Increase in town planners’ online learning

A design makeover and enhanced content including a popular legal ’blog’ has boosted visits to record levels at the Royal Town Planners’ Institute (RTPI) performance and learning support web site at www.planningmatters.co.uk

Visits to the site have doubled over the last six months (Dec 2005 - May 2006) with March seeing over 2,000 RTPI members make over 50,000 visits to the site compared to 32,000 for the same month in 2005.

Latest user statistics from site developer and manager Echelon Publishing revealed not only the highest hit rate yet to the site but consistent peak usage between 0500 and 0700 hrs and at lunchtime - notably on Mondays and Thursdays - and with little drop off over weekends.

The RTPI’s learning support site is also attracting users from a broad range of countries with over 70 different national domains recorded in user statistics, the majority from the UK, USA, Australia, Canada and Italy. Statistics also show that the site is used by senior planners and new entrants alike with an Institute run mentoring and licentiate programme for nearly 200 young planners being mentored by over 150 established planners supported by the Planningmatters resource.

The site consists of bespoke planning modules, a library of generic management skills material, a portfolio of useful web-links and related articles and journals.

Updated every two weeks, the popular legal commentary ’blog’ focuses on planning legislation and its interpretation by the Courts and local authorities.

The site also features interactive self-assessments and a personal electronic learning log enabling planners to monitor and record their continued professional development (CPD).

The RTPI see the site as a means of ensuring standards of professionalism are maintained and knowledge levels increased while users have 24/7 access to consistent and accurate pictures of the constantly changing planning landscape.

This web site measures our commitment to maintaining the professional standards of members and helping them to do their job quickly and more effectively, says RTPI Secretary General Robert Upton. Its relevance and reach are reflected in these latest user statistics which bear out its ever-increasing popularity.