2019 Planning Practice Survey

Thank you for participating in this survey. The results will help me understand how planning education affects planning practice, and vice versa. This survey is a nearly identical replication of the pilot survey I conducted as part of my doctoral dissertation. The following language describes the study and complies, to the extent possible, with preamble language typically required by higher education institutions' institutional review boards.

Dear Participant:

You are invited to participate in a research study by answering questions in the attached survey about your expectations and experiences of planning education and practice. The membership of the American Planning Association will be made aware of the opportunity to take this survey through its mention in the biography of Wes Grooms, Ph.D., whose op-ed appears in the July 2019 Issue of Planning Magazine. It will also be distributed in September of 2019 to all undergraduate and graduate planning degree programs accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. This study is being conducted solely by Dr. Wes Grooms, who is not currently affiliated with an institution of higher learning.

It has been 20 years since a survey of this granularity has been administered to such a large sample pool. Your participation is vital for keeping our understanding of the needs, expectations, and outcomes of planning education current. The survey is comprised of not more than 30 questions (depending on your answers) and should take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete, which I realize constitutes a significant time commitment. However, the much shorter surveys usually conducted simply do not provide enough information to assist with identifying and making nuanced modifications to planning education, should there be evidence of the need.

Taking part in this survey is voluntary. You MUST be at least 18 years of age to participate. By proceeding past this page to the survey, you are agreeing to take part in this research study. You do not have to answer any questions that make you uncomfortable. You may choose not to take part in this study at all by simply closing your browser window. If you decide to participate in this study you may stop taking part at any time. If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about the research study, please contact me, the survey administrator, Wes Grooms, at c.wes.grooms@gmail.com.

There are no known risks associated with your participation in this research study. The information collected may not benefit you directly but may benefit others. The information you provide will help planning educators and practitioners understand the expectations and desires that students have of planning education and practice, the expectations and experiences of practicing planners, and how well planning education is doing in providing a fully comprehensive planning education in accord with these expectations and experiences, as well as with institutional obligations such as accreditation curricular requirements and the code of ethics of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Your completed survey will be stored in accordance with the standard data storage conventions of this survey administrator's (Wes Grooms) personal SurveyMonkey account. Your email address will not be in my possession unless you provide it, your individual answers will be held in confidence, and any personal data obtained (if any) that could permit identification of individual participants will not be disclosed. It is anticipated that only the survey administrator (Wes Grooms) - or any regulatory agencies deemed necessary according to law - may inspect these records. In all other respects, however, the data will be held in confidence to the extent permitted by law.