Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2024-2025

Module PSYC3747: Occupational and Organisational Psychology

Department: Psychology

PSYC3747: Occupational and Organisational Psychology

Type Open Level 3 Credits 10 Availability Available in 2024/2025 Module Cap 60 Location Durham

Prerequisites

  • • 60 credits from Level 2 Psychology

Corequisites

  • • None

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • • None

Aims

  • In this module you will learn about the psychology of how people think and behave at work, with a focus on wellbeing, performance, leadership, teamwork, human resource management, and diversity. You will learn about how psychological theory applies to the workplace and hear from real-world professionals about how these concepts are applied in practice.

Content

  • This module examines the psychology of how people think and behave at work
  • Example module topics include leadership, recruitment & selection, teamwork, motivation, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, human resource management, organisational change, diversity & inclusion, psychological assessment, wellbeing, learning, training, & development, and human resource management.
  • The module will also cover related conceptual, contemporary, and legal issues in the field.
  • The module will feature guest speakers and professional panel discussions from varied non-academic roles, discussing how these concepts are applied in practice.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • Detailed knowledge of occupational and organisational psychology, including current theory and evidence.
  • An understanding of how psychological theory and evidence drives organisational decision-making in practice.
  • An introduction to the practices and processes underlying the human resource function within organisations.
  • An understanding of the job application process and knowledge of relevant professional skills.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Ability to review critically and consolidate understanding of a coherent body of psychological knowledge and apply it appropriately
Key Skills:
  • Good written communication skills
  • Good IT skills in word processing
  • Ability to work independently in scholarship and research within broad guidelines
  • Ability to convey psychological concepts to a non-academic audience

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

  • Students' acquisition of detailed knowledge will be facilitated by lectures, interactive problem-based-learning tasks, audio-visual materials, discussions and reading lists
  • These modes of teaching provide students with detailed knowledge of the key theories and the skills needed to evaluate different theoretical positions in light of current evidence
  • The summative coursework will assess students' detailed subject knowledge via several short “episodes” of a video blog / podcast produced during the module. The total video blog length will not exceed 20 minutes, and may be broken down into 2-4 episodes
  • An assessment of the range, recency, and appropriateness of evidence presented will be included in the overall assessment of the video blog
  • The use of group discussions and interactive problem-based-learning tasks will ensure that students are exposed to a range of different theoretical positions, and encouraged to understand their inter-relations
  • Lectures, discussions, and interactive problem-based-learning tasks will also give students the opportunity to interpret and evaluate the significance of empirical work
  • Training, resources, and formative feedback on video blog production will be provided to students during the module
  • The summative video blog assesses students' acquired knowledge of theoretical principles and empirical studies and their ability to organise and synthesise them coherently and critically in a manner which is scientifically rigorous yet accessible to non-academics
  • The video blog will also assess students' verbal communication skills

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 10 1 per week 2 hours 20
Preparation and Reading 80
Total 100

Summative Assessment

Component: Coursework Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Video Blog 20 minutes 100%

Formative Assessment:

Students will post a short (<5min) video blog/podcast episode on a forum on Blackboard Ultra midway through the term and recieve peer feedback and feedback from the instructor


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