Course Syllabus

 

Syllabus

 Summer 2015

 

Instructor Contact

Instructor	Dr. Victoria (Vicky) Pace
Office	Psy 203E on the main campus or UP 4017 on the Sanford/Lake Mary campus
Office Hours	By appointment
Phone	Please use Webcourses email instead
E-mail	Victoria.Pace@ucf.edu

 

Course Information

Course Name	Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Course ID & Section	INP 3004, Section AW59
Credit Hours	3
Semester/Year	Spring 2015
Location	Online

 

Welcome!

Most people will work in organizations for a large portion of their lives. Successful economies and social systems depend on many individuals working productively to accomplish necessary goals and to meet the needs of both individuals and groups. Theories and applications of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology have been developed to match people with jobs, optimize individual performance, coordinate group efforts, enhance employee satisfaction, and reduce negative outcomes such as stress, counterproductive behaviors, and conflict at work. For those who would like to help both organizations and employees by improving the workplace and work experience, this is a great field of study and application of psychological principles!

Course Description

This course will familiarize students with a variety of theories and project areas in the I/O psychology field. We will consider best practices for applying theory to challenges that modern organizations face. We will review the primary personnel functions of an I/O psychologist such as job analysis, staffing (recruitment & selection), performance appraisal, and training. Also, we will discuss specific procedures used when working with the business community to collect, analyze, and interpret data and present employment-related recommendations.

University Course Catalog Description

Industrial/Organizational Psychology: Psychological theories and principles applicable to problems in industrial organizations

Course Prerequisites

PSY 2012; An interest in theories, principles, and practical applications of psychology to the workplace

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to

• Discuss how I/O theories can be applied to address common workplace challenges.

• Demonstrate understanding of ethical and legal considerations regarding employment practices and the collection and use of employee data.

• Summarize research and applications in the I/O area and identify important concepts and results.

• Describe scientific methodologies that are used in organizational research.

• Present organizational research results, interpretations, and recommendations in a style and format that would be generally acceptable to upper-level organizational members.

Required Text

Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology (6th Edition)

Author: Ronald E. Riggio 

Publisher: Pearson

ISBN:  978-0-205-25499-6

Course Requirements

Exams/Quizzes

Five exams will be administered. Exams will cover required readings as well as PowerPoints and other material. Each exam will contain 30 multiple choice questions. You will be allowed to drop one exam (the best 4 grades out of 5 are kept). If you miss an exam, that exam is the one that will be dropped. No makeup exams will be given without documented medical emergency. Most exams will be available from Saturday at 11:59pm to Monday at 11:59pm to cover the dates noted in the syllabus. In other words, you usually have all of Sunday and Monday to access an exam, but once you access it you cannot stop or come back later. Online exam duration is 40 minutes, so you should study well and be very familiar with your text, PowerPoints, and any other notes BEFORE taking an exam. You are allowed to take each exam only once. Students will be able to see online exam results after the availability period has ended. Feedback will include the student’s answers and the correct answers.

Discussions

Participation in an online discussion group of about 10-15 students (to be randomly assigned) is expected. Please read and think about the topic before posting so that you will have meaningful ideas and experiences to contribute. There is no recommended word count for postings, but I will look for quality. You should also comment on at least one other student's post. Required discussion topics will become available on Monday and will usually be due by 11:59pm on Sunday that week. No late discussions will be accepted. Out of five discussions, three will be randomly selected for grading based on quality, and the remaining two discussions will be graded for participation only. Quality points will be based on relevance to the topic, insightfulness, and originality of the idea(s) you share.

Service Learning Project

You will sign up for a service learning work group based on your interest in posted employment-related topics/projects we will research and complete for organizational clients that I have chosen. Each group will contain approximately five students.

Some information about the needs of the clients and their project are provided in Modules. You will choose one member of your group to act as the contact person when interacting with your client. S/he will email (usually), phone, or meet with the client as needed to collaboratively decide on project goals and expected products as well as communications/updates, any needed meetings, and product/presentation delivery details. (These will be included in the Statement of Work, Assignment #1 below, for my approval).

Group Assignments #1 and #2. Your service learning group will work together on each of these. Only one copy of the assignments will be expected from each group. All group members who are listed as active contributors (use the Comments box during submission to let me know) will receive the same grade on the assignment. Non-contributors will receive 0 points. (For differences in level of contribution, you will be able to rate your group members' participation/effort after final presentations are submitted near the end of the semester-- see below.)

The first assignment will require you to develop a Statement of Work, much like a consulting agreement with an organization that will include a general description of the work to be done, a plan of steps, and scheduled dates for project review. The second assignment requires literature and other information research (through library databases and online) related to your project topic, as well as a first draft of the service learning project presentation. Additional information about the assignments can be found under the Assignments tab. Keep in mind that I expect excellent understanding of the concepts and/or procedures that you describe or suggest and professional quality writing. Lateness will result in deductions of 10 points per day. Be sure you submit this on time!

Presentations. At the conclusion of the service learning project, your group will submit a PowerPoint overview of the process and/or product and these will be posted to Webcourses for class members to review. You may also submit associated product documents or links, such as Qualtrics surveys, Interview rating forms, etc. Project presentations will be reviewed and rated by the members of several other groups (up to 60 points for educational value, effectiveness in addressing organizational needs or questions, and presentation quality). I will provide ratings for the remaining 140 points, based on 60 points for these aspects plus 80 points for participation and responding to ratings surveys (I will ask all group members confidentially to rate the participation of their individual group members). These projects are meant to contribute to the community clients while being educationally and professionally rewarding (you may be able to incorporate this experience on your resume). More information will be provided under Assignments. BE AWARE that peer ratings greatly influence these grades! If your group members indicate that you did not contribute at all (or little), you may receive 0 points (or another reduced point value) on this very important assignment.

Missed Assignments/Make-Ups/Extra Credit

No makeup exams or discussions will be given without documented medical emergency.

Extra Credit

Up to 30 extra credit points can be earned for Sona research participation and/or alternatives. Students and professors conducting research often use the Sona System to ask for volunteers for their research studies. Some opportunities are online, some may be on campus. You will earn 2.5 points of extra credit for each .25 Sona point (or 10 course points for a full Sona point, up to a maximum of 3 Sona pts.) gained by participating in these studies. The online opportunities may be hard to find, so start looking early and do not rely much on extra credit. Sona administrators will let me know how many points you have earned for my course at the end of the semester. When I have posted the extra credit points, I will make an announcement so that you can review them for accuracy before the term ends. See https://ucf.sona-systems.com for research participation opportunities. A Wiki of organizational case studies is offered (see Modules) as an alternative extra credit opportunity.

Evaluation and Grading

Extra credit points will be added to your total number of points at the end of the semester, then that total will be divided by 1000 to determine your percentage. Percentages will NOT be rounded up (e.g., 82.9% is a B-).

Letter Grade	Percentages
A	90 – 100
B+	87 – 89.9
B	83 – 86.9
B-	80 – 82.9
C+	77 – 79.9
C	73 – 76.9
C-	70 – 72.9
D+	67 – 69.9
D	63 – 66.9
D-	60 – 62.9
F	Below 60

  

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will result at least in an "F" for that assignment (and, depending on the severity of the case, may lead to an "F" for the entire course). Such behavior may also be subject to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. See the UCF Golden Rule for additional information. I will assume for this course that you will adhere to the academic creed of this University and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. In other words, don't cheat by giving answers to others or taking them from anyone else. I will also adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity, so please do not ask me to change your grade illegitimately or to bend or break rules for one person that will not apply to everyone.

Disability Statement

The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Students with disabilities who need accommodations in this course must contact the professor at the beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. Students who need accommodations must be registered with Student Disability Services, Ferrell Commons, 7F, Room 185, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations from the professor.

Copyright

This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Third-Party Software and FERPA

During this course you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these could be required assignments, you need not make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personal identity-sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor.

Course Schedule 

 

Week/Dates	Topics	Reading and PowerPoints	Assignments DUE
May 18-24	Welcome Introduction to I/O Psychology	Read Syllabus Chapter 1 and PowerPoint	Syllabus Quiz (due 5/22) Email the GTA, Tanner Kluth, or the UTA, Jasmine Samuel, and say hello :) Online Discussion 1 due 5/24 (Meet Your Discussion Group Members) Sign up for a Service Learning group (see groups under the People tab)
May 25-31	Job Analysis	Chapter 3 and PowerPoint	Contact your client to discuss needs and expectations for Statement of Work Online Discussion 2  due 5/31 (Job Analysis)
May 31 & June 1	Quiz 1: Chapters 1, 3, and Presented Materials
June 1-7	Research Methods in I/O; Employee Recruitment, Selection, and Placement; Methods for Assessing and Selecting Employees	Chapters 2, 4, 5, and PowerPoints	Group Assignment   #1 Due 6/3 (Statement of Work- details provided in Assignment and within Module) Online Discussion 3 due 6/7 (Job Interviews)
June 7 & 8	Quiz 2: Chapters 2, 4, & 5, and Presented Materials
June 8-14	Evaluating Employee Performance; Employee Training and Development	Chapters 6, 7, and PowerPoint	Work with Service Learning group on project Group Assignment #2 due on 6/10 (Details provided in Assignment)
June 14 & 15	Quiz 3: Chapters 6, 7, and Presented Materials
June 15-21	Theories of Employee Motivation Positive Employee Attitudes and Behaviors Worker Stress, Negative Employee Attitudes and Behaviors	Chapters 8, 9, 10, and PowerPoint	Work with Service Learning group to edit and finalize presentation and any products Submit Service Learning Presentation by June 17 at 11:59pm Submit Participation Points for Group Members as soon after you submit the project presentation as possible Online Discussion 4 (Employee Motivation)
June 21 & 22	Quiz 4: Chapters 8, 9, 10, and Presented Materials
June 22-26	Leadership and Power Organizational Structure, Culture, and Development	Chapter 13: Skip ‘Applying I/O Psychology’ ‘The Decision-Making Model’ and ‘Job Design and Substitutes for Leadership’ Chapter 14: Read through Table 14.2 on p. 382; Also read ‘Applying I/O Psychology’   (Empowerment) on p. 386 Chapter 15 and PowerPoint	Deliver Products and/or Presentation to Client as was agreed and appropriate (I will be sending them a link to a satisfaction survey) Online Discussion 5 (Leadership)
June 22-26 (continued)	Service Learning Project Presentations-- View and Rate		Submit Ratings of Presentations as soon after they are posted as possible Extra credit deadlines as noted in Assignments
June 22-26	Quiz 5: Assigned sections of Chapters 13 and 14; All of Chapter 15