Course Syllabus

Spring 2017 

Instructor Contact

 

Instructor	Dr. Nic Bencaz
Office	PSY 203L
Office Hours	By appt. only
Phone	407-823-3409
E-mail:	**due to FERPA regulations, please only use Webcourses to contact me**

Teacher Assistant Contact

Teaching Assistant	Michael Choi
Office	PSY 203A
Office hours	Wed. 2-4pm
Email	*due to FERPA regulations, please only use Webcourses to contact me*

Course Information

Course Name	INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Course ID & Section	INP 3004-0W59
Credit Hours	3
Semester/Year	SPRING 2017
Location	ONLINE

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.   

Course Prerequisites

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

Course Objectives

• 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

Title - Industrial/Organizational Psychology: Understanding the Workplace
Author - Paul Levy
ISBN - (10 digit) 1-319-01426-7; (13 digit) 978-1-319-01426-1
Ebook option can be found here - https://www.vitalsource.com/products/industrial-organizational-psychology-paul-levy-v9781464177255 

Textbook FAQs:

As this is a W course, a textbook is an expensive, but critical, necessity. Here are some FAQ's as far as the book goes:

1. Where can I get a book? You can get one at the bookstore or order it online via any number of textbook retailers.

2. Are used copies OK? Sure!

3. Can I use an older edition? The course materials refer to chapters in the 5th edition of the book. Therefore, if you want to save money and get an older edition, it will require some effort on your part to convert the chapters / pages numbers which will often be off.

4. My financial aid hasn't come in so I can't get the book yet. Is that OK? Understandable, yes. OK? Not so much. The course will proceed according to the schedule outlined in your syllabus so it is your responsibility to stay up to date on your reading. You may want to try and get with someone who is willing to share. You may also want to investigate whether you are eligible to receive a short term advance to purchase your book (see Office of Student Financial Assistance (http://finaid.ucf.edu/forms/1011_forms.htm) ) for more information.

5. Can I use any book or do I have to use this one? Book­based quiz questions will come from the textbook assigned for this course. If you want to save money and get a different book, then you take your chances.

6. Can I succeed in this course without a book? No. Because this is an online course, I do not want to burden you with redundant reading. To that end the content I create are meant to meet 3 goals: 1) elaborate on information provided in your text; 2) provide you with some additional information not covered in your book; and 3) clarify information in your text. What's the take-home message here? If you don't have the book then you will find yourself missing some big chunks of information on some weeks and relatively little in others.

Missed Assignments/Make-Ups/Extra Credit

Reasonable Accommodation Statement for Makeups: Reasonable accommodation will be made for students participating in a religious observance or in University-approved activities, including athletic or scholastics teams, musical and theatrical performances and debate activities. 

Student Absence for University-Sponsored Events and Activities: If you intend to be absent for a university-sponsored event or activity, you (or the event sponsor) must notify the instructor at least two weeks prior to the date of the planned absence. At that time the instructor will set a date and time when make-up assignments will be completed.

If you are on a university sponsored team (e.g., soccer team) and will be missing assignments and need make up accommodation you must provide me with a letter from your coach with the dates you will be away so that accommodations can be made. This should be done in the first 3 weeks of the semester not two days before an event or after the fact.

Student Absence due to Religious Observance: Students who anticipate being unable to complete assignments due to a religious observance are requested to inform the instructor of such absences by the second-week of the semester. 

Evaluation and Grading 

• EXAMS (45%); 3 Exams, 150 points each -------------------- 450 points
• Chapter Quizzes (24%); 8 Quizzes, 30 points each ---------- 240 points
• Materia Widgets (6%); 6 Widgets, 10 points each ------------  60 points
• Syllabus Quiz (5%); 1 Quiz, 50 points --------------------------  50 points
• Supplemental Quizzes (20%); 8 Quizzes, 25 points each ---- 200 points
  __________________________________________________________

 TOTAL points for the course                                                    1000 points

10.5 point grading scale means 89.5% (895/1000 points) = A, but 89.49 (849.9/1000 points) = B

Letter Grade	Percentage
A	89.5-100
B	79.5-89.49
C	69.5-79.49
D	59.5-69.49
F	59.49 or below

Assignment and Exam explanations:

• Exams - Each exam will cover 3 chapters, and will be provided online via Webcourses.  If you do poorly on one exam, there is an Optional Final Exam that will be offered at the end of the semester. You will have ONE attempt for each Exam, and quizzes are available Wednesday through Sunday each week.  They are officially due by 11:59pm the Sunday of their assigned week, and correct answers will be posted at 12:01am Monday morning.   **See Grading FAQs below for more info.**

• Chapter Quizzes - 9 total Chapters, 9 timed quizzes worth 30 points each (10 questions, each worth 3 points).  Your lowest quiz score is dropped, and only 8 quizzes count toward your final grade.  You will have two attempts for each quiz, and quizzes are available Wednesday through Sunday each week.  They are officially due by 11:59pm the Sunday of their assigned week, and correct answers will be posted at 12:01am Monday morning.   

• Materia Widgets - these are a collection of study tools, short experiments, and games that help you become familiarized with the content in a different way.  These are 10 points each, and are treated as complete/incomplete (you either get 0 points if you didn't use it, or 10 if you did).  They are easy - give it a shot.  Materia Widgets are available Wednesday through Sunday each week.  They are officially due by 11:59pm the Sunday of their assigned week.

• Syllabus Quiz - All faculty members are required to document students' academic activity at the beginning of each course. In order to document that you began this course, please complete the following academic activity by the end of the first week of classes, or as soon as possible after adding the course, but no later than January 13th. Failure to do so will result in a delay in the disbursement of your financial aid. For us, that assignment will be this Syllabus Quiz. Note that you must complete this assignment even if you do not receive financial aid. It is due by 1/13 via WebCourses although it will remain open until 11:59 PM on 4/24. This is very easy to do, so consider this as bonus points :)

• Supplemental Quizzes - In addition to the book material, each week at least one educational video, news clip, or article relevant to the subject matter of the present chapter will be posted within the "Course Materials" (i.e., weekly class Modules) section.  Read it or watch it, and be prepared to take a brief quiz about what you just saw/read.  Easy enough :) Just like the chapter quizzes, there will be 9 timed supplemental quizzes worth 25 points each.  Your lowest quiz score is dropped, and only 8 quizzes count toward your final grade. You will have two attempts for each quiz, and quizzes are available Wednesday through Sunday each week.  They are officially due by 11:59pm the Sunday of their assigned week, and correct answers will be posted at 12:01am Monday morning.   

 

Grading FAQ’s

• What happens if I go to turn in my assignment but it’s after the assignment has closed? You will not get credit for it. The assignments are all posted as of the first day of the course, thus – no excuse!

• What happens if I go to do my assignment but the web page isn’t working, or the library computer won’t upload? This is a great question. Due dates do not change because of a technology fluke (whether it be your personal internet that is down or the website itself has gone offline).  You still need to submit the work prior to the due date & time! For this reason I suggest you do not wait until the last minute to complete these assignments. Late papers / work will not be scored.

Attendance Policy

Regular virtual attendance is expected & encouraged; however, I do not grade attendance.  I do not want to underscore the importance of participation though, as it will be vital when we get into graded group activities.  

 What if I need to be absent for an entire week?

• According to UCF policy excused absences include: UCF sponsored events (you’ll need a letter from your coach, team leader, etc. – please note that Rush Week and events of that nature are not considered University sponsored events), military service, and court appearances. Additional exceptions include severe illness, family emergency, religious observance, etc. (a doctor’s note or some similar documentation will be requested).
  
  

Communication

I am generally very good with e-mail. If you write to me during the week you should expect a response within 24 hours of your sent mail. If you write to me after my office hours end on Thursdays or over the weekend you can expect a response during office hours the next business day (typically Monday, excluding holidays). I am happy to answer any other questions you may have regarding exam grades, course policy, course content, and anything else under the sun. However, e-mailing about specific, complicated issues is often more difficult than meeting in person. To that end, if we have gone two rounds of e-mailing, and you feel you need additional assistance regarding the same matter, I ask that you come and meet with me personally so we can resolve the issue at hand. You can either come by during office hours or, if those times don’t work for you, send me an email with your availability and we’ll work on scheduling a time that is mutually convenient. Please remember that FERPA regulations prevent me from answering grade-related questions via regular e-mail so please write me through Webcourses. Also please note that faculty are only supposed to respond to other e-mails that come from your knights accounts! In summary, please send all email to me from your Knights account through the WebCourses inbox tool.

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 may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an "F" for the entire course) and may be subject to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. See the UCF Golden Rule for further 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 (or expect me to change) your grade illegitimately or to bend or break rules for one person that will not apply to everyone.

Course Accessibility

It is my goal that this class be an accessible and welcoming experience for all students, including those with disabilities that may impact learning in this class. If anyone believes the design of this course poses barriers to effectively participating and/or demonstrating learning in this course, please meet with me (with or without a Student Accessibility Services (SAS) accommodation letter) to discuss reasonable options or adjustments. During our discussion, I may suggest the possibility/necessity of your contacting SAS (Ferrell Commons 185; 407-823-2371; sds@ucf.edu) to talk about academic accommodations. You are welcome to talk to me at any point in the semester about course design concerns, but it is always best if we can talk at least one week prior to the need for any modifications. 

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 personally identity-sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor.