Students

PSYH4466 – Advanced Issues in Health Psychology

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Kerry Sherman
Guest lecturer
Philippe Gilchrist
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
PSYH4418 or PSYH490 or PSHY4490 or PSYH495 or PSYH4495 or PSYH4492
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides an in-depth exploration of health psychology and behavioural medicine and the way that psychology influences our health and wellbeing. The how and why of applying psychological models of health behaviour will be addressed particularly in the context of coping and adjustment to health threats such as COVID-19 and in ensuring people stay healthy. A strong focus of this unit is applying these psychological principles to understanding and predicting behaviours and responses of real life case studies. A range of health psychology intervention approaches will be examined across different domains including the challenge of behaviour change, and coping with chronic illness and pain.

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: Apply a range of health psychology theories and models to real-world problems and contexts.
  • ULO2: Demonstrate awareness of psychological, social and cultural determinants of health status.
  • ULO3: Demonstrate awareness of a range of intervention approaches to promote good health and adjustment to illness.
  • ULO4: Conduct research on specific problems related to health psychology and evidence-based intervention approaches.
  • ULO5: Develop assessment and intervention plans to address a health or illness related problem.
  • ULO6: Communicate assessment and intervention plans succinctly and clearly in written (case report) and oral (class presentation) formats.

General Assessment Information

Presentation submission information

Details provided in iLearn.

 

Case Report submission information

 Format: 

  • Title page including: case report title, full name, student number, and word count 

  • An abstract is NOT required 

  • PSYH4466: 1500 words maximum (not including title page, tables and figures, and reference list) 

  • PSYM7766: 2000 words maximum (not including title page, tables and figures, and reference list) 

  • 12pt Times New Roman font 

  • Double-spaced 

  • 2.54cm margins 

  • APA 7th Edition referencing and formatting style  

 

Guidelines  Submit an electronic copy via the iLearn Turnitin page 

  • Assignments will not be accepted after 5 days past the due date 

  • No reports will be accepted after the return of feedback on marked assignments 

  • The marking rubric used by your markers can be found in PDF format on iLearn and on the Turnitin page 

  • Reports must be all your own work and fully referenced. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. 

 

Feedback: 

  • Feedback on the OUTCOME of your report is due to be released by the end of Week 11 

  • Feedback will be in the form of comments throughout your assignment in Turnitin 

  • A numeric grade will also be provided in Turnitin. 

 

Weighting:  40% of final grade 

 

Penalties for Presentation and Case Study Assignments

Late submissions will receive a 5% per day penalty including weekends and public holidays, unless an extension has been granted through special consideration. No late submissions will be accepted more than 5 days after the submission deadline, unless special consideration has been granted. No further submissions will be accepted after the marked assignments are returned and feedback is released to students.

All extensions need to be formally requested in line with the special consideration policy.

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

Case report word count penalty: 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.

 

Sitting the final exam  is compulsory in order to be eligible to pass the unit. Any student who does not attempt the final exam will be granted a Fail Absent grade.

 

Request for Extension for Assignments: 

Ordinarily, no extensions of time for submission of written work will be granted since ample time for its preparation will have been given. If an extension is required for medical or other extenuating circumstances, students may request this by submitting an online request via ask.mq.edu.au with supporting documentary evidence (such as medical certificate, counsellor note, or similar). The staff in the FMHHS student centre will make all decisions regarding extensions. Course convenors are unable to grant extensions. All requests for extensions must be made prior to the due date for the assignment.      Please attach a copy of the approved extension with your submitted assignment to avoid any late penalty. 

A copy of the assignment and of the email confirmation from Turnitin must be kept as proof that the assignment was completed and submitted. 

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Brief presentation 15% No Week 5
Case Report 40% No Week 8
Final examination 45% No Week 13

Brief presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 5
Weighting: 15%

 

Students will undertake a critique of an Australian public health campaign to promote good health and/or adjustment to illness, presenting this in a brief presentation.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply a range of health psychology theories and models to real-world problems and contexts.
  • Demonstrate awareness of psychological, social and cultural determinants of health status.
  • Conduct research on specific problems related to health psychology and evidence-based intervention approaches.
  • Communicate assessment and intervention plans succinctly and clearly in written (case report) and oral (class presentation) formats.

Case Report

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 40%

 

Students will prepare a case report in 1500 words, on a specific topic related to issues concerning health and illness that is introduced in class. The task requires students to analyse the case with reference to relevant theories of health psychology and empirical research

 

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply a range of health psychology theories and models to real-world problems and contexts.
  • Demonstrate awareness of psychological, social and cultural determinants of health status.
  • Demonstrate awareness of a range of intervention approaches to promote good health and adjustment to illness.
  • Conduct research on specific problems related to health psychology and evidence-based intervention approaches.
  • Develop assessment and intervention plans to address a health or illness related problem.
  • Communicate assessment and intervention plans succinctly and clearly in written (case report) and oral (class presentation) formats.

Final examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 45%

 

Final examination held in scheduled class time, in accordance with relevant requirements.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply a range of health psychology theories and models to real-world problems and contexts.
  • Demonstrate awareness of psychological, social and cultural determinants of health status.
  • Demonstrate awareness of a range of intervention approaches to promote good health and adjustment to illness.
  • Develop assessment and intervention plans to address a health or illness related problem.

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

The lecture material for this unit will be divided between pre-recorded lecture material delivered online and in person delivery in class. Pre-recorded materials are available in iLearn, listed against each week's topics. The in-person classes will be highly interactive and a high level of student participation is expected. Two streams of live classes will run - Stream A and Stream B. Students allocated to Stream A will attend the in-person class on Wednesdays from 11am-12noon. Students allocated to Stream B will attend the Wednesday in-person classes from 12-1pm. It is expected that students will have watched the pre-recorded lecture materials for each week prior to attending the in-person classes. Lists of students allocated to each Stream for the in-person class are available in iLearn.

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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Grading

Macquarie University 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/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.


Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook