Passport FAQ
The most common questions about Passport appear below. If you don’t find what you need, contact us! APA staff are ready to help by phone at 312-431-9100 or by email at learn@planning.org during regular business hours.
About Passport
Certification Maintenance
Pricing
Licensing and Access Codes
Q. What is Passport?
A. Passport is a state-of-the-art online platform for self-directed continuing planning education for individuals and groups. It features high-quality content on a broad range of planning topics. It is also affordable and convenient.
Q. What types of online courses are available?
A. The Passport catalog includes nearly 400 online courses in various learning formats:
- Recorded sessions from APA live events, including National Planning Conferences and Policy and Advocacy Conferences. These can be purchased individually or in curated collections.
- Recorded webinars on a single topic.
- Interactive courses that feature activities for the learner throughout the course.
- Series — a sequence of courses purchased for one price that must be taken in a specific order. The learner must complete all courses before the series can be evaluated and logged for CM credit.
- Collections — curated selections of courses purchased for one price that can be completed in any order, evaluated separately, and logged separately for CM credit.
APA will add hundreds of courses annually, with more learning formats to come.
Q. I enrolled in a course. Where can I view it?
A. If you wish to access the course immediately after enrollment, just click the “Go To Course Using Passport” link on the course detail page after you enroll.
If you want to view it at a later date, you can access your Passport courses in My APA under “Passport Journey” or simply login to Passport and any course you purchased, will be listed on your Passport Dashboard.
Q. How long will I have access to my Passport course?
A. If you purchased the course for personal use prior to February 1, 2024, you will have access for one year from the date of purchase.
A learner who receives an access code as part of a group license will have access to the course for one year from the date the course was originally purchased.
Q. What if I started watching a course and had to stop? Do I have to re-start at the beginning?
A. Not at all! Passport creates a bookmark where you stop watching a video, so you can pick up at the exact point you stopped — at any time and on any device.
Q. How can I find out the status of my Passport courses?
A. Passport tracks your online education in three helpful ways:
- Your Dashboard’s “Course Overview” displays your courses in three categories:
- “In Progress” uses easy-to-read graphics to track your progress through courses you’re currently taking;
- “Future” lists courses you have purchased that will not be available until a future date; and
- “Past” lists courses you have completed.
- A Certificate of Completion can be printed out for each course you finish. The certificate will document the course title and the length of the course.
- Your Passport Transcript summarizes all the Passport courses you have purchased, lists the dates each course was started and completed, and links to your Certificates of Completion. Use this tool to track your learning progress and share your achievements with employers.
Note for AICP members: Your Passport Transcript differs from your CM Log. In order for a completed Passport course to appear in your CM Log, click the link to “Add the CM credits from this course to your CM Log” on the Passport course page and go through the process described below.
Q. In my course I see empty check boxes next to activities. How do I ‘tick’ these?
A. If a box with a dotted border is shown, a tick will appear automatically when you have completed the activity according to the conditions set by course. If a box with a solid border is shown, you can click it to tick the box when you think you have completed the activity.
Q. Does Passport work with the AICP Certification Maintenance program?
A. Yes! AICP members will find that Passport works hand-in-hand with CM. It is easier than ever to find, complete, evaluate, and log CM credit for courses.
Q. How do I log CM credit when I finish a Passport course?
A. When you complete a course:
- Return to the Passport course page and click “Evaluate.”
- Complete the course evaluation on Passport. (Most answers will auto-fill for identical questions in the course evaluation in your CM log.) When you finish, return to the Passport course page.
- Click the link under “Claim CM. “
- The partially-completed CM course evaluation will appear. Complete the evaluation by indicating:
- (at the top, optional) If you were a speaker/instructor, check the box indicating you were a speaker/instructor
- (optional) Adjust content and speaker ratings populated from the Passport Course Evaluation and add comments; and
- (at the bottom) If you agree to APA publishing your comments.
- Click “Submit.” This will log your CM credits.
- Check your CM log to verify the CM credits totals have adjusted accordingly.
Q. I completed a Passport course, but I’m not sure if these credits have been added to my CM Log. How can I check if the credits from a Passport course have been added to my CM Log?
A. Visit your CM Log (www.planning.org/cm/log) and click the green button, “Add Passport Course Credits,” to see a list of completed Passport courses that have not been added to your CM Log. For instructions on how to log CM credits, please visit: https://planning.org/cm/howtologcredits/
Q. Who can I speak with about an issue I am having with logging CM credits for a Passport Course?
A. Please contact the CM customer service staff at AICPCM@planning.org or 312.431.9100 and ask for a CM customer service representative.
Q. How much does a Passport course cost?
A. Passport subscribers receive complimentary access to every Passport course!
Q. If I’m unhappy with my purchase, will APA issue a refund?
A. Yes. We want you to be satisfied with your online learning. If you are unhappy with your Passport purchase for any reason and have not claimed CM for that course, please request a refund by emailing customerservice@planning.org within five business days of purchase. APA will not issue a refund after CM has been claimed for a course. *NOTE: the above only refers to individual or group course purchases made prior to February 1, 2024.
Q. Do I need an access code?
A. Not if you purchased the course for personal use prior to February 1, 2024. If someone else purchased the course prior to February 1, 2024, you need an access code to enroll and view the course. The purchaser is responsible for sending you the access code.
Q. Can I buy a course for someone else?
A. You can no longer purchases courses for other people as of February 1, 2024.
Q. Can I purchase a course and watch it with work colleagues as a group?
A. Contact learn@planning.org for more information.
Q. Who is a “licensed learner?”
A. If you purchase or enroll in a Passport course for personal use, you are the licensed learner. The course will automatically appear in your Passport Dashboard and do not need an access code.
If you purchased a Passport course for another individual or a group prior to February 1, 2024, APA emailed the correct number of access codes to you; they also will appear in the “Receipts” section of your
My APA. You are responsible for distributing them to individual learners. Every person who activates an access code for the course is a licensed learner. An access code can be activated only once.
Passport automatically connects licensed learners who are AICP-certified with their CM logs. Only licensed learners can claim CM credit for Passport courses.
Q. I purchased a course for multiple learners prior to February 1, 2024. Can I track which access codes have been redeemed?
A. You may view all access codes, including which ones have been redeemed, at any time by clicking on that order in the “Receipts” section of My APA.
Q. I have an access code for a course. How do I activate it?
A. You can activate your code in one of two ways:
1) Go to the Passport Homepage or your Passport Dashboard and enter the code in the text box on the right side of the page. Click the green “Enroll” button to access the course and add the course to your Dashboard.
2) Find the course using the Passport catalog and choose “Enrollment Options” from the Course Detail page. On the Enrollment Options page, enter your access code in the text box at the bottom and hit the green “Enroll” Button.
You’re now officially a licensed learner, enrolled in the course, and ready to learn.