Crisis Management in Action: A Collaborative Learning Experience at Immaculata University

Immaculata University students gained valuable experience in crisis management during a joint crossover class focusing on crisis leadership, led by George Schwartz ’17 Ed.D., and crisis communications, led by Melissa Rice ’09, Ph.D. During this crossover class, students were first presented with a fictitious company and crisis and placed into groups. Each group then generated an incident response, providing details and informing the public of the company’s next steps. The students had 10 minutes to draft a response before they presented their findings to the class. Afterward, the class and instructors provided feedback on the quality of their communication plans.

This opportunity provided students with a chance to experience what a real crisis situation could look like. When crises occur, individuals and companies only have a brief period of time to respond to the public. Solid leadership allows time to plan for strategies moving forward.

This crossover allowed for students from different majors to work together to outline a response. According to Kylie McGowan ’26, an emergency planning and management major, “In this experience, we had students from (I believe) three different majors working to craft an effective communication plan in the group I was a part of. It made our tone more varied, and I believe yielded a stronger outcome!”

Daniel O’Rourke ’26, a dual major in communication and English in the professional writing track, expressed similar sentiments stating, “I found that when working with others, they saw the same situation in a different light and provided their thoughts on different aspects of the situation that I never even considered. We learn more from each other than any textbook or video could ever teach.”

Students also learned about the importance of crafting messages that inform the public of a situation while attempting to assuage any fears they possess. According to O’Rourke, during crisis situations, there is often fear and uncertainty. However, by leaning on effective leadership and forming messages that address these fears, professionals can build trust with the public and know exactly how to handle emergency situations.

This exercise provided an excellent lesson on how teamwork can be utilized in a job setting and how multiple viewpoints and perspectives can contribute to developing a successful crisis response. According to an article from FocusPoint, a critical event management company, simulations such as this are beneficial because they offer “practical, hands-on experience in dealing with a wide range of potential crises, from natural disasters to cyber-attacks.” Crisis simulations offer the benefit of improving one’s preparedness, boosting confidence, enhancing communication, and strengthening decision-making abilities, which is why they are so often utilized.

“It is not the real thing, but the closest we can get in a learning experience, and I feel we all really benefited from it,” stated McGowan. Because their first crossover class was so successful, Rice and Schwartz plan to host the crossover each semester they offer their crisis-focused courses.

Learn more about Immaculata’s emergency planning and management major and communication major.