Abdul-Akeem Sadiq, School of Public and Environment Affairs
Principal Investigator: Abdul-Akeem Sadiq, Assistant Professor, School of Public and Environment Affairs
Project Title: Online Courses in Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security/EM
Funding Level: $15,000
Abstract:
Since the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina in August 29th, 2005, there has been an increasing recognition of the need to educate the actors who must work together to plan for and manage both natural and an-made crises. In response to this growing need for education in homeland security and emergency management, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI developed a five-course Certificate in Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) in 2010. Face-to-face versions of the certificate are now being offered. Despite the early success of the program, there is a need for distance learning options for learners outside Central Indiana or working professionals whose work schedules prevent them from physically attending campus-based classes. This is especially the case for individuals who are already working in this field, where work demands do not always follow a traditional daytime, weekday oriented schedule. Therefore, consistent with the IU Online program’s goals, we wish to develop a fully online version of the HSEM certificate by converting four existing face-to-face courses to an online format. Each course to be converted has been offered face-to-face at least once by the instructors converting them. Following conversion, each course would be offered online sometime in the next academic year. By providing a fully online certificate, we hope to expand access to this certificate to students, especially those with work schedules incompatible with evening courses and students outside Central Indiana. Finally, by teaching online courses, the instructors would develop online teaching skills that would enhance their chances of securing external teaching and curriculum development grants in the future.