PSYCHOL 6500OL - Foundations of Psychology

Online - Online Teaching 2 - 2021

Why do people think, feel and act the way they do? What is psychology and how does it help us to answer this question? This course provides an introduction to foundational concepts and topics within contemporary psychology. You will learn about research, theories, concepts and applications of psychological science in diverse topics such as child development, mental health, personality and ability, memory and cognition, biological bases of behaviour, and motivation and emotion. This course provides a strong foundation for your future learning in psychology.

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Course Details

Course Code	PSYCHOL 6500OL
Course	Foundations of Psychology
Coordinating Unit	Psychology
Term	Online Teaching 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	Online
Units	3
Contact	1 to 2 hour online tutorial
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Restrictions	Available to Graduate Diploma in Psychology(OL) students only
Assessment	Online Assessments and Written Assignments

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Peta Callaghan

Email: matthew.kaesler@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Full details of each week's activities can be found in MyUni.

Course Learning Outcomes

Describe core concepts, theories and principles in select areas of psychology.
Identify key methodological approaches in psychological research.
Review psychological literature on a specific topic.
Evaluate knowledge claims regarding psychological theory.
Produce written reports that adhere to the conventions of writing for psychology.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	3, 4, 5
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	3, 4, 5
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	1, 2
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1, 4

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Students require access to the internet to engage in online tutorials, view course content, and access all required readings. All required readings, including the online text-book, will be provided within course modules. If you wish to also purchase a hard copy of the textbook, please find the details below in ‘Recommended Resources’.

Recommended Resources

Passer, M.W & Smith, R.E. (2019). Psychology: the science of mind and behaviour. 3^rd Ed. McGraw-Hill, Sydney.

Online Learning

MyUni will be used for all course materials, communication, links to curated resources, online tutorial support and assignments including submissions, feedback and grades.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

Engagement with course content is facilitated by online presentations, interactive online activities, curated readings and resources, and self directed research and study supported by weekly online tutorial sessions. There are 6 Weekly Modules with learning scaffolded across the modules to ensure that students develop deep discipline knowledge as well as the academic literacy, research skills and capacity to apply and communicate their understanding as specified for an AQF8 level offering.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

This course is a 6-week intensive, accelerated learning offering. Students should expect to spend around 24-25 hours per week engaging with the online content, in private study, attending online tutorials and completing the assignments for this course.

Hours per Week:
1.5 Hours - Tutorial
1 Hour - Tutorial Preparation
9 Hours - Assessment related tasks
10 Hours - Engaging with online content including video presentations, podcasts, directed research activities, discussions, interactive tasks
3 Hours - Readings

Learning Activities Summary

Weekly Modules are:

1. The Science of Psychology & Biological Bases of Behaviour
2. Developmental Psychology
3. Motivation and Emotion
4. Individual Differences
5. Mental Health
6. Memory and Cognition

Specific Course Requirements

Nil

Small Group Discovery Experience

N/A

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Due	Learning Outcome
Weekly MCQ	Formative and Summative	30%	Sun Weeks 1-6	1, 2, 4
Annotated Bibliography	Summative	30%	Sun Week 4	3, 5
Essay	Summative	40%	Sun Week 6	1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Assessment Related Requirements

Submission via Turnitin. All assignments are due by 11:59pm on the Sunday at the end of the week in which they are due. A penalty of 5% per day applies for late submissions.

Extensions are granted on medical, compassionate or other special circumstances recognised under the University’s Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy. The completed extension application form and any documentation (such as a medical or counsellor's certification) should be emailed to the course coordinator and submitted before the due date. The course coordinator will consider the request in the light of the case made and University deadlines, and may grant an extension of up to three days.

Assessment Detail

Assessment 1: Six weekly MCQ (30%).
Weekly completion is required, based on modular content each week.

Assessment 2: Annotated bibliography, 800 words (30%).
Conduct a literature search on a psychological topic presented in the course (questions to be advised). Find four psychological publications relevant to your question and present these publications in the format of an annotated bibliography, including a 200 word summary of each publication.

Assessment 3: Essay (literature review), 1200-1500 words (40%).
Review and evaluate literature relevant to your chosen essay question on a psychological topic (choice of questions to be advised). The literature found and reported upon in assessment 2 (annotated bibliography) with the addition of 6 more references (10 total) should form the basis of the essay.

Submission

Fully online course - submission, grading and feedback provided in myuni

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator