HLSCC hosts first disaster management online programme in the region
By Department of Disaster Management, BVI
Tue, 2 Oct 2007, 11:38
Tortola, October 2nd, 2007 (DDM) – On 27th August 2007, the Hamilton Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC), in collaboration with the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), launched its Associate of Science Degree in Disaster Management online programme. This is the only course offered in this format by HLSCC and the only one of its kind available in the region.
The first course, Introduction to Disaster Management, has an enrollment number of 18 with local and regional students from Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos. International students enrolled in this course were awarded scholarships to cover the cost of books, tuition and college fees. These scholarships were made possible through funding received from the Department of International Development (DFID), through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) as part of a capacity building initiative process for persons within the Caribbean region in the discipline of Disaster Management.
The online program was designed to target regional students and offers flexibility, which is essential to Disaster Management professionals. A dynamic, multidimensional distance edification program, it incorporates the use of a learner-centric approach designed to accommodate different learning styles.
One of the strengths of the program is in the faculty. It boasts experts from throughout the region in the fields of Health, Engineering, Planning and Disaster Management. On June 30th 2007, HLSCC provided training for six instructors in the programme that is now being used to administer the online application of the course.
Dr. Karl Dawson, vice president of HLSCC, commented that the college welcomed the challenge to make this online course available through the use of the Blackboard online distance-learning platform. “Our continuous collaboration with Department of Disaster Management and regional agencies was once again central to the initiation and anticipated success of this bold venture. We are striving to ensure that our online students receive the same quality of educational experience as students on our campus”. Dr. Dawson has committed to ensure that there is technical support from the College to facilitate students’ success.
In addition to the Associate’s degree, HLSCC offers a Certificate of Achievement in Disaster Management comprised of core courses focusing on Disaster Planning, Emergency Care & Treatment (ECAT), Hazardous Materials & Community Preparedness. This programme began in 2001 and to date an estimated twenty students have already graduated. HLSCC signed an articulation agreement with Arkansas Tech University that allows students to transfer to Tech’s Bachelor’s Degree programme in Emergency Administration and Management. One student has already graduated from this university. Two others are currently completing it online.
For more information about the Bachelor, Associates or Certificate programs in Disaster Management, contact Ms. Tania Smith at HLSCC at 494-4994.
Department of Disaster Management
#3 Wailing Road MacNamara
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Ph. 284-494-4499 Fax: 284-494-2024
E-Mail: bviddm@surfbv.com