Implementing Tools for Complete Communities and Comprehensive Planning within the First State

• Alexandria McClellan, Public Policy, University of Delaware

• William DeCoursey, Biden School's Institute of Public Administration, University of Delaware

“The U.S. Department of Education (2022) published a study in 2009 that indicated that students in an online environment performed better than students in a ground-campus course, yet to date online retention remains low.” The implementation of local government training to help progress communities and engage in comprehensive planning in Delaware is needed. There are a multitude of tools that can be utilized to aid in the progression of Complete Communities and comprehensive planning education within the first state. Three formatting strategies were initially designed for the program and then learning comprehension research and collaborative opinions were taken into consideration which resulted in the final decision of the formatting design. Additionally, research was done to produce lesson tools and structures to maximize learning retention and user engagement. The training was created keeping in mind the regional planning topics and issues. It was also important to address these issues and topics for planning from the viewpoint of a layperson. Keeping this in mind, the platform CANVAS was applied to address community topics including, but not limited to, Walkability, Freight/Transportation, and Housing. The platform incorporates hands-on learning techniques proven to boost learning retention including but not limited to discussion pages, quizzes, and video learning. These training programs will allow Delaware’s local governments to gain the capacity to develop knowledge of community issues, public engagement strategies, and community design tools. The ultimate goal in mind when creating this beta version of the online program is to improve community members and local government officials’ abilities to address public issues within their local communities.