OMEGA GROUP (OUTDOOR/METROPOLITAN EMERGENCY & GEOHAZARD ACTION GROUP)

The OMEGA Group (Outdoor/Metropolitan Emergency & Geohazard Action Group) is an integrated learning experience designed to increase campus preparedness in the event of a natural disaster by developing students as self-reliant members of the campus in the event of a disaster. Three courses are taught using an integrated approach based on course content and the relevance of the course content to the theme of natural disasters: MET 110 Our Violent Atmosphere, GEOL 100 General Geology, and SES 233 Advanced First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Students completing the course can: 1.) Evaluate the safety of geographic locations in the context of natural disasters based on an understanding of bedrock, the surrounding topography, and climate. 2.) Assess people in need of medical assistance using the Patient Assessment System and formulate a treatment plan to provide appropriate aid in the context of a community emergency. Assessment of these goals is conducted through three types of class projects that require an interdisciplinary perspective to solve: 1.) Projects that link the courses to one another in terms of specific topics covered in the classes, 2.) Projects that link the students to the community by applying concepts covered in one or more of the classes to a community problem or situation, and 3.) Projects that focus on the student and their personal relationship with the content of the classes.