Personal Conduct

These Professional Standards are copied from Sloan's site (Classroom Values in Practice & Values@MIT Student Agreement ). Some of them are also applicable beyond classroom context. Please read ALL of them, they are very important!

The MIT Sloan Mission

The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice.
Mission Link

To accomplish this, we:

• Offer premier programs for shaping leaders who will create, redefine, and build cutting-edge products, services, markets, and organizations;
• Collaborate across MIT to capitalize on and contribute to the Institute’s distinctive intellectual excellence and entrepreneurial culture;
• Attract, develop, and retain outstanding faculty and staff who lead the world in management education and research;
• Enroll students with integrity, strong leadership potential, high aspirations, and exceptional intellectual ability; and
• Foster a cooperative and adventurous learning community that includes alumni and business partners, works on important problems, and is based on mutual respect, rigorous analysis, and high ethical standards.

Values@MIT Sloan

The MIT Sloan Mission statement (above) provides the context for core values that express who we are at our best. These core values include integrity, respect, collaboration, innovation, and positive impact. We invite all members of our community – students, staff, faculty, alumni – to practice these values in all the ways we work together, both inside and outside of the classroom.
Values Link

Core Values

Values in Practice

MIT Sloan Policy on Classroom Behavior

In order to create a productive learning environment and to ensure mutual respect it is essential that the norms and rules of classroom etiquette and behavior reflect the highest standards. It is also important that these norms be consistently enforced by the faculty across all classes. Although in the final analysis each faculty member is responsible for his or her own classroom, there are significant negative consequences for other faculty and for the School if rules are not consistent and are not enforced. Therefore it is the policy of the MIT Sloan School that

• Students are expected to arrive promptly on time and to stay for the entire class.
• Faculty are expected to begin and end class on time.
• Laptops and e-readers are not be open in the classroom except with explicit permission of the faculty (e.g., when used as part of the instructional program or when required by students because of physical or other challenges).
• Cell phones and PDAs are not to be used or permitted to ring in the classroom.
• Students are expected to attend all classes.
  It is expected that faculty will articulate how these rules apply in their class as well as how the rules will be enforced.

A Note re Recruiting

Please note that in accordance with this policy, MIT Sloan requires that students schedule campus interviews outside of scheduled class times and to make every attempt to schedule second round interviews and site visits outside of class times. Classes missed for such activities are not excused absences and may count against your participation grade.

Classroom Best Practices

Link
Below are suggested best practices for you to consider as you develop-or refine--Values@MIT Sloan classroom practices that fit your individual style and subject:

• Students expect that the faculty member will set and maintain boundaries in the classroom and may lose respect for those that don’t.
• Students are generally inclined to follow rules if you express them up front – better not to give the impression that you're making up the rules as you go.
• All faculty are encouraged to uphold Values@MIT Sloan; those who don’t make it more difficult for those faculty who do and negatively impact the overall environment at MIT Sloan. Students definitely prefer consistency in classroom expectations and structure.
• Please do your part by starting and ending session on ‘MIT Time’ – beginning class at 5 minutes after and ending five minutes before the designated time (e.g., for an 8:30 - 10:00 class, start at 8:35 and end at 9:55).
• Faculty are encouraged to model MIT Sloan values (respect, integrity, collaboration, innovation, positive impact), creating a professional classroom atmosphere and using appropriate language and humor.

The MIT Sloan School is committed to creating an environment in which every individual can work and study in a culture of mutual respect. When making individual decisions we must keep in mind the interests of the many other stakeholders.

Addressing specific issues that may arise:

Using laptops/PDAs for non-class activities

• Ask everyone to turn off their computers/cell phones/PDAs at the beginning of class
• Call on people that are using their electronics for non-class activities
• Walk around the class so that it becomes obvious that you are aware of student activities
• Specify in your syllabus if you do not want computers, etc. used for non-class activities during class time and that those wishing to take notes on their computer should see you about it).
• Remind students that they are in class to think and participate – highlight the importance of class participation and engagement
• Walk up to a student using a laptop and ask him to close the laptop – wait for him to do so

Side conversations

• Side conversations can disrupt the instructor as well as those immediately nearby. Stop your comments until the conversation ends.
• Ask those involved in side discussions to share their insights with the rest of the class

Repeated lateness to class

• Gently call attention to the latecomers:
  • Address in the moment by stopping class to welcome them
  • Cold call the student as they walk in the door or soon thereafter
  • Say, "There's a volunteer" and ask them a question about the topic under discussion as they settle into their seat
• At the first opportunity in the new semester tell the latecomer, in front of the class, that lateness is disrespectful to the instructor and peers as well as disruptive
• Email the student to come speak with you in your office about their tardiness (or with the TA)
• Let the class know if a student has a special circumstance that keeps her/him from arriving on time (class across campus)

Aggressive or disrespectful behavior towards the Instructor or other students

• Stop the class and address the behavior before returning to the subject matter – explain that you find it disrespectful and do will not accept that type of behavior in your classroom
• Ask to speak to the offending parties after class
• Student-to-student aggressive/disrespectful behavior can often cause teams to break up – speak to the team about the behavior and explain why it's unacceptable

Student unpreparedness

• At the beginning of each class session, randomly choose 4 students, write their names on the board and tell these students that you will be calling on them throughout the class
• Allow students to pass on answering questions, but ask them to choose the student that will answer the question
• Explain to people that it is disrespectful to be unprepared for class and/or not to participate – note if participation is part of the grade and that the TA keeps track of attendance and participation

Dominating class discussion/consuming airtime

• When a student that speaks up a lot volunteers yet again, request that someone who hasn't yet had the opportunity to speak answer the question
• Note that your goal is to give as many students a chance to participate as possible

Making comments outside the flow of the discussion

• Ask the student to relate the comment to the topic under discussion

Repeatedly asking questions that pertain to a higher level of material

• Ask the student to speak to you after class about the question
• Make it clear why you don't want to get into that level of discussion in class
• Be sensitive where the student is at before commenting – note that many electives have students from a broad range of programs

Draining energy from the class (e.g., reading newspapers, uncommitted or defensive body language)

• Ask the students questions, try to engage them in the conversation
• Speak to them about the behaviors after class

Not participating in class discussions

• Call on students that do not participate
• Have TAs stay on top of class lists and class participation early on in the semester
• Speak to the student after class
• If the non-participation in class is due to people that you suspect are shopping for classes and may drop the class:
  • Have a non-trivial assignment due on the 3rd or 4th class session to force students to make up their minds earlier about whether they will remain in the class
  • Remember that you can refuse to add someone to your class after the 1st week of classes

Repeated absence

• Make class participation part of the grade and give an "P' for participation any day that students miss class
• Put material that comes out during class discussions on the homework assignments and tests

Leaving class early/bathroom breaks (i.e., class disruption)

• Let the student know as they leave the class that they will lead the discussion at the next class session
• Ask the student a question as they leave the class
• Early in the semester talk about desired guest protocol and the disruption of multiple students leaving and entering for bio-breaks; Ask that it be kept to a minimum

Cell phones ringing in class

• Have someone call you on your cell phone on the first day of class while you are presenting to demonstrate how disruptive and annoying it can be
• Make an announcement at the beginning of each class session that cell phones should be turned off
• Answer the student’s phone and tell the caller that they’re in the middle of class and the call will be returned later

Leaving a mess (particularly with respect to food)

• Announce that the classroom should always be left in a condition that is suitable for another class to begin (i.e., clean) and that each student is responsible for cleaning up after her/himself – this is respectful behavior for each other and our community

ACADEMIC HONESTY – INTEGRITY IN PRACTICE

As a member of the MIT Sloan academic community, you are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity. Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, and facilitating academic dishonesty. Please see the document Academic Integrity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: A Handbook for Students for further discussion of this topic. These standards are also discussed below, specifically regarding plagiarism, individual work, and team work.

It is your responsibility to make yourself aware of MIT’s rules of academic integrity and to adhere to them. When students are found to have violated academic standards, disciplinary action will result. Possible consequences include grade reduction, an F grade, a transcript notation, delay of graduation, or expulsion from MIT.

This discussion of academic integrity below is not exhaustive, and there may be areas that remain unclear to you. If you are unsure whether some particular course of action is proper, it is your responsibility to consult with your professor and/or teaching assistant for clarification.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when you use another's intellectual property (words or ideas) and do not acknowledge that you have done so. Plagiarism is a very serious offense. If it is found that you have plagiarized – deliberately or inadvertently – you will face serious consequences, as indicated above.

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite your sources - both within the body of your assignment and in a bibliography of sources you used at the end of your document.

Materials gathered through research via the Internet must be cited in the same manner as more traditionally published material. Lack of such citation constitutes plagiarism.

To review rules of citation: http://libguides.mit.edu/content.php?pid=80743&sid=598642

Individual Assignments

Many assignments in MIT Sloan courses are expected to be done individually. The information below outlines what is meant by “individual” work. These rules should be observed unless otherwise defined by the instructor.

When you are asked to do individual work, you are expected to adhere to the following standards:

• Do not copy all or part of another student’s work (with or without “permission”).
• Do not allow another student to copy your work.
• Do not ask another person to write all or part of an assignment for you.
• Do not work together with another student in order to answer a question, or solve a problem, or write a computer program jointly.
• Do not consult or submit work (in whole or in part) that has been completed by other students in this or previous years for the same or substantially the same assignment.
• Do not use print or internet materials directly related to a case/problem set unless explicitly authorized by the instructor.
• Do not use print or internet materials without explicit quotation and/or citation.
• Do not submit the same, or similar, piece of work for two or more subjects without the explicit approval of the two or more instructors involved.

Please note that many classes will require a combination of team work and individual work. Be sure that you follow all the guidelines for individual work when a faculty member identifies an assignment as an individual one.

Team Assignments

When you are asked to work in teams, there is a broad spectrum of faculty expectations. Three general types of appropriate collaboration on team assignments are described below. The instructor will indicate in the syllabus what his/her expectations are. If there is any uncertainty, it is the student’s responsibility to clarify with the professor or TA the type of team work that is expected.

Type 1 collaboration:
The professor states that collaboration is allowed, but the final product must be individual. An example of this might be a problem set.

• You are allowed to discuss the assignment with other team members and work through the problems together.
• What you turn in, however, must be your own product, written in your own handwriting, or in a computer file of which you are the sole author.
• Copying another’s work or electronic file is not acceptable.

Type 2 collaboration:
The professor states that collaboration is encouraged but that each person's contribution to a given deliverable does not have to be substantial (allowing groups to take a "divide and conquer" approach). An example of this might be a brief progress report that is part of a more extensive collaboration (as a whole, the more extensive collaboration may be Type 3).

• Each team member is encouraged to contribute substantially to the team assignment, however, the team may choose to assign one or more team members to prepare and submit the deliverable on behalf of the team.
• Regardless of how work is shared or responsibilities are divided among individual team members, each member of the team will be held accountable for the academic integrity of the entire assignment. If, for example, one member of the team submits plagiarized work on behalf of the team, the entire team will be subject to sanctions as appropriate.
• The team may not collaborate with other students outside of the team unless the professor explicitly permits such collaboration.

Type 3 collaboration:
The professor states that collaboration is expected and that each team member must contribute substantially to the deliverable. An example of this might be the 15.311 OP project.

• Each team member must make a substantial contribution to the assignment. It is not, for example, acceptable to divide the assignments amongst the team members (e.g., part of the team completes the OP Project while the rest of the team prepares a team case for DMD), though the team may divide the work of any one assignment to complete it as they deem appropriate.
• The team may not collaborate with other students outside of the team unless the professor explicitly permits such collaboration.

If you are unsure whether some particular form of interaction is proper in individual or team work, it is your responsibility to consult the instructor and/or teaching assistant for clarification and guidance