Summary: The Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) provides pre-licensing and re-licensing education for real estate brokerage, property management, mortgage brokerage and real estate appraisal professionals. The honest pursuit of education by those engaged in learning is the cornerstone for developing and enhancing professionalism. RECA supports a principle-based approach to learning as the foundation for developing professional conduct. Therefore, RECA has prepared this Information Bulletin to assist learners in abiding by its Education Code of Conduct.

Education Code of Conduct for Learners

An individual’s intellectual engagement, personal integrity and ethical conduct are inherent in the learning process and necessary for the acquisition of new knowledge and the development of new skills by that individual.

As professionals, individuals have the responsibility to gain the requisite knowledge and skills and adopt a mindset for continuous improvement to ensure they are competent in the provision of services to the public. Competent practice is integral to maintaining the trust, respect and confidence of other professionals and the public.

RECA provides pre-licensing and re-licensing education for the professions that it governs, which are real estate brokerage, property management, mortgage brokerage and real estate appraisal. RECA education requirements include, but are not limited to, the eligibility, enrollment and participation in courses or programs and any associated examinations. Individuals who participate in RECA’s education courses or programs are referred to as learners. This Code of Conduct for Learners applies equally to industry professionals and those intending to become industry professionals. 

RECA supports a principles-based approach to learning as the foundation for developing professional conduct in practice. Learners must ensure they demonstrate the following principles, as stated in the Code of Conduct, when participating in RECA education.

Principle 1: Learners will be actively engaged in their education and make their best efforts to acquire the knowledge and develop the skills as set out by the identified learning outcomes for that course or program.

Learners need to be intellectually engaged in the courses and complete all the assignments, activities and quizzes. This will assist them in identifying subject areas where the required learning has been achieved. Learners must seek to acquire all the knowledge and skills that are expected to be obtained through the course or program. 

Examples of breaches of Principle 1:

• Learners doing multiple, unrelated activities simultaneously, which detracts from their ability to fully absorb the instructional content.
• Learners reading a newspaper or talking with another learner during a class.
• Learners attempting to ‘click through’ online courses or assignments without adequate review of the education material.
• Learners failing to review incorrect responses to determine the proper response and learning outcome.

Principle 2: Learners will at all times conduct themselves with honesty, integrity and respectfulness.

Learners must not cheat or participate in any conduct that would result in the learner successfully completing a course, program, assignment, activity or exam from a source outside of the learner’s own knowledge. Learners may seek advice from others where the assignment or activity guidelines permit and in order to obtain the required knowledge and skills. Learners must become familiar with all examination guidelines and abide by them. Learners must treat other learners, facilitators, exam proctors, RECA staff and education partners with respect. Any questions or challenges must be respectful and only for the purpose of obtaining a proper outcome without insult, threat or false accusation.

Examples of breaches of Principle 2:

• Learners attempting to cheat by accessing other computer programs, online windows, external websites, emails, texts or instant messages.
• Learners using prohibited devices, such as cell phones, personal digital devices or translation devices, during an exam.
• Learners engaging others, or attempting to engage others, to complete their course or write their exam under a false or fictitious identity.
• Learners being abusive towards other learners, facilitators, proctors or RECA staff.
• Where prohibited, taking notes or other information into examinations in order to complete such examinations using information outside of the learner’s knowledge.
• Learners copying from other learners during examinations.

Principle 3: Learners may assist other learners when the assistance provided to them supports their engagement in the learning process and results in their honest acquisition of knowledge and skills.

Learners must not help others cheat or assist in their completion of a course, program, assignment, or examination from a source outside of the learner’s own knowledge. This does not mean learners cannot help others obtain the required knowledge and skills. However, learners must ensure that when advice or assistance is provided, it is permitted within the course guidelines and only provided to assist the learner in obtaining the required knowledge or skills indicated in the learning objectives. Learners must not provide any information or assistance to other learners during examinations or where assignments are to be completed based solely on the effort of the individual learner.

Examples of breaches of Principle 3:

• Learners completing assignments for others or writing examinations for others under a false or fictitious identity or those who knowingly provide false information.
• Learners providing answers or participating in any other method of cheating during an examination.
• Learners completing or any part of online or classroom courses for another learner.
• Learners permitting other learners to copy their answers during examinations.

Principle 4: Learners will support RECA’s education requirements and will conduct themselves in a manner that does not undermine the integrity, efficacy and efficiency of any aspect of RECA’s education.

Learners should not be involved in any practice that decreases the efficiency or effectiveness of RECA’s education courses, programs or examinations by assisting or enabling other learners to successfully complete the education without acquiring the knowledge or expertise expected from the learning outcome.

Examples of breaches of Principle 4:

• Learners being disruptive during examinations or in a classroom setting.
• Learners collecting, copying or reproducing any aspect of the exam, by any means.
• Learners distributing quiz or exam questions and/or answers to other learners.
• Learners maintaining a database of quiz or exam questions and/or answers.
• Learners collecting examination questions and/or answers on behalf of a brokerage for dissemination to other learners or potential learners.
• Learners attempting without the appropriate permission to access RECA’s online courses, programs or examinations.
• Learners attempting to disrupt (i.e. hack), or otherwise compromise, RECA’s ability to deliver its online courses, programs or examinations.
• Learners using, in part or in whole, RECA’s electronic or print education material outside of the applicable course or program and for other than its intended use, such as personal use, business use or dissemination to others.

In summary, do not assist those who are dishonest about developing their professional competence. It only undermines your integrity, and that of the profession, while enabling incompetent service to the public. It is the responsibility of all industry professionals to gain the required knowledge and skills to ensure their own competence in delivering services to the public. Take this opportunity to be the best professional that you can be.

Disciplinary Outcomes

Those individuals who breach RECA’s Education Code of Conduct for Learners may be subject to disciplinary action and subject to the education program outcomes, such as:

• Receiving failing grade(s);
• Receiving a course or program suspension; and/or,
• Being expelled from RECA education courses or programs.

Breaches of the Education Code of Conduct for Learners by individuals seeking to become authorized may result in an authorization being denied and the issuance of Administrative Penalties up to $25,000.

Learners who are industry members and who breach the RECA Education Code of Conduct for Learners, may be subject to a finding of conduct deserving of sanction, and could receive discipline ranging from an Advisory Note to licence cancellation.