Psychology 2061A-001
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.
3 lecture hours, 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Alex Benson
Office: SSC 8408
Office Hours: By Appointment
519-661-2111 x85895
Email: abenson3@uwo.ca
Office Hours: Wednesday, 3:00pm-4:00pm
Teaching Assistant: Margaret Head
Office Hours: Tuesday, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Email: mhead5@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Monday 2:30 – 5:30pm, SEB Room 1059
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 broadly refers to the application of psychology to theworkplace, 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
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
• Identify and describe 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
• Apply concepts and theories in I/O psychology to real workplace problems
5.0 EVALUATION
Course grades will be based on two midterm tests and a final examination. These will primarily consist
of multiple-choice questions but they may also contain short answer questions. The detailed format of
each midterm and the final examination, including the number of questions, will be provided prior to the
test date. The final exam will be cumulative, with an emphasis on material from the final three weeks of
the course.
Assessment Weight Date Material Covered
Midterm Test 1 30% Oct. 15 Sept. 10 – Oct. 1
Midterm Test 2 30% Nov. 12 Oct. 22 – Nov. 5
Final Exam 40% TBA (Dec 10-21) Cumulative
iCLICKER
To facilitate discussion and participation, we will be using iClicker. This is a free app (Western has
purchased a university subscription) that can be access through https://owl.uwo.ca/portal, navigating to
the course site, and clicking on the iClicker tab on the left-hand toolbar. Please refer to
https://presswestern.uwo.ca/students_and_audience/getting_started.html for additional information on
how to set-up your free account. You may download the app to any of your smart devices or laptop. No
marks will be attached to the use of iClicker, although the questions will cover testable materials. The
main purpose of iClicker is to optimize student engagement and connect abstract theoretical ideas to
concrete examples and/or issues in the workplace. Your participation is voluntary and all responses will
be anonymous. The data will not be used for research or evaluation purposes.
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 Western's 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
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Midterm Test 2 30% Nov 12
Final Exam 40% TBA (Dec 10-21)
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Week Dates Topic & Required Reading1 Sept. 10 Introduction to I/O Psychology & Scientific Methods Ch.1 & Ch. 2
2 Sept. 17 Job Analysis & Competency Models Ch. 3
3 Sept. 24 Recruitment, Selection, and Decision Making Ch. 4
4 Oct. 1 Performance Management Ch. 5
5 Oct. 8 Reading Week No Class
6. Oct. 15 1st MIDTERM EXAM All content covered between Sep. 10th and Oct. 1st
7 Oct. 22 Training and Integrating New Employees Ch. 6
8 Oct. 29 Groups & Teams in Organizations (Lecture only)
9 Nov. 5 Work Attitudes, Affect, and Motivation Ch. 8 & Ch. 9
10 Nov. 12 2nd MIDTERM EXAM All content covered between Oct. 22nd and Nov. 5th
11 Nov. 19 Leadership and Followership Ch. 10
12 Nov. 26 Counterproductive Work Behaviour Ch. 11
13 Dec. 3 Occupational Health & Positive Organizational Psychology Ch. 12 & Ch. 14
FINAL EXAM (During Exam Period Dec 10-21) Inclusive of entire course
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
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
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
- 2018 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
