Essay

Due: Week 8 (may change) Weighting: 30%

An essay examining a key concept in psychological research.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• By the end of the unit, students will be able to demonstrate research and study skills (developed through planning research assignments, achieving study goals, and meeting deadlines).
• By the end of the unit, students will be able to demonstrate communication and interpersonal skills (developed through written assignments, interactions in tutorial groups, and working with class members on assignment tasks).
• By the end of the unit, students will have developed information technology skills (developed through practical assignments and experience with the web-based elements of the course).
• By the end of the unit, students will have developed critical thinking skills (developed through discussion of competing theories and application of the scientific method to understand psychological phenomena).

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.

Research Participation

Due: End of Week 13 Weighting: 10%

Four hours of research participation in studies being conducted by staff members, research assistants, postgraduate students and honours students in the School of Psychological Sciences.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• By the end of the unit, students will have developed information technology skills (developed through practical assignments and experience with the web-based elements of the course).
• By the end of the unit, students will have developed an appreciation of Ethical Issues (developed in class discussion of ethical issues in research and exposure to actual participation in research).

Final Exam

Due: Session 1 exam period Weighting: 45%

The format of the final exam will be questions with multiple-choice response options. 

The final exam for this unit is 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.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• By the end of the unit, students will be able to demonstrate research and study skills (developed through planning research assignments, achieving study goals, and meeting deadlines).

Lecture Quiz

Due: Week 10 Weighting: 15%

Quiz on lecture content and related readings consisting of 30 multiple-choice questions and students have 55 minutes to complete each quiz.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• By the end of the unit, students will be able to demonstrate research and study skills (developed through planning research assignments, achieving study goals, and meeting deadlines).

Late submissions will receive a 5% per day penalty including weekends and public holidays, unless an extension has been granted through special consideration. 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.

Submitting an essay and sitting the final exam is compulsory in order to be eligible to pass the unit. Any student who does not submit an essay and/or does not attempt the final exam will be granted a Fail Absent grade.

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.

Delivery:

1 x 2-hour pre-recorded lecture each week.

1 x 1.5 hour (live face-to-face or live via zoom) tutorial most weeks.

There are two versions of this unit, you should carefully note which version you are enrolled in (i.e., either the "F2F" or "ONL").

 

F2F version:

For the “In person scheduled weekday” unit offering: Students can enroll in the pre-recorded, online lectures and face-to-face tutorials. Tutorial [/practical] classes all run on campus only. Students should not attend on-campus classes if you are unwell or have any cold and flu-like symptoms.

For general information on unit versions, see this website https://students.mq.edu.au/study/enrolling/choosing-units

 

ONL version:

For the “online scheduled with on campus assessment” unit offering: This version of the unit is “online scheduled weekday”. Tutorial [/practical] classes all run online via zoom. Lectures will be pre-recorded, and available online. The final exam for this unit will be on Macquarie University campus.

For general information on unit versions, see this website https://students.mq.edu.au/study/enrolling/choosing-units

 

Required Texts*:

1. Title: Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding (Revel).

2. Title: How to write in Psychology (Findlay & Kaufmann).

*Note that required texts may change so check the iLearn page for the final list of required texts before making any purchases.

Online resources:

iLearn website: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au

This unit was previously called PSYU1104, and included a strand of learning content called Research Design, which no longer exists in the current (and future) offerings of the unit.

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.

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.