Unit Outline

This unit examines the process of decision making in emergency management. You will analyse the elements that contribute to decision making in dynamic, complex, and uncertain environments as experienced in emergency management. The unit will address the processes, structures, and approaches of decision making, including the concepts of situational awareness and common operating picture in the context of emergency management. This unit is an advanced (level 3) emergency management unit where you will be presented with a range of examples which you can reflect upon, in order to analyse the decision making process in emergency management.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Apply your knowledge of theoretical decision making concepts to your learning.
2.	Analyse the principles that underpin the decision making process in emergency management.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	For UTAS students seeking to enrol in this unit as an elective completion of 200 credit points.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

This unit has been reviewed and updated. This includes clarifications in the text, and the addition of additional examples and multimedia.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Written case study on the decision-making process in emergency management	Week 8	30 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 2:	Online quiz on the underpinning principles of decision- making in emergency management	Week 11	20 %	LO1
Assessment Task 3:	Written case study on situational awareness in the context of decision-making in emergency management	Week 13	50 %	LO1, LO2

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Written case study on the decision-making process in emergency management

Task Description:

This assessment task will specifically focus on the decision- making process in emergency management.
You are expected to submit a written case study on the decision- making process in emergency management.

You will identify an incident or disaster and examine the decision making process that was involved for a specific decision. The case study could be in the preparedness, response or recovery phase and can be from the perspective of anyone involved, e.g. the first responders on scene, a community impacted, a business affected, a school involved, etc.

You can focus on a single decision or multiple decisions, e.g. the decision to evacuate a community, the decision by a family to evacuate their home, a decision to respond to a certain situation, etc.
You are required to explain why you chose this specific case and explore how those involved made the specific decision. You need to align your analysis with concepts that you have already learnt in this unit and support this with evidence from the literature.

Task Length:

1500 words, excluding reference list.

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate and apply knowledge of the underlying principles of the decision- making process in the context of your chosen emergency management case	LO1
2	Critically analyse the process of decision- making in emergency management in the context of your chosen case study.	LO1, LO2
3	Effectively communicate the chosen case study and ensure that the discussion is supported by the emergency management and decision-making literature.	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 2: Online quiz on the underpinning principles of decision- making in emergency management

Task Description:

Students are to answer 30 multiple-choice questions relating to material from Weeks 2-11. This is an open book quiz, meaning you can refer to any material. The formative task is to be completed individually and is designed to help you assess your own progress in the unit, and your understanding of key concepts.

You have a strict time limit of 30 minutes to complete the quiz, and you will only have one attempt. Once you open the quiz you must complete it. The quiz will be available on MyLO via the quizzes tab at the top of the screen.

Task Length:

30 multiple choice questions in 30 minutes. Once you have completed the test, you will not be able to change your answers or resubmit the test

Due Date:

Week 11 (11/Oct/2024)

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles that underpin decision- making in emergency management	LO1

Assessment Task 3: Written case study on situational awareness in the context of decision-making in emergency management

Task Description:

This assessment task will specifically focus on situational awareness in the context of decision-making in emergency management.

This assessment task requires you to choose an incident or disaster and unpack the situational awareness of those involved. The case study could be in the preparedness, response or recovery phase and can be from the perspective of anyone involved, e.g. the first responders on scene, a community impacted, a business affected, a school involved, etc.

You are required to explain why you chose this specific case and explore how those involved gained and maintained their situational awareness. You need to align your analysis with concepts that you have already learnt in this unit and support this with evidence from the literature.

Task Length:

2,000 words, excluding reference list

Due Date:

Week 13 (25/Oct/2024)

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate and apply knowledge of the underlying principles of the decision-making process in the context of your chosen emergency management case scenario.	LO1
2	Critically analyse the process of decision-making in emergency management in the context of your chosen scenario.	LO1
3	Effectively communicate the chosen case study and ensure that the analysis is supported by the emergency management and decision-making literature.	LO1, LO2

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.