Students

PSYX3338 – Organisational Psychology

2023 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor and Lecturer
Kim Curby
Contact via Email
AHH L2 2.657
By appointment
Lecturer
Ben Morrison
Contact via Email
AHH L2 2.655
By appointment
Lecturer
Narelle Hess
Contact via Email
AHH L2 2.654
By appointment
Lecturer
Monique Crane
Contact via Email
AHH L2 2.659
By appointment
Lecturer
Mark Wiggins
Contact via Email
AHH L2 2.658
By appointment
Lecturer
Michael Richardson
Contact via Email
AHH L2 2.687
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
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))
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

An individual’s relationship with their employment can have a striking influence on their general wellbeing, life satisfaction, and productivity at work, with a typical individual spending approximately a third of their life at work. This unit introduces students to the psychological perspectives of the world of work, including both individual and organisational aspects. Students will learn how organisational psychologists apply psychological principles and tools to study occupational behaviour, working conditions and organisational structure, and solve problems related to employee wellbeing, performance, and organisational design. Tutorials will draw on real-life case studies to provide hands-on experience with the tools and techniques used by organisational psychologists. This ensures that students are equipped to apply the knowledge acquired in this unit to contemporary issues facing employees and organisations.

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: Explain how organisational psychologists develop accurate descriptions of jobs and the competencies required for successful job performance.
  • ULO2: Describe relevant assessment principles, based on knowledge of their strengths and limitations, that should guide employee selection and assessment.
  • ULO3: Identify the sources of employee stress in the workplace and how they can be managed.
  • ULO4: Locate, understand, and apply relevant theories and findings about psychological and behavioural issues in the workplace.
  • ULO5: Display communication and critical analysis skills: in particular, write and critique reports and other assessments for different audiences on conceptual and practical aspects of psychological factors that relate to the contemporary workplace.

General Assessment Information

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy.

All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor.

Students will be awarded a final grade and a mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure (clause 128).

To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, and achieve a final mark of 50 or better.

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.

Late Submissions

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern. 

 For example:

Number of days (hours) late

Total Possible Marks

Deduction

Raw mark

Final mark

1 day (1-24 hours)

100

5

75

70

2 days (24-48 hours)

100

10

75

65

3 days (48-72 hours)

100

15

75

60

7 days (144-168 hours)

100

35

75

40

>7 days (>168 hours)

100

-

75

0

 

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

No further submissions will be accepted after the marked assignments are returned and feedback is released to students. 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.

Other Penalties

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.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Regular online quizzes testing unit content. 15% No Weeks 4, 7, & 11
Report 40% No Monday at 11:55 pm Week 9 (May 1st)
Final examination 45% No University Exam Period

Regular online quizzes testing unit content.

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 13 hours
Due: Weeks 4, 7, & 11
Weighting: 15%

 

Weekly online multiple-choice quiz, testing unit content.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain how organisational psychologists develop accurate descriptions of jobs and the competencies required for successful job performance.
  • Describe relevant assessment principles, based on knowledge of their strengths and limitations, that should guide employee selection and assessment.
  • Identify the sources of employee stress in the workplace and how they can be managed.
  • Locate, understand, and apply relevant theories and findings about psychological and behavioural issues in the workplace.
  • Display communication and critical analysis skills: in particular, write and critique reports and other assessments for different audiences on conceptual and practical aspects of psychological factors that relate to the contemporary workplace.

Report

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Monday at 11:55 pm Week 9 (May 1st)
Weighting: 40%

 

A professional report applying principles of organisational psychology to the workplace setting.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Locate, understand, and apply relevant theories and findings about psychological and behavioural issues in the workplace.
  • Display communication and critical analysis skills: in particular, write and critique reports and other assessments for different audiences on conceptual and practical aspects of psychological factors that relate to the contemporary workplace.

Final examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: University Exam Period
Weighting: 45%

 

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

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain how organisational psychologists develop accurate descriptions of jobs and the competencies required for successful job performance.
  • Describe relevant assessment principles, based on knowledge of their strengths and limitations, that should guide employee selection and assessment.
  • Identify the sources of employee stress in the workplace and how they can be managed.

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

Required Textbook

Landy, F. J, & Conte, J. M. (2019). Work in the 21st Century: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology (6th Australian & New Zealand Edition). John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 9781119571827

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.

OUA policies

For information and administrative processes specific to OUA studies, please see this website: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/faculties/open-universities-australia

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.

Inclusions and Diversity

Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone.

Professionalism

In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses.

As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including clinical, practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., PACE placements), and team-based learning activities. Some learning activities are recorded (e.g., face-to-face lectures), however you are encouraged to avoid relying upon such material as they do not recreate the whole learning experience and technical issues can and do occur. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session.

Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know.


Unit information based on version 2023.02 of the Handbook