Course Descriptions

The IPAI offers a wide variety of exam and seminar courses throughout the year. To see our full list of course offerings, browse below or click on the file (pdf.) below for previous course descriptions. The IPAI has several new courses on the calendar, as well as updated qualifying courses. Any new courses are highlighted on the course descriptions file. Please note that this is a comprehensive list of IPAI courses, but many may not be on our current course schedule.

For more information about our courses, contact the IPAI staff.

Historical Course Descriptions


 

Course Descriptions

Over the years, several course titles have been changed. When determining whether you have taken a course or not, please refer to the course numbers, not the course titles. Course numbers have not changed. Students may not take both the seminar and exam sections of the same course. Credit will only be issued for one or the other. It is also important to read the “Special Notes” associated with each course to determine if there are restrictions associated with the course.

 

 

QUALIFYING CORE COURSES

Introduction to Assessment in Illinois
002-401 Exam Only
This is an introductory course and will introduce students to the Illinois property tax system. Topics of discussion include: definition of …
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Property Valuation
002-402 Exam Only
This is an introductory course that covers all three approaches to value. Additional topics include: discovery and listing property, value and …
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The Basics of Mass Appraisal
002-403 Exam Only
This is an introductory course and will focus on mass appraisal techniques. Topics of discussion will include: single property appraisal vs. …
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Ethics for New Assessment Professionals
002-404 Exam Only
Ethics for New Assessment Professionals encourages property assessment professionals to consider ethical decision making in their role as public servants. …
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CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES

Appraising After a Disaster or in Traumatic Events
002-210 Seminar Only
Stuff happens! Assessment officials are constantly faced with appraising property after a disaster – whether natural or man-made. Disasters discussed …
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Assessment of Oil & Coal
002-949 Seminar Only
Assessment of Oil & Coal underwent a major rewrite in 2020. The course addresses the responsibilities of the assessment official …
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Beyond Mapping: GIS in Local Government
002-822 Exam | 002-776 Seminar
The class is broad in scope, attempting to give the students a sense for many of the issues surrounding GIS. …
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Cadastral Mapping (IAAO Workshop 650)
003-650 Exam
This workshop introduces assessment mapping and related information. It covers the functions and types of assessment maps, mapping techniques, methods …
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Case Studies in the Appeal Process
002-127 Seminar
This course examines the legal basis for assessment administration in Illinois. Pivotal court decisions that have resolved issues in the …
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Communication for Assessment Professionals
002-222 Exam | 002-221 Seminar
Communication for Assessment Professionals is designed to increase students’ knowledge about the important role that communication plays in their professional …
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Exploring Assessment Ethics
002-310 Seminar Only
Exploring Assessment Ethics is the version of our ethics course available for CE credit. Those looking for qualifying credit need register …
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Geographic Information Systems for Assessors (IAAO Workshop 651)
003-401 Exam | 003-400 Seminar
This is an introductory workshop in the IAAO’s mapping science curriculum. This workshop features discussions that illustrate GIS main concepts …
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Homestead Exemptions in Illinois
002-301 Exam | 002-300 Seminar
The purpose of this course on homestead exemptions is to provide a comprehensive look at Illinois Homestead Exemptions from the …
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Illinois Tax Policy
002-213 Exam | 002-214 Seminar
This course is for assessment officials who are inquisitive about tax policy and how it relates to property assessment. The …
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Introduction to GIS
Seminar Only
The Introduction to GIS course is a 1-day seminar presented by Sidwell. The class will focus on the display, managing, …
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Introduction to Income Producing Properties
002-125 Exam | 002-130 Seminar
This course introduces students to basic income producing property appraisal terms and procedures. This course builds upon basic appraisal theory …
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Introduction to Legal Descriptions
002-011 Exam | 002-010 Seminar
This class is in partnership with Bruce Harris & Associates In this class, you will learn about both the Public …
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Land Valuation
Seminar Only
The new land valuation course will discuss how to value land using the sales comparison approach, allocation, and abstraction. Both …
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Legal Descriptions for Assessors
002-015 Exam | 002-014 Seminar
This course will cover several of the most common types of legal descriptions, along with the mapping principles behind them. …
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Neighborhood Analysis
002-273 Exam | 002-272 Seminar
The purpose of this course is to provide a comprehensive look at the importance of neighborhoods in mass appraisal. This …
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Office Management
002-144 Exam | 002-143 Seminar
Public attention is focused on financial operations of the office such as budgeting for public funds, output accuracy, performance skill, …
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Partial Interests and Taxable Leaseholds
002-226 Exam | 002-225 Seminar
Real estate transactions are routinely affected by conditions where some, but not all, of the property rights are transferred, such …
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Practical Math for Assessing Officials
002-255 Exam | 002-778 Seminar
This course focuses on basic mathematical functions that assessment official’s use regularly. Topics covered in this course include: mathematical symbols, decimals, …
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Preferential Assessments
002-312 Exam | 002-311 Seminar
The purpose of this course is to provide a comprehensive look at Illinois preferential assessments from the initial constitutional authority …
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Real Estate Law
002-994 Exam | 002-505 Seminar
This course is designed to familiarize assessing officials with the points of law regarding real property and real estate. An …
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Residential Complaints at the Local Level
002-223 Seminar Only
It is essential that assessors are competent and empowered to communicate with homeowners regarding values, to prepare professional and compelling …
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Residential Drawings, Fieldwork, and Photographs
002-350 Exam | 002-351 Seminar
Knowledge of and skill in standard practices in documenting residential property using drawings and photographs are important elements of the …
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Residential Quality, Condition & Effective Age
002-431 Seminar Only
This workshop will review the characteristics that determine construction quality for residential properties by use of the Marshall & Swift …
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RETDs from Township to State
002-207 Exam | 002-206 Seminar
This course will provide both the novice assessor and the seasoned professional with a review of the basic procedures that …
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SALES RATIO ANALYSIS USING EXCEL
002-212 Seminar Only
In this course, students will learn how to use Microsoft Excel to perform sales ratio studies. An overview of sales …
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The Income Approach: A Detailed Examination
002-818 Exam | 002-858 Seminar
This course is intended to provide students with a thorough review of the income approach so that they become very …
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Valuation of Big Box Stores
002-204 Seminar Only
The purpose of this workshop is to provide guidance and suggestions on the valuation process of big box properties. Information …
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Valuation of Farm Buildings
002-227 Exam | 002-217 Seminar
Rural assessors—this course is for you! In this course, you will learn how to locate new farm buildings in your …
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Valuation of Manufactured Housing
002-101 Seminar Only
Topics for this session include history, trends, how to distinguish between manufactured homes, modular homes, panelized homes and pre-cut or …
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Valuation of Residential Land
002-657 Exam | 002-849 Seminar
This course is intended to provide students with a comprehensive examination of the valuation of land. The foundation of any …
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Valuation of Self Storage Properties
002-141 Seminar Only
Almost every assessment jurisdiction has some type of self-storage property on their assessment roll.  Purpose of this workshop is to …
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Valuation of Senior Housing (Seminar)
002-290 Seminar Only
The Senior Housing Valuation Workshop provides an overview of and valuation guidelines for the four main types of senior housing …
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