Student-led survey reveals gaps in disaster readiness while promoting active learning

Michelle Ritchie

Michelle Ritchie is demystifying the research process for undergraduate students, and shaping campus preparedness along the way.

An assistant professor and undergraduate program coordinator at the Institute for Disaster Management, Ritchie is no stranger to research. It was her passion for the process that inspired her to bring undergraduate students into the fold.

The resulting study, co-authored by Ritchie and her students, explores preparedness levels and perceptions of safety of campus, and proposes risk mitigation strategies.

Breaking down research barriers

In Spring 2023, Ritchie decided to incorporate a research project into the coursework of DMAN 3200: Disaster Policy.

“Introducing research in a class setting helps break down the scary barrier of, ‘What are the first steps in research?’” said Ritchie.

In collaboration with her students, Ritchie guided the class in selecting a research focus. The group chose to assess the disaster preparedness level of the UGA community.

Institutes of higher education face unique risks due to dense populations and infrastructure, so the class aimed to identify preparedness gaps that could affect the entire campus. Students worked together to form a questionnaire, which covered topics ranging from emergency alerts to perceptions of campus hazards and personal safety.

A peer-to-peer approach

Phoebe Milledge

Phoebe Milledge, a co-author on the study, first connected with Ritchie through the Disaster Management minor. A master’s of public administration student at the time of the research, Milledge assisted with the initial development of survey questions.

“Encouraging the class to lead not only gave them great exposure to what this world of research and disaster management looks like, but it also connects them back to their community that they’re living in,” said Milledge.

DMAN 3200 students took to UGA’s campus, sharing the questionnaire with their peers. They received a total of 470 responses.

“Having those students be the ones going out and administering the survey makes the topics more approachable, more peer-to-peer,” said Ritchie.

Uncovering gaps in preparedness

The survey results revealed that approximately 57% of participants reported subscribing to the UGAlert system, 25% stated they were not enrolled and 18% were unsure of their enrollment status. Additionally, a majority (64%) of respondents reported not encountering safety protocols in course syllabi. These findings reveal a gap in disaster preparedness levels, specifically for UGA underclassmen.

“A high number of students did not have awareness of the resources around them and/or how to access them,” said Milledge. “Even though disaster mitigation is included in most classroom syllabi, it still becomes an afterthought instead of something integrated into daily instruction.”

The students used the results from the survey to form hazard mitigation strategies, which they then shared with campus stakeholders. Representatives from the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness, the UGA Police Department and the Institute for Disaster Management attended a summit to evaluate the feasibility of implementing these ideas.

“I wanted students to have more of a personal buy-in and realize what they’re doing can actually change the course of what happens on campus,” said Ritchie.

The study outlines seven recommendations to improve disaster reduction and preparedness at UGA. Among those suggestions were increasing enrollment in the UGAlert system, expanding safety protocol integration and offering more accessible emergency training.

The lasting impact of student-led research

By assessing how prepared students feel and involving them in the research process, the study underscores the role of active learning in reducing disaster risks on college campuses.

“I think that providing students with the experience of creating this survey will set them up to continue having that attention to detail and forethought in their future projects,” said Milledge. “I hope this research shows our instructors and service providers that there’s untapped potential in including your students in your research the way that Dr. Ritchie did.”

The study acknowledges the difficulty of promoting preparedness on institute of higher education campuses, but researchers hope their work is a step toward sparking an awareness of campus hazards.

In making undergraduates part of the process, Ritchie hopes to foster a culture of preparedness that will last far beyond the classroom.

By Erin Mumper

This article was originally published on the Institute for Disaster Management’s website.