Module PSYS1081: ADVANCED IT AND STUDY SKILLS FOR PSYCHOLOGY

Department: Psychology (Applied Psychology) [Queen's Campus, Stockton]

PSYS1081: ADVANCED IT AND STUDY SKILLS FOR PSYCHOLOGY

Prerequisites

• The result of the students streaming exam is high enough for registration on the Advanced Information Technology course.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• Basic IT and Study Skills for Psychology

Aims

• To make students confident, competent and comfortable in using basic and more advanced information technology in the concept of academic and workplace environments.
• To encourage teamwork in students and reflection on the learning process.
• To provide skills in writing and referencing and in the use of library and other resources for obtaining information in psychology.

Content

• This module provides IT skills which are of use for academic study and a future workplace environment.
• Each session consists of practical demonstrations with supporting teaching materials that reinforce and expand the topics covered in the sessions.
• It also provides a background to skills, useful in studying at undergraduate level, including reflection on the learning process, presentations within a group setting and the use of information sources for compiling knowledge relevant for psychology.
• Assessment is by in-course assessment and assignments.

Learning Outcomes

• On successful completion the student will be able to understand and make productive use of computer software for basic tasks such as email, word-processing and the creation of simple spreadsheets.
• They will be able to use these practical skills in the creation of documents, bibliographies and spreadsheets, for example, producing an annotated bibliography of a topic within psychology.
• They will be able to produce a reflective journal of learning experiences and to make short presentations of work within a group setting.

• Students will be able to collate bibliographic information in Psychology.

• Students will be able to organise information.
• Students will acquire basic skills in IT, word-processing and the presentation of information.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• IT beyond the basics is skills based learning requiring initially, step-by-step explanation and instruction.
• This approach is adopted in lab sessions through the use of detailed booklets and practical demonstrations.
• Skills assessment will be through formative exercises and skill-specific summative assessments.
• Creative use of IT will be tested via assignments based on academic study.
• Study Skills is managed through group projects and team exercises.
• Individual reflection is assessed by the requirement to keep a journal.
• Skills in information collection are assessed by construction of a bibliography on a topic within psychology.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Written and PC based exercises accompany most lab sessions. There will be a voluntary "streaming" assessment early in the course. Students passing to the required standard will transfer from Basic IT and Study Skills in Psychology to the Advanced IT and Study Skills in Psychology module. To pass the assessment students would normally be required to obtain 50% or greater in the following sections: file management; library databases; email; world wider web; the responsible use of computers; they would also normally be expected to achieve a mark of 70% or greater in word processing and the use of spreadsheet software. Study Skills - Time management.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University