The CCIM Institute has pro­vided the commercial real estate
industry’s premier educational resources since 1969. While many of the core
invest­ment principles taught in CCIM courses are timeless, today’s busi­ness
climate constantly is evolving, which means the institute’s courses also must
evolve to remain competi­tive. To keep CCIM students at the industry’s
forefront, the institute is revising its world-renowned edu­cational
curriculum. This complex, multiphase process will culminate in educational
offerings that provide students with the practical know-ledge and skills
required to make key commercial real estate investment decisions in today’s
marketplace.
Technology provides the founda­tion for the curriculum
rewrite, just as it does for most of the business CCIMs conduct today. In fact,
Black­board, a Web-based suite of learning, content management, and commu­nity
software, already is being utilized. Through Blackboard, the institute has
created online course sites that facili­tate interaction among students and
instructors before, during, and after each core course. Since last Septem­ber
students have been using these online sites to access course reference manuals,
discussion boards, and quiz­zes. In addition, instructors can cus­tomize the
sites to their courses’ spec­ifications. Blackboard also provides a
technology-based framework for managing and organizing the insti­tute’s
educational content.
The curriculum redesign initiative also includes plans to immediately
test and incorporate new content and tools into our existing courses. For exam­ple,
currently the institute is collabo­rating with Kenneth P. Riggs, CCIM, chief
executive officer of Real Estate Research Corp., on new course con­tent
relating to capital markets. Upon completion and approval, the material could
be introduced into the curricu­lum as early as this summer. By con­tinually
piloting and phasing in new content and tools, we ensure that stu­dents have
access to the most-current industry information available.
Another objective of the curriculum revision is to present
students with a diverse array of resources and tools as they progress through
the entire CCIM educational track. Online com­munities will play a pivotal role
in this process as we create new resources and team-based projects that extend
learning outside the classroom. In a future phase the institute will take this
process a step further by incor­porating online assessments into the
instructional design of the curricu­lum — a process that will provide students
with immediate, meaning­ful feedback as well as assist with the measurement of
effective instruction. It also will allow for the delivery of an automated
course evaluation system to provide more timely and proactive reviews of
student feedback.
Another tier of the curriculum redevelopment process is the
CCIM Knowledge Base, an online tool for members that will be available soon. In
its first phase, the Blackboard-based, searchable resource will give members
access to all of the informa­tion provided in the CCIM courses in HTML and PDF
formats. This resource is ideal both for students who want more information
about particular course topics as well as seasoned CCIMs who want to refresh
their skills. Future plans include the development of a knowledge reposi­tory
that encompasses a broader range of educational content, best practices
information, and business tools.
An undertaking of this magnitude requires a series of
carefully planned steps. The institute’s leadership, instructors, and staff are
skillfully navigating the path to a state-of-the-art commercial real estate
education program that will provide designees and candidates with the knowledge
and tools they need to excel in the industry.