Introduction

To begin, a note from the author

The Land Use Planning in British Columbia: Cases and Applications textbook covers six types of land use planning.  In practice, it takes a career to become an expert in any one of these fields of land use planning.  This reality of professional planning means that this textbook, instead of trying to cover all one needs to know about land use planning in BC, is designed as a set of raw materials to be used selectively to match any instructor’s interests, knowledge, and abilities.

How well each instructor works with the book’s materials will depend on their knowledge of land use planning and of the specifics of each case study.  Certainly, the more one knows about land use planning the more one will get out of the textbook.  For me, teaching with these materials has been a continuous learning process:  every year, I learn more about each area of land use planning and get more out of each case study.

In this Instructor Guide, I collected my experiences using these materials to teach a fourth-year undergraduate course on land use planning.  The contents of the Guide also reflect the extent of my knowledge.  Certainly, many instructors using the textbook will know than I do about any one area of land use planning.  For these instructors, the materials can be used to create whatever learning outcome they want.  For instructors who are new to land use planning, this Guide provides direction—and answers!—to support them through their own learning process.

What is in the Instructor Guide

In the textbook, each case study has several components that can be adopted in whole as a lesson or parts can be adapted to meet an instructor’s specific interests.  The cases and applications are the core materials, which are supported by sets of discussion questions and resources.  Learning modules are supplementary materials that provide additional details for specific aspects of land use planning.  In this Guide, I describe how I use the materials and, to a lesser extent, other ways the materials can be used.

Material in the Guide include the following:

• Lesson Notes:  an overview of each case and application from an instructor’s perspective;
• Discussion Questions:  to support in-class discussion and assignments; versions for handouts and versions with answers and exercises for instructors;
• Updates:  for each case study, a list of important developments since the case materials were written.

Lesson Notes

Cases

The Lesson Notes includes a general discussion of each case, highlighting elements that are of most interest to learners.  The Notes also include questions to open a general discussion of each case and summarise common responses of learners to these questions.

Applications

The Lesson Notes include a brief overview of each application, highlighting the most important elements to focus on.  Through these application assignments, the task of learners is to build an argument from multiple sources.  The main aim is to focus on and interpret the legislation (and corresponding property rights) that apply.  Rather than a research paper, learners must identify specific elements of the legislative framework that are relevant to substantiate a decision.  The argument should be precise and brief.  This approach can be modified to suit different groups of learners.  The Notes also include steps to lead a discussion and describes different ways that an application can be used in class, either for discussion or for assignments.  The Notes also presents a set of learning outcomes.

Learning Modules

The Guide does not cover the Learning Modules individually.  In the Lesson Notes, cases and applications are cross-referenced with specific learning modules.  In this way, a learning module elaborates upon aspects of a specific case or application.  At the same time, a learning module can be used in conjunction with more than one case and application.  A learning module can used as a stand-alone resource for inquiry and discussion.

Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions are provided to the instructor via this Guide.  Each case study includes a set of discussion questions that relate to the case and application(s).  These questions can be shared with students at the outset or used when desired at any point in the learning process.  They can be used as prompts to facilitate in-class discussions or incorporated into assignments.  This Guide includes a version of the Discussion Questions with answers, intended for instructor use only.

Resources

To support further reading and research, each case study includes a list of resources associated with the case and application(s).  These resources focus on government documents and government websites.  The Guide does not cover the Resources documents individually.

Updates

Each case study includes an Updates document that lists major developments since the materials were written.  These Updates are provided to the instructor via this Guide.  As each year passes, the cases and applications get a year older.  Thus far, based on the author’s experience using the materials for teaching an undergraduate land use planning course, the subject matter of the cases and applications remain relevant to land use planning and effective as teaching resources.  As appropriate, some materials have been updated.  These updates are revised on an annual basis (which is an advantage of a digital textbook).  The instructor can choose how best to use the information.  For example, the updates can be shared with learners at the outset to give a more complete and current description of a case and application.  The updates can be shared after assignments are completed as a way to generate further discussion.  As well, the updates can be a resource only for the instructor, perhaps to inform research assignments.

Intended audiences

This textbook can be adapted to different approaches to teaching and to different learning environments.  Generally, the whole of the book can be used as the primary text for an undergraduate or graduate course in land use planning.  Alternatively, individual cases, applications, and learning modules, in any combination, can be integrated into lessons at the secondary or post-secondary level or for professional development and micro-credential opportunities.

Post-secondary undergraduate and graduate

For students pursuing a degree in planning, the textbook can be used as primary reading for undergraduate and graduate courses on land use planning.  The cases can be used for in-class discussions and the applications can be used for assignments.  The breadth of materials help prepare undergraduate and graduate students for future careers as professional land use planners.

For students pursuing a degree related to planning, individual cases and applications, and any combination thereof, can be used to introduce undergraduate and graduate students to land use planning and the practice of professional planners.  As supplementary materials, selected contents can enhance discussions in corresponding areas of study such as urban and rural studies, Indigenous rights and title, protected areas, etc.

Secondary school

The textbook provides secondary school teachers with a comprehensive and flexible set of teaching materials to incorporate land use planning into many Social Studies courses.  Individual cases and applications, and any combination thereof, can be used to introduce secondary school students to land use planning and the practice of professional planners.  As supplementary materials, selected contents can enhance discussions in corresponding areas of study such as urban and rural studies, Indigenous rights and title, protected areas, etc.

Continuous professional development and micro-credentials

The modular design of the book makes it easy to adapt individual cases and applications for short, intense delivery.  This format makes the materials ideal for continuous professional development and micro-credentials as complementary learning for practising professionals who interact with land use planners or land use plans as part of their work.