Main Content
Syllabus
The information contained on this page is designed to give students a representative example of material covered in the course. Any information related to course assignments, dates, or course materials is illustrative only. For a definitive list of materials, please check the online catalog 3-4 weeks before the course start date.
PSYCH 482 Selection and Assessment in Organizations (3) Background in personnel testing, performance measurement, selection strategies, with emphasis on validity and measurement reliability.
Overview
This course emphasizes the scientist-practitioner approach to assessment and its role in selection, promotion, measurement of training effectiveness, performance management and other research and administrative actions used in a variety of organizations. We will explore how this model can be applied to a wide range of problems in “real world” work/organizational settings.
Course Objectives
By the time you complete this course, you should have learned about the following:
- methods by which Industrial Psychologists can diagnose organizational problems, evaluate potential solutions, and implement programs to facilitate organizational change and success
- the major activities of an Industrial Psychologist including: job analysis; selection/promotion system development including specific legal implications; interviews, tests and other selection tools; training and development; and performance appraisal and management
- research across a variety of application and organizational settings
- the legal underpinnings of the work of I/O Psychologists
Required Course Materials
Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.
Library Resources
Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
- get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
- much more.
You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service. The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.
Technical Specifications
| Operating System | Canvas, Penn State's Learning Management System (LMS), supports most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems. To determine if your operating system is supported, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
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| Browser | Canvas supports the last two versions of every major browser release. It is highly recommended that you update to the newest version of whatever browser you are using. Note: Cookies must be enabled, and pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites. |
| Additional Canvas Requirements | For a list of software, hardware, and computer settings specifically required by the Canvas LMS, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
| Additional Software | All Penn State students have access to Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. |
| Hardware | Monitor: Monitor capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
| Mobile Device (optional) | The Canvas mobile app is available for versions of iOS and Android. To determine if your device is capable of using the Canvas Mobile App, please review the Canvas Mobile App Requirements. |
Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ)
During the semester you will receive information for completing the Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ). Your participation is an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on your learning experience. Your feedback is important because it allows us to understand your experience in this course and make changes to improve the learning experiences of future students. Please monitor email and course communications for links and availability dates.
If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.
For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!
Grading
Grades will be established on the basis of several factors:
In some cases, you’ll be asked to gather information off-line before completing the on-line portion, therefore you should make a habit of opening to check on the weekly activity early (e.g., by Monday) each week.
You should read all the lesson material and readings each week before completing the on-line portion of the activity for that week. In some cases, you will be expected to reference the readings or lesson as part of the activity.
The time and effort needed to complete the activities will vary. In general, you might expect to spend 1 or 2 hours each week (this includes preparation time, such as time you might take to interview others before reporting to a discussion group). This does NOT include time spent reading the lesson material and additional readings.
Your instructor will indicate deadlines for all weekly activities. The link or drop box for submitting your work will be closed immediately following each deadline. If you fail to submit anything, you will receive a zero score for the activity that week.
- Weekly Activities = approximately 750 points or approximately 83% of your total course grade.
- Weekly activities are due on SUNDAY by 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time Zone each week.
Late work - assignment(s) submitted within 48 hours after the assignment deadline (i.e., midnight every Sunday) will be accepted, but will receive a 2.5 point deduction for each day it is late (for a total of 5 points off).
Excessively late work - assignment(s) submitted after this 48 hour window (i.e., after midnight Tuesday of the week that it is due), will not be accepted and, accordingly, will receive a "0".
The purpose of weekly activities is twofold: (1) Encourage you to keep pace with the course and (2) allow the instructor to evaluate how well you are absorbing and applying the knowledge from the course.
Weekly activities may take many forms. For instance, you may be asked to interview someone you know in order to gain information on that individual’s job then enter what you have learned into a discussion forum for everyone in the class to read. Detailed instructions will accompany each activity. In general there are two types of weekly activities:- Individual Activities – Individual activities usually involve short papers related to the topic of the week.
- Discussion Forums – Here you will post your comments about specific questions relating to the week’s lessons and respond to your peer’s comments. The discussion forums will be located under the ‘lesson’ tab.
- Quizzes = approximately 150 points total or approximately 17% of your total grade.
Weekly quizzes are due on Sunday by 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time Zone each week.
There is a quiz for each unit on the syllabus. You are expected to complete all reading and study before opening the quiz, so be prepared before you do so.
Once you open the quiz, you will have 15 minutes to complete it. You will not be able to open the quiz, close it, and open it again so as to allow you to print it off or examine the quiz questions before reading your lesson or studying. You also will not have enough time to look up the answers in the lesson material or readings while completing the quiz.
The quizzes are not cumulative, so you will only have to study the material for that week’s unit each week. You must complete all quizzes. Quizzes take the place of exams used in most resident or face-to-face courses. Since no one is able to proctor the exam, they will be worth a smaller percentage of your grade than in most face-to-face settings. The weekly activities, in comparison, will generally take more time and effort. Thus, they are worth a larger percentage of your grade.
You will be able to review your quizzes 2 days after submission. Your review period will last a total of 3 days.
Grading Scale
Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.
If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.
For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.
[printer-friendly version]Course Schedule
- Course length: 16 weeks
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Notes about the On-line Administration of the Course
Each week, you are expected to check the ANGEL course page for lessons, activities, required readings, quizzes and announcements. You are expected to check the site for instructions to activities or discussion sessions by Monday of each week, so that they can be completed by the end of the week. If you complete your lesson, activities, and quiz early in the week, you should still check the course page for feedback or notes from the instructor later in the week.
Course Expectations and Other Notes:
Course announcements and pace: Although you will have some flexibility regarding when each week you read the lectures and course materials, you will be required to maintain pace with the course through the semester. You are also required to read the Course Announcements found on under the Resources tab in ANGEL for course announcements regularly. You are completely responsible for knowing announcements made, particularly with regards to changes in the course schedule and timing of activities and quizzes.
Reading Assignments: You are expected to read ALL of the required reading for a particular week before opening the activity or quiz for that week.
NOTE: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please see "Graduation" on the World Campus Student Policies website.
Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity—scholarship free of fraud and deception—is an important educational objective of Penn State. Academic dishonesty can lead to a failing grade or referral to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to
- cheating,
- plagiarism,
- fabrication of information or citations,
- facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others,
- unauthorized prior possession of examinations,
- submitting the work of another person or work previously used without, informing the instructor and securing written approval, and
- tampering with the academic work of other students.
Students are responsible for maintaining academic integrity. Violations include cheating on exams or quizzes, talking to others during an exam or quiz, getting help from others on exams or quizzes, having notes accessible during exams or quizzes, looking at another student's answers during an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and dishonesty in any aspect of course participation. Also, you may not share any information from this course (including assignments and papers) with others, nor post such information electronically without the permission of the instructor. Violations of academic integrity including charges of plagiarism) and may result in a grade of F for the course as well as other penalties (see Faculty Senate Policy 49-20).
Heads up – several note-taking/note-sharing companies approach students about “jobs” (including Nittany Notes and those that appear to be connected to PSU). If this is something that you want to do, you MUST talk with your instructor first. Unless you have permission, you risk academic sanctions related to charges of plagiarism and disciplinary sanctions.
How to avoid plagiarism in this course
- Always place copied information within quotation marks, cite the source, and include information about the source in a bibliography.
- Always cite paraphrased information and include information about the source in a bibliography.
- When in doubt, cite and include the source in a bibliography.
Please make sure you submit the correct version of your paper. Whatever you hand in will be considered your final version and will be graded, even if you submit a blank document. Please note, claiming that you submitted the wrong file is NOT an acceptable excuse for work containing plagiarism.
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, procedure requires an instructor to notify a student of suspected dishonesty before filing a charge and recommended sanction with the college. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If a disciplinary sanction also is recommended, the case will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us.
Additionally, World Campus students are expected to act with civility and personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and others, as well as a civil community.
For More Information on Academic Integrity at Penn State
Please see the Academic Integrity Chart for specific college contact information or visit one of the following URLs:
- Penn State Senate Policy on Academic Integrity
- Turnitin (a web-based plagiarism detection and prevention system)
Academic Honesty: It is fully expected that completion of quizzes and exercises represents only your efforts. If you are suspected of cheating, you will be asked to meet with the instructor. Cheating will result in a failing grade on the quiz or exercise and possibly the course.
Accommodating Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has resources for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources (SDR) website provides contacts for disability services at every Penn State campus. For further information, please visit the SDR website.
In order to apply for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability resources office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation based on the documentation guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability resources office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Additional Policies
The purpose of course communication tools is to provide students with a quick method for contacting faculty, teaching assistants, and other students of the class, in regards to course related questions, comments, and concerns. Please note that, according to University policy AD95/AD96, course communication tools may not be used as a method for emailing unauthorized content including but not limited to: solicitation for businesses, advertisements, selling or distributing personal or class materials, transmitting offensive, obscene, or harassing materials, chain letters, news posts, or other forms of “spam” email. Doing so will be considered a violation of course and/or University policies, and might also violate the student code of conduct and the expectations expressed in the Penn State Principles. Resulting penalties might include the suspension or termination of system access, as well as disciplinary or academic sanctions. When appropriate, information about violators will be passed on to University Police Services. If you have any questions in regards to whether or not a particular email you wish to send would violate University policies, please check with your instructor before sending messages to others through the University system.
For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.
Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or dependents with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.
Need help with the course? You can always contact the instructor for extra instruction or help with course material. If you have a documented disability that may interfere with your performance in the class, please let the instructor know of any accommodations that you may need to provide a suitable learning environment for you. If you are concerned that you may have a learning disability, call the Office for Disability Services for assessment (1-814-863-1807).
Complaints/ Grievances: If you have a complaint or concern, please feel free to discuss this with your instructor. If you should feel uncomfortable approaching the instructor, you can speak with your World Campus undergraduate advisor.
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.