PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REPORTING

DATE OF EFFECT: January 1, 2025

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The BCSLA Professional Development Reporting (Continuing Education) Program has been mandatory beginning in 2004. BCSLA Registered Landscape Architects, Landscape Architects, and Associates (Interns, pre-interns) are required to participate in the Professional Development Program and report a minimum number of Professional Development Units (formerly CE Credits) during the Reporting Year.

Inactive Landscape Architects are also required to engage in Professional Development activities and to report a reduced number of Professional Development Units for the Reporting Year (January 1 – November 30).

Retired Landscape Architects are EXEMPT from the Professional Development Reporting Program.
There may be circumstances that prevent a member from being able to complete their annual Professional Development Reporting requirements. Members can request an exemption from the Professional Development reporting requirements for the following reasons:

• Parental leave
• Medical leave
• Compassionate care leave
• Other leaves due to extenuating circumstances.

Only members in “Good Standing” are eligible to apply for an exemption to the Professional Development requirements.

CREDIT VALUE
The Professional Development Reporting requirements are based on a one-hour learning objective (structured training, professional activity, or personal development and community service activity) in which one hour of learning = one Professional Development Unit. 

ANNUAL REQUIREMENTS

A reminder that Professional Development Reporting is required no later than November 30 of the year and must be included as part of the annual dues and fees remission. Members must have completed their annual professional development units in order to submit their annual dues.

REPORTING CATEGORIES
Members are required to earn and report Professional Development Units to fulfill Professional Development Reporting requirements according to the following categories.

CATEGORY 1 – STRUCTURED COURSES AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

Members may claim Professional Development Units for the successful completion of substantive courses in landscape architecture and landscape architecture-related fields and programs which upgrade their knowledge and skills. Courses and programs offered by a recognized landscape architectural organization (e.g. BCSLA, CSLA, CELA, ASLA, CLARB, IFLA) and/or other relevant professional societies, education institutions, or private sector delivery agencies are in principle eligible for Professional Development Units under Category 1.

This category includes minimum, mandatory requirements for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and Climate Emergency Adaptation. Professional Development in Indigenous Reconciliation is mandatory under the Professional Governance Act. In addition, in response to the global climate emergency, BCSLA members must ensure part of their Professional Development activities are dedicated towards education associated with Climate Emergency Adaptation. 

The objective of this Category is to ensure a vigorous and rigorous Professional Development Program. For an activity to be eligible for Professional Development Units under Category 1, it must:

• Be relevant and clear in educational value, with stated learning objectives,
• Include components that permit learners to interact with the instructor through real-time feedback or through learning resources such as Questionnaires, Tests, Questions & Answers, etc.,
• Yield new knowledge to the Member, and
• Produce proof of attendance, 

Or, 

• Have been vetted and approved by a recognised Professional Development or Continuing Education provider or North American Landscape Architecture regulatory agency, such as ASLA, CSLA or OALA. If you are a BCSLA member but report CE Credits/PDUs in another Canadian jurisdiction, you need to reach out to the respective authority and request to provide direct confirmation that you have completed the annual requirements. This confirmation must be sent to [email protected] before November 30 each year.

CATEGORY 2 – PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES & SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING

• Professional Development Units may be claimed for activities undertaken in landscape architecture and landscape architecture-related fields above and beyond the professional practice of the profession, such as conferences, seminars, workshops, presentations, lectures, literary contributions, and volunteer service to the landscape architecture profession as provided by BCSLA, CSLA, CELA, ASLA, CLARB, IFLA etc., educational institutions, design panels or private sector education delivery agencies.
• The objective of this Category is to encourage members to engage in activities that enrich the profession of Landscape Architecture through volunteerism and active participation in landscape architecture related activities.
   

CATEGORY 3 – PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY SERVICE 

• Personal development and community service activities undertaken in any related field, consistent with the Bylaws and Standards of the BCSLA, that allow a member to gain personal skills, confidence, and leadership experience such as: public speaking, writing and publishing, media outreach, leadership roles, networking, and volunteering with NGO or community service organizations. 
• The objective of this Category is to encourage members to engage on activities that enrich our communities and to provide a degree of flexibility on how to fulfill the total amount of Professional Development Units required.
   

REPORTING (HOW TO REPORT)
The BCSLA Professional Development Program is honour-based and Professional Development Units are self-reported; it is up to the participant to determine whether the activity is relevant to Landscape Architecture and under which Category each activity should be reported. The individual must also determine the number of credits assigned to each activity. It is strongly recommended that Professional Development Units are reported as they are acquired.
 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNITS INPUT GUIDE
All participants must submit Professional Development Units to the BCSLA office using the online Professional Development Units Reporting form. The steps are:

1. Log into your BCSLA Account
2. Click "Professional Development Reporting" Tab
3. Click on the Professional Development Units Reporting form.
4. Select the appropriate Reporting Year in the Annual Monitoring and Recognition dropdown menu.
5. Click "View" or "New" to edit/add a Professional Development activity for your desired Category.
    

If you need assistance, please contact [email protected] and we would be happy to guide you through the process.

> Indigenous Peoples Learning Resources - AIBC
The Architectural Institute of B.C. has compiled a list of Indigenous Peoples Learning resources from external providers. Click here to see.

>Indigenous Awareness - British Columbia Institute of Technology
This course promotes an increased understanding of Indigenous people and their place and space in Canada, past and present. The course will provide you with foundational knowledge of Indigenous people in the hopes that as the true history and contemporary reality of Indigenous people is more broadly known, Reconciliation can begin. Cost: $0.00

>British Columbia: An Untold History - Knowledge Network
This free four-part series uncovers Indigenous resistance through decades of brutality, the exploitation of migrant workers, and chronicles their continued resilience despite systemic racism. It features Indigenous, Chinese, Japanese, Punjabi, Black, and European stories, which are woven together to present an astute look at the complicated histories that shaped BC as we know it today.

>Indigenous Corporate Training
Guiding, training and supporting you in your reconciliation journey so that you are Working Effectively With Indigenous Peoples® and changing the world.

>Dispelling Common Myths about Indigenous Peoples e-Book
Dispelling Common Myths About Indigenous Peoples takes a look at 9 myths and explores the realities of those myths. It’s a great resource for anyone who wants to look beyond common myths and misconceptions to the realities about Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

> Drought Tolerant Trees for the Fraser Valley (PDF)

> FireSmart Manual - Government of BC (PDF)

>The Infrastructure Planning Guide and Toolkit
The purpose of the Infrastructure Planning Guide and Toolkit is to support First Nations with infrastructure planning so that it helps achieve the community’s vision and goals.

> Vancouver Public Library

Vancouver Public Library has an extensive collection of garden design and landscape architecture books to support professional practitioners and at-home experts. The Library also maintains subscriptions to the leading North American Journals of landscape architecture and has access to databases collecting relevant articles on garden design in popular and academic journals. The resources presented in this subject guide will be useful for landscape architects preparing for the Landscape Architect Registration Exam.