PSY1104 Psychological Skills A

Staffing

Examiner: Nancey Hoare

Requisites

Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BPSH or BSCI (13815 Psychology) or BSCI (17582 Psychology Extended) or BSCI (17327 Counselling)

Rationale

This course is the initial course within a suite of professional preparation courses. This course consists of two learning streams: one professional (including a work-integrated learning component [WIL]) and the other research. Successful completion of this course will assist students in meeting the professional associations foundational and pre-professional graduate competencies.

Synopsis

This course deals with the fundamental issues of research and professional skills. With respect to psychological research skills, we start by introducing the language of research through the basic constructs of any research program. We want to ensure that students understand the relationship between theory and its operationalisation through the manipulation and measurement of concrete variables and how hypotheses can be constructed from such considerations. With respect to professional skills development, the foundation of all professional practice is the ethical responsibilities of the professional. This course requires students to be aware of and to be able to apply the APS code of ethics to professional issues. Finally, students' introduction to Work Integrated Learning will commence with examining their career development.

Objectives

Topics

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

Reference materials

Student workload expectations

Assessment details

Important assessment information

1. Attendance requirements:
   It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) 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:
   To complete each of the assignments satisfactorily, students must obtain 50% of the marks available for each piece of assessment.
   
   
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure http://policy.usq.edu.au/documents.php?id=14749PL (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 a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle). Note that the Conceded Pass is not available in this course due to APAC accreditation standard 2.1.9.
   
   Supplementary assessment may be offered where a student has undertaken all of the required summative assessment items but failed to achieve a passing Final Grade by 5% or less of the total weighted Marks.
   
   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 http://policy.usq.edu.au/documents/14749PL (point 4.4.2).
   
   
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grade for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
   
   
6. Examination information:
   There are no examinations in this course.
   
   
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   Since there is no examination in this course, there are no supplementary or deferred exams.
   
   
8. University Student Policies:
   Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at http://policy.usq.edu.au.
   
   

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 study 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 (http://policy.usq.edu.au/documents.php?id=13306PL) 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. http://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing