness, public administration and policy aspects. The agenda and outcome of the programme is aligned with the duration and programme content. The university degrees may range from one and half years to two years. Postgraduate diplomas and certificates are available for shorter duration courses; where the main purpose is either limited to a specialisation or general coverage of identified disaster management aspects.

Prerequisites

Like other master level programmes, to pursue a Masters in DM it is essential to have a graduate degree either in DM or in a subject related to DM, depending on the nature of the postgraduate course being taken up.

Programme Coursework

Most of the DM courses adopt an interdisciplinary approach where they not only address scientific understanding of hazards and risk but also look into socio-economic as well as policy making aspects regarding disasters and emergency management.

Many of the newer courses also involve specific skills such as GIS and computer skills to map and locate the problem areas and conduct analytical processes. The modules focus on basic concepts and skills for data storage, analysis and representation. International postgraduate courses emphasise on critical and holistic thinking and decision-making, besides imparting skills. The courses require participants to evaluate different kinds of disaster situations along with varied organisations as well as the processes of decision making involved. The focus on a particular situation or stakeholder depends on the nature of course. For example, Masters in DM may give an overview of varied stakeholders involved, while that in Public Health may limit to health professionals, policy makers and related public dimensions. Students of emergency management also learn about strategic decision making as well as methodical approach to deal with chaotic situations. Most programmes also include processes dealing with preparation and execution of emergency management plans. The courses that specifically look into plans and policies may also address different stages and processes within plan and policymaking, and the political interventions and implications therein.

The master’s curriculum for DM includes both course work as well as fieldwork or dissertation report. The area and topic of fieldwork may vary across institutions and courses, while that for dissertation would differ for individual students. Fieldwork and dissertations provide access to first-hand experience of gaining knowledge of DM in the practical world.

On completion of a postgraduate course in disaster management, students may also opt for further research in the same field. Many international universities have opened centres for research on DM and offer PhD and post doctoral research opportunities in the area of DM.

Careers in DM

Employability is an important criterion for pursuing DM courses at the postgraduate level. This aspect is still in its nascent stages in India. In international universities, however, the education providers have used it as a specific outcome. Some of the important professional



opportunities available to DM postgraduate students as mentioned on universities’ websites are as follows:

Disaster Management Consultant Disaster Management Planner Emergency Planning Director Federal Emergency Management Administrator Crisis Manager Emergency Management Officer Risk Management Analyst Disaster Planning Specialist Corporate Safety Officer

Credit System

Many universities offer credit points for DM courses. The point systems vary across countries but they follow a similar overall pattern. In 1999, 27 European nations agreed to create a transnational Higher Education Area by introducing common degree and credit transfer systems; and by agreeing to support enhanced student and staff mobility and cooperation in quality assurance. By 2010, the cohort of participating countries had expanded to 47, and countries outside of the EU had engaged with the process via formal treaties. Participation in the process, known as the Bologna Process, has the following benefits:

Greater opportunity for labour mobility and lifelong learning as a consequence of international qualification recognition

More efficient sharing of teaching and curriculum expertise and resources through joint degree programs, use of e-learning technologies and doctoral training centres

Graduate preparation for an international and intercultural job market through mobility opportunities

Adoption of ‘best of group’ approaches to quality assurance through peer audits and learning exercises.

Such point systems are also followed in Australian Universities. An indication of the credit system as awarded to students for DM related post graduate courses is as given below:

Postgraduate Courses Duration Credits*

Masters Degree 12 -24 months 180

Postgraduate Diploma 9 months 30

Certificate courses 2-14 weeks 15

* Credits vary for different universities

Course Duration

The postgraduate programmes vary in duration. Starting from a minimum duration of two weeks for certificate course, it may vary to three years for DM postgraduate degree courses. As DM is also counted as a professional course in international universities, an increasing number of people are tending to opt for distance course rather than full time degree courses.

Assessment

Assessment of the postgraduate courses on DM requires assessment of performance in the classroom and assignments, field work, presentation and examination. The students are required to submit written assignments for internal testing. Most courses also require



dissertation writing, which is often marked by an external examiner. After clearing the set examination and acceptance of dissertation reports, students receive the postgraduate degree. For diploma and certificate courses they only require to pass the set examination.

Good Practice: Hazards and Disaster Management Postgraduate Programmes, College of Science, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

The University of Canterbury in New Zealand offers a range of postgraduate programmes with an aim of providing future professionals with opportunities to develop attitudes, skills and knowledge useful in the management of hazard and disasters, improving understanding of hazards and disasters as well as improving the usefulness of science in hazard and disaster management. The prospectus of these programmes identify four goals of the programmes: 1) Graduate professionals who will be capable of contributing to the development and implementation of effective hazard risk and disaster management practices in a wide range of situations; 2) Achieve acceptable academic rigour at postgraduate level, while providing sufficient acquaintance with practical matters that graduates can work effectively as professionals immediately upon completing the programme; 3) Enable the students to acquire the advance academic skills necessary for a postgraduate qualification in the context of the professional environment of hazard and disaster management, rather than in an isolated academic context. This is approached by utilising the technique of problem-based learning; and 4) Enable students to carry out individual original research. The programmes address all aspects of DM including risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery. The postgraduate courses taught in the university include:

PGDip Sci (Hazard and Disaster Management): Two semesters for four courses MSc (Hazard and Disaster Management): Two years for four courses and a thesis. PhD (Hazard and Disaster Management): Three years of independent research leading to

a thesis. The programme structure includes one course in each semester. The initial course aims for principles of hazard and disaster management, followed by practical projects, framework for analysis and management of hazard risk to finally developing specialisation in the programme. Optional papers are also given which are selected by the students with the assistance of the course director. Assessment is based on both assignment and final exam. However, there is no exam for the first semester course.

The university provides all the latest technological equipments for field studies, a full fledged library and field station facilities including field laboratories. Apart from normal scholarships available for the masters and PhD programmes from the university, other sources of funding are also available to the students to encourage their participation. (http://www.geol.canterbury.ac.nz/postgrad/HAZM.shtml accessed in November 2013).

Good Practice: Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The institute provides certificate and diploma courses on themes such as Capacity Development, Civil Society/NGOs, Climate Change, Economics of DRR, Food Security & Agriculture, Gender, Governance, Health & Health Facilities, Risk Identification & Assessment, Social Impacts & Resilience, and Urban Risk & Planning. It draws participants from other countries besides from Bangladesh. The duration of the Diploma Programme is of six months and Certificate Program is for five weeks which include comprehensive and multidisciplinary class teaching, assignment, field based research, presentation and comprehensive assessment. These courses are designed to share DM with graduates of various professions and disciplines, policy makers, academics and researchers. In order to attract students to pursue a detailed study of DM, the institute also gives a chance for direct admission from certificate to diploma, and from diploma to master of DM after a successful completion of the previous programme. Master of Disaster Management is a two years

http://www.geol.canterbury.ac.nz/postgrad/HAZM.shtml



professional degree programme (http://preventionweb.net/go/29579 accessed in November 2013).

LESSONS: Internationally, postgraduate courses in DM are interdisciplinary and cover varied

aspects of disaster management. As seen in the cases from the USA, the courses are a healthy mix of science, law, policy, infrastructure, arts, security and emergency preparedness. Even within science courses, there are strong linkages with socio-economic and policy aspects.

A postgraduate degree in DM has professional recognition in the international context, leading to increased possibilities of secure jobs in the area of emergency management. The EU model demonstrates a common degree credit system which also appears in the Australian case. Such a system will greatly benefit the fragmented DM education sector in India and help field practice be more relevant.

The participation of students is encouraged through opportunities in different sectors including academics, policy and the practical field of emergency management. The focus on employability as listed above reflects the emphasis given by the universities on long-term job possibilities and placements which help attract students.

Many universities offer credits for DM courses which have international recognition and also enhances labour mobility and hence greater economic opportunities for the graduates. With a similar approach, this study is proposing NBA and NAAC as benchmarks for evolving DM related education standards.

As seen in the case of University of Canterbury, New Zealand, the educational programmes offer a mix of coursework, thesis and independent research. Such a system brings research and education closer and is found useful for the Indian context.

The Bangladesh experience demonstrates how a focus on community-based approaches and the role of civil society organisations can find its place in DM education. Being part of the same South Asian context, this is of great relevance to India.

2.2 DM Related Postgraduate Courses in India

The number of universities providing higher education in DM in India is although not high but consistently increasing. The emergence of disaster management legislation, policies, programmes and agencies has played an important role in this direction. The hazard specific guidelines issued by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) particularly specify the need of attention to DM education. It mentions that the curricula of IITs, NITs, engineering and architecture colleges, ITIs, polytechnics and universities will be suitably modified to incorporate earthquake-resistant, cyclone, landslide and flood proof design and construction techniques. It also specifies the role of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in facilitating this process in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India (GoI); the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE); the Council of Architecture (COA); and the Institute of Engineers India (IEI), to incorporate earthquake, cyclone, landslide and flood education within their curriculum. It notes that in order to increase the thrust towards disaster management education in India, a number of leading institutes and universities will be identified and encouraged to create dedicated chair positions for faculty members working in related areas. NDMA also specifies crises management, emergency management and response for health professionals at the postgraduate level for hazards such as earthquakes, cyclones, landslide and floods. It also links this to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as resource agency for health education. This process is however in initial stages. An interview of one such chair brought forth the picture that DM education in such institution is basic and yet to cover a long way to have a full fledged postgraduate program in the field.



With the legislative changes and guidelines, although the number of institutions providing postgraduate courses in DM has increased in recent years with upcoming new universities and rising interest in the existing universities to take up disaster management as a discipline, however, their distribution not consistent throughout the country. The following table shows a list of institutions offering postgraduate studies including masters, diploma, and certificate courses in DM.

Table 2: Institutions Providing Postgraduate Education in DM in India

S. N. Institution Disaster management and related course

1 Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu

M E in Disaster Management and Engineering; M A in Disaster Management (Distance Education)

2 Bhavnagar University Post Graduate Diploma in Disaster Management

3 Disaster Management Centre, Indian Red Cross Society, New Delhi

Post Graduate Diploma in Disaster Preparedness and Rehabilitation

4 Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi

MBA (Disaster Management) Weekend Programme.

5 Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment, New Delhi

MSc in Disaster Mitigation (Distance Education)

6 Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun

Certificate in Geo-hazards; PG Diploma in Geohazards; MSc Geohazards

7 Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur MTech (Earthquake Engineering) and Ph.D

8 Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee PG Diploma in Disaster Management, M.Tech in Earthquake Engineering

9 Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi

Certificate in Disaster Management; PG Diploma in Disaster Management

10 University of Madras PG Diploma in Disaster Management

11 Panjab University, Chandigarh MA in Disaster Management

12 SASTRA (Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology, and Research Academy) University, Thanjavur

Masters of Technology in Disaster Management

13 Sikkim Manipal University of Health, Medical and Technological Sciences, Gangtok

MSc in Disaster Mitigation (Distance Education)

14 Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

MA/MSc in Disaster Management

15 Tezpur University, Sonitpur, Assam Diploma and Masters in Disaster Management

16 The Global Open University, Kohima, Nagaland

MA in Disaster Management; MPhil in Disaster Management

17 Tripura University, Bikramnagar, Tripura

MA Disaster Management



18 Vardhman Mahaveer Open University, Kota

Certificate in Disaster Management; PG Diploma in Disaster Management

19 The Institute of Management Studies, Devi Ahilya University, Indore

MBA (Disaster Management)

These institutes offer certificates, diplomas or degrees for formal post graduate education in DM. An overview of the title and nature of courses shows that there is little variation in the courses offered to fulfill the varied needs of disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. The reason can be attributed to the recent development of disaster management as a subject in Indian universities. The nature of courses and contents are noted to be highly diversified in international universities. However, before jumping into the diversification of DM education in India, it is also important to contextualise the subject matter as per the local variations in physical, socio-economic, cultural and political environments.

Apart from the universities and institutes that offer specific postgraduate courses, disaster management also forms subject matter in many other mainstream subjects such as urban, regional, housing and environmental planning in the School of Planning and Architecture, and geography in the Department of Geography, University of Delhi. These institutes run semester courses on disaster management and conduct dissertations relating to that field for students wishing to pursue research on DM as his/her field of specialisation within the broader subject field of planning or geography. Thus, students do not get any certificate for disaster management in these cases. In order to include such institutes in DM accreditation, consistent effort directed towards the study of disaster management should be one criteria, along with the development of resources and infrastructure to motivate and facilitate research in this field.

Many of the universities have also started specific centres for research in DM that have enhanced the quality of higher education in DM in these institutions. Research is very closely linked to DM postgraduate education and forms an integral part of the academic framework in the following universities.

Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management at the VIT University

The first disaster management centre at the university to be set up after the enactment of the National Disaster Management Act in 2005 was the Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management at the VIT University, Vellore. It was established in 2006 with a focus on research, development and consultancy services for DM along with education, networking and partnership. It aims to pursue high quality of research on regional issues including earthquake mitigation, early warning systems and preparedness. This encourages a high quality of post graduate education in DM with an accessibility of research facility on the campus.

Jamsedji Tata Centre for Disaster Management

In the same year, another centre named Jamsedji Tata Centre for Disaster Management (JTCDM) was established at TISS with an agenda to reinvent disaster management in the country by conducting critical research and trainings on disasters, vulnerability, appropriate technology and development. It facilitates the setting up of holistic, accountable and participatory systems for disaster response and mitigation. Post graduate students can pursue MA, MSc, M.Phil or PhD, and benefit from the objectives and research facilities available at the centre.

Disaster Research Centres at IITs

A combination of university teaching, informing government and private initiatives and disaster management research is seen in at the various campuses of the Indian Institute of Technology. At IIT Kanpur, a National Information Centre of Earthquake Engineering (NICEE) has been set up to fulfil the need of information on earthquake engineering. The institute



collects, maintains and disseminates such data in the form of information, publications and audio-visual materials in India and neighbouring nations. The Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation and Management (CoEDMM) at IIT Roorkee, on the other hand, conducts multidisciplinary research on regional issues such as earthquakes, tsunami, floods, cyclones and their early warning. It aims to achieve international standards in the education and research of disasters and create a national database for rapid dissemination of information and knowledge.

Overview of DM post graduate education in India

The postgraduate education of DM can be examined on the basis of the programme structure, faculty, students, administration, certification and so on. Some of these are discussed below.

Programme Structure, Curriculum Objectives and Content

The programmes offered on DM include certificate, diploma to degree courses. At present, most institutions educate students on DM as part of the curriculum of any other subject domain than of DM. DM is yet to be introduced as the main subject for certificate, diploma and degree course in most educational institutes. The institutes that offer DM certificates, diplomas and degrees offer little flexibility in the programme’s structure. The content of the course is governed by the objective and timings of the course. While certificate and diploma courses deal with basic conceptual clarity with some practical applicability, fieldwork and dissertations are mostly covered only in the degree based courses.

Faculty, Students and Administration

The faculty of disaster management courses usually have specialization in some field other than DM itself. For example, the faculty for DM in the School of Planning and Architecture at New Delhi includes planners with specialisation in urban, environment or any other related field of planning than disaster. Similarly in Punjab University, the faculty for DM mainly includes geographers. Faculty for DM from varied subject backgrounds not only helps in building interdisciplinary understanding of DM but also encourages students from different subject background to take up DM, however, the practical aspects of core and comprehensive DM training remain inadequate in the education system due to lack of specialised faculty and inadequate flexibility for collaborative inter-disciplinary education. The education and administration of DM can benefit from introducing a multi-disciplinary requirement and mandatory DM trained faculty for developing and running such courses. Internship of DM students as practiced in TISS and other management institutes can be considered as an important step in building collaborative knowledge and practices. The administration system of the universities as well as training institutes could play an active role in this integration, and resultant appropriate learning and experience can produce theoretically sound and practically trained professionals for DM work at the local level.

Institutional Facilities, Networks and Financial Status

Many of the DM related courses are available online or through distance education. There is no specific requirement established in terms of institutional facilities in DM. This is mainly because DM courses mainly deal with the theoretical realm and practical skills are not usually dealt in education of DM, except in few cases such as IIT Roorkee that has a specialised laboratory with relevant equipments. The networks of institutions particularly for DM are limited to a few, but found dominant in fields of research and education such as geology, geography, engineering and so on. This can also be attributed to lack of specific departments in universities focusing on DM. Financial support can be provided to develop DM departments in universities, to build DM research and education networks, to organize conferences and to collaborate for research on DM. All of this will go a long way in establishing DM as an academic discipline across varied universities something that hasn’t



happened so far despite the need and intensive research work done over the last two decades.

Certificate and Credit System

Certificates for DM courses are limited to the students who enrol in this specific course mostly through open learning universities. They have options to do either certificate or diploma courses. Only a few universities provide Master Degree in DM or related field. Most regular universities conduct DM courses as an elective course as part of a degree of specialisation in any other relevant field. Hence, students only get a degree of Master in their broad field of expertise rather than DM. Credit system for certificates is noted more in international universities than national. Some of the universities however, provide credit scores for DM. This credit score adds to the final completion of the masters. For example, the Centre for Disaster Management at the Tezpur University offers choice based credit transfer course at the PG level wherein the DM course gives three points as credit.

Good Practice: Post Graduate Diploma in Disaster Management (PGDDM), School of Social Sciences (SOSS), IGNOU, New Delhi

IGNOU offers distance learning in DM in the form of postgraduate diploma and certificate courses in DM. Graduates of any discipline can pursue these courses without any age limit. The duration for the diploma course varies from minimum one year to maximum four years. The main objectives of the program include:

Provide comprehensive knowledge to the learners on disaster preparedness, mitigation and rehabilitation

Enable the learners to carry out risk assessment and vulnerability analysis Generate community awareness, and strengthen institutional mechanism for

community mobilisation and participation in disaster management Develop communication skills for disaster preparedness Create greater awareness about effective disaster response in various emergency

situations Equip learners with tools for meeting emergency medical requirements Incorporate gender sensitive disaster management approach Inculcate new skills and sharpen existing skills of government officials, voluntary

activists, development professional and elected representative for effective disaster management.

The course addresses various elements of DM. However, the duration is much too short to gain understanding of these issues in detail. The evaluation of the student is based on the mid-term assignments (30%) and end-term examination (70%). Passing each course carries four credits and there are seven courses with a project on participatory management. In order to pass, one needs to secure at least 40% marks.

LESSONS: Though Postgraduate courses in DM are growing in recent years, the number of

universities offering such courses are far fewer compared to the need of such professionals in India as established in the SWOT Analysis and Strategic Framework for Implementation of Training carried out under the study.

The encouraging recent trends show that besides government institutions, private universities are also taking interest and establishing PG courses in DM as seen from the table of institutes above.

While universities are developing postgraduate DM courses, these are yet in the initial phase and the subject has not developed as a full academic discipline. It lacks standards of content, facilities, credit structures etc. Though MA and MSc courses are available, they largely focus on general disaster management with a few specific courses such as



earthquake technology. Courses on subjects such as DM laws and public policy as seen in the International context are not found in India.

Most of the curriculum for DM is theoretical and often derived from international sources. DM courses need to be contextualised and diversified with practical dimensions. Cases from India need to be widely used. Inter-linkages between different streams need to be developed and a credit sharing system be put in place as has been discussed in section 2.1.

Not many institutions offer specialisation in DM which is professionally recognised; except for IITs for earthquakes. Such specialisations need to be extended for other hazards and professional fields including social and policy domain.

As seen in the case of IGNOU, high initial demand for the PG certificate course led the university to launch a PG Diploma course in DM. There is, however, still a gap between the course and the job market.

2.3 Current Status and SWOT Analysis of DM in Postgraduate Courses in India

According to a 2010 study by A. Kapur on Vulnerable India, published by Sage Publications, there are 283 universities in India where postgraduate courses in DM could be pursued but they stand out as a missed opportunity. A survey in six states including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, Uttarakhand and West Bengal reflected on the poor state of DM education. The state level officials interviewed under the study pointed out that there is an urgent need to educate stakeholders for disaster management issues. Education of various stakeholders from related organisations including government officials, NGO workers, teachers and engineers regarding management of local disasters is essential. Further, the participants and volunteers getting educated should also be certified and accredited for that. They found that education of DM is fragmented across disciplines, which makes it inadequate on the whole and also not being of much use during disasters. Some courses in higher education though have some implications for DM, such as Social and Preventive Medicine (SPM) in medical education along with a curriculum on mass casualty. However, these are not sufficient. A curriculum on disaster risk reduction needs to be included which is not found at the local state level in the institutions in the states studied. Officials interviewed expressed a need for professional education on DM. Standard and specific training modules for different stakeholders need to be produced for this.

The characteristics of the postgraduate DM education can be discussed further in detail with a focus on its strength, weaknesses, opportunities and strengths. The following analysis is based on literature review as well as interviews conducted with various stakeholders.



Overall SWOT Analysis of Postgraduate DM Education in India

Strengths

International and national legal and policy frameworks have suggested DM education at all levels. This has increased the interest in institutions to take up DM education at the postgraduate levels.

There are several existing educational institutions and new private institutions that have introduced disaster management in postgraduate degree or elective courses.

The early phase of DM education development in India can benefit from international programmes already developed in the field and with its own local experts that could help to contextualise the material for India.

A large number of accredited educational institutions that exist in the country across various streams provide an extensive institutional base to take this forward.

Graduates from multiple streams can find their relevance in postgraduate DM courses. The distance learning programmes of Indira Gandhi National Open University and Sikkim Manipal University are opening up opportunities through more accessible and affordable courses.

There are clear guidelines by NDMA that exist for some of the professional courses for post graduate DM education such as engineering, architecture and medical courses. Specialisation in DM can be built in other streams following a similar approach.

There are a large number of professionals from government and non-government organisations and private sector with knowledge and expertise in disaster risk mitigation. These professionals can be linked for effective DM education and curriculum development.

Weaknesses

The number of courses having DM components are very few and limited to some universities.

There is inadequate integration of DM into professional education programmes. Due to lack of demand for professionals in DM, students opt for other professional courses than DM.

There are very few professionals with masters and doctoral degrees in DM to impart education at the postgraduate level. The curriculum for DM is yet to be developed for

Strengths

•Legal Framework and Policy

•Extensive Institutional Infrastructure in terms of number of universities across the country

•Increasing interest in DM education at the university level.

•Most universities are accredited for quality education

•Curriculum of DM is well developed in some fields such as medical and engineering.

Weaknesses

•DM education is limited to certain courses at the university level.

•There are very few DM professionals with Masters and Doctorates in DM

•None of the current accreditation of universities is for DM education.

•Excessive emphasis on awareness rather than applied skills in the current DM education

•DM curriculum needs to be developed for most of university courses.

Opportunities

•Applied education of DM to students will enhance disaster preparedness

•Extensive Institutional Infrastructure of universities could be used to provide a professional postgraduate degree in DM or related courses

•DM education can be extended to include all the related areas with students specialising in different aspects of DM education.

Threats

• Opportunity cost lost due to unavailability of trained professionals where need is established and resources are available

•Quality of DM education may vary across universities depending on the ownership and expertise available.

•DM education can also suffer from inadquate coordination and vision.



many professional fields which will result in severe consequences during disasters e.g. transport, business development and law.

Where available, curricula has been generally sourced from international institutions and is not contextualised to the Indian and local needs.

There are very few professionals with masters and doctoral degrees in DM to impart education and trainings.

Most of the current universities are accredited for the quality of education but none is accredited for DM education.

Opportunities

There are new courses and new institutions emerging with disaster management programmes at postgraduate level. These would be of higher quality if there were clearly prescribed standards for programmes offered.

There is an opportunity to develop the details of DM in all academic fields and thus promoting research and knowledge development leading to holistic understanding and planning. Post graduate education in DM creates a workforce that is oriented to disaster management issues. Existing institutions form a substantial base to start from.

A balanced approach of DM education including theoretical and applied knowledge may also contribute to effective DM during an emergency situation besides making postgraduate courses more relevant and cross-cutting.

Increased media coverage and awareness about disasters and their management is creating an interest and a potential demand in higher education on disaster management.

A strong presence of organisations working on disaster management across government, private sector and civil society organisations is improving employability of disaster management professionals, which can give impetus to the demand for disaster education particularly for post graduate students.

Threats

There is a huge opportunity cost linked to introducing DM in all universities. An inadequately planned education programme in disaster management may create chaos and confusion at different levels of the education system as well as in field practice. Students and teachers may feel burdened by the additional subject and syllabus of DM, and practitioners graduating from the courses may be inadequately equipped to deliver professionally.

Quality of DM education may vary across universities having different goals and outcomes.

Lack of specific accreditation for DM may bring different types of knowledge to float that may not serve the purpose of DM education.

DM education may also suffer problems due to lack of coordination and visioning. Since postgraduate courses are also the foundation for developing teachers in the domain, a gap herein will lead to inadequacies in the future delivery capacity within the domain of education on DM.



3. STATUS OF DM IN UNDERGRADUATE COURSES Like postgraduate education, the study of Disaster Management at the undergraduate level extends across various disciplines. Various aspects of DM are studied in different subject domains in sciences and social sciences that build a foundation for further studies particularly for those who wish to proceed further in the field. Colleges and universities that conduct undergraduate courses in DM are assessed here in the international and the national context.

3.1 DM Related Undergraduate Courses in International Universities

DM education in undergraduate colleges and institutions is a more recent phenomenon as compared to postgraduate universities. The undergraduate courses on DM are particularly aiming for bringing basic knowledge in students regarding all hazards and possible outcomes. Yet many variations can be noted in the international institutions providing undergraduate degree in disaster management. A look at the range of undergraduate courses in DM offered in universities in the USA which has the most evolved system for higher education in DM, offers a view at the diversity and flexibility that can potentially be achieved.

Table 3: Undergraduate Courses in DM offered in Universities in the USA

S.N. Degree Specifications University

1 Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management

Major Adelphi University

2 Bachelor of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management

Major American Public University

3 Bachelor of Emergency Management Services (Major); Bachelor of Emergency Management Services with a Concentration in Community Emergency Management (Minor)

Major & Minor

Anderson University

4 Undergraduate Emphasis in Emergency Preparedness and Graduate Programs with Emergency Management Track

Minor Andrews University

5 Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Emergency Management

Major Arizona State University

6 Bachelor of Science Degree in Emergency Management

Major Arkansas Tech University

7 Bachelor of Arts in Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Major Ashford University


Major Barry University


Major Bellevue University

10 BA in Geography with Geographic Information Sciences with Emergency Management Concentration

Minor University of Pennsylvania

11 Bachelor of Science in Public Safety, Emergency Management Specialisation

Minor Capella University

http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Ashford%20University%20-%20BA%20in%20HS%20and%20EM%20.docx



http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Barry%20University%20-%20BS%20in%20Emergency%20Management.doc



http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Bellevue%20University%20-%20BS%20in%20EM.docx






Minor Colorado State University-Global Campus

13 Bachelor of Science Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

Major Concordia University

14 Bachelor of Science with Minor in Emergency Management

Minor Drexel University

15 Emergency/Disaster Response Management Minor East Tennessee State University

16 Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Safety Administration with a Emergency Management Concentration

Minor Eastern Michigan University

17 Bachelor of Science with an Emergency Management Concentration

Minor Empire State College

18 Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences with Emergency Management Concentration and Certificate of Emergency Management

Minor Eastern New Mexico University

19 Bachelor of Science in Crisis and Disaster Management

Major Everglades University

20 Bachelor of Science in Political Science with Emergency Management Concentration

Minor Florida A&M University

21 Graduate and Undergraduate Certificate in Emergency Management

Minor Florida State University

22 Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management Programme

Major Grand Canyon University


Major Idaho State University

24 Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management Technology

Major Jackson State University

25 Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management (Major); Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management with a Minor in Homeland Security or Public Safety Telecommunications (Minor)

Major & Minor

Jacksonville State University

26 Bachelor of Arts in Emergency Management with a Homeland Security, Victims Services and Nongovernmental Organizations Tracks (Major); Minor in Emergency Management

Major & Minor

Kansas Wesleyan University

27 Bachelor of Disaster Science and Management

Minor Louisiana State University

28 Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Emergency Management

Major Loyola University Chicago


Major Madonna University

http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Concordia%20University%20-%20BS%20in%20Homeland%20Security%20and%20Emergency%20Preparedness.doc



http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Everglades%20University%20-%20BS%20in%20Crisis%20and%20Disaster%20Management.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Grand%20Canyon%20University%20-%20Bachelor%20of%20Science%20in%20EM.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Idaho%20State%20University%20Meridian%20-%20BS%20in%20Emergency%20Management.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Jackson%20State%20University%20-%20BS%20in%20EM%20Technology.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/EM%20Programs%20-%20Bachelor%20level%20-%20Jacksonville%20State%20U%20-%20BS%20in%20EM.doc







http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Kansas%20Wesleyan%20University%20-%20BA%20in%20Emergency%20Managment.doc






http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Loyola%20University%20Chicago%20-%20BS%20in%20Healthcare%20EM.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Madonna%20University%20-%20Bachelor%20of%20Science%20in%20Emergency%20Management.doc






Major Massachusetts Maritime Academy

31 Bachelor of Science in Environment Hazards and Emergency Management

Minor Millersville University of Pennsylvania

32 Bachelor of Science in Emergency Readiness and Response Management

Major National Labor College

33 Bachelor of Science Degree in Emergency Management (Major); Minor in Emergency Management

Major & Minor

North Dakota State University

34 Bachelor of Arts in Disaster Management and Relief Programme

Major Ohio Christian University

35 Bachelor of Arts Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Major Savannah State University

36 Bachelor of Arts Degree Programme in Public Administration with a Concentration in Emergency Management

Minor Shaw University

37 Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Safety Administration with Sub-plans in Fire Science Technology, or Emergency Management & Homeland Security

Minor St. Petersburg College

38 Bachelor of Technology in Emergency and Disaster Management

Major State University of New York at Canton

39 Interdisciplinary Minor in Disaster Studies Minor State University of New York at New Paltz

40 Associate and Baccalaureate Degrees in Emergency Management

Major Thomas Edison State College

41 Bachelor of Science with a major in Emergency Management

Major Trine University

42 Bachelor of Science Degree in International Rescue & Relief

Major Union College


Major University of Akron

44 Bachelor of Emergency Management and Homeland Security

Major University of Alaska, Fairbanks

45 Minor in Emergency Management and Homeland Security

Minor University of Central Florida

46 Bachelor of Science Degree in Crisis and Disaster Management

Major University of Central Missouri

47 Bachelor of Arts with Emergency and Environmental Management Concentration

Minor University of Delaware

48 Bachelor of Science in Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Management,

Minor University of Findlay

http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Massachusetts%20Maritime%20Academy.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/National%20Labor%20College%20-%20BS%20in%20Emergency%20Readiness%20and%20Response%20Mgmt.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/North%20Dakota%20State%20University.doc





http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Ohio%20Christian%20University%20-%20BA%20Disaster%20Managemnt%20and%20Relief%20Program.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Savannah%20State%20University%20-%20HS%20and%20EM%20BA.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/SUNY%20Canton%20-%20BT%20in%20Emerg%20and%20Disaster%20Mgmt.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/EM%20Programs%20-%20Associate%20and%20Bachelor%20Level%20-%20Thomas%20Edison%20State%20College%20-%20AD%20and%20BA.doc



http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Trine%20University%20-%20BS%20with%20a%20Major%20in%20EM.doc



http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Union%20College%20-%20BS%20in%20International%20Rescue%20Relief.doc



http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/College%20List%20-%20EM%20Programs%20-%20Bachelor%20Section%20-%20University%20of%20Akron%20-%20BS%20in%20EM.doc



http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/University%20of%20Alaska%20Fairbanks%20-%20Bachelor%20EM%20%20HS.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/University%20of%20Central%20Missouri%20-%20BS%20in%20Crisis%20and%20Disaster%20M.doc






Emphasis in Emergency Management

49 Bachelor of Science in Fire and Emergency Services

Minor University of Florida

50 Bachelor Certificate in Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management

Minor University of Hawaii

51 Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Administration with a Minor in Emergency Management

Minor University of Maryland

52 Undergraduate in Disaster Resiliency Studies Minor University of New Orleans

53 Certificate Programme in Community Preparedness and Disaster Management

Minor University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill


Major University of North Texas

55 Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Services with Concentration in Emergency Services Management

Minor University of Tennesse at Chattanooga

56 Bachelor of Applied Studies in Fire and Emergency Response Management

Major University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh

57 Bachelors Degree in Public Administration with Emergency Management Emphasis

Minor University of Wisconsin, Green Bay

58 Bachelor of Science in Emergency Services Administration-Emergency Management

Major Utah Valley University

59 Bachelor of Science in Emergency & Disaster Management

Major Upper Iowa University

60 Bachelor of Arts in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

Major Virginia Commonwealth University


Major Voorhees College

62 Online Bachelor of Science Degree in Emergency Management

Major Western Carolina University


Major Western Illinois University

64 Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science in Emergency Management Administration

Major West Texas A&M University

65 Bachelor of Science in Disaster Risk Reduction Minor Western Washington University

Source: http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb accessed in November 2013

The data in the table shows that in the United States of America, a large number of universities offer undergraduate courses in disaster management. Students have options to

http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/EM%20Programs%20-%20Bachelor%20-%20University%20of%20North%20Texas-Bachelor%20of%20Science%20in%20EM.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/University%20of%20Wisconsin,%20Oshkosh%20-%20BAS%20in%20Fire%20and%20Emerg%20Resp%20Mgmt.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Utah%20Valley%20University%20-%20BS%20in%20ES-EM.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Upper%20Iowa%20University%20-%20BS%20in%20Emerg%20and%20Disaster%20Mgmt.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/EM%20and%20HS%20Bachelor%20Degree%20Virginia%20CommonwealthU.doc





http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Voorhees%20College%20-%20BS%20or%20Minor%20in%20EM.doc



http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Western%20Carolina%20University%20-%20online%20BS%20EM%20.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/Western%20Illinois%20University%20-%20%20BS%20in%20EM.doc




http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/embadegree/West%20Texas%20AM%20-%20BAAS%20EMA.doc





choose DM either as a major or minor subject for their undergraduate degree. Most universities either give Bachelor of Arts or Science degree in emergency management, which address basic hazards and emergency principles. Many universities have combined public safety and homeland security with emergency management. Some universities also offer applied courses in emergency management at this level. Most of these courses include both theoretical as well as fieldwork relating to DM.

Good Practice: American Military University, American Public University System

The American Military University offers Bachelor of Arts degree in Emergency and Disaster Management. It trains students to have a career in emergency management and public safety.

Approach and content: The programme stresses on the fundamental concept of emergency management that ‘all disasters are local’ and teaches students about all-hazards approach, emergency and disaster management phases, risk assessment, prevention and management, counter-terrorism, consequence management, mitigation, and recovery.

Requirements: The programme has core requirements of 31 hours, major requirements of 12 hours, institutional requirements of 3 hours, general education of 34 hours and final programme requirement of 3 hours. Apart from that there can be general electives of 39 hours. The core requirements cover 11 courses focusing on varied aspects of emergency and disaster management including three hours for courses such as research analysis and writing; emergency planning, emergency and disaster incident command, natural disaster management, consequence management, homeland security organization, special operations in emergency medical services, public policy, psychology of disasters, and introduction of meteorology including one hour of introduction to meteorology lab. For major requirements, students get options to choose from. Each course is of three hours which cover specific areas of DM such as chemistry of hazardous materials; hazard mitigation and preparedness; risk communications; emergency response to terrorism; chemical, biological and radiological hazards; weapons of mass destruction incident command; regulatory issues in weapons of mass destruction; chemistry of explosives; history of explosive ordnance disposal; electronics, electricity and explosives; explosive incident assessment: methods, practices, protocols; organisation for explosive ordnance disposal; border and coastal security; port security; quarantine; and hazardous materials management. Institutional requirements include three hours of foundations of online learning. General education includes English writing, history and social sciences for six hours each, science for four hours and humanities, literature, mathematics and political science for three hours each. The final programme requirement is a senior seminar in Emergency and Disaster Management for three hours.

Faculty: The faculty of the courses are identified as Certified Emergency Managers (CEM), approved by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), who have expertise in anti-terrorism, forensics, explosive ordnance disposal, pre-disaster mitigation, planning response to natural disasters, rapid deployment, fire services at the local, state and national level. Many adjunct faculty also serve in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, State Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Fire Academy, and Transportation and Security Administration.

Accreditation: The Emergency and Disaster Management course is accredited by the Foundation of Higher Education (FoHE) for Disaster Management and Homeland Security. At the institutional level, American Public University System is accredited by the Higher Learning Association of the North Central Association of College and Schools and by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) of which American Military University is a part (www.apus.edu accessed in November 2013).

Good Practice: Bachelors of Emergency Management, Charles Sturt University, Australia

http://www.apus.edu/



Charles Sturt University offers a professional degree in Bachelors of Emergency Management through distant learning. The course aims to develop both practical and theoretical base for professionals responsible for emergency management. It focuses on the concepts relating to emergency risk management such as hazards and risk assessment, impact, emergency operation management, recovery and so on. It addresses needs of a variety of its clients from the local government, the police, fire, emergency or health services located in both public and private sectors. Credits for the courses are awarded on the basis of qualification of the applicants, which are dealt with on a case by case basis. Depending on the credit scores, students are provided with training certificate, diploma or degree. The course work is grouped into three key emergency management areas and a series of core and elective courses. Key learning areas include emergency management, social sciences, human resource management, climate change and environmental science, spatial science and geographical information systems, and law and policing. The core courses include 10 emergency and 7 non-emergency subjects which are required to be studied. Apart from these, students are also required to select four subjects from the elective subject pool. The core subjects fall into three key areas including emergency management planning, emergency operations management and emergency recovery management. Each key area is studied from 12 to 18 months. The students who complete 14 subjects (128 credit point) can receive associate degree in emergency management. The degree provided for Bachelor of Emergency Management by Charles Sturt University is nationally recognised. The students are however required to fulfil academic expectations which require them to spend between 140-160 hours in the specified learning and assessment activities such as attending lecture, residential schools, and tutorial assistance and so on. For admission, preference is given to applicants who currently have emergency management responsibilities. For admission, the applicants need to portray their success in previous studies and other attainments and experience. They can join either in February or November sessions.

http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/undergraduate/emergency_management accessed in November 2013.

LESSONS: There are detailed and structured programmes internationally for undergraduate

education in DM, which are closely linked with emergency management and public safety. The study of the undergraduate education system in the USA shows a large number of universities offering such courses. However, unlike at the PG level the focus here is largely on emergency management.

A degree in DM internationally has professional recognition leading to secure jobs in the area of emergency management across government, nongovernment, corporate and academic fields. Charles Sturt University gives preference to entrants who already have emergency management responsibilities. The link between education and job responsibilities is given high attention in most universities. It is also seen that based on the credits earned, a student in the same university can finally opt for a training certificate, diploma or degree in DM.

The institutions offering a bachelors degree in DM and emergency management are accredited both for course and institution. Universities in the USA go further to get recognition from institutions such as the International Association of Emergency Managers which brings further credibility and on-ground validation to their courses.

The faculty of DM and emergency management comprises professionals who are also engaged in its practical application at the local, state and national level. In the International context, the courses are very focused at the local level. The American Public University System follows a fundamental concept that “all disasters are local”.

http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/undergraduate/emergency_management



3.2 DM Related Undergraduate Courses in India

Introduction of DM education at the undergraduate level got an impetus with national efforts such as the Disaster Management Act and national programmes to further the DM agenda. The hazard specific guidelines as introduced by the NDMA highlight the need of education not only for students but also for faculty, particularly for themes that relate to medical, engineering and other applied sciences. For example, they mention that the subject of disaster medicine covers aspects like trauma care, epidemic control, emergency medical care by paramedics and emergency medical technicians, and telemedicine. In such cases DM related aspects of education will receive detailed treatment at the undergraduate level, so that graduating practitioners are able to handle emergencies with a better understanding of the issues involved. This will be facilitated by MoES in consultation with the Medical Council of India (MCI), University Grants Commission (UGC), and other related agencies. It also recommends AICTE, IITs and other professional organisations to update their curriculum to include various hazard mitigation technologies for earthquakes, cyclones, landslides and flooding. On the other hand, for the faculty, the state governments will introduce a five year quality improvement programme for teachers and professionals engaged in teaching the subjects related to earthquakes (namely earth science, architecture and earthquake engineering). The ongoing technical education programmes for college teachers, include the Quality Improvement Programme (QIP); the National Programme for Earthquake Engineering Education (NPEEE) supported by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), GoI; the National Programme for Capacity Building of Architects in Earthquake Risk Management (NPCBAERM); and the National Programme for Capacity Building of Engineers in Earthquake Risk Management (NPCBEERM) supported by the MHA, GoI, which will be further strengthened and expanded to address the gap between the requirement and availability of quality teachers conversant with earthquake-resistant design and construction. All such training programmes will incorporate testing and certification of trainees.

At present, however, the institutions providing undergraduate degrees in DM are very few. Disaster Management appears mainly a part of the major degree offered in any other course, mainly geography. Some of the courses and institutions offering DM courses in undergraduate studies are as follow:

Table 4: Colleges and Universities offering Undergraduate Courses in Disaster Management as Core or as Element in Geography

S.N. Colleges/University Degree

1 The Global Open University, Kohima, Nagaland

BA in Disaster Management

2 Symbiosis International University, Pune BBA

3 Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi BA (Hons) Geography

4 Nalanda Open University, Bihar BA (Hons) Geography & B.Sc. (Hons) Geography

5 Saint Claret College, Arunachal Pradesh BA (Hons) Geography

6 University of Delhi BA Geography

7 University of Mumbai BSc Geography

Source: Collected from websites of respective universities, accessed in November 2013

Disaster management as a full fledged course at the bachelor’s level is offered only at the Global Open University in Kohima, Nagaland that provides BA (Hons) degree in Disaster Management in Hindi medium. The course duration is of three years which has only a



prerequisite of completion of higher secondary school education in any subject. The total cost of this course is Rs. 18,125. The three years of education include general as well as disaster specific education. In the first year, students learn Hindi, English, introduction to disaster preparedness, risk assessment, and earthquake and volcanoes. In the second year, the course includes agriculture related disaster preparedness, air and water related disasters, industrial disasters, war, environment and disaster preparedness, and loss of biodiversity. Finally, the third year course includes atmospheric heat and ozone depletion, coastal environment and disaster preparedness, bio-technology and disaster preparedness, research techniques and graduate research tools. Students are required to submit their assignment based on the project report prepared by them on a topic given from each topic and a thesis at the end of the third year of their course. (http://nagaland.net.in/badisaster.htm accessed in November 2013)

The Symbiosis International University on the other hand offers an integrated disaster management course with three credit points that add to its full fledged degree of BBA. The objective of this programme include awareness of nature and type of disasters, management of three phases of disaster, designing a disaster management plan, rescue operations, evacuation drills, accident prevention and safety measures, environmental laws, rules and audits, occupational health and occupational diseases, fire fighting tutorial and demonstration, handling medical emergencies and hands on training cardio-pulmonary- resuscitation. It also provides American Heart Association card for students who excel in first aid which is valid for two years. The course thus equips students to basic needs of disaster management and doesn’t train students as future professionals in DM.

Besides this, there are a number of other universities also offering degree courses in geography that have a unit on disaster management, which covers broad aspects of disaster management but not sufficient enough to secure a career in the field. Further, while these institutions are accredited for the quality of education, they are not accredited for DM education. This affects the quality of DM courses, as they are meant to be practical and subsequently it affects the attraction value for the potential applicants. Inadequacy of institutions offering the course added to the lack of awareness and less opportunities for employability after course act as a barrier for the demand of this course from students. In such case an awareness and marketing element may also be required to promote both universities and students to take up disaster management courses.

LESSONS: With only one full-fledged course and very few indirectly linked courses on DM at the

undergraduate level, there is an acute gap between institutions offering undergraduate courses on disaster management in India and the need of trained professionals as established by the capacity building study.

The content of DM in other streams at the undergraduate level is general and offers very limited flexibility, often being seen as a subset of geography. The exploration of cross cutting approaches can be learnt from international experiences.

The absence of undergraduate courses on DM can be seen as a lack of awareness or interest in the subject both in the universities and among potential students. An awareness and marketing element of undergraduate education in DM will be required to give a push to the discipline.

Establishing a system of accreditation both for full-fledged DM courses and DM content within other streams may help build credibility of the course quality and the attraction value it holds for potential applicants.

http://nagaland.net.in/badisaster.htm



3.3 Current Status and SWOT Analysis of DM in Undergraduate Courses in India

There are nearly 11,000 colleges where undergraduate study in DM could have been started in different subjects, according to a 2010 study on vulnerability in India carried out by A Kapur and published by Sage Publications. While a few have taken up this opportunity, it is largely missed out so far throughout India. However, in a recent directive in 2012 UGC announced all the universities to take up disaster management as an optional course. This will although have a positive impact on the number of students taking up DM courses, it still has a long way to go in terms of building quality curriculum and relating it to professional demand and employability for DM graduates. The interviews conducted with the professionals in DM brought forth concerns around inadequate education for DM in India. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of current DM undergraduate education at the broader level are similar to the ones discussed in the section on postgraduate education. Specific variations do occur though, and the listing below will throw light on some of these.

SWOT Analysis of Undergraduate DM Education in India

Strengths

Government agencies including UGC and their programmes in recent years have encouraged all the universities to take up disaster management courses in undergraduate education, and its efforts are visible even though they are in their initial phase and largely limited to a few subject areas.

There is an increasing interest in various universities, particularly the new universities to take on DM at the undergraduate level. However, as the process is still in its initial phase a vision and detailed curriculum are yet to be developed.

Strengths

•Legal Framework and Policy.

•Extensive Institutional Infrastructure in terms of colleges and universities.

•Increasing interest in DM education at the undergraduate levels.

•Most educational institutes are accredited for quality education.

•Multiple disciplines are taking up DM courses including geography and BBA.

•Clear guidelines from NDMA to develop curriculum for medical and engineering students.

-Weaknesses

•DM education is limited to certain courses in colleges and universities.

•There is no recognition of DM qualification at the undergraduate level in professional demands.

•None of the current accreditation is for DM education.

•Excessive emphasis on awareness rather than applied skills in the current DM education at the undergraduate level.

•DM curriculum needs to be developed for most of the subjects taught in different and universities.

Opportunities

•Applied education of DM to students will enhance disaster preparedness.

•Extensive Institutional Infrastructure of colleges and universities could be used to provide a range of DM related courses.

•DM education can be extended to include all the related areas with students specialising in different aspects of DM education.

•There is an opportunity to develop professional courses for DM at undergraduate level with specialisation varying in different aspects of DM.

Threats

•Huge opportunity cost.

•Quality of DM education may vary across colleges and universities depending on the ownership and expertise available.

•DM education at the undergraduate level may also suffer from inadquate coordination and vision.



Subjects having an applied role in DM have been encouraged and supported by NDM and other government bodies to develop curriculum and infrastructure. This is seen particularly for subjects including medicine, engineering, and architecture.

With UGC initiatives colleges offering geography and BBA have taken up DM as optional course, however, there is a massive scope for mainstreaming the subject by inviting other subjects to develop DM curriculum as per their themes.

The early phase of DM undergraduate education development in India can benefit from international programmes already developed in the field and with its own local experts that could help to contextualise the material for India.

There are a large number of professionals from government and non-government organisations and private sector with knowledge and expertise in disaster risk mitigation. These professionals can be linked for effective DM education and curriculum development for undergraduate courses.

Weaknesses

DM as the core subject for undergraduate studies has still not emerged on the Indian educational scene, barring an isolated case. The number of degree courses having DM components are very few and limited to a handful number of the Indian universities.

There is inadequate integration of DM into professional education programmes, and it is also not planned at the undergraduate level.

The curriculum for DM is yet to be developed for many professional fields that may face severe consequences during disasters e.g. transport, business development and law.

Most of the current educational institutes are accredited for the quality of education but none is accredited for DM education.

At the undergraduate level, the emphasis is still on awareness and basic skills of DM rather than building a professional pool. The development of course and curriculum at undergraduate level can benefit heavily from international experiences.

Opportunities

DM education at the undergraduate level will help to develop a large proportion of aware population. There is a unique opportunity to target the 18-23 year age group – which is about 150 million people in India – through basic and applied learning to enhance disaster preparedness.

With UGC directive to have DM as optional courses in colleges, there is a huge scope to mainstream the subject and invite all the key subjects to participate in the course.

There is also a scope to build professional pool of DM graduates with a balanced approach of theoretical and applied DM education in different fields. This will not just enhance the attraction for the subject but will also improve employability in specialised areas of DM in India and abroad.

There is also an opportunity to collaborate with international universities, who have already developed professional education in DM through student exchange programmes or faculty visits.

Threats

There is a huge opportunity cost lost by not introducing DM in colleges and universities for undergraduate courses in an organised and quality assured manner. Inadequately planned education programme in disaster management may create chaos and confusion at different levels of education systems. Students and teachers may feel burdened by the additional subject and syllabus of DM. Graduates may be inadequately prepared to handle situations they will face as professionals, incurring long term and critical losses for society.



Quality of DM education may vary too widely across colleges and universities having different goals and outcomes, leading to an inconsistency in the professional pool being created at the national level.

Lack of specific accreditation for DM may bring different types of knowledge to float that may not serve the purpose of DM education. Inconsistency in the knowledge base, and influx of foreign content not suited to local contexts will result in an inappropriate approach.

DM education may also suffer problems due to lack of coordination and common vision. Future planning within the education field will lack direction and focus on the whole.



4. ACCREDITATION AND ACCREDITATION BODIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE DM COURSES Accreditation is a process of quality assurance and improvement, whereby a programme in an approved institution is critically appraised from time to time to verify that the institution or the programme continues to meet and exceed the norms and standards prescribed by appointed bodies. Accreditation does not seek to replace the system of awarding certificates or degrees and diplomas by the institutions. Accreditation provides quality assurance that the academic aims and objectives of the institution are honestly pursued and effectively achieved by the resources currently available and that the institution has demonstrated the capabilities to ensure the effectiveness of the educational programmes, over the validity period of accreditation.

It is essentially a process of quality assurance and improvement, whereby a programme in an institution is critically appraised and given credit for its academic strength and the objectives of the institution.

Through accreditation, the following main purposes may be served:

- Support and advice to institutions in the maintenance and enhancement of their quality of provision

- Confidence and assurance on its quality to various stakeholders including students - Assurance of the good standing of an institution to government departments and

other interested bodies - Enabling an institution to state publicly that it has voluntarily accepted independent

inspection and has satisfied all the requirements for satisfactory operation and maintenance of quality in education.

The purpose and impact of accreditation goes far beyond quality assurance of an institution or programme. Major impacts of accreditation system are summarised below:

- Encourages quality improvement initiatives by institutions - Improves student enrolment both in terms of quality and quantity - Helps the institution secure necessary funds - Enhances employability of graduates - Facilitates transnational recognition of degrees and mobility of graduates and

professionals - Motivates faculty to participate actively in academic and related institutional /

departmental activities - Helps create a sound and challenging academic environment in the institution - Contributes to social and economic development of the country by producing high

quality technical manpower.

The process of accreditation helps in realising a number of benefits, such as:

- Helps institutions to know their strengths, weaknesses and opportunities - Initiates institutions into innovative and modern methods of pedagogy - Gives institutions a new sense of direction and identity - Provides the society with reliable information on the quality of education offered - Promotes intra and inter-institutional interactions

Accreditation of DM in higher education could enhance the quality and standard of DM education in India. This would not only bring professionalism in the field of DM, but would also facilitate quality graduates to be readily recruited or to be asked for their support during disasters. It also signifies different things to different stakeholders. In India there are a number of accreditation bodies. Here an example of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) is taken as a good practice to explain the role of such bodies and to be treated as a



model along which a system for accreditation of DM education can be developed with suitable modifications and adaptation. NBA was first established by the All India Council of Technical Education [AICTE] in 1987 for periodic evaluation of technical institutions and programmes. At present, NBA is an autonomous body which assures the quality of education for a range of professional and technical programmes such as Pharmacy, Engineering, Management, Hospitality, Technology and Architecture. In Delhi, NBA periodically accredits various programmes in 18 institutes.

Benefits to Institutions

Accreditation is market-driven and has a focus on establishing quality that helps in establishing an institution’s standing both nationally and internationally. It assesses the characteristics of an institution and its programmes against a set of criteria established by the accreditation body.

The accreditation body’s key objective is to contribute to the significant improvement of the institution. The accreditation process quantifies the strengths and weaknesses in the institution’s processes, providing directions and opportunities for future growth.

Accredited institutions may be preferred by funding agencies for research grants as well as expansion. It signifies that the institutional performance is based on assessment carried out through an independent competent body of quality assessors, with strengths and weaknesses emanating as a feedback for policy-making.

Accreditation provides a quality seal or label that differentiates the institution from its peers at the national level. This leads to a widespread recognition and greater appreciation of the brand name of the institution and motivates it to strive for more.

Benefits to Students

Students studying in accredited institutions can be assured that they will receive education which has both high academic quality and professional relevance; and that the needs of the professional world are well integrated into programmes, activities and processes. It signifies to them that it has the essential and desirable features of quality professional education. Besides benefiting from the learning processes, will also gain better employability and ability to serve the sector.

Benefits to Employers

Accreditation assures prospective employers that students come from a programme where the content and quality have been evaluated, satisfying established standards. It also signifies that the students passing out have acquired competence based on well established technical inputs.

Other Overall Benefits

Due to accreditation, an institution’s systems and procedures get aligned with the sector’s mission and vision. All essential prerequisites for international accreditation should be included in the accreditation process. Thereafter, accreditation will act as a catalyst for the institutions planning to acquire international accreditation and recognition. Accredited status represents the commitment of the programme and the institution to quality and continuous improvement. It creates credibility in the minds of the public and generates interest and motivation for pursuing the training programmes. It signifies identification of quality of institutional capabilities, skills and knowledge, and serves the organisations in the sector that seek to employ graduates for their activities. To parents it signifies that their ward goes through a teaching-learning environment as per accepted good practices. It reassures alumni that they are products of an institute with a higher standing in terms of learning, and adds value to their credentials throughout their professional careers.



Accreditation helps in gaining confidence of stakeholders and in giving a strong message that as a country, our technical manpower is of international standards. It can be very useful in enhancing the global credibility for our technical manpower, and improve abilities for good collaborations and mobility.

Accreditation of educational institutions and programmes is a global practice and its need has been felt by various developing and developed countries for one or more of the following purposes.

Funding decisions State recognition of qualification/ certification of professionals Accountability of institutions to stakeholders Encouraging self improvement initiatives by institutions Quality assurance of educational programmes

Accreditation may be summarised as a process, based on professional judgment, for evaluating whether or not an educational institution or programme meets specified standards of educational quality. Its primary purpose is to assure prospective students and public that graduates of an institution conducting various programmes have achieved a minimum level of competence in their chosen fields of study, thus serving as a form of consumer protection. In many countries, accreditation is the legal responsibility of the ministry of education or other governmental agencies.

The agencies accrediting higher education may also choose to have their own definition of accreditation. According to National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), ‘the accreditation status indicates that the particular Higher Educational Institution [HEI] – a College, a University, or any other recognised unit therein, meets the standards of quality as set by the accreditation agency, in terms of its performance, related to the educational processes and outcomes, covering the curriculum, teaching-learning, evaluation, faculty, research, infrastructure, learning resources, organisation, governance, financial well being and student services’. NAAC was established by UGC in 1994 to evaluate and accredit academic institutions. It assesses performance and parameters through inspection of volunteering institutions meeting specified criteria. These institutions include universities (Central/State, including Private) and institutions of national importance; colleges affiliated to, constituent of or recognised by universities or autonomous colleges; deemed to be universities; departments of teacher education / physical education; and any other HEIs at the discretion of NAAC.

NAAC aims for a holistic, systematic, objective, transparent and shared experience of institutional improvement. Its process of assessment mainly involves a few steps i.e.

Online submission of the Letter of Intent (LOI)

Online submission of Institutional Eligibility for Quality Assessment (IEQA) for applicable institutions

Preparation of Self-study Report (SSR), it’s uploading on the institution website and submission to NAAC

Peer team visit to the institution

Final decision by NAAC.

NAAC has identified the seven criteria to serve as the basis of its assessment procedures:

Curricular Aspects Teaching-Learning and Evaluation Research, Consultancy and Extension Infrastructure and Learning Resources Student Support and Progression



Governance, Leadership and Management Innovations and Best Practices

Institutions are graded for each key aspect under four categories, viz. A, B, C and D, denoting Very good, Good, Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory levels respectively. The summated score for all the key aspects under a criterion is then calculated with the appropriate weightage applied to it and the Grade Point Average (GPA) is worked out for the criterion. The Cumulative GPA (CGPA), which gives the final assessment outcome, is then calculated from the seven GPAs pertaining to the seven criteria, after applying the prescribed weightage to each criterion. The range of CGPAs, their letter grades and their performance descriptors are as given below:

Table 5: Cumulative Grade Point Averages, Letter Grades and Performance Descriptors

Range of institutional Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)

Letter Grade Performance Descriptor

3.01 - 4.00 A Very Good (Accredited)

2.01 - 3.00 B Good (Accredited)

1.51 - 2.00 C Satisfactory (Accredited)

<= 1.50 D Unsatisfactory (Not accredited)

The accreditation status is valid for five years from the date of approval by the Executive Committee of the NAAC. When an institution undergoes the accreditation process for the first time it is referred to as Cycle 1 and the consecutive five year periods as Cycles 2, 3, and so on. Institutions that would like to make an improvement in the accredited status, may volunteer for Re-assessment, after completing at least one year but not after the completion of three years. The manual to be followed for re-assessment is the same as that for the assessment and accreditation. However, the institution shall make specific responses based on the recommendations made by the peer team in the first assessment and accreditation report, as well as the specific quality improvements made by the institution. NAAC has accredited a large number of universities and colleges across India.

At present educational institutes are accredited for the quality of education they provide. UGC recognises accreditation agencies including National Assessment and Accreditation Council [NAAC], National Board of Accreditation [NBA] or an agency established by or under an act of Parliament to carry out accreditation. UGC makes accreditation mandatory for each Higher Educational Institution to get accredited by the appropriate accreditation agency after passing out of two batches or six years, whichever is earlier, in accordance with the norms and methodology prescribed by such agency or the commission, as the case may be. The accreditation will be valid for five years and it is mandatory for the higher institutes to apply for reaccreditation within six months before the expiry of every six months.

Table 6: Organisations providing accreditation for higher education in India

S.No. Accreditation Organisations Location Details of accreditation

Accreditation of courses

1 ABET, Inc., also accrediting programmes in India

USA Applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology courses

2 Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH)

India Homeopathic courses

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Council_of_Homoeopathy




3 Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)

India Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha courses

4 Council of Architecture (COA) India Architecture degree

5 Dental Council of India (DCI) India Dental courses

6 Indian Nursing Council (INC) India Nursing courses

7 National Board of Accreditation (NBA)

India Engineering, technology, architecture, pharmacy, town planning and management

8 National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)

India Pre-primary, primary, secondary and senior secondary stages in schools, and non-formal education, part-time education, adult education and distance (correspondence) education courses

9 Pharmacy Council Of India (PCI) India Pharmacy courses

10 The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

India Agricultural research and training

Accreditation of institutions

1 Bar Council of India (BCI) India Law colleges

2 Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH)

India Homeopathic institutes

3 Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)

India Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha institutes

4 Dental Council of India (DCI) India Dental institutes

5 Medical Council of India (MCI) India Medical colleges and institutes

6 National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH)

India Allopathic Clinics; AYUSH (Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, Siddha and Yoga & Naturopathy) Hospitals; Blood Bank and Transfusion Services; Dental Health Care Service Providers (DHSP); Hospitals; Medical Laboratory Programmes; Oral Substitution Therapy (OST) Centres; Primary Health Centres / Community Health Centres; Small Healthcare Organisations; Wellness Centres

7 National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)

India Biological, chemical, electrical, electronics, fluid-flow, mechanical, non-destructive testing, photometry, radiological, thermal, forensic, medical testing centres; Electro-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Council_of_Indian_Medicine


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_Council_of_India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Nursing_Council





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_Council_of_India



technical, mechanical, fluid flow, thermal & optical, radiological calibration centres

8 National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)

India Technical and physical education institutions

9 National Council for Indian Education (NCIE)

India Colleges or institutions that offer regular as well as distance education in different management and technology courses

10 National Council of Rural Institutes (NCRI)

India Institutions offering education in micro-planning; agriculture; health; natural resource management; Geographic Information Systems; environmental sustainability; sustainable rural industries; co-operatives and rural enterprises

Recognition of accreditation

1 Association of Indian Universities (AIU)

India All institutes and programmes

2 Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)


3 State Councils of Higher Education India All institutes and programmes

4 University Grants Commission (UGC)


The above table lists a number of organisations responsible for the accreditation of various courses, institutions as well as accreditation process itself. While accreditation is an important and already established process, DM education is not accredited in India at any level. As DM has a direct impact on human lives and functioning of the social processes in the face of extreme events, accreditation of this course is as crucial as any other courses and institutions. It is also noted that accreditation of DM in higher education may facilitate standardisation in education and thus produce quality graduates to be readily recruited for DM programmes and activities. Lack of accreditation or unorganised and haphazard accreditation can prove highly detrimental for disaster management as a sector. NDMA has given directives for AICTE but it is still in its initial phase and limited to engineering and technical courses. Further the role of AICTE is suggested to be of supporting institutions rather than accreditation.

Good Practice: Emergency Management Accreditation Programme – EMAP

The Emergency Management Accreditation Programme (EMAP) offers accreditation to emergency management programmes in higher education in USA. The EMAP accreditation for higher education started with a pilot initiative with four institutions in 2010. The success of the pilot program opened up accreditation for all colleges and universities. The goal of

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assessment_and_Accreditation_Council

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assessment_and_Accreditation_Council

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Indian_Universities

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Indian_Universities

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Human_Resource_Development

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Human_Resource_Development



EMAP is to provide a meaningful, voluntary accreditation process that can be used by state, territorial, and local programmes.

On the basis of the American National Standard Institute's (ANSI) Emergency Management Standard, EMAP supports institutions in:

- Preparing to respond to crises and disasters - Identifying opportunities to mitigate risk and prevent loss - Establishing continuity of operations and recovery strategies for various crisis or

disasters.

EMAP was started by about ten national organisations including the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), National League of Cities, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Governors Association, U.S. Department of Transportation, and several others to bring a national standard for emergency management programs that demonstrate success and accountability and to help them to determine areas and issues where resources are needed.

EMAP accreditation is purely voluntary and involves a two-step process. Firstly, the institutions have to subscribe to EMAP, which gives access to an online tool that enables on-campus use for the Emergency Management Standard. The subscription also facilitates an unlimited access to webinars, video library, best practices and model plans to meet the EMAP standard and other resources. It is valid for one year and costs 450 USD. Secondly, a self assessment report compiled by the institute should be submitted to the Program Review Committee for review. EMAP then conducts an on-site assessment based on the report submitted and then based on the recommendations of the site assessment process, awards accreditation. The accreditation is valid for five years and the total cost of this process is based on annual operating budget.

EMAP defines "emergency management" in the broadest sense, meaning “it encompasses all organisations with emergency/disaster functions in a jurisdiction, rather than only one agency or department. This system includes organisations involved in prevention of, mitigation against, preparedness for, response to, and recovery from disasters or emergencies”.

LESSONS: While there are multiple organisations for accreditation of institutions and

programmes, none of these currently accredit DM-related courses and institutions. Accreditation of DM courses may further enhance the credibility and employability of

DM graduates. Accreditation will also enhance the visibility of DM courses, which can attract more students to take up these courses.

The good practice of NAAC is seen to follow seven clear criteria for assessment towards accreditation and has a highly evolved weightage based grading system. NBA similarly has a highly evolved outcome-oriented system covering a range of programmes. These can serve as models for accreditation of DM education.

The case of Emergency Management Accreditation Programme in the USA shows how a collaborative initiative can provide a viable option for accrediting DM education. A similar programme anchored at NIDM can help in initiating an accreditation regime for DM education in India. Such a programme can be linked to the various accreditation bodies studied above and can thus lead to convergence across various streams using the existing institutional frameworks.



5. APPROACH AND METHOD FOR ACCREDITATION, QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND CERTIFICATION

The approach taken for the accreditation system development is based on the following schematic representation, building from a study of existing national and international practices, drawing of lessons, developing a methodology, consultation with stakeholders and finalisation of the report.

In order to improve the quality of DM education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels a policy and strategy for accreditation need to be developed. For this purpose, various national and international undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes have been studied for their strengths and weaknesses. The mechanisms that need to be established include the following, which have been addressed under the approach for accreditation:

Standards for accreditation and certification National and state level bodies for accreditation and certification Criteria for certification Benchmarks for maintaining standards of DM education in undergraduate and

postgraduate courses Schedules for upgrading courses and review of accreditation systems and certification

modalities.

Final Report on Accreditation Process & quality management methods

Consultation with NIDM, NDMA & State institutes

Develop methodology for accreditation & quality management Accreditation

methods International Best Practices

Quality management methods Accreditation methods



5.1 Needs and Viability

The existing DM education at the undergraduate and postgraduate level is ad hoc, lacks standards and therefore has very low quantity and quality of output. The application of certain quality management tools is therefore important for standardisation of DM education. However, even standardisation alone is insufficient. It is equally important that higher education in DM is professionally recognised and students having DM degree are employed for disaster risk reduction and management.

The proposed policy for DM education will be robust and linked to the employability, promotions and incentives of the stakeholders working at various levels and in various institutes. Hence, it would be advisable to develop some accreditation tools, which would be graded to know the level of understanding developed by the students. The education would be so designed that at the end of the course, the participant is evaluated based on the overall performance. While the students are assessed, educators will also be evaluated through quality management tools to help sustain quality education standards.

5.2 The Accreditation Process

The accreditation process has a complex set of targets to be achieved, both for the process and for desired outcomes. These include methods and standards, quality management tools, benchmarks, standards for upgrading and reassessment and certification modalities, and for all of this to be achieved an overall roadmap is also required. These elements are discussed as follows.

5.2.1 Accreditation Methods and Standards

The accreditation process can be implemented in the following ways and levels, in line with the findings of the study and indications of needs:

i) Accreditation of Institutions

In this case, standards for infrastructural facilities of institutions and qualifications of the faculty form the basis for accreditation. The institutes will need to maintain standards in the form of proper teaching spaces and facilities and proper equipment for education or research. A standard can be established by identifying minimum requirements of facilities and expertise to address technical as well social issues relating to disasters. Facilities related to education particularly those relating to practical activities could also be considered to be the part of accreditation for DM education. They will also need to have policy for recruitment of faculty for DM education at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. The faculty would need to have qualifications and desirable experience in their field of specialisation.

ii) Accreditation of Courses

Undergraduate and postgraduate courses in DM education can be accredited on the basis of content and systems of communicating the content and assessing the students. The advantage of the system is that this method can be used to accredit distance learning as well as classroom courses. Due to a shift in emphasis from infrastructural facilities a number of institutions and organisations lacking adequate resources for infrastructure can be covered. However, the disadvantage of the method is that in the absence of consideration of infrastructure it would not be possible to determine if practical skills have been properly imparted as those usually require availability of good infrastructure facilities. Faculty will also be accredited in this system. The accreditation of courses can also be broadly classified into theory based and practical skill courses. Skill based courses will need greater exposure to hands-on and practical aspects under the education.



iii) Accreditation on the Basis of Outcomes of the Course

This approach will be similar to the outcome-based approach currently being promoted across many sectors internationally, and also by NBA in India. The graduate attributes would supersede all other factors. Assessment of faculty and institutions would also be primarily based on outcome criteria.

iv) Comprehensive System

According to this system of accreditation institutions, faculty and courses will all be accredited. Since DM education is at a nascent stage in the country this system would be most suitable to ensure quality of DM education. The system would cover the needs of theoretical as well as practical DM education. This would be best served through a multi-tiered approach as described below.

Accreditation of Institutions: Institutes will be accredited on the basis of their infrastructure facilities, collaborations with national or international accredited education courses, and level of performance and deliverables.

Accreditation of Faculty: Faculty would be accredited on the basis of qualifications in disaster management, the length of experience, extent of practical exposure, research output in terms of publications, and periodic upgrading of knowledge and skills through acquired mid-career qualifications.

Accreditation of Programmes: The programmes will be accredited on the basis of a balance of theoretical and practical content and the coverage and relevance of issues in the content. Thematic specialisation, local contextualisation, cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder context coverage, and skill content for ability to adapt will form part of the assessment criteria.

5.2.2 Quality Management Tools

Quality management tools need to cover the range of parameters as emerging from the range and scope of the accreditation approach developed in this study. Quality management is required for institutions, faculty, programmes, processes and individuals. This has to be done through an internal process that has to be institutionalised and covers the following processes in a cyclic manner:

Assessment Improvement Monitoring Corrective actions Reassessment

Besides the internal systems, the process of accreditation and reaccreditation, outlined in this strategy, will provide the structure for external evaluation, accreditation, review and reaccreditation.

Elements for compliance will need to be built through standards that will be developed for quality management of DM courses by the competent authorities once they are established. All institutions applying for the courses will need to comply with these standards. Suitable provisions of the standard will need to be deliberated and finalised.

5.2.3 Tools for Maintaining Standards by Institute or Organisation

It will have to be ensured that institutes or organisations maintain the standards on the basis of which they have been accredited. In order to ensure this, accreditation will be granted for a limited period. It will be renewable every three years and will be done on the basis of maintenance of standards on the basis of which accreditation was granted. The tools will include both internal and external processes:



Internal process based tools: Based on guidelines for internal self assessment, monitoring and improvements.

External process based tools: To be anchored with the accreditation bodies as part of their application, assessment, award of accreditation and reaccreditation processes.

Tools and methods for accreditation will be developed under the proposed accreditation programme, and will govern the process of assessment, accreditation and reaccreditation. These will include:

Format for application Procedures and parameters with minimum acceptance value Time frame within which the accreditation would be granted Period of validity of accreditation Legal status and acceptability of the agency responsible for accreditation

Benchmark tools and processes can be referred from the National Board of Accreditation and National Assessment and Accreditation Council discussed in this report, and used as a base for specific tools to be developed for DM education.

Accreditation criteria, parameters, policy and process as discussed in this report should be aligned to the National Board of Accreditation good practice, and will form part of the set of tools, with due detailing and adaptation carried out for the purpose of Disaster Management education.

Accreditation Criteria

The criteria that are considered by accreditation agencies during the process of accreditation of a programme are determined by the definition of quality of programmes and its relevance to the profession concerned. These criteria may include:

Institutional Mission, Vision and Programme Objectives Programme Outcome Programme Curriculum Students’ Performance Faculty Contributions Facilities and Technical Support Academic Support Units and Teaching-Learning Process Governance, Institutional Support and Financial Resources Continuous Improvement in Attainment of Outcomes

Accreditation Parameters

The parameters adopted for accreditation of programmes are based on initial capabilities, competence and skills, keeping in mind the outcomes desired by the profession concerned. These parameters are called ‘graduates attributes’ and they vary from discipline to discipline and level to level. Attributes listed below can be taken up for disaster management education.

Knowledge: Apply the knowledge of relevant specialisation to the solution of complex disaster management problems

Problem analysis: Identify, formulate, research literature and analyse complex disaster management problems reaching substantiated conclusions using first principles of disaster risk reduction and management

Conduct investigations of problems: Use research-based knowledge and research methods including design of studies, analysis and interpretation of data and synthesis of the information to provide valid conclusions



Modern tool usage: Create, select and apply appropriate techniques, resources and disaster management and IT tools including prediction and modelling to complex disaster management activities with an understanding of the limitations

Disaster management and society: Apply reasoning informed by contextual knowledge to assess societal, health, safety, legal and cultural issues and the consequent responsibilities relevant to professional disaster management practice

Environment and Sustainability: Understand the impact of disaster management solutions in societal and environmental contexts and demonstrate knowledge of the need for sustainable development

Ethics: Apply ethical principles and commit to professional ethics and responsibilities and norms of the disaster management practice

Individual and team work: Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or leader in diverse teams, as well as in multidisciplinary settings

Communication: Communicate effectively on complex disaster management activities with the disaster management community and with society at large

Project management and finance: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the disaster management principles and apply these to one’s own work, as a member and leader in a team, to manage activities and resources for projects in multidisciplinary environments

Life-long learning: Recognise the need for and have the preparation and ability to engage in independent and life-long learning in the broadest context of social and technological change and evolving disaster risks.

Accreditation Policy and Process

The accreditation process will be developed in detail based on the overall approach and strategy, and the basic principles to be followed can be along the following lines:

Institutions, programmes and faculty can be accredited.

Assessment and accreditation will be considered only at the written request of the educational institution and after agreeing to abide by the accreditation body’s manual, rules, regulations and notification issued from time to time.

The institution will have to pay accreditation fees as prescribed from time to time.

The institution will send Self-Assessment Report in the prescribed format in respect of each programme to be accredited.

The title of a programme to be accredited shall be the same as shown on the students’ certificate and transcript. All routes leading to the completion of the programme will have to satisfy the accreditation criteria.

The total credits to be earned for the award of the certificate shall be uniformly distributed in the various sessions of the programme to the extent possible.

Programmes from which at least two batches of students have graduated will be considered for accreditation. However, new programmes could be considered as a special case on merits for provisional accreditation.

Programmes will be evaluated in accordance with the accreditation criteria given for various categories of the programmes. Accreditation will be based on satisfying the minimum standards.

An onsite visit shall be a part of the assessment process for accreditation.



The accreditation process is a multi-layered one with the first tier involving application, examination and self assessment by the applicant institutions; the second tier looking at evaluation and accreditation of institutions; and the third level addressing the follow-up and re-accreditation requirements. The overall process, using NBA as a good practice, is illustrated in a schematic figure as below.

Fig.: Accreditation Process Steps in NBA as a Good Practice

5.2.4 Criteria for Awarding Certificates

Currently certificates for DM courses are issued in an ad-hoc manner, sometimes based on participation and successful completion of course, and sometimes not issued at all. This practice should be done away with and certificates should be awarded on the basis of performance of the students in the educational conditions. Performance of students can be graded on the basis of following:

i) Domain Knowledge

ii) Practical application

Iii) Cross sectoral skills

5.2.5 Benchmarks for Maintaining Standards of Undergraduate and Postgraduate DM Education

The benchmarks for DM education would be based on the following: National DM agenda and education packages Faculty qualification Assessment plan Licensing requirements Standard operating procedures Assessment instruments or tools Evidence requirements Organisational policies and workplace procedures Work health and safety legislation, codes of practice, standards and guidelines

Course outlines

The benchmarking process will be detailed through an accreditation manual to be developed and mandated by the accreditation body. Benchmarking is a process that has been highly developed by the National Board of Accreditation, as discussed earlier in this report, and can be treated as the base for developing guidelines and manuals, including standard operating procedures.



5.2.6 Standards and Schedule for Upgrading Courses and Review of Accreditation Systems and Certification Modalities

Courses will be reviewed for upgrading every three years, entailing a review and revision of the course curriculum to integrate new advances and developments in the sector. The revisions in course curriculum need to be decided by a committee of multidisciplinary professionals who would ensure that the latest developments in each discipline are incorporated in the course curriculum. The feedback from participants and requirements of stakeholders for specialised education will be taken into consideration while revising the courses.

The accreditation will also be reviewed after every three years to ensure that educational institutions maintain the standards for which they were accredited, and will be taken up as a re-accreditation process including a re-assessment. The institutions can be offered incentives to improve their standards by extending additional resource support to the institutions if the standards are maintained or improved for two successive accreditation cycles. The time period of the upgrading and re-accreditation has been kept the same so that the re-accreditation process can include the revisions in the curriculum, which should precede the re-accreditation assessment in the institutional calendars.

Certification should be based on an assessment of knowledge and skills, and should reflect the level of knowledge and skills of the students as demonstrated within educational conditions. Certification should also be linked to posting of officials in focused responsibility areas and positions.

Compliance Systems

ISO is the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards. They give state of the art specifications for products, services and good practice, helping to make industry more efficient and effective. These standards have been developed through a global consensus. ISO International Standards ensure that products and services are safe, reliable and of good quality. For business, they are strategic tools that reduce costs by minimising waste and errors and increasing productivity. Sevottam on the other hand is an Indian standard meant to bring about an improvement in public service delivery. Elements of these standards can be used for bringing about an improvement in delivery of DM in higher education. An additional aspect of ‘Excellence in Service Delivery’, postulates that an organisation can have an excellent performance in service delivery only if it is managing the key ingredients for good service delivery well, and building its own capacity to continuously improve delivery. Similarly in case of DM education excellence in delivery of courses can be achieved only when standards for good course delivery are rigorously adhered to. In order to ensure proper education, qualified faculty, adequate equipment and updated course material will be required. This can only be ensured through the multi tiered system of accreditation which will be reviewed from time to time.



5.2.7. Accreditation Model for Scope and Range

RANGE SCOPE

Institutions Faculty Programmes Process Individuals

Subsidiary course on DM

(Under- graduate education)

Colleges and universities offering undergraduate education

Faculty from different subject background can be trained for DM education. A faculty can also be appointed in each college for DM.

A course covering different aspects of DM as compulsory apart from language courses

This relates the content and delivery mechanism including theoretical and skill based inputs

Certification for performed demonstration of knowledge gained both theoretical and practical skill based within the educational conditions

Honors in DM

(Under- graduate education)

Colleges and universities offering Bachelors Degree and diploma courses in DM

Faculty accreditation to be carried out through qualification, experience, industry knowledge and publication criteria

Mainstreaming approach to be adopted. Programme linkages to be considered and accreditation of programmes to be carried out accordingly.

Practical approaches suited to subject and sector to be included

Degree of Disaster Management should be recognised across the professions that need DM knowledge and skills

Masters in DM (Post-graduate education)

Colleges and universities offering Masters Degree, PG Diplomas and Certificate courses in DM

Faculty accreditation to be carried out through qualification, experience, industry knowledge and publication criteria

Programmes to be accredited in accordance with guidelines of proposed programme

Programmes should be designed to include specific as well as integrated approach to disasters

Outcome based approach to be adopted, with facilities and processes getting appropriate weight

Master degree in DM to be awarded facilitating added credit in professions and academic jobs relating to DM

5.2.8 Roadmap for Accreditation of DM in Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education

A roadmap of DM in undergraduate and postgraduate education is outlined to develop a holistic knowledge dissemination and capacity building system. Basic features can include the following.

1. The National Programme on Disaster Management Accreditation should also be responsible for accreditation of DM education at the national level in colleges and universities.



2. Undergraduate and postgraduate education in DM should not stand separate and should be promoted to contribute towards research in DM. The two should be linked up as step by step procedure. Skill oriented education should be equally promoted as the theoretical background knowledge of DM.

3. Universities and Colleges should promote more professional DM courses. Technical and sector based courses should help students to gain both expertise and enhance their employability through internship schemes.

4. There should be a planned accreditation strategy that integrates undergraduate and post graduate education, research and resources required by the institutions for efficient DM.

5. Along with accreditation strategy, a detailed process has to be developed for the disaster management subject. It will need to address the aspects of quality assurance of institutions, research and education in the various streams aligned to disaster management. While cues can be taken from other sectors and from national systems studied in this report, disaster management poses unique challenges and the system will have to be made modular to address needs of different sectors and levels.

6. The principles of application, self assessment, criteria based assessment, and system of reassessment and reaccreditation need to remain constant for any accreditation system and level.

7. Certification needs to be based on quality criteria and need to address quality criterion based on the accreditation principles, going beyond facilities and input-based factors to include outcome-based ones as well.

8. The overall system of quality assurance through accreditation and certification in education in disaster management will also need to be mapped and aligned with the strategic framework for the development of disaster management as a sector, and the national policy along with the future directions it lays down.

5.3 Implementation of Approach

It is envisaged that the approach for quality accreditation of DM technical courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels developed under the current programme will be approved and implemented in a phased manner in coming times. The first step will need to be the establishment of the proposed national programme for accreditation. The subsequent steps will include development of a policy and manual, development/strengthening of state bodies as focal points, accreditation of institutions, courses and faculty, and finally assessment and review of the system. This process for implementation of the strategy is illustrated as below.

1.

Establishment of National Programme on Disaster Management Education

(to cover short term trainings, research and education, and technical courses at undergraduate and post graduate levels – combining the outputs of deliverables 7, 10 and 11 of the NCRMP Capacity Building Study)

2. Development of National Policy on Accreditation of DM Education at undergraduate and post graduate levels, including certification and compliance parameters

3. Development / strengthening of state level bodies for facilitation of accreditation mechanism through state focal points

4. Identification / invitation of applications from institutions for accreditation

4. Identification / invitation of applications from courses for accreditation

5. Invitation of applications from faculty and educators for accreditation

6. Assessment and review of the national accreditation system



Salient features of the implementation approach will include:

An integrated approach linking collaborative platforms at the national level Contextualised programming at the state and local levels Inclusion of hands-on components for skill based courses Communication and networking among peer groups Financial and facility incentives to improve institutional capacities and faculty strength

and quality to support the larger objective of quality enhancement.



6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS This study on undergraduate and postgraduate education in disaster management follows the reports on accreditation of short-term disaster management trainings, and of disaster management research and education. The overall recommendations from all the three reports converge and need to be seen collectively. The overall findings and recommendations of this particular component of disaster management courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels are presented below.

6.1 Findings

The study has brought forth some key characteristics of disaster management education at undergraduate and postgraduate level courses in colleges and universities in the international and national context. It also illustrates the nature and scope of disaster management accreditation in undergraduate and postgraduate education. Major findings of this study are as follow:

1. The institutions teaching disaster management at the undergraduate and postgraduate level in India are very few as compared to the need. While disaster management courses have been initiated in a number of universities in recent years, the focus is more on postgraduate degree courses than undergraduate courses even though it is the undergraduate courses that form the basic technical education for emergency management in developed countries.

2. Many of the professionals working in disaster management positions lack technical education in the subject. Officials often get posted into disaster management related departments and positions from very different backgrounds and lack required knowledge of disaster management issues. An important reason for this is that disaster management as a subject is not offered in undergraduate courses as a discipline, and is offered through very limited number of courses at postgraduate level in comparison with the need for professionals established through the SWOT Analysis and Strategic Framework for Implementation of Training earlier in this study.

3. The syllabus and content of disaster management education provided at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels lack specialisation in this field in India as compared to the international institutions. More colleges are offering disaster management as a subsidiary subject, as part of a major degree in some other subject such as geography. Where offered as a full-fledged degree course, the course content is largely theoretical and based on international sources instead of being contextualised to India.

4. While institutions such as colleges and universities are accredited for the quality of education they provide, none of them is accredited for disaster management education in particular. This leaves the decision of course content and method of training to institutional budget and capacity, rather than standards or quality control required for the subject.

5. The studied international cases of education in disaster management at undergraduate and postgraduate level carry professional recognition, which is found missing in India. This is indeed one of the important reasons for students not opting or demanding for this subject in India as noted in interviews with key stakeholders.

6. Certification exists in case of courses completely dedicated to the subject, but is found to be limited for students who pursue disaster management as a subsidiary subject.



7. There is a need to accredit different institutions offering disaster management education in order to bring standardisation and professionalism in the sector. The diversity in methods, approach and contents need to be assessed for accreditation. It should also take into consideration international standards of disaster management education, which are developed in-depth and cover diverse issues related to the subject.

8. In order to establish an elaborate system of accreditation, there is a need to overcome a number of challenges. These include multi-sectoral nature of the subject, pre-existing systems of accreditation of institutions, legislation based complexities, accountability issues, capacities and budget.

The overall observation is that while there have been developments in the establishment of postgraduate programmes in disaster management in India in recent years, there is negligible progress at the undergraduate level. At both levels there are significant challenges and gaps in terms of available faculty, contextualised curriculum, adequate linkage between theoretical and practical elements of courses, appropriate facilities at the institutions imparting education, and an overall system of quality assurance. At the same time, opportunities exist in terms of existing accreditations regimes for other streams that are highly evolved and can be used for reference, and the wide network of accreditation bodies that can be tapped into for creating a crosscutting system for accreditation of disaster management education.

6.2 Recommendations

On the basis of findings drawn from various sections, recommendations have been made for accreditation of DM education, which are discussed below. These are closely aligned and may be read with the recommendations emerging from Deliverables 7 and 10, dealing with accreditation of short-term trainings, and quality management of research and education. 1. A National Programme on Disaster Management Accreditation, anchored at NIDM,

emerges as the most viable option for establishing an accreditation regime for disaster management training, research and education in India. This was arrived at through a consultative analysis process involving NDMA, MHA, NIDM, various academic organisations and experts. A number of options emerging from Deliverables 7, 10 and 11 were studied, detailed deliberations held at a National Workshop on the theme at NIDM, and the option of a national programme was arrived at.

2. The national programme will be based on established benchmarks of NBA and NAAC, but will bring together representation from existing accreditation bodies of various multi-disciplinary fields to serve the cross-sectoral needs of the disaster management field.

3. Once the national programme is established and fully functional, further needs can be assessed and options such as upgrading of the programme to an independent council considered.

4. To ensure the quality of technical education that helps make the practice of disaster management more effective, the programme should also ensure a quality management mechanism on the fieldwork and applied education in the sector.

5. In accreditation of undergraduate and postgraduate educational programmes in disaster management, a multi-tiered approach looking at institutions, faculty and programmes needs to be adopted. The accreditation process should consider the course content, teaching facilities, qualifications of faculty as well as students’ performance for accreditation. Linking with other dimensions of quality management studied under this



project, quality of research should also form part of the assessment for accreditation. A criteria based approach as detailed in this study should form the basis of the assessment and accreditation system.

6. The programme should adopt an organised approach to establish disaster management education as a full-fledged discipline in undergraduate and postgraduate education. While education relating to disaster management is relevant to all fields, given the diverse dimensions of disaster management a phased approach may help to cover all areas efficiently.

7. The accreditation of education for disaster management can also be planned at different levels. These may include at the national level - highly specialised national centres of excellence, universities and institutions imparting education and awarding degrees on disaster management, and at the state and district level - State Universities, colleges and institutions that provide or can provide education on disaster management at different levels.

8. All job positions related to disaster management should have mandatory education requirement at the undergraduate and postgraduate level, to be built into the system gradually as the cadre of such educated personnel grows. This would not only enhance the efficiency during disasters, but also generate an interest in people for taking up disaster management education, and as a result spur educational institutions to offer more courses in the subject.

9. One of the criteria for granting accreditation should be that the institute conducting the educational courses should have a training and placement cell that would facilitate on-campus placement of students graduating in these courses. Better possibilities of gaining employment on graduation would help to improve the demand for these courses. Entities recruiting students from the campuses would include Government, private and civil society organisations.

10. An individual should not be posted in an area vulnerable to disasters if he has not undertaken education and training on disaster management relevant to this posting. As the discipline grows, the importance of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees should grow and become more rewarding than short-term trainings for the purpose of employment, professional growth and incentives.

For the purpose of a comprehensive view of quality management and accreditation in training, research, education and technical courses, a consolidated approach needs to be taken. The outcomes of Deliverables 7, 10, 11 and 13 of the National Capacity Building Study thus needs to be seen together. For the consolidated purpose of the different levels of capacity building measures, it is envisaged that the National Programme on Disaster Management Accreditation will play a focal role.

Documents

Suggestions for Accreditation Process and its Policy for ... › pdf › ncrmp › Deliverable 11.pdf · Suggestions for Accreditation Process and its Policy for DM Technical Courses