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APSC 180 (3) Statics

The School of Engineering acknowledges that the land on which we are situated is the unceded territory
of the Syilx (Okanagan) People.

Contact Information

Instructor: Dr. Ernest Goh


Email: ernest.goh@ubc.ca
Office Hours: Mon 9 – 10 am & Thu 5 – 6 pm:
Zoom Office
Meeting ID: 769 273 6173 EME3239
Passcode: 3239 Tel: 250 807 8863
Email me for appointments if these hours do not fit into your schedule. Check the discussion board on
UBC Canvas first to see if your questions have been asked and answered. For any course related
inquiries, I will attempt to respond in two working days.

Lesson Times

Lectures
Section Day Time Venue
201 Wednesday, Friday 12:30 – 2 pm
ART366
202 Tuesday, Thursday 9:30 – 11 am
203 Wednesday, Friday 12:30 – 2 pm N.A.

Tutorials
Section Day Time Venue Teaching Assistants (TAs)
T1A Monday 6 – 8 pm EME1121
T1B Thursday 12 – 2 pm EME1121 Ahmed Abouyoussef, Hamid Daghigh, Edel Rolando
T1C Tuesday 12 – 2 pm EME1121 Martinez, Maryam Golestani Najafabadi, Fatemeh Partovi,
T1D Monday 12 – 2 pm EME2141 Maryamossadat Zakeri.
T1E Tuesday 12 – 2 pm EME2141
T1F Thursday 12 – 2 pm EME2141 Appointment to specific tutorial sections to be determined
T1G Monday 12 – 2 pm FIP121 later.
T1H Tuesday 12 – 2 pm N.A.
You are required to register in one of the above tutorial sections.

Academic Calendar Entry

APSC 180 (3) Statics


Force vectors, Cartesian coordinate system, free body diagram, dot and cross products, force equilibrium
of particles, force and moment equilibrium of rigid bodies, analysis of trusses, frames and machines,
friction, wedges, pulleys, and belts. Applications of linear algebra in statics. [3-0-2]
Co-requisites: APSC 179

UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar: http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=18,317,989,0.


(Navigate to “Years 1 and 2” for APSC180).

Version: September, 2021


Course Format

Lectures: Two 1.5-hour lectures per week. This course is the subject of an Aspire Learning and Teaching
(ALT) funded project in which a blended mode of delivery (partly self-learning, partly instructor-taught)
was developed. The activities in a typical lecture are as follows:
Step Activity Remarks
During initial 20 minutes of class, self-paced.
Watch first segment of media and do
1 Instructor answers questions instead of teaching.
easy lecture activity.
May also be done before class.
Starts 20 minutes after official starting time.
2 Lecture using next segment(s) of media.
Instructor teaches.
Instructor answers questions as students are doing
3 Do harder lecture activity.
the activity.
4 Solve complex problem. Instructor demonstrates solving.
Students may complete step 1 before the class (such as at home), in which case they may arrive at the
lecture theatre 20 minutes after the official starting time. Students who are unable to attend lectures in
person, or prefer not to attend, may do Lecture Activities at their own convenience. Therefore, it is not
mandatory to attend lectures in person, but doing the lecture activities on schedule is compulsory!

Tutorials: One 2-hour tutorial per week. All tutorial videos have already been pre-recorded and will be
posted typically a week before the scheduled tutorial. You are encouraged to watch the videos on your
own and complete the easy tutorial questions before attending tutorial sessions, where you can get help
from TAs to solve the difficult ones. Tutorials 4, 7 and 10 will have Tutorial Quizzes so as a minimum,
attend these 3 tutorial sessions. It is not mandatory to attend the other tutorials in person, but solving all
the Tutorial Questions on schedule is compulsory!

Assignments: There are 3 assignments which comprise questions from the textbook. Since the lecture
activities and tutorial questions are online, assignments provide the opportunity for you to hand-write
workings and diagrams. This is intended to prepare you for the final exam in which you have to similarly
hand-write your workings. Doing and submitting on assignments on schedule is compulsory!

Examinations: There is no midterm exam for this course. An in-person final exam will be held during
the official exam period in 2021 December.

You are given the freedom to manage your time on your own to complete the lecture activities, tutorial
questions and assignments according to schedule in the appendix of this document. The teaching
assistants (TAs) will monitor the progress of students and follow up with students who are falling behind
with completing the required work. They are here to support your success with this course.

Canvas will be used to distribute information such as course syllabus, announcements, lecture media,
online lecture activities, tutorials, video solutions to tutorial questions, assignments, and the link to the e-
textbook. To log in, please visit the webpage https://canvas.ubc.ca using your CWL Login ID and
Password.

Course Overview, Content, and Objectives

• Units of mechanics and engineering quantities and their mutual conversion


• Vector mathematics in the context of mechanics such as dot and cross products
• Rectangular component (Cartesian) system of representing mechanics quantities such as force, moment,
position, etc.

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• Moment and couple due to one or more forces
• Resultant of a system of forces and/or moments
• Force and/or moment reactions at the supports and connections of a particle or rigid body
• Free body diagram
• Equilibrium of forces on a particle and equilibrium of forces and/or moments on a rigid body
• Analysis of planar trusses using the Method of Joints and the Method of Sections
• Analysis of frames and machines
• Static dry friction and impending motion
• Application of dry friction to wedges and belts
• Applying the knowledge and techniques of statics and linear algebra to solve engineering problems

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, students should be able to:


• Replace a system of multiple forces and/or moments with an equivalent resultant
• Draw free body diagrams as part of the process of solving statics problems
• Develop equations of equilibrium (forces and/or moments) in particle, rigid body, truss, frame and
machine problems
• Determine internal forces in members of a truss, frame and machine
• Apply the knowledge of static dry friction to develop equations of equilibrium
• Apply the techniques of linear algebra to solve systems of equations in statics problems

Engineering Accreditation

The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board requires students to have achieved competency in twelve
main areas by graduation. To ensure that our program provides sufficient instruction in these 12 graduate
attributes, course learning outcomes have been mapped to the graduate attributes for each course. The
relevant graduate attributes for this course are identified below.

Graduate Attributes
Course Learning Outcomes (as defined below)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Replace a system of multiple forces and/or moments with an equivalent
I
resultant
Draw free body diagrams as part of the process of solving statics
I
problems
Develop equations of equilibrium (forces and/or moments) in particle,
I
rigid body, truss, frame and machine problems
Determine internal forces in members of a truss, frame and machine I
Apply the laws of static-dry-friction in order to develop equations of
I
equilibrium
Apply the techniques of linear algebra to solve systems of equations in
I
statics problems

Version: September, 2021


CEAB Graduate Attributes

1. A knowledge base for engineering: Demonstrated competence in university level mathematics,


natural sciences, engineering fundamentals, and specialized engineering knowledge appropriate to
the program.
2. Problem analysis: An ability to use appropriate knowledge and skills to identify, formulate,
analyze, and solve complex engineering problems in order to reach substantiated conclusions.
3. Investigation: An ability to conduct investigations of complex problems by methods that include
appropriate experiments, analysis and interpretation of data, and synthesis of information in order
to reach valid conclusions.
4. Design: An ability to design solutions for complex, open-ended engineering problems and to
design systems, components or processes that meet specified needs with appropriate attention to
health and safety risks, applicable standards, and economic, environmental, cultural and societal
considerations.
5. Use of engineering tools: An ability to create, select, apply, adapt, and extend appropriate
techniques, resources, and modern engineering tools to a range of engineering activities, from
simple to complex, with an understanding of the associated limitations.
6. Individual and team work: An ability to work effectively as a member and leader in teams,
preferably in a multi-disciplinary setting.
7. Communication skills: An ability to communicate complex engineering concepts within the
profession and with society at large. Such ability includes reading, writing, speaking and listening,
and the ability to comprehend and write effective reports and design documentation, and to give
and effectively respond to clear instructions.
8. Professionalism: An understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the professional engineer in
society, especially the primary role of protection of the public and the public interest.
9. Impact of engineering on society and the environment: An ability to analyze social and
environmental aspects of engineering activities. Such ability includes an understanding of the
interactions that engineering has with the economic, social, health, safety, legal, and cultural
aspects of society, the uncertainties in the prediction of such interactions; and the concepts of
sustainable design and development and environmental stewardship.
10. Ethics and equity: An ability to apply professional ethics, accountability, and equity.
11. Economics and project management: An ability to appropriately incorporate economics and
business practices including project, risk, and change management into the practice of engineering
and to understand their limitations.
12. Life-long learning: An ability to identify and to address their own educational needs in a changing
world in ways sufficient to maintain their competence and to allow them to contribute to the
advancement of knowledge.

Evaluation Criteria and Grading

1. Lecture activities (21) 6%


2. Tutorials (10) 16%
3. Assignments (3) 12% (4 + 6 + 2)
4. Tutorial quizzes (3) 6%
5. Final exam 60%
1. Twenty-one activities comprising online lecture questions. Credit given for attempting (correctness
of answers not considered). However, mark formula = the higher of zero and (6% × number of
activities attempted – 10.5 / 10.5). Closed at the start of the following lecture.

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2. Ten sets of online tutorial questions. Marks will be counted. 10 attempts allowed for each question.
50% penalty for questions submitted within 24 hours after due time. No marks for questions
submitted later than 24 hours after due time.
3. Three assignments comprising questions from the textbook, to be solved by hand-writing on paper
and scanned, or written on tablet computer, and submitted on UBC Canvas. Late penalty 4% per
hour or part thereof.
4. Three tutorial quizzes during tutorial sessions 4, 7 and 10 (week 5 & 6, 9 and 13), each comprising
one online question to be completed in 10 to 15 minutes.
5. 2.5-hour written final exam covering content of the whole term, during the final exam period in
December 2021. The exact date for the final examination will be determined and announced by the
UBC. It will be a closed book exam with crib sheet (a.k.a. cheat sheet) allowed. Detailed
information on the final exam will be provided nearer the end of term. Scoring 40% or more in the
final exam is required to pass this course. Students who score below 40% in the final examination
can only receive a maximum overall score of 47% for the course.
This course is graded on a percentage basis. The passing grade is 50%.

Required Materials and Equipment

• Engineering Mechanics: Statics by Meriam, Kraige and Bolton, 9th ed., Wiley, 2018. Available at the
UBCO bookstore. https://shop.bookstore.ubc.ca/courselistbuilder.aspx Navigation: Okanagan >
2021W1 > APSC > 180 > choose your own section. Either digital (1 semester $89) or print ($139
permanent) is acceptable. Digital version is printable 10 pages at a time into PDF files or on paper. In
accordance to UBC policy, any question from the book that contributes to the course grade will be
available without cost via UBC Canvas. However, paid access to the book provides access to optional
tutorials, media from the publisher and the textbook itself.
• Media and course materials on UBC Canvas.
• All students will require a mobile computing device such as laptop, tablet or cellphone that is capable
of accessing UBC Canvas and equipment to scan or photograph documents. Please refer to the
“Document Scanning Solutions” file for your choice of scanning tool and samples of acceptable scans
and refer to Assignment 0 for practice instructions.
• Students taking this course online will additionally require a webcam and microphone. You will be
supervised using Zoom during the three tutorial quizzes.

School of Engineering Calculator Policy for Exams

The School of Engineering has a calculator policy whereby only the two models shown hereafter are
permitted in midterm and final exams. The policy applies to all students incoming as of September 2019.
The policy applies to all students incoming as of September 2019 (i.e. for the 2021-2022 academic year,
the policy will apply to all first-year, second-year, and third-year students).

In the case of a violation, the student will be asked to surrender his/her calculator to the
instructor/invigilator (instructors may add other penalties). Any violations will be treated as cases of
academic misconduct and will be reported. At any time during the exam, calculators should not be able to
transmit data to and/or receive data from other calculators and/or electronic devices. Students are not
allowed to use cell phones as calculators in an exam.

Both calculators will be available through the bookstore and have the following features and functions:
• solar + battery powered • numerical integrals and derivatives
• “natural” 4-line display • statistics, regressions, and distributions
• standard scientific operations (trig, hyp, exp, log, etc.) • base 2, 8, 10, 16

Version: September, 2021


• complex numbers • stored variables and operations
• numerical solver • constants and conversions
• roots of quadratic and cubic polynomials • NOT programmable
• simultaneous linear equations (up to 3 unknowns) • NOT graphing capable
• vector and matrix operations (real valued, up to 3x3) • NO wireless functions
• NO file storage

Texas InstrumentsTI-36X Pro Casio fx-991ES PLUS C

2nd edition (right) released 2021

Course Schedule

Topics Required Reading(s)


Week 1 Orientation, General Information, Introduction to Statics, 1/1 – 1/4
Week 2 Scalars & Vectors, Units, Force Systems, Rectangular 1/3 & 1/5, 2/1 – 2/3
Components (2D)
Week 3 Moments, Couples (2D) 2/4 & 2/5
Week 4 Resultants (2D), Rectangular Components (3D) 2/6 & 2/7
Week 5 Moments & Couples (3D), Resultants 1 (3D) 2/8 & 2/9
Week 6 Resultants 2 (3D), Intro to Equilibrium, FBD 2/9, 3/1 & 3/2
Week 7 Equilibrium (2D) 3/3
Week 8 Equilibrium (3D), Intro to Structures, Trusses, Method of Joints 3/4, 4/1 – 4/3
Week 9 Method of Sections, Frames & Machines 4/4 & 4/6
Week 10 Midterm break -
Week 11 Intro to Friction, Dry Friction, Tipping/Slipping 6/1 – 6/3
Week 12 Wedges, Flexible Belts, Linear Algebra in Statics 6/4 & 6/8
Week 13 Exam preparation Chapters 1 – 4 & 6
Week 14 Exam preparation Chapters 1 – 4 & 6

Attendance Policy
In-person attendance of lectures and tutorials is encouraged but not mandatory. However, completing the
required work, i.e., lecture activities, tutorials and assignments, within deadlines is mandatory. Students
who neglect their academic work may be excluded from final examinations. Read more here:
http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=3,293,864,0

Version: September, 2021


Final Examinations

The examination period for Term 1 of Winter 2021 is Dec 7 – Dec 22. Students are required to be
available during the posted examination period to write the exam as scheduled. Except in the case of
examination clashes and hardships (three or more formal examinations scheduled within a 24-hour
period) or unforeseen events, students will be permitted to apply for out-of-time final examinations only if
they are representing the University, the province, or the country in a competition or performance; serving
in the Canadian military; observing a religious rite; working to support themselves or their family; or
caring for a family member. Unforeseen events include (but may not be limited to) the following: ill
health or other personal challenges that arise during a term and changes in the requirements of an ongoing
job.
Further information on Academic Concession can be found under Policies and Regulation in the
Okanagan Academic Calendar http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=3,48,0,0

Academic Integrity

Academic and professional integrity are of the upmost importance at the School of Engineering. Online
education can leave seemingly confusing implications for assignment and exam requirements. Please
read your syllabus carefully to understand the expectations surrounding academic integrity in this course.
In addition, please familiarize yourself with the University of British Columbia’s academic calendar
language surrounding academic integrity for students:

“The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all
students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity.
At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all
sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should
not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e.,
misconduct) lead to the breakdown of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise
and harsh sanctions are imposed. For example, incidences of plagiarism or cheating may 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.”

A more detailed description of academic integrity, including the University’s policies and procedures,
may be found in the Academic Calendar at Discipline for Academic Misconduct - Student Conduct and
Discipline - Campus-wide Policies and Regulations - Okanagan Academic Calendar 2021/22 - UBC
Student Services - http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/?tree=3,54,111,0)

In addition, all course material including lecture notes, assignments, and examination materials is the
intellectual property of the instructor and as such must not be uploaded to third party, non-UBC sites for
file sharing or for soliciting answers online. Doing so is considered academic misconduct under UBC’s
policies (see Academic Misconduct - Discipline for Academic Misconduct - Student Conduct and
Discipline - Campus-wide Policies and Regulations - Okanagan Academic Calendar 2021/22 - UBC
Student Services - http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,959) including the
following:

“use of or participation in unauthorized collaborative work; use or possession in an examination of any


materials (including devices) other than those permitted by the examiner; use, possession, or facilitation
of unauthorized means to complete an examination (e.g., receiving unauthorized assistance from another
person, or providing that assistance); and dishonest practices that breach rules governing examinations or
submissions for academic evaluation see Student Conduct during Examinations).”

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Violating this is considered academic misconduct by the university and will be treated as such.

Assignments - This course assesses student understanding of course material based on completed
assignments. It is important to note that according to the UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar cheating
includes the following:

“falsification of any material subject to academic evaluation, including research data;”

For example, in this course, this includes, but is not limited to, copying another student’s work or
allowing another student to copy your assignment. Students are expected to submit original work for their
assignments in this course.

“use of or participation in unauthorized collaborative work;”

While collaboration is encouraged in some circumstances, not all collaboration is authorized. For
example, in this course, unauthorized collaboration includes, but is not limited to, working in teams to
complete projects that are intended as individual assessment.

Exams - This course assesses student understanding of course material based on midterm and final
examinations. It is important to note that according to the UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar cheating
includes the following:

“use or possession in an examination of any materials (including devices) other than those permitted by
the examiner;”

This includes, but is not limited to, possession during an exam of a cell phone, programmable calculator,
or watch that is capable of storing unauthorized materials, unless specifically allowed.

“use, possession, or facilitation of unauthorized means to complete an examination (e.g., receiving


unauthorized assistance from another person, or providing that assistance);”

This includes, but is not limited to, looking at another student’s exam paper during the examination time
and accessing third-party online resources during exams unless explicitly permitted by your instructor.

Plagiarism - This course assesses student understanding of course material based on written reports. It is
important to note that the UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar includes the following comprehensive
description of plagiarism:

“Plagiarism, which is intellectual theft, occurs when an individual submits or presents the oral or written
work of another person as his or her own. Scholarship quite properly rests upon examining and referring
to the thoughts and writings of others. However, when another person's words (i.e., phrases, sentences, or
paragraphs), ideas, or entire works are used, the author must be acknowledged in the text, in footnotes, in
endnotes, or in another accepted form of academic citation. Where direct quotations are made, they must
be clearly delineated (e.g., within quotation marks or separately indented). Failure to provide proper
attribution is plagiarism because it represents someone else's work as one's own. Plagiarism should not
occur in submitted drafts or final works. A student who seeks assistance from a tutor or other scholastic
aids must ensure that the work submitted is the student's own. Students are responsible for ensuring that
any work submitted does not constitute plagiarism. Students who are in any doubt as to what constitutes
plagiarism should consult their instructor before handing in any assignments.”

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Students are responsible for ensuring all work is original and source use is properly documented.
For additional language specific to online education, please consult the Academic Integrity Working
Group’s website at https://provost.ok.ubc.ca/initiatives/online-transition/faculty-resources/faculty-
resources-for-academic-integrity

Academic Misconduct Procedures

The following steps will be followed in cases of suspected academic misconduct:


• The instructor will notify the student of the alleged misconduct and the assigned penalty.
• The student may appeal by submitting a written statement to the instructor.
• The instructor will report the incident to the School of Engineering Academic Integrity Committee and
will include the student’s response.
• The Academic Misconduct Review Committee will review the case and either issue a warning letter to
the student or recommend further review by the Executive Associate Dean.
• The Executive Associate Dean will meet with the student and either issue a warning letter or refer the
matter to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline (if applicable).
• The case will be heard by the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline (if applicable).

Grading Practices

Faculties, departments, and schools reserve the right to scale grades in order to maintain equity among
sections and conformity to University, faculty, department, or school norms. Students should therefore
note that an unofficial grade given by an instructor might be changed by the faculty, department, or
school. Grades are not official until they appear on a student's academic record. Further information on
Grading Practices can be found in the Okanagan Academic Calendar
http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=3,41,90,1014

COVID Response

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the health, safety, and well-being of our students, staff, and faculty
members remain our first priority. Following Public Health Orders and UBC requirements, until further
notice:
• All students, faculty, staff and visitors to UBC’s Okanagan campus are required to wear a mask while
in any university indoor common spaces AND in spaces that are high traffic and/or require close
proximity to others; and
• UBC will require COVID-19 testing for all students, faculty and staff, with exemptions provided for
those who are vaccinated against COVID-19.

For up-to-date information on UBC Okanagan’s response to the pandemic, please follow this link:
https://ok.ubc.ca/covid19/

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Student Service Resources

UBC Okanagan Disability Resource Centre

The Disability Resource Centre ensures educational equity for students with disabilities and chronic
medical conditions. If you are disabled, have an injury or illness and require academic accommodations to
meet the course objectives, please contact Jason Taylor, the Diversity Advisor for the Disability Resource
Centre located in the University Centre building (UNC 214).
email: jason.taylor@ubc.ca
Web: www.students.ok.ubc.ca/drc

UBC Okanagan Equity and Inclusion Office

Through leadership, vision, and collaborative action, the Equity & Inclusion Office (EIO) develops action
strategies in support of efforts to embed equity and inclusion in the daily operations across the campus. The
EIO provides education and training from cultivating respectful, inclusive spaces and communities to
understanding unconscious/implicit bias and its operation within in campus environments. UBC Policy 3
prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of BC’s Human Rights Code. If you require assistance
related to an issue of equity, educational programs, discrimination or harassment please contact the EIO.

UNC 216 250.807.9291


email: equity.ubco@ubc.ca
Web: www.equity.ok.ubc.ca

Health & Wellness

At UBC Okanagan health services to students are provided by Health and Wellness. Nurses, physicians
and counsellors provide health care and counselling related to physical health, emotional/mental health
and sexual/reproductive health concerns. As well, health promotion, education and research activities are
provided to the campus community. If you require assistance with your health, please contact Health and
Wellness for more information or to book an appointment.

UNC 337 250.807.9270


email: healthwellness.okanagan@ubc.ca
Web: www.students.ok.ubc.ca/health-wellness

Resource Links

UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar: http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,959


UBC Okanagan Senate Forms: https://senate.ubc.ca/okanagan/curriculum/forms
UBC Okanagan Provost Learning Services Faculty Resources for Academic Integrity -
https://provost.ok.ubc.ca/initiatives/online-transition/faculty-resources/faculty-resources-for-academic-
integrity/
Safewalk
Don't want to walk alone at night? Not too sure how to get somewhere on campus?
Call Safewalk at 250-807-9236. For more information, see: www.security.ok.ubc.ca

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Academic Honesty and Integrity Pledge
School of Engineering | Faculty of Applied Science
UBC Okanagan

Academic honesty and integrity are essential principles of the University of British Columbia and
engineering as a profession. All UBC students are expected to behave as honest and responsible members
of an academic community. Engineering students have an even greater responsibility to maintain the
highest level of academic honesty and integrity as they prepare to enter a profession with those principles
as a cornerstone.

Cheating on exams or projects, plagiarizing or any other form of academic dishonesty are clear violations
of these principles

As a student of the School of Engineering at UBC Okanagan, I solemnly pledge to follow the policies,
principles, rules, and guidelines of the University with respect to academic honesty. In particular, I
commit to upholding the academic integrity and the professionalism as an engineering student.

By signing this pledge, I promise to adhere to exam requirements and maintain the highest level of ethical
principles during the exam period.

________________________ _____________________________________________

Signature Name

________________________ _____________________________________________

Student Number Date

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Why are we doing the integrity pledge?
Dr. Laura Patterson
On behalf of the School of Engineering Ethics and Academic Integrity Committee

An engineering student asked me why the School of Engineering requires students to sign the Integrity
Pledge, and what is so wrong with collaborating on an exam when everyone else is doing it. Those
questions are important and this was the email that was sent in return.

The integrity pledge is a form of an honour code to ensure students acknowledge that the exam is
intended to be a solo exercise testing your individual skills and not a group effort. In an exam situation,
consulting with colleagues for answers on an exam intended to test individual abilities is not
"collaborating," it is cheating and academic misconduct under UBC policies. Even though we are in a
situation in which faculty may not be able to enforce this or enact consequences all the time, if a student
chooses to continue this behaviour when expressly asked not to, they need to be aware that they are
making a clear choice to act unethically, which is not entirely without consequences. These consequences
are to one's identity.

There are many situations where no one is watching, or there are no immediate consequences, where
professionals must choose to do either the ethical thing or the unethical thing. We do what we practice,
and we become what we do. Research into ethics in engineering education found that those students who
operate unethically during their education have a higher likelihood of operating unethically in their
professional careers, because they have not exercised the skill of operating ethically in the easier and
lower stakes setting of education. When these bad habits catch up with us, they can lead to lawsuits,
public disgrace, and death. Examples of such cases in the media include the SNC Lavalin fraud case,
cases of individual engineering university professors caught plagiarizing out of Waterloo and Regina, or
the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse that killed 114 and injured 216. Few people wake up and decide to
be unethical or think themselves to be, but the daily habit of cutting corners in the short term and
rationalizing that behavior builds to larger exceptions that become harder to resist.

The "if everyone is doing it, I should too" argument is a common logical fallacy known as the bandwagon
argument used to rationalize behaviour because it is popular. The common retort is "if everyone jumped
off of a bridge, should you too?" A better quotation to respond to this argument would be "The only thing
necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." It is true that it will seem that others are
getting away with it; however, choosing to participate in it, not only makes the situation worse, it also
comes at a significant cost to one's perceptions of oneself.

This integrity pledge then becomes a question of "Who do you want to be?" Choosing to do the ethical
thing, even when the other option seems easier, is a long-term choice to build the habits of ethical
behaviour and the skill set of handling the hard things necessary to be an ethical professional. It can also
influence other students to act with integrity and help shift the culture if more students expected their
colleagues to act ethically. So, when you choose what you are going to do in these difficult situations, you
are choosing your identity and influencing the culture of your educational program.

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Appendix
Course Schedule

Week date Lecture Book Section Tutorial Due Dates/ Remarks


Tu/We Orientation – no lecture Note: all tutorials and
1
assignments are due at
Sep 7-10
Th/Fr 1 General Info, Intro to Statics 1/1 – 1/4 No tutorial 11:59 pm of due date

Tu/We 2 Scalars & Vectors, 3 Units 1/3 & 1/5


2
Nothing due
Sep 13-17 (Thu)
Th/Fr 4 Force Sys, Rectangular Components (2D) 2/1 – 2/3
T1 1/2 –
Tu/We 5 Moments (2D) 2/4 1/5
3 (Mon – Tue)
T1 due Fri
Sep 20-24 (Thu)
Th/Fr 6 Couples (2D) 2/5
T2 2/3 &
4 Tu/We 7 Resultants (2D) 2/6 2/4
(Mon – Tue) T2 due Fri
Sep 27 – (Fri) T&R Day on Thu
Oct 1 Fr/Sa 8 Rectangular Components (3D) 2/7
T3 2/5 &
B & F attend other tutorials
Saturday Oct 2 Make up lecture for 202
or watch Zoom recording of
9:30 am ART366
T1H tutorial
Tu/We 9 Moments, Couples (3D) 2/8 2/6
5 (Mon – Tue) T3 due Fri
Oct 4-8 (Thu & Sat) Quiz 1 during T4
Th/Fr 10 Resultants (3D) part 1 2/9
T4 2/7 &
Saturday Oct 9 tutorial for A, D, G

Tu/We 11 Resultants (3D) part 2 2/9 2/8 Thanksgiving on Mon


6 (Tue)
Quiz 1 during T4
Oct 12-15 (Thu)
Th/Fr 12 Intro to Equilibrium, FBD 3/1 & 3/2 T5 2/8 & T4 due Fri

Tu/We 13 Equilibrium, Particles and Bodies (2D) 3/3 2/9


(Mon – Tue) A1 due Wed
7
No T5 due Fri
Oct 18-22
Th/Fr 14 Mock midterm exam Chapt 1 & 2 Thursday
tutorial
Version: September, 2021
Week date Lecture Book Section Tutorial Due Dates/ Remarks
Tu/We 15 Equilibrium, Particles and Bodies (3D) 3/4
8 T6 3/2 &
Nothing due
Oct 25-29 3/3
Th/Fr 16 Structures, Trusses, Method of Joints 4/1 – 4/3

Tu/We 17 Method of Sections 4/4


9 T7 3/4 & Quiz 2 during T7
Nov 1-5 4/3 T6 due Mon
Th/Fr 18 Frames & Machines 4/6
10
Midterm break
Nov 8-12
Tu/We 19 Intro to Friction, Dry Friction 6/1 & 6/2
11 T8 4/4 & T7 due Mon
Nov 15-19 4/6 A2 due Fri
Th/Fr 20 Tipping/Slipping 6/3

Tu/We 21 Wedges, Flexible Belts 6/4 & 6/8


12 T9 6/2 &
T8 due Mon
Nov 22-26 6/3
Th/Fr 22 Application of Linear Algebra in Statics N.A.

13 Tu/We 23 Final review All chapters Quiz 3 during T10


T10 6/4 &
Nov 29 – T9 due Mon
6/8
Dec 3 Th/Fr 24 Integrity pledge, mock exam part 1 All chapters A3 due Fri
14 Pre-exam
Tu/We 25 Mock exam part 2, survey All chapters T10 due Wed
Dec 6-8 revision
B & F attend other tutorials
or watch Zoom recording

Assignment 1: chapters 1 & 2


Assignment 2: chapters 3 & 4
Assignment 3: sections 6/4 & 6/8

Version: September, 2021

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