SEMINAR

In this presentation, students will first participate in an interactive session to become familiar with the process for designing and evaluating both discussion and operations-based exercises. Discussion begins with an analysis of learning objectives and the tasks to be evaluated. Using the results of the analysis, participants will identify the various core capabilities needed by personnel to respond effectively to an incident. Students will review excerpts from actual emergency operations plans and determine the type of training needed to perform according to those plans. Exercise objectives will be developed to create an exercise scenario. Students will then write exercise evaluation guides.

Students will then design a discussion- or operations-based exercise. Working in groups as exercise planning teams, participants will develop situation manuals or exercise plans that include targeted core capabilities and exercise objectives as well as the scenario for their exercise.

Finally, students will learn the process for translating exercise evaluation content into an after-action review document that includes an improvement plan matrix which will serve as the basis for revising plans, policies and procedures as well as for developing future training and exercise efforts.