As instructional designer for several FEMA-contracted online and classroom-based courses for members of state Task Forces, I worked with subject-matter experts in search and rescue topics to develop online modules and face-to-face training modules in specialized topics. In the online module shown below, we present didactic information and hands-on applications for the use of GPS receivers in search operations, prompting students to follow along with one of the FEMA-issued GPS receivers their Task Force has on hand.

Note: Due to the recording method for this demonstration, dialogue boxes appear only quickly within the video. In the live version of the course, all responses to questions or other prompts trigger dialogue boxes displaying feedback to the student.)

In the module below, students learn about the symbology used in the maps they will use in search and rescue operations, as well as the software they use to collate and interpret search data. I'm particularly proud of how assertively I was able to simplify the complex system of symbols in the first half of the module, presenting them in a logical sequence while building in interactions to keep students on their toes.