IES District 6+ Fundamentals of Lighting Course- Fall 2023 (Online)

September 25, 2023

Course Overview

This virtual (online) course, held over the course of five weeks, provides participants with an introduction to the fundamentals of illumination. It gives a comprehensive overview of basic lighting principles, lamp and luminaire types, lighting calculations, and controls, as well as functional and aesthetic applications best practices. This course is ideal for architects, engineers, designers, contractors, sales reps, customer service reps, manufacturers, distributors, and students. Find full descriptions for each module below.

DISTRICT 6+ PARTICIPATING SECTIONS

Anchorage, Calgary, Edmonton, Portland, Seattle, Regina, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Las Vegas

Dates
  • October 10th – November 16th, 2023, Tuesdays & Thursdays (no class on October 31st)
  • Registration Deadline: Friday, October 5, 2023
Time
  • 5:00 PM-7:30 PM MST
Format
  • Each module will include 2 hours of instruction followed by an Online Quiz and Q&A Session
Location
  • IES Zoom Room (calendar invite with sign-in details will be sent after registration)

CEUs

  • 25 CEUs, 25 LU-HSW approved based on course completion (does not qualify for NCQLP CEUs)

Pricing

  • $505 CDN: Non-Members*
  • $380 CDN: IES Members (Enter your member number as a promo code!)
  • $230 CDN: Emerging Professionals** (Enter your member number as a promo code!)
  • $125 CDN: Students***
  • *10% Discount available for organizations that are Sustaining Members. Enter your Organization’s member number as a promo code!
  • **Emerging Professionals who complete the course will be eligible for a special promotion, to be announced upon completion.
  • ***Students = currently enrolled in college, university, or trade program. Must present valid Student ID (Please email us at info@iesedmonton.org with an image of your valid Student ID, and we will send you a unique promo code)
  • All course participants must also purchase their own course materials from the IES website: https://store.ies.org/product/fol-23-fundamentals-of-lighting-student-materials/

Questions

  • Contact Jennifer Blake at jenniferblake85@gmail.com (organizational) or Dan Salinas at danielgsalinas@comcast.net (instruction)

Module Schedule

  • Module 1: Tuesday, October 10th – Introduction to Light and Lighting (Portland: Naomi Miller). A brief history of light and lighting. Professional practice. The physics of light. Vision. Colour. Light and health.
  • Module 2: Thursday, October 12th – Electric Light Sources (Anchorage: Adrian Oehrlein & Jeremy Maxie). Introduction to electric light sources. Legacy sources. Incandescent. Fluorescent. High Intensity Discharge. Solid state.
  • Module 3: Tuesday, October 17th – Daylighting (Seattle: Chris Meek & Regina/Saskatoon: Kristen Ernst). Introduction to daylighting. Characteristics of daylight. Delivering daylight. Integrating daylight and electric light. View. Modelling daylight.
  • Module 4: Thursday, October 19th – Luminaires (Portland: Mariel Acevedo & Vancouver: Colin Macduff). Introduction to luminaires. Luminaire optics. Classification. Mounting. Interior luminaires. Exterior luminaires.
  • Module 5: Tuesday, October 24th – Lighting Controls (Seattle: Shaun Darragh). Introduction to Lighting Controls. Dimming. Sensors: presence detection. Sensors: light detection. Networked systems. General Considerations.
  • Module 6: Thursday, October 26th – Metrics, photometry, calculations, and rendering (Calgary: Dan Hadash & Las Vegas: Javid Butler). Introduction. Photometry: Lab and Reports. Calculations. Point method calculations. Lumen method calculations. Computer modeling. Field Measurements.
  • Tuesday, October 31st – No Class – Holiday / IES Street & Area Lighting Conference (SALC)
  • Module 7: Thursday, November 2nd – Codes & Standards, and Practice (Edmonton: Sunil Nakia & Portland: Jeff Schwartz). Introduction. Electrical and Building Codes. Energy Codes. Aspirational Standards. Lighting Standards. Economics.
  • Module 8: Tuesday, November 7th – Lighting for interior environments (Calgary: Hilary Zorn). Fundamentals of lighting design. Languages of lighting design. Visibility and comfort. Visual experience. Attraction and display. Light and architecture. Wellness and sustainability.
  • Module 9: Thursday, November 9th – Lighting for exterior environments (Winnipeg: Elaina Samardzija). Lighting for dark environments. Parks, campuses, and civic spaces. Streets and roadways. Parking facilities. Athletic facilities. Facades and landscapes. Sustainability and wellness.
  • Module 10: Tuesday, November 14th – Review. (Instructor: TBD). Lighting basics. Vision & Perception (color, contrast). Daylight, Electric Light, Controls. Light & Professional Practice. Balancing Needs and Sustainability. Resources.
  • AME: Thursday, November 16th – Ask Me Anything – Optional (Multiple Instructors). Your time to discuss anything in the course you’d like to go over again.

More information available here

Related Articles


Changing Scene

  • Dec 4, 2025 - Wow Lighting and Controls Announces New Partnership with Eterna Light

    Wow Lighting and Controls Announces New Partnership with Eterna Light

    Wow Lighting and Controls is excited to welcome Eterna Light to their lighting family! A Canadian manufacturer based in Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec, Eterna Light specializes in high-end architectural luminaires for commercial, hospitality, and retail projects. Their broad lineup includes downlights, cylinders, track lighting, and advanced backlighting solutions, all designed to bring flexibility, performance, and timeless… Read More…

  • Dec 3, 2025 - Magic Lite Announces the Promotion of Jennifer Penton to Chief Operating Officer

    Magic Lite Announces the Promotion of Jennifer Penton to Chief Operating Officer

    Magic Lite is proud to announce the promotion of Jennifer Penton to Chief Operating Officer (COO)! Jennifer brings a strong personal connection to Magic Lite. With a PhD in engineering and early experience working in the Magic Lite warehouse as a teenager, she has grown with the company from the ground up. Over the past… Read More…


Design


New Products

  • EB Horsman: Philips LED Lamps & TLED Tubes – Efficient Lighting Solutions for Any Space

    EB Horsman: Philips LED Lamps & TLED Tubes – Efficient Lighting Solutions for Any Space

    Looking to upgrade your lighting with high-efficiency LED solutions? Philips offers a wide range of LED lamps and TLED retrofit tubes that deliver energy savings, long life, and professional-grade illumination for commercial and residential projects. Philips LED lamps provide consistent brightness and excellent color rendering, making them ideal for offices, retail environments, warehouses, and homes.… Read More…

  • Omnilumen: Metalumen – Rail 2 Acoustic Direct/Indirect (RM2DU-ACL)

    Omnilumen: Metalumen – Rail 2 Acoustic Direct/Indirect (RM2DU-ACL)

    When designing lighting for a space, why not consider solving an often-overlooked issue in that space – noise. Metalumen’s Rail 2 Acoustic is now available with direct/indirect distribution, while quietly adding light to your environment with sound-dampening properties. The Rail 2 Acoustic RM2DU-ACL is constructed with ezoBord sound-absorbing baffles making it a 2-in-1 solution that… Read More…