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PSYC11011 - Current Trends in Psychology

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This is an introductory unit designed to provide you with up-to-date knowledge of the latest trends in both research and careers in psychology and the social sciences. It is a vehicle for the presentation of practical information, opportunities in Psychology and a chance to hear visiting speakers talk about their own careers and/or research. If you are pursuing a career in psychology or the social sciences then this unit will be useful in highlighting career paths available, including research opportunities. The aim is to assist you in making informed decisions about your options and study plan across their course of enrollment. There will also be some practical instruction on essay writing skills and critical thinking which will help you with other subsequent units. You will also have an opportunity to learn about research from an applied perspective and apply critical thinking through participation in and writing about current research projects.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2019

Term 2 - 2019 Profile
Bundaberg
Online
Rockhampton
Term 2 - 2020 Profile
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 2 - 2021 Profile
Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 1 - 2022 Profile
Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 3 - 2022 Profile
Online
Term 1 - 2023 Profile
Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 3 - 2023 Profile
Online
Term 1 - 2024 Profile
Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 3 - 2024 Profile
Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Portfolio 10%
2. Online discussion forum 20%
3. Annotated bibliography 20%
4. Written Assessment 50%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 90.32% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 24.60% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Student feedback, self reflection
Feedback
The ability of individual students to work in a group was not adequately assessed.
Recommendation
Incorporate self- and peer-evaluation of group work, as well as include groupwork as a criteria in the group presentation marking rubric.
Action Taken
Assessment 2 was modified to include a self-and peer-evaluation of group work.
Source: Self reflection
Feedback
Groups were allocated randomly in week 1. However, the addition and withdrawal of students in the first few weeks of term negatively impacted the equality of group numbers and the ability of groups to begin the task
Recommendation
Allocate groups after Census date (week 4). Consider changing the group size to 5.
Action Taken
Students were allocated into groups at the beginning of week 4 into groups of 5.
Source: Deputy Dean (Learning and Teaching) Office
Feedback
Including a must-pass grade of 60% for Assessment 2 needs to be amended due to this unit being a first year, first term unit.
Recommendation
Reduce the pass rate for Assessment 2 to 25/50 (50%).
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Deputy Dean (Learning and Teaching) Office
Feedback
The assessments for this unit are all due at the end of the term and should be more evenly distributed.
Recommendation
Bring forward the due date for Assessment 3 (e-portfolio) from week 13 to week 5. This will require an adjustment to the schedule and content relating to portfolios.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Student feedback, unit coordinator reflection, Deputy Dean (Learning and Teaching) Office
Feedback
Allocating groups after the census date (week 4) does not allow enough time for groups to complete their task.
Recommendation
Allocate groups by the end of week 2 of the term. This will require an adjustment to the schedule and content relating to groupwork.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Distinguish and make informed decisions about the diverse career paths and fields of study within psychology and the social sciences.
  2. Apply critical thinking to current research in the field of psychology and the social sciences.
  3. Synthesise ideas and extract themes from current psychological literature
  4. Communicate ideas effectively in writing and in adherence with APA style.
  5. Articulate the key values and principles of psychology and the study of human behaviour across a range of research fields within psychology.
  6. Interpret research findings with consideration to diverse populations and individual differences.
  7. Apply the principles of effective learning to your own study as the basis for successful lifelong learning.


Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Portfolio
2 - Online discussion forum
3 - Annotated bibliography
4 - Written Assessment
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2 - Online discussion forum
3 - Annotated bibliography
4 - Written Assessment
1 - Portfolio