Students

PSYU3399 – Psychological Science: Putting Theory into Practice

2021 – Session 2, Special circumstances

Session 2 Learning and Teaching Update

The decision has been made to conduct study online for the remainder of Session 2 for all units WITHOUT mandatory on-campus learning activities. Exams for Session 2 will also be online where possible to do so.

This is due to the extension of the lockdown orders and to provide certainty around arrangements for the remainder of Session 2. We hope to return to campus beyond Session 2 as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Some classes/teaching activities cannot be moved online and must be taught on campus. You should already know if you are in one of these classes/teaching activities and your unit convenor will provide you with more information via iLearn. If you want to confirm, see the list of units with mandatory on-campus classes/teaching activities.

Visit the MQ COVID-19 information page for more detail.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Wayne Warburton
wayne.warburton@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
[(60cp from PSY or PSYU or PSYX units at 2000 level) and (20cp from PSY or PSYC or PSYU or PSYX units at 3000 level)] or [30cp from PSY or PSYU or PSYX units at 2000 level and 10cp from PSY or PSYC or PSYU or PSYX units at 3000 level and admission to BA or BHumanSc)]
Corequisites Corequisites
10cp in PSY or PSYC or PSYU or PSYX at 3000 level
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit encourages students to reflect on their undergraduate degree, and to integrate their knowledge from the sub-disciplines of psychology into a more holistic understanding of psychology. This unit also assists students to understand their options with a psychology degree, the standards of professional practice that will be required of them as psychologists, and pathways to higher study or employment. In order to help students gain a more practical understanding of the psychology profession, and to make informed decisions about their own future, this unit includes a mandatory 32 hour placement with an organisation that deals with issues relevant to 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: Identify a social issue and devise practical solutions that are supported by sound psychological theories and evidence.
  • ULO2: Use skills and knowledge acquired over the psychology degree in a real world context and develop new practical skills and knowledge over the course of a volunteer placement.
  • ULO3: Critically evaluate a body of literature on a social issue in relation to relevant psychology sub-disciplines.
  • ULO4: Integrate and synthesise knowledge from various psychology sub-disciplines.
  • ULO5: Critically reflect on how the different sub-disciplines in psychology link within the whole person and apply to wider social contexts, including the placement organisation's activities.
  • ULO6: Reflect on their learning in psychology (including practical learning), and its application to professional and ethical practice (including at their volunteer placement).
  • ULO7: Demonstrate effective oral, written and visual communication skills that are appropriate to the purpose, medium and audience.

General Assessment Information

  1. For word count penalties, 5% of the possible mark will be deducted per 100 words over the word limit for the assessment task. An additional 99 words beyond the limit can be written without penalty.

    It is Psychology policy that letter grades, not numeric marks, are released for written assessment tasks. Any requests for remark need to follow the Psychology process and must be applied within 2 weeks of the assessment task being returned. Information will be provided on iLearn.

    The final exam for this unit is currently scheduled to occur on Macquarie University campus. Students are expected to make themselves available for the exam, at the date and time set by the University, in line with the Assessment Policy and Procedure.

    All assessments for this unit are compulsory in order to be eligible to pass the unit. Any student who does not attempt an assessment in this unit will be granted a Fail Absent grade. Supplementary assessment tasks will only be provided following an approved Special Consideration application, and only when appropriate. Supplementary assessment tasks, including supplementary exams, can be in a different format to the original assessment task.

  2. All extensions need to be formally requested via ask.mq.edu.au in line with the special consideration policy. Late submissions, without an approved extension, will receive a 5% per day penalty including weekends and public holidays. If you submit the assessment task 10 days or more beyond the due date, you will be awarded a maximum of 50% of the overall assessment marks. No further submissions will be accepted after the marked assignments are returned and feedback is released to students.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
PACE Placement 0% Yes Logbook due Friday, Week 13 COB
Literature review 20% No Friday Week 5, COB
Final Examination 40% No Formal examination period
Project report 40% No Part 1: Friday, Week 4, COB; Parts 2-5: Monday, Week 10, COB

PACE Placement

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 32 hours
Due: Logbook due Friday, Week 13 COB
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

Students spend a minimum of 32 hours applying the skills and knowledge from their psychology degree to a placement. Students are required to keep a logbook, which is signed off by their placement supervisor.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify a social issue and devise practical solutions that are supported by sound psychological theories and evidence.
  • Use skills and knowledge acquired over the psychology degree in a real world context and develop new practical skills and knowledge over the course of a volunteer placement.

Literature review

Assessment Type 1: Literature review
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Friday Week 5, COB
Weighting: 20%

 

Students are required to submit a 700 word integrated review that brings together existing knowledge from various disciplines in psychology.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically evaluate a body of literature on a social issue in relation to relevant psychology sub-disciplines.
  • Integrate and synthesise knowledge from various psychology sub-disciplines.
  • Critically reflect on how the different sub-disciplines in psychology link within the whole person and apply to wider social contexts, including the placement organisation's activities.
  • Demonstrate effective oral, written and visual communication skills that are appropriate to the purpose, medium and audience.

Final Examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 26 hours
Due: Formal examination period
Weighting: 40%

 

Final examination held within the University’s formal exam period, in accordance with relevant requirements.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate and synthesise knowledge from various psychology sub-disciplines.

Project report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 26 hours
Due: Part 1: Friday, Week 4, COB; Parts 2-5: Monday, Week 10, COB
Weighting: 40%

 

Students submit a 1500 word report across 5 sections, related to their placement experiences.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify a social issue and devise practical solutions that are supported by sound psychological theories and evidence.
  • Critically reflect on how the different sub-disciplines in psychology link within the whole person and apply to wider social contexts, including the placement organisation's activities.
  • Reflect on their learning in psychology (including practical learning), and its application to professional and ethical practice (including at their volunteer placement).
  • Demonstrate effective oral, written and visual communication skills that are appropriate to the purpose, medium and audience.

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

Lectures: 1*1 hour lecture each week on Mondays, scheduled for 11.00am–12.00pm, in the Lotus Theatre (27WW) Theatre. All lectures are recorded. Please NOTE it is possible that on-campus lecture attendance may be cancelled due to COVID. In this instance the lecture will appear online at the scheduled lecture time or soon after each week. In 2021 there will be NO week 9 lecture.

Tutorials: There will be 1*2-hour tutorial fortnightly. This will be a mix of online and on campus classes. For online tutorials the 2 hours of work is spread across the week. Tutorial material will be available on iLearn for all classes, and step-by-step instructions for online tutorials will also be in iLearn. Students will be divided into an A and B Stream, with the A Stream starting tutorials in Week 2 of the semester, and the B Stream in Week 3. Streams may be uneven (e.g., there may be an A stream but no B stream in a timeslot), so please note your tute stream carefully. Please note that if the COVID situation changes it is possible that all tutorials will be converted to online delivery for part or all of the session. Please check unit announcements and your student email inbox regularly to keep up to date with any unit changes.

Resources are on the iLearn site.

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

Grading

Macquarie University, and Psychology undergraduate courses, follow standards-based assessment of student performance. All individual assessment tasks are subject to moderation, consistent with the Assessment Policy and Procedure. A student’s final mark for this unit, and associated grade, must reflect their attainment of the unit learning outcomes, and isn’t necessarily a simple summation of their individual assessment items.

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.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
12/07/2021 This version provides further general information and clarification around assessment tasks, extensions and grading, and notes possible changes to unit delivery due to COVID.

Unit information based on version 2021.01R of the Handbook