Abstract
The professionalization of emergency management continues to advance with the introduction of The Code of Ethics and Professional Standards of Conduct for Emergency Management Professionals. This article examines how teaching cases can help students and practitioners integrate and apply these standards in practice. An integrated review was conducted to identify gaps in the pedagogical elements for teaching The Code, specifically in relation to course design, instruction, and evaluation (including learning objectives, taxonomies, modalities, and assessments). The review identified limited scholarship addressing course design gaps and found disciplinary silos that may restrict students’ problem-solving perspectives. The authors contend that teaching case protocols promotes “perspective widening” and reduces cognitive bias in emergency management decision-making.
Authors
Andrea Adams
Andrea Adams, Ph.D., J.D., M.B.A., is an Associate Professor at UDC and the Program Coordinator for Crime, Justice, and Security Studies. Andrea’s teaching centers on Ethics in the Administration of Justice and Homeland Security programs. Her research focuses on ethics in emergency management, gender-based violence, and data privacy. Key publications include work on social media in disaster response and "The Ethics of Access and Equity in Emergency Management" (FEMA module). She serves as Co-Chair of the FEMA Ethics Special Interest Group and co-leads the Red Dot Foundation Global, an NGO combating gender-based violence.
Shirley Feldmann-Jensen
Shirley Feldmann-Jensen has policy expertise at the intersection of disaster risk management and human outcomes; recent scholarly focus is on foundations that advance professionalization of the emergency management workforce. Shirley’s Doctoral degree was earned in Policy, Planning and Development at the University of Southern California, Sol Price School of Public Policy. She is both Program Coordinator and Lecturer for the Master of Science Program, Emergency Services Administration, at California State University Long Beach. Shirley was the 2019 recipient of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Emergency Management National Award.
Sandy Maxwell Smith
Sandy Maxwell Smith, R.N, PhD, after serving as the department head of emergency management for 10 years, retired as a Professor of Emergency Management from Arkansas Tech University in 2023. She remains passionate about ethics education in emergency management and homeland security, as well as healthcare. Sandy continues to promote ethical enculturation as a means for creating a kinder world where all humans are valued.
