Professionalism is demonstrated through actions that align with UBC Sauder’s core values – rigour, respect and responsibility. Students, like faculty, staff and alumni, are representatives of UBC Sauder and are committed to upholding these values and behaving professionally. This document outlines the expectations of our community and the consequences of unprofessional behaviour. Be sure to understand the specific expectations of all classes and activities at UBC Sauder. Ask questions if you don’t understand or need more information.
Personal Well Being
Above all else, taking care of your physical and mental health is a priority. A lack of sleep, nutrition, exercise or relaxation can reduce overall wellbeing and general performance, making the behaviours outlined below difficult. Although we, as members of the UBC community, have pledged to help and support each other, taking care of your own health and wellness is a core personal responsibility, in the same way it is your individual responsibility to complete coursework and be aware of deadlines. If you need support with maintaining your physical and mental health, there are resources provided within UBC Sauder and the greater UBC community to help you. Faculty, staff and your fellow students are also sources of support when you need help.
Rigorous, Respectful and Responsible Behaviours
Behaving in alignment with the school’s core values means being attentive and conscious of the impact of words or actions on others and our community at large. These behaviours include listening to people with an open mind, treating everyone at UBC Sauder equally and respecting the diversity of our community. The UBC Sauder BCom Statement of Professionalism sets out more examples of rigorous, respectful and responsible behaviours. Failure to do so damages the UBC Sauder culture, community, relationships and your personal integrity. It is critical that students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives be valued in and well-served by their courses. Furthermore, the diversity that students bring to the classroom should be viewed as a resource, benefit, and source of strength for your learning experience.
Students who act disrespectfully toward others will be asked to leave the class or activity. Possible consequences range from being marked as absent for the day or being removed from a team to being withdrawn from the course.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity means you conduct your work and studies honestly and in accordance with the UBC’s standards as outlined here. It is a fundamental first step in establishing your reputation as a professional and it is your obligation to inform yourself of these expectations.
Not only are plagiarism and cheating detrimental to your education, but they undermine the goals of the university and are penalized. Examples include sharing your past assignments and answers with other students, submitting work that is not your own, working with other students on your coursework when the instructor has not permitted this, spreading information to other students through word of mouth, social media, or other channels that prevents the fair evaluation of a class exercise, assessment or activity, or misusing the intellectual property of others by distributing course materials to third-party websites or recording lectures without consent.
Violations of academic integrity are taken seriously by UBC. For example, incidences of plagiarism or cheating typically result in a mark of zero on the assignment or exam and more serious consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences. Individual instructors and other professionals can take legal action for violations of their copyright.
How can we maintain academic integrity?
- Read and abide by the rules, regulations, and expectations set out in the UBC Calendar. For example, Student Conduct during Examinations.
- Ensuring we are honest in doing our own assignments and prioritizing a strong work ethic
- Only sharing information about a course that does not undermine the instructor’s ability to accurately assess another student’s individual work
- Respecting the intellectual property of our peers, instructors, advisors and other community members, and media sources of all kinds
- Supporting the learning processes of our peers through tutoring and mentorship
- Citing work in the correct format, as outlined by our instructors or supervisors
Attendance and Participation
Students are expected to attend class and class-related events and activities regularly and on-time, as stated in the UBC Calendar Statement on Attendance. Job and co-op interviews, extra-curriculars and other appointments and commitments should all be scheduled outside of class hours. Students who miss more than 20% of a course could be excluded from final examinations, removed from the class with a “withdrawal” or “fail” standing or given a mark of zero for participation. See individual course syllabi for specific class policies on attendance.
If you have any difficulties with attendance, please discuss this with your instructor, supervisor, or the Undergraduate Office (UGO) as soon as possible. If you are unavoidably absent because of conflicting responsibilities, medical circumstances or compassionate grounds and you will be missing an exam or required coursework, you can apply for an academic concession. To manage this situation professionally, notify your instructor directly, and submit a request for academic concession to the UGO within 48 hours through the MyBCom website.
When you are professional, you show up ready to engage and contribute. Depending on class size and format, students are expected to volunteer opinions and/or answers that reflect critical thought and thorough preparation, offer helpful feedback to their peers where appropriate, and contribute equitably to group assignments.
Students are expected to be empathetic and respectful of their colleagues at all times, including faculty, staff and peers. This means being attentive and conscious of words and actions and their impact on others, listening to people with an open mind, treating all UBC Sauder community members equally and understanding diversity.
Students who act disrespectfully toward others will be asked to leave the class and be marked as absent for the day. They may also be removed from a team, lose credit for in-class assessments and activities, or be asked to complete a group assignment individually.
Use of Electronics
In-person Classes
The use of electronics in the classroom can be unprofessional, since it can be distracting to yourself, your peers and the instructor. For this reason, the default policy for the use of electronics in the classroom is “lids down”. This means that the norm for most classes is to avoid the use of electronic devices while class is in session.
Different classes and activities require different electronic tools and any specific guidelines around in-class or meeting use of electronics are decided by each instructor or supervisor. It is our individual responsibility to understand and abide by these expectations and to behave appropriately. If laptops, tablets, smartphones and other electronic devices are allowed or encouraged in the classroom, meeting or activity, they must be used strictly for the educational or professional purpose at hand. Using it for other personal or non-meeting related matters is unprofessional. It can also serve as a distraction to yourself and others around you.
Students who use electronics that do not respect this norm may be asked to leave the class and may be penalized.
Online Classes
The use of electronics is essential in online learning, and UBC uses many learning technologies to support online courses. Please refer to keeplearning.ubc.ca for best practices on how to effectively use these tools.
Even if you are not sharing a physical space, students must still be respectful and mindful of their peers and instructors. Try to join your classes early – up to five minutes before start time to ensure you have everything working. Please have your video on unless you are experiencing connection issues.
Put your microphone on mute when not speaking and use the “raise hand” feature if you would like to participate. Try to avoid talking over or at the same time as other participants. Just like in a regular classroom, it is important that you refrain from use of all other technology (phones, other applications, etc.) during classes.
Physical Space
Taking care of our physical space is a component of professionalism. When we respect our shared space, we take initiative to keep it in a condition where it is ready to be used by the next person. Things we can do to respect our shared space includes throwing out our trash, replacing rearranged furniture and respecting room-use policies.