Mini Risk Analysis-The First Step in Learning About Risk and Vulnerability Analysis

Students attending university courses on Risk and Vulnerability Analysis (RAV) often come from different backgrounds, and many lack understanding of both qualitative and quantitative risk analysis. A Mini Risk Analysis (MRA) is an easy method which can be used to overcome the first learning barrier to risk topics.
Using MRA can enhance active learning pedagogy. In our examples we use playfulness and creativity as ways to learn about risk analysis. MRA could serve as a risk assessment in a more limited field or as a starting point to indicate where to drill deeper in more complex situations. The students choose one activity and then divide this into separate tasks. This method concretizes the actual situation. Conducting MRA will help students to more easily understand the process of conducting risk analyses. MRA's simplicity also has the advantage of raising awareness of uncertainty. Using a standard risk matrix is useful for simplification but often leads to the perception of risks as “fixed entities” which are more controllable. Uncertainty is inherent in every prediction of the future, hence also in risk analysis. The uncertainty is often connected to a lack of contextual knowledge. MRA examples from different student groups and experience from municipalities give the students examples of using MRA in different contexts. MRA has the advantage of being simple and not time-consuming. The students get an introduction to the main phases of an ordinary RAV, which makes using MRA a helpful foundation for learning about RAV.

Keywords: Active learning, Risk and Vulnerability Analysis (RAV), Mini Risk Analysis (MRA).