Students

PSYO8914 – Industrial and Organisational Psychology

2021 – Session 1, Weekday attendance, North Ryde

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ben Searle
Ben Morrison
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MOrgPsych or MProfPsych
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit aims to provide students with professional understanding of the relations between work and wellbeing, and appropriate skills for better management of these relations. The unit covers applications of research to such practical matters as job analysis, job design, and stress management. The unit brings together theory, methodology and workplace issues to provide a sound underpinning for professional practice in industrial and organisational psychology.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate an understanding of theories about the nature, causes, and impact of work stress, motivation and engagement by applying these theories and research findings to practical situations.
  • ULO2: Understand the theoretical, practical and ethical challenges surrounding workplace stress management.
  • ULO3: Demonstrate knowledge of the theory and practice associated with designing and re-designing work.
  • ULO4: Design an evidence-based employee wellbeing intervention program that meets the specific needs of a client organisation.
  • ULO5: Demonstrate knowledge of the strengths, limitations and applications of different job analysis techniques.
  • ULO6: Undertake a range of job analysis techniques for different purposes.

General Assessment Information

Assessment activity I:      Online quizzes

Description:  These quizzes encourage you to keep a regular routine of watching the lecture videos each fortnight, and to provide you with feedback about how much of the video content you remember and understand.

Requirements:  You can access quizzes via iLearn . Quizzes must be completed independently, without collaborating with others. Each quiz will be available for a limited time. It will not usually be possible to re-open the quiz for individual students who missed the quiz deadline.

 

Assessment activity II:     IOP Competence Evaluations

Description:  In class, or in preparation for a class, students will be asked to undertake activities involving the application of knowledge. The unit chair will assess your competence at performing these activities.

Requirements: Several activities, done either in-class or in preparation for class, will be assessed for competence. The unit chair will announce if an activity is assessable before students begin, in addition to explaining how to perform the activity. To Pass this unit, you must be deemed competent at all activities thus identified. Those who do not demonstrate competence in class (due to either a failure to meet standards in-class, or an absence from class at the time of the activity) must will be required to submit to the unit chair a supplementary assignment (e.g. a written essay or report, a video, or other work) related to class competence activity. These supplementary assignments provide an alternative and independently verifiable way of demonstrating competence that would otherwise have been assessed in class. Prior to commencing such supplementary assignments, students must contact the unit convenor for specific instructions, evaluation criteria, and deadlines. Substandard performance may result in a requested resubmission, the setting of alternative work, or a Show Cause notification.

 

Assessment activity III:     Intervention Plan

Description:  This exercise has been designed to develop your capacity to independently research and plan an organisational intervention, and to assess its impact appropriately. Working from a client request, each student will identify an appropriate program of interventions. You will then focus on the 1-2 specific interventions that you consider to be the most critical and effective, and present a clear and convincing justification for why that/those intervention(s) should be effective (i.e., the evidence supporting your approach). You must also describe an appropriate method for evaluating the impact and effectiveness of your whole intervention program.

Requirements: Intervention plans must be no more than 1600 words. The word count must be listed on a title page that also includes name and student ID number. Documents must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.docx), not as Adobe PDFs.

Penalties: Separate from the marking criteria (where markers compare your work to standards to see how many marks they can award you), we expect that students will submit original work of a professional standard, within the designated length and by the due date. Penalties apply to assignments that are not submitted in accordance with expectations or specified requirements. For an assignment submitted two days late, a 5.5 mark penalty would apply (5% per day late). If the assignment was 400 words over the set limit, an 11 mark penalty would apply (5% per 100 words). At the convenor's discretion, other penalties may also apply. 

As described in the Academic Integrity Policyplagiarism is a particularly serious case of unprofessional and unethical academic misconduct. All written assignment submissions are evaluated using the Turnitin database system to determine if material has been copied from other students, published academic papers, or other online sources. If evidence of plagiarism is found it will be reported to the appropriate university authorities. Do not take the risk.

 

Assessment activity IV:   Examination

Description: There will be a 60-minute written exam held in the last class of semester to test (a) your understanding of content covered in the unit, and also (b) your capacity to apply this knowledge meaningfully when handling practical workplace problems. You will be presented with situations based on real consultancy work and decision-making experiences encountered by organisational psychologists, and you will need to use your knowledge of I/O psychology (particularly that gained from this unit) to answer questions. Examinable content includes on-campus classes, required lecture videos, and the first (top) reading set for each week. “Recommended” videos and other readings are not formally examinable, but may nevertheless prove useful.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Fortnightly online quiz 10% No Due at start of each scheduled class
Competence evaluation 0% No In scheduled classes
Intervention proposal 55% Yes 6pm April 23
Open book examination 35% No In last scheduled class

Fortnightly online quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 7.5 hours
Due: Due at start of each scheduled class
Weighting: 10%

Between four and eight multiple choice questions fortnightly delivered online. Each quiz is available for two week. Students have 20 minutes to complete each quiz.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of theories about the nature, causes, and impact of work stress, motivation and engagement by applying these theories and research findings to practical situations.
  • Understand the theoretical, practical and ethical challenges surrounding workplace stress management.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the theory and practice associated with designing and re-designing work.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the strengths, limitations and applications of different job analysis techniques.

Competence evaluation

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: In scheduled classes
Weighting: 0%

Students will be perform in class activities in groups applying principles and concepts of industrial and organisational psychology. Students will be assessed as a group.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of theories about the nature, causes, and impact of work stress, motivation and engagement by applying these theories and research findings to practical situations.
  • Understand the theoretical, practical and ethical challenges surrounding workplace stress management.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the theory and practice associated with designing and re-designing work.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the strengths, limitations and applications of different job analysis techniques.
  • Undertake a range of job analysis techniques for different purposes.

Intervention proposal

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 6pm April 23
Weighting: 55%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

Students are required to prepare a 1600 word report describing and justifying a suitable intervention in response to a detailed client brief.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of theories about the nature, causes, and impact of work stress, motivation and engagement by applying these theories and research findings to practical situations.
  • Understand the theoretical, practical and ethical challenges surrounding workplace stress management.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the theory and practice associated with designing and re-designing work.
  • Design an evidence-based employee wellbeing intervention program that meets the specific needs of a client organisation.

Open book examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: In last scheduled class
Weighting: 35%

In class open book 60 minute written examination addressing four questions.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of theories about the nature, causes, and impact of work stress, motivation and engagement by applying these theories and research findings to practical situations.
  • Understand the theoretical, practical and ethical challenges surrounding workplace stress management.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the theory and practice associated with designing and re-designing work.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the strengths, limitations and applications of different job analysis techniques.
  • Undertake a range of job analysis techniques for different purposes.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

On-campus classes

This unit involves a three-hour class held approximately every second week of the semester. You are responsible for checking the timetable to determine the dates, times and venues when/where you should be attending classes.

While some of each class will involve presentations by the unit chair, much of the time will be spent on interactive discussions and activities designed to facilitate improved understanding of the unit topics and in particular to apply them. These will include some skill-development activities performed in class, often in groups. You will be assessed regularly on the competence of your in-class work. To ensure that you can perform these activities competently, you should prepare thoroughly for each class. This will involve:

  • watching online videos provided for each week, 
  • reading the articles set for each week,
  • preparing any work required for use in upcoming classes,
  • undertaking any assignment-related activities,
  • reading widely about unit topics. 

 

Online lecture videos and other resources (iLearn)

Classes are held in the evenings because so many of our students have work commitments during the day. However, at the end of a long workday, many people find it difficult to absorb and retain lots of new information! To reduce the amount of class time spent covering new concepts and theories, much of the lecture content is provided in videos that you can watch at a convenient time (provided it is done before the relevant class). These online lectures explain key concepts and theories, and provide concrete examples linking these to practice.

There are also additional resources provided on iLearn, such as interviews with practice experts and useful online tools. Students are strongly encouraged to examine these and share their impressions at the next class.

 

Readings (via iLearn)

In addition, papers have been assigned as preparatory reading for each class, to further develop your understanding of each topic. To get the most out of the online videos and on-campus classes, try the following approach:

  1. Access and/or download the set paper assigned for your upcoming class, read the abstract (if there is one), and scan through the paper quickly to see what it's all about.
  2. Watch the online video(s) required for the upcoming class.
  3. Return to the paper and read it properly, making sure to write down any questions that occur to you. Bring those questions along to ask at our next class.
  4. Explore the supplied online resources associated with the unit topics.
  5. Pick one of the other recommended readings, read the abstract, and scan that paper as well. Read it if it catches your interest, otherwise, move to another recommended reading.

Those who follow this procedure are more likely to understand the content, remember it and apply it competently. You are encouraged to consult textbooks and other journal articles. This will be valuable for developing knowledge, and essential for completing assessment tasks. 

Unit Schedule

Class Date Topic
1 March 03 What is Wellbeing?
2 March 17 Workplace Wellbeing: Using Theories and Models
3 March 31 Workplace Wellbeing Interventions
     
4 April 28 Job Analysis Techniques
5 May 12 Job Analysis Interviews
6 May 26 Synthesis, Case Studies, & Examination

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.