What is Reusability

Emergency managers, firefighters, and homeland security professionals are a valuable resource at the local, state, and federal levels. Conducting live training and exercises is a high-cost endeavor, more so when the exercise is a “full-scale” exercise as identified in the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) manual. In an online program, the cost of creating highly interactive simulations can be cost-prohibitive; however, simulations that are designed to challenge students and provide a quality learning environment are possible using a systems approach from planning to evaluation. Simulations creation is not difficult; however, it requires a team of experts to create a learning experience that is productive from the first course to the final course in a degree program. This chapter will provide material on one way to accomplish this. How others choose to create their program is based upon their degree needs, budget, and expert knowledge.