September 20, 2007
Beginning date for courses.
April 14, 2007 (Day after the program was created by vote of the Commission.)
Fees.
January 1, 2008:
Fee structure in effect for all providers.
April 14-December 31, 2007.
For APA components and ACSP, our accreditation partner, special “free” offer in effect (including waiver of $95 provider registration fee that will be good through the end of 2007).
For all other Education Providers, there are two special offers. First, the special “free” offer will be in effect only for face-to-face offerings through September 24, 2007. This offer cannot exceed 30 credits per registered provider and will require payment of $95 for registration that will be good for 365 days. Second, from September 25th through December 31st, 2007, per credit fee (after the $95 non-refundable registration fee with 2 credits) will have the “50% off” offer in effect for activities that occur in calendar 2007.
National staff offer of assistance to components.
We will offer assistance to chapters for data entry for events that take place through the end of 2007. Priority will be given to upcoming events with soonest events having first priority, then events in order of occurrence, then going back to events that have already occurred.
Detail of material to be submitted by component providers.
We will reduce the material that components are required to submit but it will not be less than we have been requiring for the prior CPD program. For those who accept National’s offer of assistance, we will take existing program material and enter it and then ask component providers to ad missing or incomplete information. We will make every effort to minimize any burden.
Templates for components as part of “premier” registration package.
Currently, 7 chapters and 2 divisions have used National’s registration services. The basic package includes all on-line and paper registrations. The premier service currently includes additional services such as badges. In the future, the premier service would include the on-line templates that work from the National Conference database that would allow course information to be entered directly into the CM registration.
ACSP as a special case.
Given the size of the ACSP conference and the date of its occurrence, we will ask members attending the ACSP conference to keep individual logs of sessions that they attend for CM credit. We will then work with ACSP to enter those sessions only after the conference so that members can claim their credits. This will prevent the extra work of entering courses that no one wants to claim. ACSP is supportive of this approach.
Verification of attendance.
We will use the honor system that will require each individual to take responsibility, under the AICP Ethics Code, to verify their actual participation in each activity that they claim for credit. The program, as adopted by the Commission, calls for providers to verify attendance. Providers of single-event sessions will have sign-up sheets of some type that we can audit on a sample basis. Major conferences with multiple events can be handled without on-site sign-up sheets in each room. Every chapter, for example, has a registration list for all attendees at an event. That list can be used for verification of overall attendance attendance. Electronic sign-up systems are also not required; we will use them at the national conference and are likely to make them available to chapters as part of our premier registration package. That will be optional, not required. It will be quite simple for members to go in and use a check box on the CM web site to verify their attendance at the activities listed at single events as well as major conferences. There will be a check box and members will be reminded of the fact that they are "on their honor" according to the Code.
Guidance for courses that will be approved.
We will immediately develop more detailed course criteria with examples. As examples: A speech about APA’s current activities would not count. A session on introductory planning law for commissioners would not count. A course on legal updates would count. A speech by the CEO or a Commissioner on APA and AICP activities would not count, while a speech by the CEO or a Commissioner on the relationship between energy and planning would count.
