John F. Binning, Ph.D.
PSYCH 230
Syllabus
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PSYCH 340 Syllabus
Psychology 230 Dr. John F. Binning Spring, 2008 T & Th: 11am-12:15pm
EASY NAVIGATION LINKS
Teaching Philosophy and Suggestions for Learning
PREREQUISITE COURSE : General Psychology: 111
REQUIRED TEXT : Muchinsky, P.M. (2006). Psychology Applied to Work (8th Ed) . Belmont , CA : Thomson-Wadsworth.
GRADUATE ASSISTANT: Liz Allen
EMAIL: emalle2@ilstu.edu
Graduate Assistant's Office Hours:
T 12:30-2:30
(COB 217)
If you stop by Liz's office hours without an appointment, I will assist you as soon as I am able to.
Dr. Binning's Office Hours (DeGarmo 442)
T & Th: 1 - 2pm
First, direct questions to the GA. If she cannot help, then you should visit Dr. Binning during his office hours.
Please Note: No food or drink is allowed during this class, with the exception of bottled water.
COURSE CONTENT:
This introductory course in Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology is designed to familiarize the student with the principles of psychology relevant to (a) understanding the nature of (b) diagnosing problems with and (c) deriving optimal use of the human resources in industry, business, and government.
We will study many factors, which influence employees' thoughts, behaviors, and emotions in every kind of human organization. We will read about, think about, and discuss what we know and what psychologists know about human behavior and the effects of these factors, as they apply to people in work settings.
Topics include:
How to understand the basic design and structure of different organizations which makes it possible to coordinate the divergent activities of many people,
How to efficiently and effectively select and place people into organizations and match them optimally to various jobs,
How to train those people in various technical and interpersonal domains once they are members of the organization,
How to accurately appraise the quality with which they are performing their jobs and provide feedback about this evaluation,
What motivates people to perform well or choose to leave an organization,
What determines whether an employee is satisfied with the job,
The types of leaders and managers who perform best in different work environments,
Legal issues affecting the operation of human organizations,
and many other equally fascinating topics.
An attempt will be made to present current theorizing in each topic area, while representing the nature of its application in real world settings.
Your grade for the course will reflect your best performance on THREE exams. In other words, your grade on each exam will account for 33% of your final course grade. Any student caught cheating will receive an F for the course and a formal complaint will be filed with the Student Judicial Office.
For each exam you will receive a letter grade worth the points listed below:
Exam Points You Can Earn
A+ = 12
A = 11
A- = 10
B+ = 9
B = 8
B- = 7
C+ = 6
C = 5
C- = 4
D+ = 3
D = 2
D- = 1
F = 0
Write down the grade you receive for each exam so that at the end of the semester, you can determine your grade. You must earn the following number of points based on exam performance during the semester to earn each designated course grade.
Course Grades You Can Earn
A = 30 - 38 points
B = 21 - 29 points
C = 12 - 20 points
D = 4 - 11 points
F = 0 - 3 points
(Your three highest exam performances will be summed)
EXAMINATIONS :
Exams will be multiple-choice in format. They are designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of assigned reading and lecture materials. I do not lecture solely "from the textbook". This means that I will often lecture on material that does not appear in the book. Taking good notes during class is very important for doing well on the exams. I also may ask questions from this syllabus on your examinations.
There are FOUR exams administered during this course, but your course grade is determined by summing the THREE highest exam grades. The Final Exam comprehensively covers the course content. The final exam will be on May 5, 2008 at 10:00am.
THERE ARE NO MAKEUP EXAMS!
If you miss an exam during the semester, you can take the Final Exam to replace it. You may take the final exam even if you have taken the other three exams. If you do not have three exam scores at the end of the semester, a grade of F will be entered for each missing grade. I have found that students generally regret missing an exam, for any reason.
I DO NOT KEEP GRADE RECORDS IN MY OFFICE! IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT PAST EXAM GRADES, PLEASE CHECK WITH MY GRAD ASSISTANT. MY ASSISTANT DOES NOT HAVE A PHONE, SO YOU MUST GO TO DEGARMO HALL.
BACK TO TOP
Extra credit can be earned by participation in Department of Psychology sanctioned research projects. These research projects are conducted throughout the semester and participation in them is a good opportunity to see the research process "up close".
To participate, sign up in the basement of DeGarmo Hall around the corner to the left of the elevators as you get off. When you sign up, write the name of the research study and the location for your participation. Arrive on time for your appointment! DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST FEW WEEKS OF THE SEMESTER, BECAUSE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES MAY BE VERY LIMITED OR NONEXISTENT.
Save your research participation cards until you have five research credits (some are worth more or less than one credit) and then...
STAPLE THE CARDS TOGETHER AND TURN THEM INTO MY TEACHING ASSISTANT ON OR BEFORE THE DAY OF THE THIRD EXAM. IF THE CARDS ARE NOT STAPLED, WE MAY SUBTRACT ONE CREDIT FROM YOUR TOTAL.
YOU MUST EARN FIVE (5) RESEARCH PARTICIPATION POINTS TO EARN THE EXTRA CREDIT IN THIS COURSE.
If you successfully complete the extra credit, it will add two (2) points to the point total for earning course grades.
If you cannot participate in research for some reason, see me for an alternative WAY of earning extra credit.
Information about involvement in Department of Psychology sanctioned research is available at:
http://www.psychology.ilstu.edu/research/SubInstruct.html
Some students have a misconception about the instructor's role in the college learning process. I want you to understand my philosophy about this.
I believe that you are the one who is responsible for your learning.
I see my role as your "coach" or "tour guide". I provide you with opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, and experiences. But just like the coach doesn't play in the game or run the 40-yard dash, YOU must work hard, if you want to learn.
My job is to guide you and assist you in having an enriching learning experience.
If you choose to learn, I will assist you in any reasonable way that I can. If you choose not to learn, you may earn a poor grade. I am recommending that you take personal responsibility for how enlightened you become, not only in this course, but in life generally.
Therefore, it is my expectation that you will:
attend class regularly,
actively participate (mentally, if not verbally) in class lecture and discussion,
read assigned materials prior to lecture and discussion, and
learn and understand the reading and lecture material in advance of the exams so that questions can be addressed prior to the eve of the exams. I respond well to questions asked throughout the semester. I do not respond so well to questions asked at the last minute.
In summary, please plan to devote sufficient time to this course. In my opinion, this will be at minimum, three hours a week outside of class, each week for 14 weeks!
LIST OF IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Review this syllabus anytime you have a question about the course.
Your course grade is determined by totaling points earned from THREE exams. Four exams are administered during the semester. There are no makeup exams. If you feel that you may have a problem with this policy, be sure to talk to me the first week of classes.
My graduate assistant will meet with you in DeGarmo Hall. See my assistant first if you need to check a grade or go over an exam.
Record your test grades somewhere, so that you will not have to check them at the end of the semester. This will save YOU valuable time and energy.
When you sit down to take each exam, write the form of your exam at the top of the opscan sheet so that it doesn't get mixed up with several hundred other opscans. Also, you MUST indicate your name and identification number to receive a grade (this includes 'filling in the bubbles').
Ask questions ahead of time. Do not wait until right before the exam. Ask questions before, after, or in class or make an appointment and come to DeGarmo. Please do not call me on the telephone to ask questions. See me in person, or talk to one of my assistants.
STAPLE all of your extra credits together and turn them in to my teaching assistant on or before the last day of class (December 6th). If cards are not stapled, we may subtract one credit from your total.
Anticipate your needs or problems and address them as promptly and early as possible. Final exam week is a terrible week to expect anything of anyone! Take care of issues long before this time.
Review the study suggestions listed below and incorporate them into your daily life. Do it today!
If you do not follow the procedures on this syllabus, it may work against you.
The final exam is Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 10:00am.
Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability should contact Disability Concerns at 350 Fell Hall, 438-5853 (voice), 438-8620 (TDD).
Hear Ye, Hear Ye:
Many of you may find it very helpful to use the LISTSERV developed for undergraduate students interested in psychology. If you use your ilstu.edu email account, you are automatically enrolled. If you use another email account (e.g., yahoo, aol, etc.), you can have the LISTSERV messages automatically forwarded to you via the following site:
https://secure.ilstu.edu/ulid/forward/
SUGGESTIONS FOR EFFECTIVE LEARNING
1.TAKE THOROUGH NOTES - Many students falsely assume that the only "noteworthy" points made in a given lecture are in the PowerPoint slides. Not so. The projected points are merely "anchors" for the discussion that is taking place. I see many students who write only when a slide is presented and assume incorrectly that that is all they need to study for an exam.
Your notes are very individual. They function to help YOU in reconstructing the ENTIRE lecture experience later when you are reviewing for an exam. They also guide your further thinking about the issues being discussed.
Therefore, I recommend that you NOTE EVERYTHING you can during a lecture, because you can never anticipate what you will forget. This includes not only what I say, but what others say, thoughts you might have resulting from discussion, remembrances from reading the text, personal experiences, etc. Note taking is part of your "job" as a student. Good note taking is a labor-intensive activity, so prepare yourself each class period to put in the necessary effort. In my opinion, you must take good notes to do well in this class.
2. REVIEW YOUR NOTES REGULARLY - Brace yourselves for this geeky idea. Some of the best students in this class will actually rewrite their notes after each lecture. This will not only make the notes more readable, they will fill in gaps and otherwise embellish them.
These students are gaining in two big ways by doing this. First, they have more "user friendly" notes when they review for an exam. Second, they are learning the material better each day, so they need not study as frantically immediately before the exam. At the very least, you should take notes on your notes! Remember, this could be you!
3. "READ" YOUR TEXTBOOK - Reading a textbook is different than reading a steamy novel or a comic book. You simply cannot breeze through a textbook and learn effectively. If you think learning occurs via mere light reading or skimming, let me know where you got a crazy idea like that. I tried that at times in college and I was ignorant.
You are expected to remember and understand everything in the assigned reading material. Take time while you read to stop and think about what you've just read. Take notes on questions, or merely as memory cues while you are reading. Think about how the lecture and text fit together.
Part of the beauty of having both a textbook and stellar lectures is that you have two different descriptions of some of the same phenomena. This provides you with the opportunity to learn more. Also, you should read the text prior to the lecture on the material. And, (you better sit down for this one) you should read the assigned material more than once! This will enhance your learning dramatically. Try it, you may not like it, but you'll like the result!
4. ATTEND CLASS - A college education, especially at a quality institution like Illinois State University , is a privilege. You will have the opportunity to sit in on approximately 30 lectures. You should not miss a single one. How many would you miss if I handed out $100 bills each lecture? Think about it.
5. MANAGE YOUR STUDYING - Studying takes time, just like surfing the Internet, talking to a friend, drinking a soda, or brushing your teeth. You must plan to include studying in your busy day. It should be a regular part of your routine. If it is not, you should not expect good grades.
6. INITIATE STUDYING WITH OTHERS - There is no natural law dictating that studying must be unenjoyable or done alone. Form a study group and regularly discuss class material with others. My suggestion is to find people who can contribute to your learning, rather than just benefiting from their association with you. Get to know someone in class and spread the word that a study group is forming. Who knows, maybe you'll meet someone you actually like.
In addition to discussing the material, group members can write multiple choice questions to quiz each other. You'll get practice being examined and it will stimulate more discussion. It is equally important to know what you know as what you do not know.
7. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES - Feel free to ask questions in class, before, or after. Talk to my assistant. Find out what the Student Counseling Center and the University Center for Learning Assistance, or the Office of Disability Concerns can do to help you. Read this syllabus again.
Topic
Assigned Reading
INTRODUCTION
Introduction to the course
Syllabus
Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Ch. 1
History of I/O psychology
Professional issues for I/O psychologists
Need for psychological services in industry
STRUCTURING THE INTERACTIONS IN HUMAN ORGANIZATIONS
Theories of Organizational Structure and Design
Ch. 8
Defining organizations
Different views of organizations
Mintzberg's contingency view
Organization development and change
Organizational Attitudes and Behavior
Ch. 10
Teams and Teamwork
Ch. 9
Leadership in Organizations
Ch. 13
Leadership versus management
Leadership as an influence process
Origins of power
Different views of leadership
EXAM 1
MATCHING PEOPLE AND JOBS VIA PERSONNEL SELECTION
Logic of Personnel Decision Making
A framework for guiding selection activities
Psychological constructs
Developing behavioral samples
Job Analysis (identifying job differences)
Ch. 3 (pgs.61-77)
Defining performance domains
Methods for analyzing jobs
Psychological Testing (identifying people differences)
Ch. 4 Technical issues
Survey of assessment procedures
Ch. 4
Examples of different procedures for sampling behavior
Combining assessment information
Decision models
Ch. 5
Statistical considerations
Ch.2 (pgs.40-45)
EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF PERSONNEL DECISIONS
Validating selection decisions
Review Ch. 4
Utility of selection decisions
Review Ch. 5
DEVELOPING MEASURES OF EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
Logic of criterion development
Ch. 3
Actual versus ideal performance
Biases in performance appraisal
Methods of performance appraisal
Ch. 7
EXAM 2
LEGAL ISSUES IN PERSONNEL DECISION MAKING
Summary of legal mandates
Pgs. 20-21, 141-149
History of EEO legislation, Landmark Supreme Court cases
Pgs. 200-202, 218-219
illegal discrimination
disparate impact
sexual harassment
MATCHING PEOPLE AND JOBS VIA PERSONNEL TRAINING
Organizational Learning
Ch. 6
Designing training programs
Principles of learning
Evaluating training effectiveness
BEHAVIORAL AND AFFECTIVE REACTIONS TO WORK
Occupational health
Ch. 11
Defining stress
Coping with stress
Mental and physical health issues
Work motivation
Ch. 12
Components of work motivation
Cognitive, need, and reinforcement theories
EXAM 3 - Thursday, May 1st, 2008
FINAL EXAM - Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 10:00am
For more advanced study of the topics covered in this course, consider taking:
Personnel Psychology - 4620: 375
Organizational Psychology - 4620: 376