In Assessment 1, you will choose an applied real-world setting (e.g., a workplace, older persons’ residential care, a school) or group (e.g., new mothers, people experiencing illness) and detail in an essay the implementation of a positive psychology intervention, for example, gratitude practice, increasing self-compassion, in that setting or for that group.

You will examine in your essay contextual factors involved in implementing the intervention and ways to measure and document change in participants and the setting in which the intervention is applied.

You will consider:

• Why is this intervention a good fit for your target audience and setting? That is, how does the intervention address an identified issue in the chosen setting/group?
• What is the evidence to support the efficacy of the chosen intervention? Is the evidence strong for the use of this intervention in your chosen setting or for your chosen group, or does the use of the intervention make good sense based on the identified issue(s) and expected outcomes of the intervention?
• What type of research design might you use to assess the efficacy of the intervention and to evaluate change? Consider what quantitative (e.g., specific measurement scales) approaches you could implement to determine whether positive changes have occurred and justify their use (e.g., validity, reliability).
• How would you administer the intervention? Use literature to consider factors such as length of intervention and types of exercises implemented.
• Are there any practical issues you need to consider when implementing the intervention in your chosen setting? For example, might an existing intervention need to be modified for your setting or for your target audience?
• What might be some considerations when implementing the intervention with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples? For example, cultural appropriateness of the intervention, any delivery modifications needed, and how results might be evaluated.

Maximum word count: 2000 words (+/- 10%). This word limit includes in-text citations but excludes any reference section. Meeting the word count is included as a part of the marking criteria in your marking rubric on Moodle. See the Psychology Word Count Information document on Moodle for a rationale for using this type of word limit restriction.

Further task details will be available on the unit Moodle site.

You will be assessed on:

• The rationale for, and relevance of, the chosen intervention
• Rationale for your choice of evaluation approach, including specific quantitative approaches to examine positive change using appropriate peer-reviewed literature
• Formulation of how the positive psychology intervention would be implemented in the chosen applied setting
• Discussion of considerations for how the positive psychology intervention might be implemented with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Quality of your written communication, including accurate APA referencing and adherence to word count.

Your use of appropriate, peer-reviewed and reputable sources will be assessed across all marking criteria.

Detailed information regarding assessment requirements and criteria for assessment can be found in the Unit and Assessment Guide on Moodle.

For Assessment 2, you will complete group and individual tasks that involve choosing and implementing a self-administered positive psychology intervention.

You will:

1. Join a group of 4-5 students on Moodle.
2. Establish a group work contract that includes roles of group members, communication frequency and methods, schedule of milestones, and an issues resolution plan. This plan will be submitted through Moodle prior to your group commencing work.
3. Choose a self-administered applied positive psychology intervention that all group members want to implement. The unit coordinator will provide advice on the intervention chosen.
4. Work with your fellow group members to choose at least two specific measurement scales (quantitative approach) to examine the effectiveness of the intervention. You will complete these measurement scales prior to implementing the intervention (pre-intervention) and after you have finished implementing the intervention (post-intervention).
5. Individually implement the chosen intervention in your own life over a period of 4-5 weeks.
6. Document your progress, changes, experiences, and challenges in implementing the intervention (this will help you to develop your group presentation).

It is recommended you start your intervention by Week 6 so that you have sufficient time to implement it for a 4-5 week period.

You will then prepare and deliver a 20-25 minute group presentation with your group members, where the group discusses:

• Why did the group choose the specific intervention? That is, what issue or area might the intervention address?
• Why did the group choose the specific evaluation approach to measure change? Consider the reliability, validity, and suitability of the measures to document change.
• How did the group implement the intervention?
• Were there any changes reflected in the specific scales or assessment approaches chosen to examine the intervention’s effectiveness?
• Were there differences between group members in changes experienced during the intervention?
• What worked for group members and what were the challenges faced during implementation?
• What needs to be considered for use of this positive psychology intervention with individuals or groups in the future?

For each part of the presentation, with the exception of discussing personal changes and challenges faced during the intervention, 1-2 group members will present the section. For example, 1-2 group members will discuss why the specific intervention was chosen. For discussion of personal changes and challenges faced, all group members should provide some discussion of personally experienced changes and challenges.

The time limit of a 20-25 minute presentation equates to roughly 5 minutes speaking per presenter. Meeting the time limit is included as a marking criteria in your marking rubric on Moodle. See the Psychology Word Count Information document for a rationale for using this type of time limit restriction.

The presentation will be recorded and uploaded to Moodle (details will be provided on how to record and upload the presentation).

You will also submit:

• a document outlining your contributions to the intervention - this may be in the form of a document (no more than 1 A4 page) with a series of bullet points outlining your contribution and/or inclusion of the presentation slides to indicate what parts of the presentation you worked on.
• an individual reflection (maximum of 150 words +/- 10% for the reflection) of how you felt the group work and presentation went.

Further task details will be available on the unit Moodle site.

You will be assessed on:

• Discussion of rationale for the chosen intervention (group mark)
• Discussion of the rationale for choice of approaches to measure change (group mark)
• Discussion of the rationale for the chosen intervention implementation process (group mark)
• Discussion of changes that occurred as a result of the intervention (group mark)
• Reflection on changes that occurred as a result of the intervention - cognitive, emotions, behaviour, or wellbeing (individual mark)
• Reflection on the implementation process, including benefits and any challenges faced in implementation (individual mark)
• Discussion of how the interventions could be applied to individuals and groups (group mark)
• Quality of presentation, including presentation coherence, content, style, and adherence to time limit (group mark)
• Individual contribution to the design/implementation of the intervention and the presentation and reflection on group work (individual mark)
• Completion of the group work contract (group mark).

Your use of appropriate, peer-reviewed and reputable sources will be assessed across all marking criteria.

Your final mark will be based on the work of the group, your individual contribution to the design and implementation of the intervention and presentation, and your individual reflection on the group work. Detailed information regarding assessment requirements and criteria for assessment can be found in the Unit and Assessment Guide on Moodle.

In Assessment 3, you will write a reflective piece to chronicle your reflections, insights, and development of knowledge and skills regarding the implementation of the self-administered positive psychology intervention for Assessment 2.

You will produce a reflective piece (900 words, +/- 10%) documenting:

• Your understanding of how to design, implement, and evaluate positive psychology interventions in an applied setting. This will include personal reflection on why the specific positive psychology intervention was expected to be useful to your own personal or work circumstances.
• Evaluation of changes in your perceptions, beliefs, and behaviour during the self-administered positive psychology intervention. What have you noticed about yourself, your emotions, relationships, or other aspects of your wellbeing since undertaking the intervention?
• Personal reflections on the barriers and enablers your experienced in completing a self-administered positive psychology intervention.
• Reflections of how might understanding of barriers and enablers faced inform your use of the intervention with others (i.e., clients) in the future.

This reflective piece should discuss your personal experiences of the intervention, rather than reflections on the group work experience. It is expected that you will relate your experiences (e.g., challenges, progress, outcomes) to what the positive psychology literature tells us about the particular intervention and, more generally, processes of change.

Maximum word count: 900 words (+/- 10%). This word limit includes in-text citations but excludes any reference section. Meeting the word count is included as a part of the marking criteria in your marking rubric on Moodle. See the Psychology Word Count Information document on Moodle for a rationale for using this type of word limit restriction.

Further task details will be available on the unit Moodle site.

You will be assessed on:

• Understanding of design, implementation, and evaluation of applied interventions
• Evaluation of changes in perceptions, beliefs, and behaviour during the self-administered intervention
• Reflection on progress and challenges in implementing the self-administered intervention
• Reflection of how self-administered intervention experiences might inform future use of the intervention with others
• Quality of your written communication, including accurate APA referencing and adherence to word count.

Your use of appropriate, peer-reviewed and reputable sources will be assessed across all marking criteria.

Detailed information regarding assessment requirements and criteria for assessment can be found in the Unit and Assessment Guide on Moodle.