Professional Behaviours

Approved on	16 May 2007	by	Academic Council	Res. No.	AC/62/2007 (i)
Last Amended		by		Res. No.
Next Review Date	May 2010
Keywords	Professional Behaviour, Workplace.

Professional Behaviours in the Workplace

PREAMBLE

Professional behaviours are key to ensuring a successful work placement for students. These include but are not limited to abiding by codes of ethics, producing high quality work, acting honestly and fairly and being appropriately prepared for the placement.

It is acknowledged that some Schools will have processes and forms for students undertaking professional placements. These may be used in addition to this overarching policy.

DEFINITIONS

Professional behaviour:	Professional behaviours include, but are not limited to appropriate standards of: ethical conduct for the particular discipline, communication and interpersonal skills, punctuality and dress, collegial behaviour; and compliance with relevant workplace policies.
Student:	A person enrolled at Murdoch University.
University:	In this document the term University means Murdoch University.
Workplace:	A business or organisation willing to accept a Student for a Workplace Learning experience
Workplace Learning:	A form of study where students undertake training and practical experience in a location physically different to the University to gain knowledge and skills in the field they are studying.
Workplace Learning Unit:	A unit with elements of workplace learning.

POLICY

General and discipline specific professional behaviours required must be outlined for students in unit guides. This information must be reinforced in forums such as seminars prior to the start of the work placement.
Workplaces may also provide guidelines for expected professional behaviours for students. This would ideally be part of an induction process.
Unit guides must comply with the Assessment policy and identify staff responsible for conducting assessment.
During the placement students must be provided with feedback on their progress. This can occur through informal assessments and in meetings with academic and workplace supervisors. Students should be encouraged to critically reflect on their workplace experiences. At the conclusion of a placement students should be provided with feedback on their performance.
Students must complete the “Confirmation of Understanding of Professional Behaviour Requirements in a Work Placement” proforma prior to starting their first placement and then at the discretion of their School. This proforma is attached as Appendix A.
Unit Coordinators must complete the “Confirmation of Understanding of Professional Behaviour Requirements in a Work Placement” proforma once for all students in a unit. The Unit Coordinator must also encourage workplace supervisors to read the information provided. Refer to Appendix A.
Students who are concerned about anything they witness during a work placement should consult with their University Supervisor.
Students must be advised on and comply with all relevant policies of the University, their School and the Workplace and be aware of student discipline procedures. This information must be in Unit Information and Learning Guides, or otherwise provided by the Unit Coordinator. A breach of professional behaviour may constitute academic misconduct and may be subject to the University’s disciplinary procedures.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Responsible Officer	Secretary Academic Council
Implementation Officers	Executive Deans Heads of Schools Unit Co-ordinators
Information Contact Officer	Secretary Academic Council

RELATED MATERIALS / POLICIES:

Assessment policy
Student Discipline Statute
Working With Children Check policy
Workplace Learning policy

REVISION HISTORY:
Approved / Amended / Rescinded	Date	Committee	Resolution Number
Approved	16 May 2007	Academic Council	AC/62/2007 (i)

Appendix A

CONFIRMATION OF UNDERSTANDING OF PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOUR REQUIREMENTS IN A WORK PLACEMENT

This form seeks to gather information to ensure all parties are aware of their rights and responsibilities regarding professional behaviour in the workplace. All parties in work placements must be aware of the general and specific professional behaviours and attitudes expected. You must complete this form and return it to your School office.

Section A (to be completed by the student)
Please note the following:

You must complete this proforma prior to starting your first placement and then as required by the school.
If you answer “NO” to any questions please contact your academic Unit Coordinator to discuss.
If you have any difficulties or problems completing this form or during your placement(s) please contact your academic Unit Coordinator. If you are not able to talk with them contact your Head of School or Program Chair.

1.	Full name:
2.	Student number:
3.	Division in which you are enrolled
4.	Placement(s) unit code and title
5.	Have you read and understood the information relating to work placements in your Unit Guide?	YES		NO
6.	Have you read and understood the expected professional behaviours and codes of ethics relevant to your work placement(s) and to your industry/profession? For example dress standards, confidentiality, safety, actively listening to instructions, punctuality and behaving honestly.	YES		NO
7.	Are you aware that at the start of your placement (s) you will need to find out about the specific workplace policies for the placement(s)?	YES		NO
8.	Are you aware that during the placement(s) there must be an opportunity to provide regular feedback to your academic supervisor? Please refer to the Unit Guide.	YES		NO
9.	Are you aware of the requirements for any special approvals such as police clearance?	YES		NO
10.	Have you obtained the necessary special requirements for this placement(s) such as a Working With Children Check or police clearance?	YES		NO
11.	Have you discussed and made arrangements with the workplace regarding Intellectual Property (IP)?	YES		NO
12.	If the placement(s) involve sponsorship or scholarship issues you must sign a copy of the Agreement related to this placement(s)? Have you done this?.	YES	NO		NA
13.	If yes, have you received a copy of the Agreement related to this placement(s) and do you agree to meet the requirements of the Agreement?	YES	NO		NA
14.	If the placement(s) does not involve sponsorship or scholarship issues you must sign a copy of Annexure A as attached to the Workplace Learning policy? Have you done this?	YES	NO		NA

I have read and understood the contents of this form and completed the form to the best of my understanding.

Student signature: Date:

_____________________________________________ _______________

Section B (to be completed by the Unit Co-ordinators)
Please note the following general requirements:

The University must conduct an orientation workshop/session for students to outline the rights and responsibilities of each party prior to the start of placements.
Mechanisms must be in place to deal with student breaches of workplace and University codes of conduct.
The placement(s) must conform to Unit Guidelines and accreditation requirements.
If the workplace supervisor is involved in assessment they must be provided with the relevant aspects of the Assessment policy
If a “NO” response is provided as an answer to any question then the Unit Co-ordinator must action the item.

1.	Full name:
2.	Have you received a copy of the Agreement related to this placement(s)? This must occur	YES	NO
3.	Does the work placement(s) conform with the Agreement?	YES	NO
4.	Has the Agreement been signed?	YES	NO
5.	Has the student been provided with the code of conduct appropriate to the work placement(s)?	YES	NO
6.	Has the student indicated they have read and understood this?	YES	NO
7.	If NO, what action will be taken?
8.	Have arrangements for regular feedback between the supervisor and student been put in place?	YES	NO
9.	Have special requirements such as a Working With Children Check or police clearances for this placement(s) been met?	YES	NO
10.	If NO, what action will be taken?
11.	All general requirements as outlined above have been met for this placement(s).	YES	NO
12.	If NO, what action will be taken?

Unit Co-ordinator signature: Date:

_____________________________________________ _______________

Section C (for the information of the Workplace Supervisor)

Dear [Name Workplace Supervisor],

Thank you for accepting a Murdoch University student to undertake a professional placement(s) at your workplace. If you have not yet signed and received a copy of the work place Agreement please contact [name of the Unit Coordinator], the Unit Coordinator so this can be organised prior to the start of the placement. The Unit Coordinator should have also provided you with a copy of the relevant Unit Guidelines.

This placement(s) is to be undertaken on the express understanding that any Intellectual Property (IP) developed during the placement by the student shall be the property of the workplace unless otherwise specified or agreed. We recommend that IP issues be discussed with the student prior to the start of the placement.

Listed below are key links to relevant internet sites regarding Murdoch’s policies and procedures that may assist you with the placement(s). If you have any questions about this information please do not hesitate to contact the Unit Coordinator. Please disseminate this information to all staff who will work with the student during the placement.

Thank you again for agreeing to accept a Murdoch University work placement student. It is hoped this will be a rewarding experience for all parties involved. If you do experience problems with a student please contact the Unit Coordinator.

Assessment policy
http://www.murdoch.edu.au/vco/secretariat/admin/codes/assess.html

Student Discipline Statute
http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/legsln/statutes/statute23.html

Student Appeals & Grievances Handling Procedures
http://www.oss.murdoch.edu.au/grievances/

Conditions of use of the University's Computer and Networking Facilities and Internet Guidelines http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/policies/itsecurity/

Equity policies
http://www.murdoch.edu.au/index/policies/equity

Yours sincerely,

[Name Unit Coordinator]