Professionalism is not perfection, but progression.

Whether you’re on the job or in the classroom, there are spoken and unspoken rules and standards that we need to abide by. For example, when we’re young we learn that there is such a thing as an “inside voice.” This approach teaches young people that when we’re talking we should be speaking at a decibel level appropriate to that situation. Similarly, we learn that punctuality, or the process of arriving on time for meetings and hitting deadlines, is expected, even if there might be different degrees of flexibility.

What is professionalism?

Professionalism is the concept that there are standards of conduct, behavior, and attitude expected from a person in their specific setting. Namely, professionalism describes the qualities someone is expected to have and adhere to in academic and professional settings. What can be tricky about professionalism is that even though there are things expected of us, they are not universal. Rather, the standards and expectations are often dependent on one’s geographic location, chosen career, university culture, and even something like generation. And so, having an understanding of professionalism more broadly will help you figure out what standards of behavior your courses and your future career path require from you. For instance, as a therapist you will be expected to adhere to a professional code of conduct of not discussing your patients experiences with others.

Professionalism in the Classroom

Guidelines for Communicating with Professors

Getting along with professors and communicating well begins with attitude. As experts in their field, professors deserve your respect. Remember that a college education is a collaborative process that works best when students and professors communicate freely in an exchange of ideas, information, and perspectives. So while you should respect your professors, you shouldn’t fear them. As you get to know them better, you’ll learn their personalities and find appropriate ways to communicate.

Here are some guidelines for getting along with and communicating with your professors:

• Prepare before going to the professor’s office. Go over your notes on readings and lectures and write down your specific questions. You’ll feel more comfortable, and the professor will appreciate your being organized.
• Don’t forget to introduce yourself. Especially near the beginning of the term, don’t assume your professor has learned everyone’s names yet and don’t make him or her have to ask you.
• Respect the professor’s time. In addition to teaching, college professors sit on committees, do research and other professional work, and have personal lives. Don’t show up two minutes before the end of an office hour and expect the professor to stay late to talk with you.
• Realize that the professor will recognize you from class — even in a large lecture hall. If you spent a lecture class joking around with friends in the back row, don’t think you can show up during office hours to find out what you missed while you weren’t paying attention.
• Don’t try to fool a professor. Insincere praise or making excuses for not doing an assignment won’t make it in college. To earn your professor’s respect, come to class prepared, do the work, participate genuinely in class, and show respect—and the professor will be happy to see you when you come to office hours or need some extra help.
• Try to see things from the professor’s point of view. Imagine that you spent a couple of hours preparing PowerPoint slides and a class lecture on something you find very stimulating and exciting. Standing in front of a full room, you are gratified to see faces smiling and heads nodding as people understand what you’re saying – they really get it! And then a student after class asks, “Is this going to be on the test?” How would you feel?
• Be professional when talking to a professor. You can be cordial and friendly, but keep it professional and on an adult level. Come to office hours prepared with your questions – not just to chat or joke around. Be prepared to accept criticism in a professional way, without taking it personally or complaining.
• Use your best communication skills. Learn the difference between assertive communication and passive or aggressive communication.

Email Best Practices

We talked about emailing etiquette in Chapter 2: Wellness. However, it’s always good form to return to things you’ve learned as a refresher:

• Use your EKU college email for all communications with EKU college staff and faculty.
• Consider setting up a professional email outside of your school account to use for future work endeavors. Be sure to use a professional email name; some version of your full real name is a great starting point.
• Use the subject line to label your message effectively at a glance. “May I make an appointment?” says something; “In your office?” doesn’t. Putting your class number in the subject line is helpful for your professor as well.
• Address email messages as you do a letter, beginning “Dear Professor ____.”
• Include your full name, your class number, and/or your class time, especially at the start of the semester when professors are still getting to know you.
• Get to your point quickly and concisely. Don’t make the reader scroll down a long email to see what it is you want to say.
• Because email is a written communication, it does not express emotion the way a voice message does. Don’t attempt to be funny, ironic, or sarcastic, Write as you would in a paper for class. In a large lecture class or an online course, your e-mail voice may be the primary way your instructor knows you, and emotionally charged messages can be confusing or give a poor impression.
• Don’t use capital letters to emphasize. All caps look like SHOUTING.
• Avoid abbreviations, nonstandard spelling, slang, and emoticons like smiley faces. These do not convey a professional tone. Acronyms are fine if you are sure the professor knows what they stand for.
• Don’t make demands or state expectations such as “I’ll expect to hear from you soon” or “If I haven’t heard by 4 p.m., I’ll assume you’ll accept my paper late.”
• When you reply to a message, leave the original message within yours. Your reader may need to recall what he or she said in the original message.
• Be polite. End the message with a “Thank you”, “Sincerely,” or something similar.
• Proofread your message before sending it.
• With any important message to a work supervisor or instructor, it’s a good idea to wait and review the message later before sending it. You may have expressed an emotion or thought that you will think better about later. Many problems have resulted when people send messages too quickly without thinking.

Resolving a Problem with Your Professor

The most common issue students experience with a professor involves receiving a grade lower than they think they deserve – especially new students not yet used to the higher standards of college. It’s depressing to get a low grade, but it’s not the end of the world. Don’t be too hard on yourself — or on the professor.

Take a good look at what happened on the test or paper and make sure you know what to do better next time. Review the chapters on studying habits, time management, and taking tests. If you genuinely believe you deserved a higher grade, you can talk with your professor.

How you communicate in that conversation, however, is very important. Professors are used to hearing students complain about grades and patiently explaining their standards for grading. Most professors seldom change grades. Yet it can still be worthwhile to talk with the professor because of what you will learn from the experience.

Follow these guidelines to talk about a grade or resolve any other problem or disagreement with a professor:

• First go over the requirements for the paper or test and the professor’s comments. Be sure you actually have a reason for discussing the grade — not just that you didn’t do well. Be prepared with specific points you want to go over.
• Make an appointment with your professor during their office hours or another time. Don’t try to talk about this before or after class or with email or the telephone.
• Begin by politely explaining that you thought you did better on the assignment or test (not simply that you think you deserve a better grade) and that you’d like to go over it to better understand the result.
• Allow the professor to explain their comments on the assignment or grading of the test. Don’t complain or whine; instead, show your appreciation for the explanation. Raise any specific questions or make comments at this time. For example, you might say, “I really thought I was being clear here when I wrote.…”
• Use good listening skills. Whatever you do, don’t argue!
• Ask the professor for advice on what you might do on the next assignment or when preparing for the next test. You may be offered some individual help or receive good study advice, and your professor will respect your willingness to make the effort as long as it’s clear that you’re more interested in learning than simply getting the grade.

Controlling Anger over Grades

If you’re going to talk with a professor about your grade or any other problem, control any anger you may be feeling. The GPS Life Plan project of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System offers some insights into this process:

• Being upset about a grade is good because it shows you care and that you have passion about your education. But anger prevents clear thinking, so rein it in first.
• Since anger involves bodily reactions, physical actions can help you control anger: try some deep breathing first.
• Try putting yourself in your professor’s shoes and seeing the situation from their point of view. Try to understand how grading is not a personal issue of “liking” you — that they are really doing something for your educational benefit.
• It’s not your life that’s being graded. Things outside your control can result in not doing well on a test or assignment, but the professor can grade only on what you actually did on that test or assignment — not what you could have done or are capable of doing. Understanding this can help you accept what happened and not take a grade personally.

Working with Classmates

Do you dread group projects? Maybe you’ve had a bad experience with one in the past, or you are concerned that you may have to do all the work. But in fact, group projects (also called project-based learning) model the real-world environment of the workplace and help you to practice a variety of durable skills including communication, conflict management, collaboration, leadership, and time management

In fact, studies have shown that group projects can have a positive impact on student success in college. Here are just a few of the benefits researchers have found for students who participate in group projects or project-based learning:

Improved learning outcomes: Research has shown that group projects can lead to better learning outcomes compared to individual assignments. In group projects, students are more likely to engage in deeper learning, engage in meaningful discussions, and retain information better (Brindley et al., 2009).

Development of transferable skills: Group projects can help students develop transferable skills, such as communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, which are valuable in both personal and professional life (Ornellas et al, 2019; Garnjost & Lawter, 2019).

Increased motivation and engagement: Group projects can increase student motivation and engagement, as students are more likely to be invested in the project when they feel that their contributions matter (Hira & Anderson, 2021).

Higher student satisfaction: Students who participate in group projects tend to report higher levels of satisfaction with their course and the learning experience (Lee et al., 2014).

Improved grades: Studies have shown that students who participate in group projects tend to perform better academically compared to those who do individual assignments (Shimazoe & Aldrich, 2010).

As you can see, group projects can be an effective teaching strategy in college because group work can lead to improved learning outcomes, development of transferable skills, increased motivation and engagement, higher student satisfaction, and improved grades.

Emotional Intelligence

We’ve talked about emotional intelligence when it comes to listening. Recognizing your own emotions and those of others will help you avoid miscommunication as well. When you are aware of your own emotional state and you have the skills to address and adjust, your communication with others will improve. You’re less likely to blurt out an angry retort to a perceived criticism, for example.

You’re better able to manage communication when you recognize someone else’s emotions, as well. A conversation can veer into hostile territory if someone feels attacked, or perhaps simply because they’ve had an emotional experience related to the conversation that you don’t understand. Taking note of other people’s emotional responses during a conversation and listening and speaking with empathy will help you manage the situation.

When conversations begin to feel heated, it’s a good idea to pause and ask yourself why. If it’s you who are feeling defensive and angry, make an effort to recognize the source of your frustration and try to take a step back, perhaps leaving the conversation until you’re better able to control your emotions and communicate in a way that’s more clearheaded and calm.

If it’s someone else who’s emotional, again, ask yourself why. Can you see reasons that this person may feel attacked, belittled, or usurped? If you can recognize their emotion and address it, you may be able to get the communication back on solid footing.

Tips for Group Work

Communication is Key

• Reach out to your group members as soon as you can, the earlier the better.
• Determine early on what everyone’s main preferences are around communicating. Default to the easiest method. If everyone texts, set up a group message. If everyone prefers to use a particular platform (e.g., Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Discord), use that. Get all group members contact info up front.
• Collectively communicate your availability for the next days/weeks working backwards from the project deadline date.
• Get to know the members in your group, their strengths and preferred ways of working. Try to recognize that everyone has an opinion and that individuals have different methods of working and learning. Consider building in an icebreaker activity to get everyone comfortable with knowing each other and sharing with one another.
• Ideally, start off with one face-to-face meeting. The remainder of your collaboration can be online/virtual, but the in-person meeting will help foster trust and familiarity with your group members.

Decide what Collaborative Tools your Group will use

Group projects benefit from the use of collaborative tools that facilitate the ability for all group members to be able to access and work on planning and development docs and files in real time. Both Microsoft and Google applications provide this ability (through Office 365 and G-Suite for Education) and can also help with version control in case of any hiccups along the way! They also can be used to build in a peer review loop – evaluating and providing feedback on project assets along the way. Find out at the outset what tools everyone is familiar and comfortable with using.

Assign Roles and Tasks

Split the work to be done into different tasks that make use of individual strengths. Having roles both in the execution of your tasks and in meetings / discussions (e.g. Arani is responsible for summarizing discussions, Joseph for ensuring everybody has a say and accepts resolutions etc.) can help to make a happy, effective team. Distribute work between members can also make it less overwhelming and easier to complete because group members can work independently on their sections.

• Leader: Leads discussion with open-ended questions, Encourages all group members; Facilitates brainstorming by summarizing and clarifying group comments; Helps guide conversation and focuses on positive statements; Checks for consensus or questions from group members
• Organizer: Schedules meetings; Keeps the project on track; Thinks about the ‘big picture’; Ensures meetings follow a timeline/agenda; Takes notes at meetings to send to everyone afterwards
• Editors: Edits completed work; Compiles different pieces of reports/presentations from different group members to create ‘flow’ and consistency
• Researchers: Researches topics for the project; Presents information to the group; Provides the group members with sources and information
• Writers: Writes the project/report/presentation; Responsible to follow guideline so that editor(s) have time to review and compile information
• Trouble-shooter/Brainstormer: Thinks about positive/negatives of ideas presented by the group; Thinks about possible solutions to problems; Critiques project based on assignment expectations/rubric to ensure success
• Presenter:Works with group members to compile and create presentation; Presents information to class

Create a Timeline

Now that you have landed on how you will communicate, collaborate and who will do what, it’s time to map out your project plan timeline. It’s important to start at the project due date and work backwards to make sure you have enough time to not only complete each task/activity but also build in time for review and feedback. Sticking to a predetermined timeline ensures items are left until the dreaded last minute!

Why Attend Classes at All?

Among the student freedoms in college is the choice not to attend classes. Most college instructors do not “grade” attendance, and some college students soon develop an attitude that if you can get class notes from someone else, or watch a podcast of a lecture, there’s no reason to go to every class at all. What’s wrong with that?

It is in fact true that you don’t have to attend every single class of every course to get a good grade. But thinking only in terms of grades and how much one can get away with is a dangerous attitude toward college education. The real issue is whether you’re trying to get the most out of your education.

Make it your goal to attend every class—don’t even think about not going. Going to class is the first step in engaging in your education by interacting with the instructor and other students. Here are some reasons why it’s important to attend every class:

• Miss a class and you’ll miss something, even if you never know it. Even if a friend gives you notes for the class, they cannot contain everything said or shown by the instructor or written on the board for emphasis or questioned or commented on by other students. What you miss might affect your grade or your enthusiasm for the course. Why go to college at all if you’re not going to go to college?
• While some students may say that you don’t have to go to every class to do well on a test, that is very often a myth. Do you want to take that risk?
• Your final grade often reflects how you think about course concepts, and you will think more often and more clearly when engaged in class discussions and hearing the comments of other students. You can’t get this by borrowing class notes from a friend.
• Research shows there is a correlation between absences from class and lower grades. It may be that missing classes causes lower grades or that students with lower grades miss more classes. Either way, missing classes and lower grades can be intertwined in a downward spiral of achievement.
• Your instructor will note your absences—even in a large class. In addition to making a poor impression, you reduce your opportunities for future interactions. You might not ask a question the next class because of the potential embarrassment of the instructor saying that was covered in the last class, which you apparently missed. Nothing is more insulting to an instructor than when you skip a class and then show up to ask, “Did I miss anything important?”
• You might be tempted to skip a class because the instructor is “boring,” but it’s more likely that you found the class boring because you weren’t very attentive or didn’t appreciate how the instructor was teaching.
• You paid a lot of money for your tuition. Get your money’s worth!

Professionalism in the Workplace

Practicing professionalism in college will continue for all of us as we transition in the workforce. Concepts we have discussed in the course and book prior to this moment, such as writing a professional email and goal setting, exists within your future career but is through a different lens. If you start to practice writing professional emails now, then by the time you get to your desired career you will be able to communicate more effectively with coworkers and supervisors. But, how different is professionalism in the workplace than that in a school setting?

Working with Others

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Time Management in the Workplace

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Ethical Work

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Summary

• Professionalism is not just in the workplace. You are building the skills in these classroom as well.
• Clear, direct, and professional communication is key when speaking with professors and peers
• Your mindset plays a critical role in working with others
• The benefits of attending every class include not missing important material, thinking more clearly about course topics, developing a better relationship with the instructor, and being better prepared for tests.
• When possible, prepare in advance for missing a class by speaking with your instructor and arranging to borrow and discuss someone’s notes.
• Professionalism in the workplace looks different for everyone so it’s important to ask questions, pay attention, and do your best.

References

Brindley, J. E., Blaschke, L. M., & Walti, C. (2009). Creating effective collaborative learning groups in an online environment. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v10i3.675

Garnjost, P., & Lawter, L. (2019). Undergraduates’ satisfaction and perceptions of learning outcomes across teacher-and learner-focused pedagogies. The International Journal of Management Education, 17(2), 267-275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2019.03.004

Hira, A., & Anderson, E. (2021). Motivating online learning through project-based learning during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. IAFOR Journal of Education, 9(2), 93-110. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1291884

Lee, J. S., Blackwell, S., Drake, J., & Moran, K. A. (2014). Taking a leap of faith: Redefining teaching and learning in higher education through project-based learning. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 8(2), 2. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1426

Ornellas, A., Falkner, K., & Edman Stålbrandt, E. (2019). Enhancing graduates’ employability skills through authentic learning approaches. Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, 9(1), 107-120. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-04-2018-0049

Shimazoe, J., & Aldrich, H. (2010). Group work can be gratifying: Understanding & overcoming resistance to cooperative learning. College Teaching, 58(2), 52-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567550903418594

Attributions and Licenses

Parts of this chapter are adapted from the following sources:

“8.4 The Context of Communication” from College Success © Amy Baldwin and OpenStax, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

“Group Projects and Teamwork” from Pathways to College Success © CWI 101 Leaders, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

A Guide for Successful Students 2nd ed. © 2023 by Irene Stewart, Aaron Maisonville, and Nicolai Zriachev, St. Clair College, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Liberated Learners © 2022 by Terry Greene et al., licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

“Why attend class at all?” from Freshman Experience, previously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.