Course Syllabus

 

INP4313: Organizational Psychology

 Fall 2021

 

Instructor Contact

Instructor GTA	Dr. Victoria (Vicky) Pace Julia Mixon
Office	OTC600, Rm 281J in Research Park
Office Hours	Zoom on Mondays from 12-3pm beginning with 8/30, or by appointment (contact either Dr. Pace or the GTA through Webcourses)
Phone	Webcourses email is strongly preferred and most efficient and timely because I do not access my office phone each day. If needed, however, 407-823-4481
E-mail	Victoria.Pace@ucf.edu

 

Course Information

Course Name	Organizational Psychology
Course ID & Section	INP 4313, Section 0W60
Credit Hours	3
Semester/Year	Fall 2021
Location/Mode	Fully 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 psychology and organizational behavior have been developed to examine individuals' behavior at work, 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 Organizational Psychology. We will consider best practices for applying theory to challenges that modern organizations face. We will review select areas of I/O psychology such as diversity and inclusion, job attitudes and emotions, personality at work, employee motivation, work teams, leadership, conflict at work, the impact of organizational structure and culture on how work gets done, and how to diagnose problems and implement organizational change. 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

Organizational Psychology: Analysis of the psychological principles underlying individual and group behavior in an organizational setting. Topics include group dynamics, leadership and participation, intergroup behavior, and organization development.

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 Organizational behavior theories can be applied to address common workplace challenges.

• Demonstrate understanding of ethical and legal considerations regarding employment practices and dealing with individuals and groups in the workplace.

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

• Describe individual differences as well as general psychological principles that influence employee behavior, attitudes, motivation, decision making and interactions at work.

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

Required Text

Organizational Behavior: A Scientist-Practitioner Approach (3rd Edition)

Authors: Steve M. Jex and Thomas W. Britt 

Publisher: Wiley

ISBN: 978-1-118-72407-1

Course Requirements

Exams/Quizzes

Four exams will be administered. Exams will cover required readings as well as PowerPoints and other material. Each exam will contain 25 multiple choice questions. You will be allowed to drop one exam (the best 3 grades out of 4 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 through Webcourses 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. 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. Students who prefer to take an on-campus pencil and paper version of the exam are encouraged to make arrangements in advance with the professor.

Case Studies/Incidents

You will sign up online for case study/incident groups of up to five students. Your group will work on four different case/incident assignments and present your group views and solutions by submitting a single post to an online discussion board that has been set up for each of the case study/incident assignments. All students will be asked to rate (confidentially) the different groups' ideas by linking to a Qualtrics rating form. The contributing members of each group will receive the average points awarded to their group by the class members who responded to the rating form. Students who do not actively contribute to their group's submission will not be awarded assignment points. More information will be provided in Assignments and Discussions.

Consulting Challenges #1 and #2.

You will be randomly assigned to a different "consulting" group for each of these assignments. The class will be presented with the organizational challenge (online, see Assignments) and all groups will discuss online and plan their solutions among themselves. Your group can either use the group tools provided through Webcourses to do this or can find your own methods of communication, as long as everyone is in agreement about how communication, file sharing, etc. will occur and that all members are kept fully informed at all times. Please consider all students' schedules, workloads, and locations as needed.

Based on text readings, online and library research you conduct, and your own ideas, your group will submit a quick (5-7 slide) PowerPoint overview of your organizational solution. These presentations will be rated by the professor (and possibly a TA or two), and group rubric/feedback will be delivered with the grade. A second component of these grades, however, is the average peer rating of each group member (accounting for approximately 40% of the individual assignment grade). This component means that those who do not contribute as much will not receive as many points as those who work harder and contribute better ideas. Any group member who receives all or nearly all F ratings from their peers will receive a zero for that Consulting Challenge. Individual peer ratings will be confidential. More information will be provided in Assignments. I may select some group presentations to be shared with the class online as examples for the future.

Missed Assignments/Make-Ups/Extra Credit

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

Extra Credit

Up to 12 extra credit points can be earned for Sona research participation and other extra credit opportunities. 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 1 point of extra credit for each .25 Sona point (or 4 course points for a full Sona point, up to a maximum of 3 Sona pts.=12 course points) 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. Alternative extra credit opportunities are available and posted if you would rather not participate in Sona research studies.

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-). See below for raw point equivalents.

Letter Grade	Total Points
A	900 – 1000+
B+	870 – 899
B	830 – 869
B-	800 – 829
C+	770 – 799
C	730 – 769
C-	700 – 729
D+	670 – 699
D	630 – 669
D-	600 – 629
F	Below 600

  

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 , or on the Sanford/Lake Mary Campus (1st floor office, Partnership Center) before requesting accommodations from the professor.

COVID Statement

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 to Complete BEFORE Class	Assignments DUE
August 23-29	Welcome	Read Syllabus	Case Study/Incident Group Sign-Up (due 8/27 by 5pm) Extra Credit Syllabus Quiz
August 30- September 5	What is Organizational Psychology?	Chapter 1 and PowerPoint	Work with your Case Study/Incident group Optional Discussion 1 (Meet and Greet Your Class Members)
September 6	Labor Day Holiday
September 6- 12	Research Methods and Statistics	Chapter 2 and PowerPoint	Case Study/Incident 1 Due
September 13-19	Attraction and Socialization	Chapter 3 and PowerPoint	Rate Case Study/Incident groups' discussion submissions Optional Discussion 2 (Diversity and Inclusion)
September 20-26	The Work-Nonwork Interface	Chapter 4 and PowerPoint	Case Study/Incident 2 Due
September 26 & 27	Exam 1: Chapters 1, 2, 3, & 4 and Presented Materials
September 27- October 3	Productive Behavior in Organizations	Chapter 5 and PowerPoint	Rate Case Study/Incident groups' discussion submissions Optional Discussion 3
October 4- 10	Counterproductive Behavior in Organizations	Chapter 6 and PowerPoint	Work with your Case Study/Incident Group
October 11-17	Occupational Stress and Employee Health and Well-Being	Chapter 7 and PowerPoint	Case Study/Incident 3 Due Work with your Consulting Challenge #1 Group
October 18-24	Beliefs and Attitudes about Work and The Organization	Chapter 8 and PowerPoint	Rate Case Study/Incident groups' discussion submissions Work with your Consulting Challenge #1 Group Optional Discussion 4
October 24 & 25	Exam 2: Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, and Presented Materials
October 25- 31	Theories of Motivation	Chapter 9 and PowerPoint	Submit presentations of Consulting Challenge #1 by 10/31 Submit Participation Points for Consulting Challenge #1 Group Members as soon after your presentation is submitted as possible
November 1-7	Organizational Applications of  Motivation Theory	Chapter 10 and PowerPoint	Work with your Case Study/Incident Group Optional Discussion 5
November 8-14 November 11	Leadership and Influence Processes Veteran's Day Holiday	Chapter 11 and PowerPoint	Case Study/Incident 4 Due
November 15-21	Team Dynamics and Processes within Organizations	Chapter 12 and PowerPoint	Rate Case Study/Incident groups' discussion submissions Work with your Consulting Challenge #2 Group See SONA website for deadlines to earn Extra credit there; other extra credit deadlines as noted in Assignments
November 21 & 22	Exam 3: Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12, and Presented Materials
November 22-28	Organizational Theory and Design	Chapter 13 and PowerPoint	Work with your Consulting Challenge #2 Group
November 24 - 26	Thanksgiving Holiday
November 29-December 5	Organizational Culture and Development	Chapters 14 & 15 and PowerPoint	Submit presentations of Consulting Challenge #2 by Sunday, 12/5 Submit Participation Points for Group Members as soon after your Consulting Challenge #2 presentation is submitted as possible
December 6-10	Exam 4: Chapters 13, 14, & 15 and PowerPoints