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Staffing

Examiner:

Requisites

Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in the following Program: GCSC or BSED

Rationale

The discipline of psychology is built upon the scientist-practitioner model, where assessment and treatment are informed by a substantial evidence base. As a science, psychology values and relies upon the scientific method as a means of gathering and evaluating the evidence base that supports the discipline. This course is designed to both provide an understanding of the role of scientific inquiry in the discipline, and to develop the skills required to design, collect, analyse, interpret and evaluate psychological evidence.

Synopsis

The course starts by introducing the scientific method, the language of psychological research, and the two basic research designs that underpin most psychological research. Along with these conceptual elements, the course aims to develop practical research. To this end, course participants will be asked to design a psychological experiment in which one or more research questions are asked, to ethically recruit a number of participants for that project, to conduct the experiment, and then to score and analyse the results of that experiment. We will introduce you to the Microsoft Excel program as the preferred software to enter data, manipulate data, and produce Tables and Figures that summarise the results in a way that is consistent with the experimental design. The course will also deal with the appropriate statistical techniques that can be applied to answer the research question that has been posed.

This course contains a mandatory residential school.

Objectives

Topics

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

Reference materials

Student workload expectations

Assessment details

Important assessment information

1. Attendance requirements:
   
   Students must attend the mandatory residential school. It is the student's responsibility to actively participate in all classes scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
   
   
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   
   Students have to satisfactorily complete the residential school assessment item. Students do not have to satisfactorily complete each of the other assessment items to be awarded a passing grade in the course. Refer to Statement 4 below for the requirements to receive a passing grade in this course.
   
   
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   
   Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)
   
   
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade students must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle), and have satisfied the Secondary Hurdle, i.e the Residential School Attendance and Participation by achieving a mark of 1 out of 1 for that assessment item.
   Supplementary assessment may be offered where a student has failed to achieve a passing Final Grade by 5% or less of the total weighted Marks. Unless the fail is for the residential school when no supplementary can be offered as it is a proficiency hurdle.
   
   To be awarded a passing grade for a supplementary assessment item (if applicable), a student must achieve at least 50% of the available marks for the supplementary assessment item as per the Assessment Procedure (point 4.4.2).
   
   
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   
   Final grades for students will be determined by the addition of the marks obtained in each assessment item, weighted as in the Assessment details and by considering the student’s level of achievement of the objectives of the course.
   
   
6. Examination information:
   
   There is no exam in this course
   
   
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   
   Not applicable.
   
   
8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
   
   Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
   
   

Assessment notes

1. Electronic submission of assignments is required for this course. All submissions must be made through the Assignment Drop Box located on the USQ ¾«¶«´«Ã½appDesk desk for this course, unless directed otherwise by the examiner of the course. Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be despatched to USQ within 24 hours if requested by the Examiner.
   
   
2. Reliable access to the internet is a requirement of this course as the course contains electronic assessment and submission elements. In order to avoid internet issues, on-campus students should upload their assignments electronically using the same computer laboratories. External students who knowingly do not have reliable access to the internet should actively seek alternative internet access (e.g., Internet cafes, local libraries, or work places) for assessment submission. External students are able to use the on-campus student computer laboratories once access has been enabled. To be granted access, external students need to contact ICT and ask to have a student account enabled so that they can work on-campus.
   
   
3. Students are expected to open their university provided email account and check it regularly for personal communication. In accordance with the Electronic Communication with Students Policy and Procedure ( information sent to the student's USQ email account will be regarded as being received.
   
   
4. APA style is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use APA style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The APA style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide.