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• 2014-2015
• Psychology 2061B-650

Psychology 2061B-650

Psychology at Work

If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.

1.0    CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

This course introduces students to the field of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology and its contributions to enhanced organizational effectiveness and quality of work life. I/O psychology offers an evidence-based approach to hiring, training, performance management, and leadership, and provides insight into the motivation and behaviour of individuals and teams.

Antirequisites: Psychology 2660A/B, the former 2060

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.

0.5 course

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor: Helen Lee
Office: SSC 8404    
Office Hours: By appointment (via email) – please include “Psych 2061 Distance” as part of the subject heading    
Email: hlee539@uwo.ca    

If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you.  Please visit:  http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.

Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you.  You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.

3.0  TEXTBOOK

Kelloway, E. K., Catano, V. M., & Day, A. L. (2011). People and Work in Canada: Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Toronto: Nelson. ISBN-10: 0176501819; ISBN-13: 9780176501815 *Required*

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology can be broadly thought of as the application of psychology to the workplace, and the study of human behaviour in organizational settings. This course provides an introduction to the theories, methods, findings, and applications of I/O psychology. The goal of this course is to provide students with an overview of the main topics and issues relevant to the study of I/O psychology.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
•    Identify major concepts, theories, and topics in I/O psychology
•    Recognize methodological and theoretical issues important to the study of I/O psychology
•    Think critically about a range of issues pertinent to I/O psychology
•    Discuss and write about concepts and theories in I/O psychology
•    Apply concepts and theories in I/O psychology to real workplace problems

5.0     EVALUATION

Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:

70%    1000-level and 2000-level courses
72%     2190-2990 level courses
75%     3000-level courses
80%     4000-level courses
   
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):

A+    90-100    One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A    80-89        Superior work that is clearly above average
B    70-79        Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C    60-69        Competent work, meeting requirements
D    50-59        Fair work, minimally acceptable
F    below 50    Fail

Student evaluation will be based on 2 exams and participation in online discussions.

Tests/Exams (75%)
There will be one mid-term test, worth 35% of the final mark, and a final exam, worth 40%. Both will last for 2.5 hours and will consist of both multiple-choice questions (worth 70% of each exam) and a choice of 4 out of 7 short answer questions (worth 30% of each exam) based on material drawn from the textbook and lessons. The exams are not cumulative. For a list of topics covered on each, see section 7.0 below.

All exams will be closed book -- no books, notes, calculators, cell phones, dictionaries, or aids of any type will be allowed. Please bring a couple of pencils, a good eraser, a watch, and your student identification to the examinations.
The midterm test will be held on February 13th, 2016. The Distance Studies department will arrange the time and location for writing the midterm. The final exam will be held during the exam period (April 9th-30th, 2016). The date and time will be organized by the Office of the Registrar and the Distance Studies department.
It is recommended that you do not bring items such as laptops, backpacks, textbooks, notes, etc. with you to the examinations. At the beginning of every examination you will be asked to place all such items in a common area in the exam room and neither the instructor nor Western can be responsible for the theft, damage, or loss of such items.
Note: You should NOT finalize your travel plans until the final exam date and time has been announced.
Discussions (25%)
There will be 10 online discussions. There will be two types of discussion questions: (1) “Think and Reflect” Questions and (2) “Learn and Apply” Questions. The online discussions are worth a total of 25% of your final grade (1% for each “Think and Reflect” discussion and 4% for each “Learn and Apply” discussion).
(1)    “Think and Reflect” Questions
•    “Think and Reflect” questions are designed to help students understand how concepts in the course may be connected to previous knowledge, experiences, current events, or day-to-day life.
•    Since there is typically no wrong answer to this type of question, you will be graded on a participation basis. Thus, if you provide a reasonably relevant response to a “Think and Reflect” question, you will receive 1% toward your grade.
•    Each “Think and Reflect” discussion is worth 1% of your final grade.

(2)    “Learn and Apply” Questions
•    “Learn and Apply” questions are designed to help students solidify and apply course content as well as monitor their understanding of the material from the course.
•    Receiving a good mark will require insightful posts that show accurate knowledge of the textbook and lesson material, building on information posted earlier in the discussion, and involve a meaningful dialogue with classmates.
•    A rubric (i.e. grading criteria) for the “Learn and Apply” Discussions is posted on the course website under the “Syllabus” section
•    Each “Learn and Apply” discussion is worth 4% of your grade and will be graded out of 4.

See the following table for the discussion schedule:

Each discussion will be open for 7 days (12:01 am on Monday until 11:59pm EST the following Sunday). Once the discussion is closed, no more posts can be made.

6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

Assessment	Weight	Date	Format	Material Covered
Midterm Test	35%	Feb. 13	MC + Short Answer (4 out of 7)	Ch 1-6 and Related Lesson Material on OWL
Final Exam Test	40%	TBA	MC + Short Answer (4 out of 7)	Ch 7-12, & 14 and Related Lesson Material on OWL

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

8.0     STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link:  http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf

As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com

Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.

9.0    POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS

The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html


10.0        OTHER INFORMATION

Office of the Registrar web site:  http://registrar.uwo.ca

Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca

Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:

    http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html

- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences

- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2015 Calendar References

No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.