This course provides participants with an introduction to structured decision making in the context of natural resource management problems.  A solid foundation in structured decision making begins with knowledge of current practices, theory, and noteworthy case studies from FWS and USGS.  Progressing from that foundation, you will get hands-on experience using various decision tools including, decision trees, multiple objective ranking techniques, and expert panels.  This course gives you the skills to develop structured approaches in order to make a complicated decision making process more explicit, transparent, and clear.  You will learn practical approaches to critical thinking, logic, reasoning, and structuring decisions that support your day-to-day work.

College Credit: 2 semester hours

Who Should Attend: The target audience is FWS and USGS biologists (GS 9-11-12) and managers (GS 13-14) who have a tie to making decisions or have the responsibility to prepare materials for decision makers on natural resource issues and projects.  This intent of the course is to provide an introductory treatment of structured decision making to those without such background or experience. 

Length:  5 days/32 hours

Objectives: Participants will be able to:

• Articulate the fundamental tenets of decision analysis and current practices within FWS/USGS.
• Diagram decision problems, decompose complex problems, create objectives, and select a problem solving approach.
• Select the appropriate decision making tool for different types of situations and problems.
• Identify structured decision making practices that are feasible and beneficial to incorporate in your everyday work.

Prerequisites?
It is recommended that participants have an understanding of conservation biology concepts or have taken the NCTC course, “An Introduction to Conservation Biology” (CSP2101), or at least one college course in conservation biology.  Participants are not required to be skilled in mathematics or computing, although familiarity with how the results of models can be applied is beneficial.

Who is teaching the material?
Principle instructors include scientists from the USGS and USFWS with a breadth of experience using a variety of structured decision making techniques.  Guest speakers include experts in the field of decision analysis.