Article
Incident and Disaster Management Training: An Update on Using Virtual World Scenarios for Emergency Management Training
International Journal of Cyber Warfare and Terrorism
(2013)
Abstract
During the last five years, the maturation of incident and disaster management training has evolved substantially with widespread evidence that ICT positively impacts disaster outcomes. Virtual world (VW) technology with the use of avatars appears commonplace and widely accepted as either a stand-alone or a complementary learning strategy. However, the primary goals of emergency preparedness training (EPT), increased collaboration, leadership, and decision-making skills, have not been altered. This retrospective article briefly reviews the evolution in ICT learning theories and applies them to a virtual world simulation developed in Second Life™ for MHA graduate students completing an Emergency Management course. After five years of implementing the VW training, student results continue to show increased comfortability with the use of virtual worlds as a training platform, positive knowledge attainment, and marked improvement of emergency management skills. Additional research is recommended, but findings suggest that ICT appropriate learning theories (constructivism, situativity, visualization, and interactivity) still remain the most integral components for a successful virtual world training simulation.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2013
DOI
10.4018/ijcwt.2013040101
Citation Information
Anne Hewitt, Danielle Mirliss and Riad Twal. "Incident and Disaster Management Training: An Update on Using Virtual World Scenarios for Emergency Management Training" International Journal of Cyber Warfare and Terrorism (2013) ISSN: 1947-3435 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/anne-hewitt/13/