B358 Course Syllabus, Fall 2012, Sliter - Psychology @ IUPUI

WARNING: This syllabus may be from a previous semester and may not reflect current or future instructors for the course.
The purpose of this syllabus is to provide a sample of course content and objectives.
PSY B358
Introduction to Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology
Fall 2012
Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.
-H. Jackson Brown
Contact Information
Professor:
Office:
Email:
Office Hours:
Dr. Michael Sliter
LD126P
msliter@iupui.edu
By appointment
Course Details
Course Time and Location
Thursdays from 6:00-8:40pm
ICTC (IT) Room 252
Textbook (required)
Levy, P. E. (2010). Industrial Organizational Psychology: Understanding the Workplace (3 rd Ed.). New York:
Worth.
Objectives
The goal of this course is to familiarize you with what I/O psychology is and what I/O psychologists do. This
will be done with an emphasis on how I/O research, theory, and practice are applicable to you, either as a future
psychologist or as a future member of the workforce.
By the end of the course:
Given a topic within I/O psychology, you will be able to recognize key theories applicable to
that topic.
Given the name of major theories within I/O psychology, you will be able to recognize the major
components of these theories and the definitions of these components.
Given a situation within your work life or a description of a hypothetical work situation, you
will be able to apply theories and research from I/O psychology to that situation.
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WARNING: This syllabus may be from a previous semester and may not reflect current or future instructors for the course.
The purpose of this syllabus is to provide a sample of course content and objectives.
Attendance
Evaluation
Attendance will be not explicitly assessed in this class. However, given that this class is only held one day per week,
attendance is especially important, and missed days will negatively impact your grade through missed quizzes, in-class
assignments, and guest lectures.
In-Class Assignments – 50 points
We will frequently do in-class exercises designed to help you understand the course content and to make it more relevant
to you. You will turn in these exercises at the end of the class in which they are assigned. If you are not present, you will
not get credit for these activities (i.e., they cannot be made up if you miss class).
Project – 150 points
You will complete a written project as part of this course. The project will consist of a report written in response to a
structured assignment. There will be two options for this report. The first option is tailored toward students interested in
pursuing graduate study in I/O psychology or other psychological disciplines, and the second option is tailored toward
students interested primarily in I/O psychology as it applies to their future in the workplace. More information on the
project, including a detailed description and grading criteria, is available in the handout entitled “Final Project
Description and Grading Criteria.”
The project will be due at the beginning of class on December 6.
Late projects will not be accepted. If you think there may be any issues with your ability to turn in your project in class, I
urge you to turn it in early. Please note that computer issues (a computer crashing, losing data, etc.) are NOT valid
excuses for turning in the project late. Follow good practices for backing up your data!
Quizzes – 200 points
In lieu of traditional exams, we will be having weekly quizzes. The quizzes will consist of a variable amount of items,
and will be evaluating the material covered in lecture and in the book from the previous week. If we have a lecturer speak
during the previous week, material they cover is fair game for the quiz. Across the semester, we will have 14 quizzes.
Your lowest two quiz scores will be dropped (including zeros), and the scores on the remaining 12 quizzes will be
weighted out of 200 points.
Because your lowest two scores are dropped, this should account for illnesses and other issues. As such, NO MAKE UP
QUIZZES WILL BE ALLOWED. If you are thinking of missing class for minor reasons (i.e., “I’m tired,” “I don’t feel like
going”), you might reconsider and save your missed days in case of a real emergency. Also, note that the final exam day
is actually reserved for Quiz 14. If you save your “missed” quizzes for the final quiz, you don’t have to be there.
Guest Lecturers
We will have several guest lecturers coming to class throughout the semester. You are expected to pay attention,
participate, and be respectful. If I am not satisfied with the overall classroom behavior during these talks, everyone will
lose one full percentage point off their final grade.
Extra Credit
Opportunities for extra credit MAY be provided at various times throughout the semester. I will notify you of any extra
credit opportunities.
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WARNING: This syllabus may be from a previous semester and may not reflect current or future instructors for the course.
The purpose of this syllabus is to provide a sample of course content and objectives.
Final Grading
The final grade in this course will be based on th e percentage of 400 points attainable in the class:
Assignment Points Possible Percent
In-class Assignments 50 12.5%
Project 150 37.5%
Quizzes 200 50%
Total: 400 100
Grade cutoffs
A+ 100%+ C+ 78-79% F Below 60%
A 92-99% C 72-77%
A- 90-91% C- 70-71%
B+ 88-89% D+ 68-69%
B 82-87% D 62-67%
B- 80-81% D- 60-61%
*If your final percentage total ends in .5 or up it will be rounded up to the next highest number.
Oncourse
You will be able to access up-to-date information regarding your grades on Oncourse. It is your responsibility to ensure
that all grades have been posted correctly. If you believe that one of your grades is incorrect, contact me as soon as you
notice the potential problem. DO NOT WAIT until the end of the semester.
A course schedule, overviews of the lecture notes, various announcements, class polls, and other course related materials
will also be available at the Oncourse website, so please login regularly to keep up-to-date on these materials.
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WARNING: This syllabus may be from a previous semester and may not reflect current or future instructors for the course.
The purpose of this syllabus is to provide a sample of course content and objectives.
Expectations
Participation
Participation will be a key component of this course. It will be essential that you have read the assigned
readings BEFORE class and that you are ready to be an active participant in classroom discussions.
Attendance
Attending class is an essential part of learning the material. Further, because the class will only be held once
per week, missing a single class will mean missing an entire week’s worth of material. As such, it is expected
that you will attend class every time it is held. Furthermore, it is expected that you will arrive on time and
remain focused until class has ended.
Course Notes
Though a rough outline of the notes will be provided on Oncourse ahead of time to aid in taking notes during
class, this will NOT provide all of the information given during lecture and will not substitute for
attendance at lecture. In the past, students have found it helpful to either print the notes or to view them on a
laptop during class. Please use whatever method works best for you, however if laptops become a distraction
they will be disallowed.
Readings
There will be a set of assigned readings that must be done BEFORE each class. If you don’t read the book
ahead of time, you will not be able to keep up with the material taught during class. Please set aside time each
week in your schedule to read the assigned readings.
Behavior
My expectations for your behavior in this class are based on mutual respect among all members of this class,
including the instructor. Please uphold this respect by arriving to class on time, turning off cell phones, not
leaving early, and paying attention. Please do not come to class with the intention of chatting with friends (in
person or via text messaging), reading the newspaper, sleeping, or other inappropriate activities. In addition,
please respect the opinions of other students and refrain from communication that is offensive to others.
E-Mail Communication
This is an institution of higher learning, and your communication should reflect this. All emails sent to either
me or the TA must be professional in nature, including a greeting, a clear purpose to the email, and a closing
(e.g., Thanks; name; Sincerely; name). Additionally, you must exhaust other resources before sending an email.
For instance, don’t send an email to ask “when’s the test?” before checking your syllabus.
Requests for Reconsidering a Grade
If you feel that an assignment has been improperly evaluated, you can ask to have the grade reviewed and
reconsidered. To make such a request, you must give me a written statement (approximately 1-2 paragraphs)
explaining what you believe is the issue with the grade. Although I will not re-grade assignments simply
because you feel that your grade is too low, if you feel that I have made an error I will be happy to revisit the
grade.
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WARNING: This syllabus may be from a previous semester and may not reflect current or future instructors for the course.
The purpose of this syllabus is to provide a sample of course content and objectives.
Academic Dishonesty
Academically dishonest behaviors are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Behaviors such as cheating on
tests or plagiarizing ANY of your project work (borrowing from other students, from the textbook, from any
website, from your articles, or any other outside source and claiming it as your own) are unacceptable. If you
cheat or plagiarize you will receive, at a minimum, a zero on the assignment, and you will be referred to the
chairperson of the department and the Dean.
For more information, see the IUPUI Student Code of Conduct - http://www.iupui.edu/code/
Special Arrangements for Students with Disabilities
If you require special arrangements, please let me know during the first week of class. The Office of Adaptive
Educational Services (AES) helps students with disabilities receive appropriate accommodations from the
university and their professors. Students need to register with the AES office in order to officially receive such
services. For information, call (317) 274 3241 or go to http://www.iupui.edu/~divrsity/aes/
Note. The contents of this syllabus are subject to change as necessary at the discretion of the instructor.
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WARNING: This syllabus may be from a previous semester and may not reflect current or future instructors for the course.
The purpose of this syllabus is to provide a sample of course content and objectives.
Course Schedule*
Date Topic Chapters Other
23-Aug
Introduction to and History of I-O
Psychology
1 Syllabus overview
30-Aug
Research Methods in I-O
Psychology
2 Quiz 1
6-Sep Job Analysis 3 Quiz 2; Assignment of Final Paper
13-Sep Criterion Measurement (Outcomes) 4 Quiz 3
20-Sep Performance Appraisal 5
Quiz 4; Guest: Dr. Jane Williams;
Topic for Final Paper Due
27-Sep
Predictors and Individual
Differences
6 Quiz 5; Guest: Dr. Katherine Sliter
4-Oct WORK DAY -- NO CLASSES Work on your final papers!
11-Oct Selection 7 Quiz 6
18-Oct Training 8
Quiz 7; Guest: Dr. Leslie Ashburn-
Nardo
25-Oct Motivation 9 Quiz 8
1-Nov Attitudes 10 Quiz 9
8-Nov Occupational Health Psychology 11 Quiz 10; Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Boyd
15-Nov Group Processes and Work Teams 12 Quiz 11; Guest: Dr. Dennis Devine
22-Nov
THANKSGIVING BREAK -- NO
CLASSES
29-Nov Leadership 13 Quiz 12; Guest: Dr. Peggy Stockdale
6-Dec
Organizational Theory and
Development
14 Quiz 13; FINAL PAPER DUE
11-Dec Final Exam (Quiz) (6:00-8:00) Quiz 14
*Schedule is tentative and may change. Please read all chapters BEFORE arriving in class.
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