The COVID-19 pandemic, which is a biological disaster, is defining global health crisis of our time and the greatest challenge for the world since World War II. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, education sector has changed dramatically, with the distinctive rise of e-learning whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. Due to the complexities involved in and due to peculiar nature of disaster situations, even before COVID-19, there were consensus among researchers that lifelong learning is an appropriate way of ensuring continuous education to the various stakeholders of disaster management.
To support lifelong learning, a number of online, distance learning opportunities emerged in the field of DRR in the recent past. As such, many countries have launched remote DRR education activities, however, these opportunities possess many challenges. To tackle these challenges, our proposal entitled INCLUDE (INCLUsive Disaster Education) aims to reimagine online distance learning education so that it better supports the diverse DRR community. INCLUDE will develop a University-Industry digital learning platform to provide high quality inclusive digital education in DRR.
The project aims to reimagine online distance learning education so that it better supports the diverse DRR community and the following objectives have been set out.
• To understand online, distance learning strategies currently used in DRR education and their effectiveness, by taking into consideration in promoting gender equality and sensitivity and also in addressing differences in relation to the access and use by underrepresented groups;
• To develop a framework to reimagine online distance learning education so that it better supports the diverse DRR community, also in addressing both natural and biological hazards and their integration;
• To design an innovative University-Industry digital learning platform to provide high quality inclusive digital education to DRR community;
• To explore the opportunities of the use of disruptive technologies in online distance learning education in DRR;
• To propose a digital competence framework for educators in building capacity to implement online and distance teaching and learning in DRR.
Project coordinator: The University of Huddersfield (HUD), UK.
Project partners: University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), UK; Lund University, Sweden; Vilnius Gediminas technical university (VILNIUS TECH), Lithuania; Keio University, Japan.
INCLUDE VILNIUS TECH coordinator prof. habil. dr. Arturas Kaklauskas.
More information about the project can be found here.
