Credit: Storm surge damage to Texas coast after Hurricane Ike, NOAA (Public Domain).
GEOSC 402: Natural Disasters, is offered during the prime time for tropical storms and hurricanes to occur. Often during this course, the instructor will send out current, relevant news articles. In addition, if a natural disaster is imminent, the instructor will post an advance message to help students focus on information that will be discussed in class following the event.
Here is an example of an announcement sent to the class by instructor Dr. K. Furlong (used with permission):
“Folks - … I encourage you to follow the consequences of Hurricane Dorian. Please pay attention not only to the damage done (or avoided), but also to the preparations being done in advance of the storm. Also follow the ways in which society, government and other groups react to the storm.
It appears that [this] could be a major event for regions of Florida and the southern Atlantic coast, so pay attention to the entire region. After the event passes, we can have a discussion of what happened, how well [people were] prepared, and what lessons [we should] remember for the next time.”
In other hazards classes, such as Earth 101, Dr. Furlong will have students watch events such as wildfires in Australia, a volcano in the Philippines, or the outcomes of earthquake activity in Puerto Rico.
Considerations
This example could be applied to an online or resident instruction course.