Membership Course (Exam B)
The course is available in two formats: classroom and online.
Note: Provisional members who graduated from a recognized planning program do not need to fulfill Exam B to become a Full member.
The course prepares Provisional Members to write the OPPI Membership Examination assignments. It is designed for planning practitioners whose formal academic training may be in a field other than urban and regional planning. For those with a formal planning education, the course may serve as a refresher. The focus is on generic planning knowledge and practice, not on individual experiences in a specific jurisdiction. The course presents some of the history behind modern planning practice, reviews specializations in planning, explores key planning theories, and discusses how plans or policies are formulated, as well as carried out.
Classroom-format course
The Membership Course is a written exam in essay format which is a requirement for Full membership status. The classroom-format course takes two days, delivered on two Saturdays, one month apart. It is offered a few times a year in Toronto.
The Course is open to Provisional Members of OPPI who have logged at least 50% of their minimum logging requirement. As part of the course requirements, participants are required to submit four papers electronically to membershipcourse@ontarioplanners.on.ca - the first two essays by the second day of the course, and the last two no later than four weeks after the second Course weekend. There are no extensions to these deadlines.
Candidates prepare their essay responses with reference to resources that include class lectures, in-class group exercises, course readings (a reading list is provided in advance) and a course text (optional). The essays cover the following subjects:
- Awareness of Inter-relationships
- Planning Theory
- Plan and Policy Formulation
- Plan and Policy Implementation
OPPI maintains confidentiality of each candidate's name from the markers and candidates must receive a pass mark on all four essays. Candidates may be asked to resubmit one or more essays.
To register or view a list of dates for taking the classroom-format Membership Course (Exam B), click here.
To view a PowerPoint introduction to the Membership Course, click here.
Online course
The online Membership Course is offered six times a year and can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection. It is recommended that you register for the online course approximately 4 weeks prior to your start date. You are required to purchase the following text book:
Hodge, G. and Gordon, D. 2008. Planning Canadian communities. 5th edition. Toronto: Thomson-Nelson ISBN: 0-10:176252428
OPPI does not sell textbooks. You can order this text directly from the publisher (Thomson-Nelson). You can contact Thomson-Nelson directly at:
http://customersupport.nelson.com/ordering.html
Please quote the ISBN of the book. Payment options are Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
If you have the previous edition, please find below the Chapter Conversion Chart.
| |
Hodge (2003)
4th edition |
Hodge & Gordon (2008)
5th edition |
Comments |
| Trends |
Chapters 1-4, 14 |
Chapters 1-5, 15 |
General information on evolution of Canadian planning practice |
| Module 1 |
Chapters 1-4, 10-11, 14 |
Chapters 1-5, 9-10 |
General evolution on evolution of Canadian planning practice |
| Module 2 |
Chapter 1-3, 6 |
Chapters 1-5 |
History discussion very helpful; use supplementary sources for theory |
| Module 3 |
Chapters 5-7, 12, 13 |
Chapters 6-8, 11-12 |
Several elements useful when preparing Module 2 paper |
| Module 4 |
Chapters 8-10 |
Chapters 13-14 |
|
To register for the online Membership Course (Exam B), complete the Registration Form found above.
Already registered for the online membership course? Access the course now.
For more information, contact the course instructor:
Mark Seasons, PhD., MCIP, RPP
Tel: 519-888-4567 x35922
Fax: 519-725-2827
Email: mseasons@fes.uwaterloo.ca