FAQ

You are encouraged to earn the full 10% towards your final grade by signing up for, attending, and participating in research appointments during the semester. You can earn a maximum of 5 RP credits, each worth 2%.

A 1-credit appointment is worth 2% and can take up to 50 minutes to complete; a 2-credit appointment is worth 4% and can take up to 1 hour and 50 minutes to complete. If you do not obtain at least 1 RP credit during the term, you will receive a “missed term work” notation for the course on your transcript.

Please note that if you have two or more unexcused absences, you will not be able to earn the full 10% for RP: 

Click “Building Legend” in the RP system to see a list of campus buildings and their abbreviations. To find the building location, you can use the campus map, available at https://www.ualberta.ca/maps.
If your appointment is in Biological Sciences (BS P-### or BS Z-###), please review the video "How do I find my RP appointment in Biological Sciences?" (available through eClass).

If detailed room directions are available for your session, those can be found by clicking on the project ID number (to the left of the project name) on the “Check Your Credit Status” page.

It is your responsibility to find each in-person appointment location a day or two before your session to avoid getting lost. Please note that if you do not attend (or are late for) a session because you were not able to find the room, then the credit will be removed from your account and the appointment will be marked as an unexcused absence.

No. After you complete a session, you will NOT see a confirmation message in the RP system or receive a confirmation email.

When you sign up for a session, the credit for that appointment is AUTOMATICALLY added to your account. Your current credit status reflects all of the projects that you have signed up for (both previous and upcoming sessions). You will see NO CHANGE for an appointment on your "Check Your Credit Status" page unless you cancel the session or you do not participate.

After the deadline or start time of each RP session, the researcher will report student attendance for that appointment (i.e., which students were absent, late, or did not participate).

• If you attend a session and participate:
  • The credit for the appointment will REMAIN on your account.
  • You will NOT see a confirmation message in the RP system or receive a confirmation email.
• If you do not attend a session or you are late:
  • An unexcused absence will be ADDED to your account.
  • The credit for the appointment will be REMOVED from your account.
  • If you ever participate in an appointment and the credit is incorrectly removed from your account, please email the RP Coordinator (rescred@ualberta.ca) and attach the consent and debriefing forms from your session as proof of participation.

***IMPORTANT – As a participant, it is your responsibility to save a copy (print, download, screenshot, photo, or hard copy) of the consent and debriefing forms from each appointment for your reference. Having a copy of these forms will allow you to keep track of which sessions you have completed, as you will NOT see a confirmation message in the RP system or receive a confirmation email. These forms also contain important information regarding the project that you can refer back to, such as researcher contact information. If you are unable to save a copy of the consent or debriefing forms (or if you forget to do so), we strongly recommend that you record the name/date/time of the appointment and a detailed description of the tasks that you completed.

The consent and debriefing forms that you save are for your own records; please do NOT send these forms to the RP Coordinator unless you receive an email requesting proof of participation. For example, if you were participating in an online appointment and there was a technical issue, the RP Coordinator may email you to ask if you had taken part in the session. In that case, you could reply and attach a copy of the consent and/or debriefing forms (along with screenshots or photos of any error messages) as proof of participation to ensure that you receive credit for that appointment. If you did not have a copy of the consent or debriefing forms, then you could reply with a detailed description of the tasks that you completed, as this information can also be used as proof of participation if required. If there is insufficient evidence that you participated in a session, then we cannot provide you with credit and the appointment may be marked as an unexcused absence.

Due to the volume of students and research projects, we are unable to confirm the completion status of individual online appointments unless there is evidence of a technical issue. As a participant, it is your responsibility to save a copy (print, download, screenshot, photo, or hard copy) of the consent and debriefing forms from each appointment for your reference. Having a copy of these forms will allow you to keep track of which sessions you have completed. If you are unable to save a copy of the consent or debriefing forms (or if you forget to do so), we strongly recommend that you record the name/date/time of the appointment and a detailed description of the tasks that you completed.

No. After you complete a session, you will NOT see a confirmation message in the RP system or receive a confirmation email.

When you sign up for a session, the credit for that appointment is AUTOMATICALLY added to your account. Your current credit status reflects all of the projects that you have signed up for (both previous and upcoming sessions). You will see NO CHANGE for an appointment on your "Check Your Credit Status" page unless you cancel the session or you do not participate.

After the deadline or start time of each RP session, the researcher will report student attendance for that appointment (i.e., which students were absent, late, or did not participate).

• If you attend a session and participate:
  • The credit for the appointment will REMAIN on your account.
  • You will NOT see a confirmation message in the RP system or receive a confirmation email.
• If you do not attend a session or you are late:
  • An unexcused absence will be ADDED to your account.
  • The credit for the appointment will be REMOVED from your account.
  • If you ever participate in an appointment and the credit is incorrectly removed from your account, please email the RP Coordinator (rescred@ualberta.ca) and attach the consent and debriefing forms from your session as proof of participation.

***IMPORTANT – As a participant, it is your responsibility to save a copy (print, download, screenshot, photo, or hard copy) of the consent and debriefing forms from each appointment for your reference. Having a copy of these forms will allow you to keep track of which sessions you have completed, as you will NOT see a confirmation message in the RP system or receive a confirmation email. These forms also contain important information regarding the project that you can refer back to, such as researcher contact information. If you are unable to save a copy of the consent or debriefing forms (or if you forget to do so), we strongly recommend that you record the name/date/time of the appointment and a detailed description of the tasks that you completed.

The consent and debriefing forms that you save are for your own records; please do NOT send these forms to the RP Coordinator unless you receive an email requesting proof of participation. For example, if you were participating in an online appointment and there was a technical issue, the RP Coordinator may email you to ask if you had taken part in the session. In that case, you could reply and attach a copy of the consent and/or debriefing forms (along with screenshots or photos of any error messages) as proof of participation to ensure that you receive credit for that appointment. If you did not have a copy of the consent or debriefing forms, then you could reply with a detailed description of the tasks that you completed, as this information can also be used as proof of participation if required. If there is insufficient evidence that you participated in a session, then we cannot provide you with credit and the appointment may be marked as an unexcused absence.

Failure to cancel before missing (or being late for) your appointment will result in loss of credit for the study. If you do not attend (or are late for) a session, then the credit will be removed from your account and the appointment will be marked as an unexcused absence. You will be given ONE opportunity to make up an unexcused absence by signing up for a different appointment. The mass testing survey is an exception: if you sign up but then do not log in and start the survey, you will not receive credit but you can sign up for a different session in its place without penalty.

With one unexcused absence, you can still earn a maximum of 10% for RP. However, if you have two or more unexcused absences, you will not be able to earn the full 10% for RP:

Even if you feel unwell (including cold/flu symptoms, headache, nausea, general malaise, etc.), it is your responsibility to cancel your appointment before the deadline or start time. Only an incapacitating medical illness or emergency, severe domestic affliction, or other similarly compelling reason will be considered an acceptable reason for missing an appointment without prior notice. If this is the case, you must inform the RP Coordinator within two working days following the missed appointment (or as soon as you are able).