UBC's Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration will offer education programs on behalf of the Appraisal Institute of Canada (AIC) starting Jan. 1, 1998.
The faculty's Real Estate Division and the AIC signed a five-year agreement recently under which UBC will assume responsibility for the delivery of the AIC Education Program.
"This agreement will allow the AIC to benefit from UBC's expertise in refining and administering professional programs," Commerce Dean Michael Goldberg said. "The institute will gain a high degree of consistency in its educational programs as a result of this move and the faculty will, in turn, benefit from a closer association with the AIC."
The AIC is the national society of professional real estate appraisers. It assures high standards in the profession through the granting of Canadian Residential Appraiser (CRA) and Accredited Appraiser Canadian Institute (AACI) designations. More than 5,500 members practice the profession in Canada, providing valuations widely respected by the courts, real estate corporations, banks and other lending institutions, as well as by government and individuals.
AIC President Allan Beatty said the agreement will allow students across Canada to gain consistent access to regularly offered courses without having to travel to attend classes at a university or college.
"UBC's proven ability to communicate to individuals in distance learning format right across the country was an important factor in arriving at this agreement," Beatty said. "And, by shifting the educational programs to UBC, students and employers will benefit from courses combining strong practitioner and academic materials."
Robert Laing, executive director of the faculty's Professional Programs, said courses will be offered through distance education using printed materials and the Internet to submit assignments and access tutors.
"The courses covered by the agreement will come on stream gradually," Laing said. "We have two courses ready to go and others will follow during the next few years as they are developed for distance learning."
UBC will offer as many as 15 courses that meet the basic educational requirements for the AACI designation.
"Moreover, it is planned that these courses will be integrated into an applied distance degree in real estate which is currently in development as a collaborative project between the Real Estate Division and the Open University," Laing said.