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.
Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ben Searle
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above including ((PSYC104 or PSYU1104 or PSYX104 or PSYX1104 or PSYU1101 or PSYX1101) and (PSYC105 or PSYU1105 or PSYX105 or PSYX1105 or PSYU1102 or PSYX1102))
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
PSYX3338 - Organisational Psychology
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit introduces students to psychological perspectives of the world of work, including both individual and organisational aspects. We cover topics such as personnel selection, job attitudes, stress, personality, and human factors at work. Students discover some of the ways organisational psychologists have used the science of psychology to learn more about the human condition and to assist in the effective management of businesses. This unit provides a valuable background for the application of scientific principles and findings to workplace policies and practices that involve people. Through tutorial exercises and discussions, the unit ensures that students gain an appreciation of job analysis, recruitment and selection techniques, occupational stress management, and other psychological issues in the workplace. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Two Evaluation Systems
Participation tasks assess your level of engagement with learning opportunities. The weekly online quiz tracks active participation rather than performance level, although scores provide you with feedback. You will also have a chance to participate in collecting data for the written report assignments.
Graded assessment tasks assess achievement of learning outcomes. Two reports indicate your understanding and communication of organisational psychology; first as a process for scientific enquiry, and second as a resource for business. The final exam assesses knowledge and understanding of organisational psychology concepts and their application.
Assessment activity I: Weekly online quiz
Description: Weekly quizzes encourage you to keep a regular routine of watching the lecture videos each week, and to provide you with feedback about how much of the video content you understand and remember.
Requirements: You can access quizzes via the unit iLearn website. After the first few weeks of semester, each quiz will be available for one week only, typically concluding at midday on Monday of the week after the quiz topic. The quiz must be completed by independently, without collaborating with others. Note that it is not possible to re-open the quiz for individual students who missed the quiz deadline without a formal application for Special Consideration.
Assessment activity II: Survey recruitment exercise
Description: This exercise provides experience in using surveys to advance knowledge in a way that also has practical workplace applications. Your task is to invite four working adults to participate in an online survey on a topic relevant to organisational psychology, and to collect their contact emails. More information about the task and methods, along with the due dates, will be provided by Week 3. You are responsible for checking iLearn for this information.
Requirements: It is essential that you follow the specified procedures for participant recruitment. You receive the participation marks if enough of the people you recruited commence the survey. If they subsequently do not complete the survey you will not be penalised. If you notify us in advance that you are unable to recruit participants, or if your recruitment attempts prove unsuccessful, other research participation opportunities will be offered.
Assessment activity III: Introduction to a Scientific Report
Description: Students follow the style and structure of the introduction section to a scientific report to provide a background suitable for the survey study we conduct as part of this unit. From among the range of variables measured in the study, students get to choose a subset on which to focus their report. This exercise helps develop greater understanding of organisational psychology theory and research, as well as skills in communication, critical analysis, and capability for evidence-based argument.
Requirements: Specific requirements will be described in an assessment guide (available on iLearn by Week 3).
Assessment activity IV: Research Summary
Description: Students will describe some of the findings from our survey study in an accessible manner, focusing on the relevance of these findings to business. This exercise is designed to develop greater understanding of applications of organisational psychology, as well as to develop skills in communication of research to an audience of non-scientists.
Requirements: Specific requirements will be described in an assessment guide (available on iLearn before the end of the mid-semester break).
Penalties
The two written reports (Introduction to a Scientific Report and Research Summary) are assessed against specific criteria that will be supplied via iLearn. Penalties apply to assignments that are not submitted in accordance with specified requirements. Some penalties are applied in units of 5% of the assignment mark, which for both reports (30 marks) is 1.5 marks. For example, assignments submitted late are penalised 1.5 marks per day late, and long assignments are penalised 1.5 marks per 100 words over the set limit. At the convenor's discretion, penalties may apply to reports where spelling, grammar, or use of reference material is noticeably poorer than the standard expected at this level (3rd year university).
As described in the Academic Integrity Policy, plagiarism 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.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Weekly online quiz | 6% | No | Weekly (midday each Monday) |
Survey recruitment exercise | 4% | No | Week 4 (date TBA) |
Scientific report introduction | 30% | No | 6pm April 01 |
Research summary | 30% | No | 6pm May 20 |
Final examination | 30% | No | Exam period |
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 8 hours
Due: Weekly (midday each Monday)
Weighting: 6%
Weekly multiple-choice online quiz, testing unit content.
Assessment Type 1: Field work task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: Week 4 (date TBA)
Weighting: 4%
This exercise is designed to give students experience in using surveys to advance psychology knowledge in a way that also has practical workplace applications. The task is to invite four working adults to participate in an online survey on a topic relevant to organisational psychology, and to enter the details correctly in the form
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 6pm April 01
Weighting: 30%
Students write up to 800 words about the survey study being conducted as part of this unit, following the style and structure of the introduction section to a scientific report.
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 6pm May 20
Weighting: 30%
Students will write an 800 word report about findings from the survey study being conducted as part of this unit, focusing on their relevance to business. The writing style must be that of a business news article.
Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 18 hours
Due: Exam period
Weighting: 30%
Final examination held within the University’s formal exam period, in accordance with relevant requirements.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Online lecture videos
The lectures explain important points and provide concrete examples linking theory to practice. To get the most out of these resources, you should read relevant chapters of the textbook before viewing lectures for that week, and then explore the online resources provided such as organisation websites, podcast episodes, and interviews with subject matter experts. While questions for the final examination will be drawn primarily from the lectures (exceptions will be flagged in advance), these additional resources will complement learning acquired from lecture videos. If you utilise these resources, you are more likely to understand, remember and be able to apply the lecture content.
Tutorials
Tutorials are your opportunities to discuss and apply organisational psychology. Tutors are all current or former students of the Macquarie University Master of Organisational Psychology program, and they have valuable knowledge and practical experience of this field that they are keen to share. Tutorial content is examinable in the final examination.
Reading
Students are encouraged to obtain one of the following two books in hardcopy or e-book format (the latter may only be available as an e-book):
Arnold, J., & Silvester, J. (2016). Work Psychology: Understanding Human Behaviour in the Workplace (6th ed). Pearson Education.
Landy, F. J, & Conte, J. M. (2018). Work in the 21st Century: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology (6th ed.). McGraw Hill.
In addition to reading appropriate sections from the textbook, students are encouraged to read articles published in journals in the field of organisational psychology to provide the information required for the Introduction to a Scientific Report assignment, as well as furthering their understanding of this field.
You will also notice, on the iLearn site, links to other online resources that will develop your understanding of this field.
Feedback
Feedback is an important part of the learning process, but it can only improve your performance if you actively seek and apply it. Make the most of the following opportunities to obtain feedback about your understanding of the unit content.
Activity | Maximising Your Feedback Opportunity |
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Tutorials | Try to answer questions and get involved in discussions. See how well you can apply your new knowledge in class activities. Your tutor is also a good person to ask about anything you've found confusing in the lectures. |
Weekly quizzes | See how much you learned from the lecture videos. If your first score isn't great, review the videos, the textbook and other resources to see what you misunderstood. Before the final exam, look over your quiz performance to identify the topics in which you need to devote the most study time. |
Introduction to a Scientific Report | Use the evaluation criteria for this assignment to guide your efforts and to make regular assessments of the strengths and limitations of your work. When your assignment is marked, look closely at the specific feedback you received and consider how you could apply it in the future. |
Research summary | Use the evaluation criteria for this assignment to guide your efforts and to make regular assessments of the strengths and limitations of your work. When your assignment is marked, look closely at the specific feedback you received and consider how you could apply it in the future. |
Week | Primary online lecture topic(s) | Tutorial topic |
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1 | Introduction to organisational psychology | (no tutorial) |
2 | Job analysis and its applications | Analysing jobs |
3 | Personnel selection | Job interviews |
4 | Occupational stress | Stress & appraisal |
5 | Training and career development | Report writing |
6 | Motivation, attitudes, and justice | Motivation |
Mid-semester break | (no tutorial) | |
7 | Personality at work | Personality |
8 | Organisational behaviour | Incivility |
9 | Climate and culture in organisations | Communication |
10 | Human factors at work | Human error |
11 | Teams and their leaders | (no tutorial) |
12 | Measuring and managing performance | Judging performance |
13 | (reading week) | Careers & revision |
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Unit information based on version 2021.03 of the Handbook