Outline

Overview

The aim of this unit is to introduce students to various ways in which psychological theory and research can be applied in the real world. In particular, this unit will focus on Health Psychology, Forensic Psychology, and Organisational Psychology. The Health Psychology component of this course may include investigation into why we engage in risky health behaviours including smoking, overeating and alcohol use; inequalities in health including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island health; dealing with chronic illness including death and dying, and survivorship. The Forensic Psychology component of the course may include investigation into lie detection, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and eyewitness memory. The Organisational Psychology component of the course may focus on personnel selection, training in organisations, performance measurement, workplace motivation, leadership and aspects of positive psychology.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PSYC3020
Academic unit	Psychology Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	PSYC3019
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points of 1000-level psychology units and 12 credit points of 2000-level Psychology units
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Helen Paterson, helen.paterson@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final Exam Final Exam	40%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Engagement Class engagement or reflective journal	10%	Ongoing Closing date: 05 Nov 2023	Class engagement or reflective journal
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial Quiz 1 Multiple choice quiz completed during tutorial	4%	Week 03	15 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial Quiz 2 Multiple choice quiz completed during tutorial	4%	Week 05	15 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial Quiz 3 Multiple choice quiz completed during tutorial	4%	Week 07	15 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay Major assignment	30%	Week 08 Due date: 18 Sep 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 16 Oct 2023	2500 words (including 150-word abstract)
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial Quiz 4 Multiple choice quiz completed during tutorial	4%	Week 10	15 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial Quiz 5 Multiple choice quiz completed during tutorial	4%	Week 13	15 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Tutorial Quizzes: 5 tutorial quizzes, each worth 4% of the total marks for this unit of study (Total = 20%). Each quiz will consist of 10 multiple choice questions. Quizzes will assess the following information:

Quiz #1: Assesses weeks 1-2 lectures, tutorials & readings
Quiz #2: Assesses Weeks 3-4 lectures, tutorials & readings
Quiz #3: Assesses Weeks 5-6 lectures, tutorials & readings
Quiz #4: Assesses Weeks 7-9 lectures, tutorials & readings
Quiz #5: Assesses Weeks 10-12 lectures, tutorials & readings

If you miss a quiz (or quizzes) and successfully apply for Special Consideration regarding it (them), you will be asked to sit a replacement on the Friday after the week of the quiz. If you cannot attend the make-up quiz (or quizzes), one possible outcome is a reweighting of the value of this and other assessment tasks.

Engagement: (10% of the total mark). Attendance and participation in tutorial discussions will contribute to your engagement mark.

There is the option of completing a reflective journal. This option is for people who do not wish to or are unable to contribute to class discussions (e.g., cannot attend a class, have internet issues etc.). Each journal entry should be a 0.5 page reflection on the class content that week. If you choose to submit a journal entry, it is due by midnight the Sunday following each tutorial week.

Examination: (40% of the total mark). Multiple choice and short-answer questions based on lectures, set readings and tutorials. You will not receive written feedback on your exam answers. To assure the integrity of our final exam, all replacement exams will be in a different format with entirely different questions. Replacement exams will consist only of short answer questions.

Written Assignment: (worth 30% of total mark). 2,500 word essay due on 18th September 2023 (week 8). Information regarding assignment submission is detailed in the Psychology Student Guide. A full marking rubric and guidelines for writing the assignment will be posted on the Canvas site and discussed in your first tutorial.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	This work shows excellent understanding of the topic and clear evidence of independent critical thought. It may contain blemishes, but these are compensated for by signs of high intellectual quality, especially clear, well-organised and forceful argument; reading and understanding beyond the set literature; and originality of approach.
Distinction	75 - 84	This work shows a very good understanding of the relevant content; the essay reflects independent thought; significantly it attempts to develop evaluative and critical arguments. Such arguments may be second-hand and/or they may be flawed, but a serious and sustained attempt at criticism has been made.
Credit	65 - 74	This work shows a clear understanding of the relevant material; it contains only small gaps or minor errors; reading has obviously gone beyond lecture material; there are signs of independent thought, and some attempt is made to evaluate arguments or develop critical arguments.
Pass	50 - 64	This work shows evidence of a satisfactory level of understanding of the relevant material; it may contain gaps, errors or other kinds of blemishes, but it is obvious that the student has read and digested material from lectures and/or set literature. The essay, however, is largely derivative – it simply reports the views of others - and little or no criticism or evaluation of arguments is attempted.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard. There may be a significant amount of ‘parroting’ of material from lectures or tutorials or set reading, but this work shows little or no evidence of satisfactory understanding of the relevant content; it may contain either serious errors or major gaps in what is considered essential information.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

You will receive a penalty of 5% of the maximum value of the assignment (5 marks / 100) for each calendar day or part thereof it is submitted after your due date. After 10 calendar days after your due date, a mark of zero is applied. Submissions will not be accepted after the closing date of the assignment.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Organisational Psychology: Introduction and Job Analysis	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 01	Organisational Psychology: History and Theory	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	Organisational Psychology: Job Performance	Lecture (1 hr)
	Organisational Psychology: Motivation	Lecture (1 hr)
	Introduction to PSYC3020 and Job Analysis	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	Organisational Psychology: Training	Lecture (1 hr)
	Organisational Psychology: Teams and Leadership	Lecture (1 hr)
	Job Selection	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	Forensic Psychology: Introduction and Theories of Crime	Lecture (1 hr)
	Forensic Psychology: Criminal Offenders I	Lecture (1 hr)
	Group decision-making and leadership	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	Forensic Psychology: Criminal Offenders II	Lecture (1 hr)
	Forensic Psychology: Police Psychology	Lecture (1 hr)
	Risk Assessment and Treatment of Offenders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Forensic Psychology: Eyewitness Testimony	Lecture (1 hr)
	Forensic Psychology: Child Witnesses	Lecture (1 hr)
	Eyewitness Memory Tutorial I	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	Forensic Psychology: Memory and credibility of repeated event witnesses	Lecture (1 hr)
	Forensic Psychology: Lies and the Detection of Deception	Lecture (1 hr)
	Eyewitness Memory Tutorial II	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	Forensic psychology: Victims of Crime I	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 08	Forensic Psychology: Victims of Crime II	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 09	Health Psychology: Introduction to Health Psychology; Medical communication and the COVID-19 pandemic	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 09	Health Psychology: Family-centered care and medical decision-making	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	Health Psychology: Where social, legal, & health psychology collide	Lecture (1 hr)
	Health Psychology: Models of Health Behaviour	Lecture (1 hr)
	Medical Communication	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	Health Psychology: Health disparities and adjustment to illness	Lecture (1 hr)
	Health Psychology: Health risk and enhancing behaviours	Lecture (1 hr)
	Closing the gap – co-designing interventions and challenging individual biases	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	Health Psychology: Interventions: Individual and public health	Lecture (1 hr)
	Health Psychology: Psychosexual adjustment following illness	Lecture (1 hr)
	Using Health Models to Change Behaviour	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	Health Psychology: End of life issues and palliative care	Lecture (1 hr)
	Health Psychology: Cancer survivorship	Lecture (1 hr)
	Motivational Interviewing	Tutorial (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture Attendance: Lecture slides will be posted on Canvas and recordings will be made of the lectures. However, we strongly encourage you to attend all lectures.
Tutorial Attendance: Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every tutorial. Attendance is required, and 80% attendance is recommended to pass the unit. Please do not apply for Special Consideration for tutorial attendance.
Your tutorial time. You must attend the tutorial to which you have been allocated. It will not be possible to switch or change tutorial classes once allocations are finalised. Be aware that late enrolments have fewer choices of times, and students may not be able to sign up for the time of choice.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Comprehend key concepts, empirical findings, and theories in organisational psychology.
LO2. Comprehend key concepts, empirical findings, and theories in forensic psychology.
LO3. Comprehend key concepts, empirical findings, and theories in health psychology.
LO4. Describe, analyse, and critically evaluate key research and theories in psychology.
LO5. Apply core psychological research and theories to organisational, legal, and/or health settings.
LO6. Generate evidence-based recommendations/solutions to applied problems in psychology.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Student feedback is very important to us and we do our best to incorporate student evaluations into our teaching and unit coordination. Based on the feedback last year, we plan to assess student understanding throughout the semester using short multiple-choice quizzes, so that students get more feedback on their knowledge.

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Due to the nature of the class, some topics that will be covered may make you feel uncomfortable or uneasy (e.g., descriptions of crimes including sexual assault, murder, child abuse, domestic violence, discussions of death and dying). If you anticipate that this may be a problem, then we advise you not to take this elective unit of study. However, if you do decide to take it and feel uncomfortable or uneasy, it is important that you contact the unit coordinator or another member of the team as soon as possible to discuss this with them. You are not required to share confidential information with us if you do not wish to. If you attend the class but at any point you feel uncomfortable, you are free to leave. However, you should contact one of the lecturing staff afterwards, who will be happy to assign you comparable readings and study materials since the content of the tutorials and lectures is examinable. They can also provide contact details for support services.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PSYC3020: Applied Psychology

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect