Policies

Inside the classroom

    Use of class time: I will be ready to go when class starts, and will make good use of the 50-170 minutes allotted for the class. In return, I ask that you be engaged and ready to learn when class starts.
     
    Classroom activites: Throughout this course, we will engage in classroom activities that are designed to help you learn and grasp key concepts in scientific research. Some may be silly, but they are intended to facilitate your learning. Just have fun!
     
    Got questions?: You can email/message me whenever you’d like to pose questions about materials that you find to be unclear! Prefer to stay anonymous? I am also reachable via Reddit under the username ubcdrbench.
     
    Have children?: If childcare is a potential barrier for you attending class, please have a chat with me! We can explore the option of you bringing your child(ren) to class!

Outside the classroom

    Emailing: Please allow me a 24-hour window to respond to answer emails, and please make sure to check the syllabus first! (You can even use the search function at the bottom)

Academic Concessions and Other Grading Concerns

    During the term, students may experience medical, psychology, or other forms of distress, which may affect performance. In such cases, students should do their best to speak with me before the exam time, assignment due date, or lab time. Documentation is not necessary! Just shoot me an email! No judgments from us – we want to do what we can to help you balance your life in the class and outside of the class! Special accommodations generally cannot be made after an exam has been written, or assignments have been submitted, and the weighting of each learning assessment cannot be changed, with exigent circumstances as exceptions.

Academic and Non-Academic Misconduct

    Academic misconduct, such as cheating or plagiarism, is a serious offense, and may be subject to punishment by the university. UBC has clear policies about what academic misconduct means: https://academicintegrity.ubc.ca/regulation-process/academic-misconduct/. Not sure what counts as plagiarism? Check out the website! Evidence of academic misconduct may result in a “0” grade for the exam or assignment in question, and may prompt more severe punishment as the University deems appropriate

Use of ChatGPT and Generative AI Tools

    The use of generative AI tools, including ChatGPT and other similar tools, to complete or support the completion of any form of assignment or assessment in this course is not allowed and would be considered academic misconduct, with the exception of the use of spell checkers and grammar checkers. It is important that students learn how to generate essays, reports, and writing pieces by formulating their own thoughts and arguments. Assignments should fully reflect students own thoughts and abilities. As such, the use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools in any form is not allowed in this class.

Department of Psychology’s Grading Policies:

    To promote equity across multiple sections of the same course, and to prevent grade inflation, the Department of Psychology a grading policy for all PSYC courses. For PSYC217, the average final grades across all sections must fall within the range of 68-72%, with a standard deviation of 14%. Scaling may be done to bring the class average in accordance with this policy. The scaling may be done by the instructor, or by the Department. Thus, a student’s grade is not official until it appears on a student’s transcript

Withdrawal dates

    If you wish to drop this course without a “W” (or “Withdrawal”) on your transcript, the last class before you must do so is May 14. If you wish to drop this course with a “W” on your transcript, the last class before you must do so is June 4

University syllabus policy

    UBC provides resources to support student learning and to maintain healthy lifestyles but recognizes that sometimes crises arise and so there are additional resources to access including those for survivors of sexual violence. UBC values respect for the person and ideas of all members of the academic community. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated nor is suppression of academic freedom. UBC provides appropriate accommodation for students with disabilities and for religious and cultural observances. UBC values academic honesty and students are expected to acknowledge the ideas generated by others and to uphold the highest academic standards in all of their actions. Details of the policies and how to access support are available here.