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.

Assessment in PSYX3332 is made up of a Midsession Exam, a Written Report, and the Final Exam.

Midsession Exam

An online midsession exam will be conducted in week 7 (Wednesday 3rd April 2024). The online exam will be delivered via an iLearn quiz that will be made available for a 24 hour period (12am until 11.59pm). Within that 24 hour period, once the quiz has been started, students will have 40 minutes to complete the multiple choice quiz questions (some involving calculation). Students must start the exam by 11.19pm at the latest in order to have the full 40-minutes to complete the exam.

The midsession exam will test students’ ability to apply and analyse the statistics introduced in the lectures in weeks 2 – 5. Students will not be required to recall formulae – a sheet containing formulae will be provided. Questions will require students to use data to generate the statistics and to use the results of their calculations to make judgements about test scores. Different question sets will be generated for students to reduce the chance that students can copy directly from one another. Worked examples of the sorts of questions asked on the test will be demonstrated in the lectures. Students will be provided with their mark via the iLearn page for the unit after the exam closes.

If you are unable to sit the Midsession Exam at the specified time: Students who are unable to complete the online midsession exam at the specified time due to serious and unavoidable circumstances must make a claim for Special Consideration via ask.mq.edu.au attaching appropriate supporting documents within five (5) working days from the day of the midsession examination. The unit convenor will determine eligibility for a late midsession exam and eligible students will be notified via email (using the official university email address for the student) about the time of the late midsession exam.

Written Report

A written report (maximum 1500 words), in APA format, will be due by 11.55pm on Monday 29th April 2024. Students should submit their assignment via Turnitin on the iLearn webpage for the Unit. 

The report will be based on Practical 1 and 2 and will report on the construction and psychometric properties of a brief test developed in the practical exercises. The requirements of the assignment will be covered in a recorded lecture made available via iLearn by the end of Week 6. 

A penalty will be applied for going over the word limit of 1500 words: 5% of the maximum assignment mark (i.e., 35/100) for every 100 words written over the word limit. An additional 99 words beyond the limit can be written without penalty. For example, if the assignment is 100-199 words over the word limit, 1.75 marks out of 35 will be deducted; if the assignment is 200-299 words over the word limit, 3.5 marks out of 35 will be deducted etc. The word limit excludes the title page, tables and figures, and References pages.

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:

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 extensions will be granted beyond 11.55pm on Friday 31st May 2024.

Final Examination

During the final exam period, students will complete a 1 hour multiple choice exam, which will assess recall, understanding, and application of material presented in lectures 8 to 12 inclusive and in practicals 3 to 6 inclusive, as well as any required readings associated with those lectures and practicals.

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. 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.

Special Consideration

If you experience serious and unavoidable difficulties at exam time or when assessment tasks are due, you can consider applying for Special Consideration. There is a link to the policy in the Policies and Procedures section of this Unit Guide.

As a student enrolled in this unit, you will engage in a range of online learning activities, including  readings, online modules, videos, and lectures. Details can be found on the iLearn site for this unit. PSYX3332 is delivered as an online unit via Open Universities Australia (OUA). Please read this Unit Guide in conjunction with information provided about studying a Macquarie University unit via OUA at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/other-study-options/open-universities-australia.

Recorded Lecture Material

Recorded lecture material (up to 2-hours duration) will be available via iLearn each week of the session.

Readings associated with lectures will be listed in the lecture outlines posted on iLearn and most will be made available via Unit Readings on the Library webpage.

All lecture material is examinable (either in the midsession exam or in the final exam).

Practicals

There are six practicals to be completed over a two-week period commencing in week 2 of session. Required readings for the practicals will be listed in the practical sections on iLearn and made available via Unit Readings on the Library webpage.

All practical material is assessable (either in the assignment or in the final exam).

Recommended Text

Any recent text on Psychological Testing or Psychological Assessment will more than likely cover the main content of the unit. The text recommended for the unit in 2021 is:

Shum, D., O'Gorman, J., Myors, B., & Creed, P. (2017). Psychological Testing and Assessment (Third Edition). Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press.

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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.