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The College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at UIC is the University of Illinois System's home for the study of public policy and contemporary urban challenges. We are CUPPA.

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Freelance Instructor, Planetizen Courses

Freelance Instructor

Planetizen Courses
Professional Area: 
Academia
Experience: 
3-5 years
Contact person: 
Chris Steins

Email: 
steins@planetizen.com
Location: 
CA

Planetizen Courses is seeking experienced instructors to record several hours of video training around one of the topics identified below. The ideal candidate will be an adjunct faculty or lecturer.

Background

  • Planetizen Courses are developed in collaboration with working professionals to provide practical skills that planning professionals use in their work.
  • Instructors work with with a Planetizen Courses producer to plan and record hour-long courses on a freelance basis.

Topics

We are seeking courses on a variety of topics following topics, but we are also open to topics not explicitly mentioned here. If you propose a course on a topic not mentioned here, please be sure to tell us how/why you think it will be a compelling course for practitioners of the built and natural environment.
Topics
  • American Urban History
  • Bicycle Planning
  • Citizen Participation
  • Economic Development Fundamentals
  • EcoTourism
  • Environmental Planning Fundamentals
  • Ethics in Planning
  • Information Technology in Planning
  • International Development Fundamental
  • Legal issues in Planning
  • Research Design
  • Social Equity
  • Survey Design and Implementation
  • Theory of City Form
  • Urban Design Fundamentals
  • Urban Planning Theory
  • Zoning Fundamentals
Software
  • Autodesk 3ds Max
  • Autodesk UrbanSim
  • AutoCAD Civil/Civil 3D
  • Chaordix
  • Drupal (to build a planning-related website)
  • ESRI City Engine 3D Modeling
  • IdeaScale
  • Land F/X
  • Microsoft Project 
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Open Geo Suite
  • Open Trip Planner
  • Rhino 3D and VRay
  • Textizen
  • TransCAD
  • Twitter & Facebook for Citizen Participation
  • URBEMIS & emissions modeling
  • Wikis
  • WordPress (to build a planning-related website)

Examples

If you'd like to see some examples of courses we produce, here are a few direct links

Qualifications

  • Minimum 3 years of teaching experience. (Ideally, you are a college or university adjunct instructor or lecturer.)
  • Minimum 3 years of planning, design, architecture or related experience.
  • Demonstrated expertise with the topic(s) you propose to teach.
  • Prepared curriculum. (Ideally, you are already teaching the topic, and can deliver a similar course for Planetizen.)
  • If teaching about a software product, the Instructor should have a functional, licensed copy of the software for demonstration.
  • Excellent computer and Internet literacy.
  • Complete fluency in English.
  • Strong presentation skills.

Responsibilities

  • Participate in an initial orientation call or Skype meeting.
  • Prepared a detailed course outline in consultation with the Planetizen Courses Producer.
  • Work with the Planetizen Courses Producer to determine appropriate images, video and other materials.
  • Participate in two course planning meetings with the Planetizen Courses Producer.
  • Record video courses at Planetizen's video studio in Los Angeles, California.
  • Prepare ten-quest quizzes for each course.
  • Courses must be completed within 30 days of the project start date.

Compensation

  • Compensation is based on a per course hour basis, and based on teaching experience.
  • Instructors receive visibility on the Planetizen Courses website.
  • Instructors can work from any location to plan the courses, but must visit Planetizen's studio in Los Angeles, California to record the course. 
  • Planetizen provides a travel stipend for instructors outside of Southern California.

To Apply

Please submit the following to Chris Steins, steins@planetizen.com.
  • Your resume.
  • A one-paragraph summary for each course you propose to teach.
  • A 1-minute audio and video recording of yourself discussing any topic. (This could be recorded using a smart phone or any inexpensive camera. We're not looking for video quality, just your presentation style.)
Thanks for your potential interest in becoming a Planetizen Instructor.