Add as a preferred source on Google

Purdue University Develops Online Course on Disaster Recovery

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/06/21

Purdue Online has recently launched a Disaster Recovery Certificate course for construction professionals. The course was developed as a means to educate workers in the construction industry on the nuances between disaster recovery work and normal construction practices. According to a news release, some of the major differences include working against a ticking clock, dealing with unusual and unexpected conditions, and performing to a particular standard of timeliness and perfection in an emergency setting.

The course was developed by Randy Rapp, an associate professor with Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s School of Construction Management Technology and a disaster recovery expert who responded to Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. “I had the background in construction, but I was missing the nuances that make disaster recovery different,” said Rapp of his inspiration for creating the program.

 The course’s target audience includes conventional construction professionals, disaster management professionals, government personnel involved in disaster recovery, and those interested in project management. The curriculum introduces the process for dealing with a large regional disaster, noting that professionals can easily adapt the principles to smaller disasters as needed. It teaches professionals the right technical questions to ask and how to employ contractors with the appropriate skills.

Its four modules discuss the specifics of dealing with water damage, smoke and fire damage, personal property damage, and microbial damage. Other topics covered include the various impacts of disasters; communication and documentation standards; and the basics of bids, delivery methods, contracts, and proposals, logistics, and material management and procurement.

The fully online course is self-paced but takes about 20 hours to complete (about 5 hours per module). Rapp noted that professionals can make their way through the material within a week to prepare for a disaster recovery job. The course costs $295, and upon completion, students earn a Purdue Disaster Recovery Certificate.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Recent University of Pennsylvania Projects Receive LEED Certifications

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently announced that three of its recent construction projects have earned LEED certifications, according to university news. The Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology (VLEST) received a LEED Platinum certification, Amy Gutmann Hall a LEED Gold, and the OTT Center for Track and Field a LEED silver.

  • DLR Group Appoints New K–12 Education Practice Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has named its new global K–12 Education leader, Senior Principal Carmen Wyckoff, AIA, LEED AP, according to a news release. Her teams have members in all 36 of the firm’s offices in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Europe, and Asia.

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

  • Construction Begins on East Austin CTE-Focused High School

    The Del Valle Independent School District recently announced that construction has begun on a new CTE-focused high school in Austin, Texas, according to a news release. Del Valle High School will measure in at 473,338 square feet and have the capacity for 2,400 students.

Digital Edition