NOAA - Needs Assessment for Training in Climate and Hazard Adaption

OMB control number 0690-0030

Expiration date 04/30/2014

APPENDIX A. INTERVIEW GUIDE

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other suggestions for reducing this burden to Sacheen Tavares, NOAA Coastal Services Center, 2234 South Hobson Ave., Charleston, SC, 29405. Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subjected to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. 

The intention of the semi-structured interviews will be to engage in a conversation with each interviewee (in contrast to information collection using a survey instrument). Interviews are designed to be completed in no more than 30 minutes by drawing on the list of questions below as appropriate to the particular interviewee’s area of involvement or interest in coastal climate and hazards adaptation.

Questions to guide the conversation are grouped here in the following categories:

• Involvement of interviewee’s agency or organization in climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation.

• Perception of need for training and topics to be addressed.

• Awareness of/involvement in existing training opportunities.

• Characteristics of good training.

• Potential barriers to participating in training.

• Other (open-ended).

1. Current agency or organization involved in issues or responsibilities related to climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation.

Before we can assess the need for training as a necessary part of a creative response to climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation, we will quickly confirm whether these issues are a priority for the agency or organization. We will also try to get a general assessment of how high these concerns rise on the priority list of issues.

Suggested questions to guide the interview:

1. Is your organization currently involved in activities related to climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation, including pre-disaster redevelopment planning?

If prompting is needed, we will use the following “level of effort” options to solicit more specifics:

• We do not perceive a need for any such activities.

• We are aware of the need for planning and implementation activities but have not launched any such efforts.

• We have begun efforts at the level of studies and special “plans” but have not incorporated these issues into our core planning and implementation efforts.

• We have incorporated these issues into our core planning processes.

• We incorporated these issues into our implementation efforts.

• We believe we could be a model to others in addressing planning and implementation efforts in some or all of these issues.

2. Do you coordinate with other agencies/organizations in these efforts?

3. Relative to other planning and implementation efforts for your organization, would you say that climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation is a low, medium, or high priority?

4. Is that priority assessment rising, staying the same, or falling in your perception?

2. Perception of the need for some training, from someone, and topics to be addressed.

After ascertaining that the issue itself is a concern/responsibility of the agency or organization, we’ll want to determine if training is perceived as a need (among other needs) for responding to issues of climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation.

1. Given the current state of involvement that your organization has in climate and hazards assessment, do you see a need for training to move your efforts forward?

2. In which areas would training make the most meaningful impact? (If prompting is needed, the interviewer could suggest options based on the same “level of effort” bullet points for Question 1 (repeated below with annotations on what may be suggested by a particular option).

• We do not perceive a need for any such activities.

Suggests training needs related to raising awareness/general education.

• We are aware of the need for planning and implementation activities but have not launched any such efforts.

Suggests training needs related to “getting started” actions and understanding potential costs of inaction.

• We have begun efforts at the level of studies and special “plans” but have not incorporated these issues into our core planning and implementation efforts.

Suggests training needs related to how to assess existing plans, procedures, and processes (e.g., permitting, emergency response procedures, capital cost budgeting and accounting, zoning, building codes, insurance policies, special area management, ports and harbors management, public and private utility management plans) for opportunities to incorporate appropriate actions.

• We have incorporated some of these issues into our core planning and implementation processes.

Suggests training needs related to review and evaluation of existing decisions, and expansion into areas not yet addressed to ensure a comprehensive response. Also tag for possible case study to incorporate into training curriculums aimed at others not as far along.

• We incorporated these issues into some of our implementation efforts.

Suggests training needs related to review and evaluation, and expansion into areas not yet addressed to ensure a comprehensive response. Also tag for possible case study to incorporate into training curriculums.

• We believe we could be a model to others in addressing planning and implementation efforts in some or all of these issues.

3. Awareness of, or involvement in, existing training opportunities.

Assuming a positive response to the questions in (1) and (2), we’ll want to know if those being interviewed have already launched down the road of filling their training need. If they have not, but expect to, we’ll want to know where they plan to turn for training options, and/or for advice about where to find the desired training.

1. Has your organization already received training in issues, methods, or tools related to climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation, including pre-disaster redevelopment planning?

2. If yes, can you provide some details about this training (e.g., source, topics covered, length, cost, content, targeted audience, quality, steps taken post training).

3. If your organization has not yet engaged in any training related to these issues, do you have any current plans to do so? If so, how urgent is the need for training (please rate) and on what topics?

4. If you do not have any current plans, but are interested in training, where would you normally turn for information about existing training and/or advice about next steps in finding good training on climate and hazards adaptation implementation?

4. Characteristics of good training options re: climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation.

These questions will relate to issues of delivery methods, content, cost, location, reputation, learning goals, learning outcomes, and availability of technical assistance after the training. Regarding content, we will ask open-ended questions, but be prepared to use a list of optional training course titles as a prompt, if needed.

1. What’s most important to you in deciding on whether to invest resources in training? Some prompts can include:

• Appropriate staff/managers say they need it.

• Requests from elected officials/senior executives require a response.

• Learning about what others have done raises awareness of our own need.

2. What are the two or three most important factors for you in deciding which training to choose? Prompts can include:

• Cost.

• Length of time involved.

• Expected outcomes beyond knowledge/awareness/skills.

• Location.

• Reputation of trainer.

• References from respected people in my network.

• Assessment of course description matched with my need.

• Delivery method (online, classroom, workshop, combination).

• Available assistance beyond training (consulting, GIS tools, etc.)

• In-person networking.

3. What specific content areas would you like to see in climate and hazards adaptation implementation training? Some possible course titles to use as prompts for specific content needs:

• Assessing your climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation efforts.

• Methods for identifying and prioritizing adaptation strategies.

• Methods for incorporating climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation into existing plans and procedures.

• Planning now for post-disaster redevelopment: Why you need it. How to do it.

• Financial issues related to climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation: Estimating the costs of action – and inaction.

• How to talk about climate change. Guiding a difficult conversation.

• Digital tools for climate and hazards adaptation planning and implementation.

• Description of case studies: what others have done in the area of climate and hazards adaptation implementation.

This group of questions can also be used to assess the possibility that training needs may relate to more generic skill areas appropriate to other planning issues, such as stakeholder involvement, meeting facilitation, program and project planning, program evaluation, various GIS and IT concerns, accessing data and information, and using planning tools such as permitting, zoning, land purchases, reforms in capital cost budgeting and accounting, constitutional legal issues, sources of funding, good coastal management planning essentials, etc.

5. Barriers to requesting and/or participating in training, even if desired.

These questions are the flip side of those in (4). That is, based on answers related to issues of content, cost, location (etc.) that are expressed positively, we will want to confirm how important it would be if these positive qualities cannot be met. We would be searching for quick identification of “deal breakers.” Also, are there particular types of support that your organization needs to move forward (e.g., funding, political, staffing)?

6. Anything else?

An opportunity for interviewees to share any other thoughts or ideas.

7. Is there anyone you recommend we speak with for input to this study?