Aims of the course:
- to introduce students to Applied Psychology
- to show students how Psychology can be applied specifically to the workplace
- to show students how various psychological approaches contribute to our understanding of workplace behaviour
Outcomes:
As a result of the course, within the constraints of the time available, students should be able to:
- develop knowledge of how Psychology can be applied to work settings and workplace behaviour
- show knowledge of how various psychological perspectives help explain selected examples of workplace roles and behaviour
- show knowledge of how to reapply Psychology to other workplace contexts
Schedule (this course is completed entirely online):
Orientation Week: 22-28 February 2021
Teaching Weeks: 1 March-4 April 2021
Feedback Week: 5-11 April 2021
Week 0 - Preparing to study this course
Purpose/Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•become familiar with navigating around the VLE and from VLE to links and back
•tested their ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sorted out any problems with the help of the eLearning team
•learnt how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
•used Quickmail to introduce themselves to other students
•contributed to a discussion forum to introduce themselves to other students and discuss why they are interested in the course, what they hope to get out their studies and also to respond to News item sent out on behalf of tutor.
•Posting to discussion forum
Week 1 - Introduction to Psychology at Work
Purpose: The students will be introduced to the field of Psychology at work, and its development over time, with an emphasis on contemporary approaches within Psychology that can be applied to specific organisational and work behaviours. The supporting online material will explain how Psychology contributes to knowledge and understanding of the workplace.
There will be a group discussion based on an article to introduce students to Psychology at work, as it is variously described as occupational, industrial and or organisational Psychology.
Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•an awareness of the development of Psychology of work.
•an ability to identify relevant approaches to the study of selected topics.
•had a discussion with the other students about their interests and knowledge gained about the application of Psychology in the workplace.
Week 2 - Leadership and management
Purpose: Leadership is a complex process having multiple dimensions. There are many different approaches to leadership and in this session we will address questions such as how leadership as a trait differs from leadership as a process. Secondly we will look at the relationship between leadership and management.
Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•an understanding of leadership styles and behaviour
•be able to identify and discuss various psychological approaches which explain leadership and management.
Week 3 - Working in Groups
Purpose: Social Psychologists have long been interested in how groups work. In this session we will explore individual versus group performance, decision making in groups, group polarisation and group think.
Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•an awareness of theories explaining group development and characteristics of work groups •an understanding of factors affecting performance in groups
•an awareness of how social Psychology can be used to describe, explain, and predict group behaviour.
Week 4 - Employee Well being
Purpose: Exploring health and happiness in the workplace – the emergence of positive Psychology and mindfulness.
Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•an awareness of what the terms stress and job burnout refer to
•an understanding of how health Psychology and positive Psychology can be used to examine health in the context of the workplace
Week 5 - Employee motivation and satisfaction
Purpose: What motivates us? How do you motivate employees? What are the links between motivation and job satisfaction?
Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•an understanding of Herzberg’s contribution to understanding what motivates employees
•the Psychology behind employee motivation
•awareness of the characteristics most often associated with job satisfaction.
•Forum group discussions
Week 6 - What Next? What other areas of Psychology would you like to explore? What are your next steps?
Purpose
•Assessment of student learning
•Assessment of student satisfaction
•Encouragement of further study
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards,etc).
A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.
What our students say:
“The lessons were well prepared, structured impressively and optimally pitched at a diverse group of students”
“Manjit’s feedback in the discussion forum was always motivational and student centred”
"I now have gained a better understanding of how some of those concepts and theories can be applied to a practical setting of the workplace. I loved gaining a better understanding of the attitudes and behavior that impact and motivate people at work. "
"I have certainly enjoyed this very professional course, which allowed me to acquire new relevant concepts and enlarge my professional views about organizational psychology. I have gained a lot of knowledge which will allow me to apply them to real-life situations. I will certainly apply theories that will help me improve teamwork and my own leadership. Thank you very much for the opportunity! "