PSY 3711 Introduction to Psychology in the Workplace
Spring 2014, 3 credits
Lecture: Tuesday & Thursday 11:15-12:30 (Smith Hall 231)
Instructors
Email
Office Location
Office Hours
Chris Huber
huber195@umn.edu
N489
By Appointment
Laura Wallace
wall0540@umn.edu
N492
By Appointment
Email
Office Location
Office Hours
Mike Wilmot
wilmo040@umn.edu
N496
Tu 10:00-11:00
Chelsea Jenson
jens1177@umn.edu
N492
Th 10:00-11:00
Allen Goebl
goebl005@umn.edu
N492
Th 2:30-3:30
Teaching Assistants
Prerequisites: PSY 1001 (or equivalent) and PSY 2801/3801 (or equivalent)
Course Description
Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology is the application of the scientific study of human
behavior and thinking to work organizations. I/O Psychology is both an academic discipline and
a professional discipline; thus, in this class we focus on both research and the application of
research findings to practical problems in the workplace. I/O Psychologists are concerned with
the recruitment, selection, training, motivation, and job performance of individuals at work. They
are also involved in issues such as teamwork, leadership, and job attitudes. This class provides a
general overview of research and practical application in I/O Psychology.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you should be able to answer each of the following questions:
1. What is I/O Psychology?
2. What are the core methods used to study I/O Psychology?
3. What is personality as it is studied today, and how it is used in the workplace?
4. What measures and constructs are used to select new employees?
5. How is a job defined?
6. How are people trained on new skills for work?
7. What motivates people at work?
8. How important is it that people are happy with their work?
9. Does an organization have its own culture?
10. Who are leaders and where do they come from?
11. How do people work together most effectively?
12. What happens to people’s health as a result of work?
Required Materials
1. Landy, F. J., & Conte, J. M. (2013). Work in the 21st Century: An Introduction to
Industrial and Organizational Psychology (4th ed.): John Wiley & Sons.
2. Reliable, convenient Internet access on a computer capable of using Moodle. See the
section Online Course Access later in this syllabus for more detail.
3. A cell phone or computer for accessing ChimeIn during class.
Assessment & Evaluation
Semester Grade
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
In-class assignments and Quizzes
Out-of-class projects
Percent
93.4% or higher
90.0%- 93.3%
86.7%- 89.9%
83.4%- 86.6%
80.0%- 83.3%
76.7%- 79.9%
73.4%- 76.6%
70.0%- 73.3%
66.7%- 69.9%
65.0%- 66.6%
64.9% or lower
% of Final Grade
20
20
20
20
20
Letter Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
Grading
Please note that the grades above are adjusted slightly for rounding. While these letter grade
boundaries are firmly articulated, we recognize that a single point can often make the difference
between one grade and another. As such, the instructors reserve the right to make individual
judgments for students on a grade cusp based on student attendance, participation, and other
qualitative criteria.
Lecture Notes
Lecture notes will be posted on Moodle the night before each class. Note that powerpoint slides
serve as a guide for lecture and our discussions, but by no means contain all the information we
discuss in class, and do not replace regular class attendance and course readings.
Quizzes and In-class Activities
Quizzes and in-class assignments will be given throughout the course of the semester. The
quizzes will include material covered in the previous lecture and from the appropriate assigned
reading. These quizzes will be administered through https://chimein.cla.umn.edu; each will take
five minutes to complete. The quizzes are designed to check your knowledge and
comprehension of the material rather than trick you. In-class activities are short activities based
on the lecture material for that day and on the assigned reading. The in-class activities are short
tasks designed to allow students to apply the material presented in the book and in class. At the
end of the semester, your lowest two grades on quizzes and/or in-class activities will be dropped
(two grades total, not for each category). If you do not take the quiz or participate in the in-class
activity, you will be unable to make up the points for any reason. No make-up quizzes nor
make-up in-class activities will be allowed.
Projects
Projects will be submitted through the Moodle website. All papers received after noon on their
due date according to Moodle’s time system will be marked late. Papers will be accepted up to
one week late (until noon on the 7th day after the due date) with a 25% grade penalty. Projects
will not be accepted after this cut-off date unless prior arrangements have been made with the
instructors. See Course Policies for more detail.
Exams
There will be three (3) in-class exams. The first exam will cover material through February 11th;
the second, between that exam and March 27th; and the third, after the second exam and the end
of the course. While none of the exams will be cumulative, note that some material tested in
Exam 1 may be needed to understand material on later exams. Exams will be a combination of
multiple choice questions and one- to two-paragraph essays. It is very important to be present
for exams. If an extreme condition requires you to miss an exam, you must send an email to
both instructors before the scheduled exam date. If you do not contact instructors before the
exam, no make-up will be allowed. The only exception to this policy is for medical or family
emergencies and you must provide documented proof of the emergency. If you have a
documented emergency, you must contact both instructors within 3 days of the regular exam
date; please let us know as soon as possible.
Course Policies
The following policies are required by the University of Minnesota to be part of the course
syllabus. The policies were written to ensure fair, reasonable, and equitable guidelines in the
classroom. These policies are inflexible and non-negotiable.
1. Accommodation for persons with special needs: In compliance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act (1990) and the University of Minnesota policy, students with any documented
disabilities are eligible for reasonable and appropriate accommodations in this class. A number of
accommodations can be made in class if this applies to you. Please contact us as soon as possible if
this applies to you and you need special accommodations for this course.
2. Attendance: Class attendance is not required, but as the exams are drawn from both textbook and
lecture material, it is in your best interest to attend as many class sessions as you can. Additionally,
students will have the opportunity to earn points through in-class assignments and class quizzes given
in class. Missing class on a regular basis will limit the students opportunity to accrue these points.
Any changes to the syllabus, schedule, or grading will be announced in class.
3. Policies and penalties for late work: For all written assignments, you will receive 25% off the
maximum possible score for late work up to one week late unless you have a legitimate excuse (e.g.,
religious observance, intercollegiate athletics, ROTC, National Guard service, subpoenas, University
band, University student government, a death in the family, jury duty, or a confirmed medical illness)
and have notified the instructors at least 24 hours in advance. If you are unable to provide a
warning this early, you must provide verifiable documentation indicating the dates and reason that you
were unable to attend. If you cannot do this, you will not be able to make up the work that you missed.
Due dates and times as specified in Moodle are viewed as definitive; make sure you open Moodle
early enough to turn in your assignments on time. Participation and quizzes cannot be made up under
any circumstances.
4. Disputing a grade: Although the TAs for this class strive to be as fair and accurate as possible,
occasional grading mistakes are made. If you feel this has happened to you, you are permitted and
encouraged to submit your work for re-grading. When doing so, please submit a written request stating
which points that you feel were mistakenly deducted on which assignment. This submission must be
received no later than one week after the graded assignment or exam was returned to you. The
instructors will re-grade the paper in question.
5. Incompletes: Incompletes will only be granted in the case of medical or personal emergencies.
Incompletes can only be given if you are receiving a grade of “C- ” or higher on work already
completed, and if you have already completed the majority of the coursework. Contact us as soon
as you suspect you might need to take an incomplete in the course.
6. Classroom conduct: All persons have the right to a civil, productive, and stimulating learning
environment. As such, in this classroom and lab, we have the responsibility of respecting the rights,
opinions, and environment of others. Anyone whose behavior is disruptive to others will be asked to
leave. In addition, a student whose behavior suggests the need for counseling or other assistance might
be referred to the University’s Counseling Services. Any student who violates the University’s Student
Conduct Code might be referred to the Director of the University Counseling Office. Finally, to
minimize classroom interruptions, please silence all cell phones and pagers before class. If you
have a legitimate reason for needing one of these devices during class, please see one of the
instructors.
7. Academic integrity: Neither plagiarism nor cheating of any kind will be tolerated in this course. You
are responsible for doing all written work independently, without unauthorized collaboration,
inadequate citation, or plagiarizing. (Plagiarizing includes duplicating another student’s written work.)
Any incidents of plagiarism or cheating will be dealt with severely, including loss of credit for the
assignment or course and a report to the college of your major and the Office for Student Academic
Integrity. If you have any questions about this policy please see the College of Liberal Arts Student
Handbook or the Office for Student Academic Integrity website (http://www1.umn.edu/oscai).
8. Definition of grades and academic workload policy: According to the University Senate policy, the
course syllabus must include a definition of grades. The University of Minnesota has adopted the
following definition for letter grades:
A
Achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements.
B
Achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements.
C
Achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect.
D
Achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course
requirements.
S
Achievement that is satisfactory and is equivalent to a C- or better.
F or N
Represents failure (or no credit) and signifies that the work was either (1) completed
but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or (2) was not completed
and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the
student would be awarded an I.
I
Assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstances (e.g.,
hospitalization) a student is prevented from completing the work of the course on time.
Requires a written agreement between instructor and student.
In addition, the University Senate requires the following description of workload expectations for courses
in which an undergraduate can enroll:
“For undergraduate courses, one credit is defined as equivalent to an average of three hours of learning
effort per week (over a full semester) necessary for an average student to achieve an average grade in the
course. For example, a student taking a three credit course that meets for three hours a week should
expect to spend an additional six hours a week on coursework outside of the classroom.”
9. Sexual harassment: Sexual harassment is defined as ANY unwelcome sexual advance, request, or
verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. University policy prohibits sexual harassment in any
form. Concerns or complaints about sexual harassment should be directed to the University’s Office of
Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 419 Morrill Hall (624-9547). Students may also direct
their concerns or complaints to staff at Boynton Mental Health, the Boynton Crisis Line, or University
Counseling Services.
Online Course Access
Reliable access to the Internet on a computer capable of accessing Moodle (formerly WebVista)
is required for this course. If you do not have this at home, access via the Coffman Union B060
or Walter Library 103 is convenient for this purpose, although you should be mindful of their
schedules (see http://www.oit.umn.edu/computerlabs/using/locatingfacilities/index.html for a full
list of labs and their schedules).
You will need your own access to Moodle in order to download lecture materials, submit written
assignments, download review materials, and check your grades. Use of Moodle is integral to
this course.
To access Moodle, open http://myu.umn.edu in your web browser, and sign in using the Sign In
link at the top of the page using your UMN Internet ID (X.500) and password. On the next
screen, choose my COURSES. Click on the Moodle Site Link under PSY 3711 001
PSYCHOLOGY IN THE WORKPLACE to open the course website. If Moodle does not appear
at http://myu.umn.edu, you can also log in directly to Moodle through https://moodle.umn.edu/.
To ensure compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), also
consider the following statement supplied by Moodle administrators: “In this class, our use of
technology will sometimes make students’ names and U of M Internet IDs visible within the
course website, but only to other students in the same class. Because we are using a secure,
password-protected course website, this will not increase the risk of identity theft or spamming
for anyone in the class. If you have concerns about the visibility of your Internet ID, please
contact the instructor for further information.”
Class Schedule
Unit
Lect.
#
Day
Date
Topics
Reading
Tues
Jan 21
Introduction
1
Thurs
Jan 23
Brief History of I/O
1.1, 1.2
2
Tues
Jan 28
Methods and Stats in I/O
2
3
Thurs
Jan 30
Reliability and Validity
4
Tues
Feb 4
Job Analysis
5
Thurs
Feb 6
Modeling Job
Performance
6
Tues
Feb 11
Performance Appraisal
5
Thurs
Feb 13
Review for Exam 1
--
Tues
Feb 18
Exam 1
--
7
Thurs
Feb 20
Personnel Selection
6.1-6.2
8
Tues
Feb 25
Cognitive Ability
3
9
Thurs
Feb 27
Personality, Interests,
Biodata, Interviews
10
Tues
Mar 4
Assessment Centers,
Simulations, SJTs
11
Thurs
Mar 6
Academic Selection
12
Tues
Mar 11
Combining Multiple
Predictors
6.3,
Highhouse
(2008)
13
Thurs
Mar 13
Fairness and Bias
6.4
Tues
Mar 18
No Class--Spring Break
Thurs
Mar 20
No Class--Spring Break
14
Tues
Mar 25
Leadership
12
15
Thurs
Mar 27
Expertise
Ross (2006)
Due Dates
4
Project 1: Job
Analysis Due
Tues
Apr 1
Review for Exam 2
--
Thurs
Apr 3
Exam 2
--
16
Tues
Apr 8
Motivation
8
17
Thurs
Apr 10
Job Attitudes
9
18
Tues
Apr 15
Stress
10
19
Thurs
Apr 17
Organizational Theory
11.1-11.2
14.1-14.2
20
Tues
Apr 22
Teams and Teamwork
13
21
Thurs
Apr 24
Training and Training
Evaluation
7
22
Tues
Apr 29
Employee Development
(Coaching and
Mentoring)
To be
announced
Thurs
May 1
Flex Day (Catch-up on
lectures)
To be
announced
Tues
May 6
Review for Exam 3
--
Thurs
May 8
Exam 3
--
Project 2:
Design a
Selection
System Due
Project 3: Job
Redesign Due