Psychology 272 - Industrial Psychology

Business 272 / Psychology 272
Industrial Psychology
Winter, 2022
Professor Frank McAndrew
Office Phone: 309-341-7525
email: fmcandre@knox.edu

Time & Place: 6th period MWF, Room E-117 SMAC.

Office Hours:

I will be available in my office every day during 5th period and also on Tuesdays & Thursdays during 6th period. I will also be glad to schedule one-on-one meetings or video conferences with you if my office hours do not line up with your schedule - just send me an email and we will set something up.

PLEASE GET IN THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR EMAIL DAILY! - This is the primary way in which I will communicate with you.

The Textbook:
Industrial/Organizational Psychology (8th edition) by M. G. Aamodt
(ISBN: 978-1-305-11842-3
Using the 7th edition of this book is also acceptable.
In addition to the above text, there are a number of readings that can be downloaded from this web page. These readings are listed at the bottom of this page.

PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT WEB PAGE

PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT WRITING POLICY

INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS

Introduction to the Course
Welcome to Psychology 272, also cross-listed as Business 272! I sincerely hope that you have a good experience this term and that at the end you think it was time well spent.

The format for the classes in this course will be primarily lecture and discussion, with a number of in-class activities. Your final grade will be the average percentage of four tests and three written assignments. THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT WRITING POLICY WILL BE APPLIED TO ALL WRITTEN PROJECTS. No make up tests will be given without prior permission and a very good excuse. The tests will be based on the textbook, the outside readings, and class lectures. The last test will be given during final examination week, but it is not a comprehensive final exam.

Your learning will be assessed by the quality of the written work that you hand in and your performance on a series of four tests. Every course that you take is designed to help you acquire knowledge and skills. The departmental learning goals & competencies assessed in this course include the following:

1) Understand the basic theoretical approaches and classic empirical findings of psychology.

2) Effectively communicate with clear, grammatically-correct writing.

Goal #1 will be assessed via the tests.

Goal# 2 will be assessed via the written assignments

DATE & TOPIC: ASSIGNED READING

Monday, January 3 – Introduction to Industrial Psychology Chapter 1

Wednesday, January 5 – Research Methods in Industrial Psych Chapter 1

Friday, January 7 – Research Methods in Industrial Psych Chapter 1

Monday, January 10 – Career Choice and Career Development Outside Readings #1 & 2

Wednesday, January 12 – The Problem of “The Criterion” & Job Analysis Chapter 2

Friday, January 14 – Job Analysis Chapter 2

Written Assignment #1 – Holland’s Vocational Preference Inventory

Due Date: Monday, January 17

Monday, January 17 – Legal Issues in Employee Selection Chapter 3

Wednesday, January 19 – Legal Issues in Employee Selection Chapter 3

TEST #1 (Friday, January 21) Chapters 1, 2, & 3

Outside Readings #1 & 2

Monday, January 24 – Employee Recruiting & Selection Chapters 4, 5, 6

Outside Readings #3, 4, 5, 6

Wednesday, January 26 – Employee Recruiting & Selection (same as previous date)

Friday, January 28 – Employee Recruiting & Selection (same as previous date)

Monday, January 31 – Employee Recruiting & Selection (same as previous date)

Wednesday, February 2 – Employee Recruiting & Selection (same as previous date)

TEST #2 (Friday, February 4) Chapters 4, 5, & 6

Outside Readings #3, 4, 5, 6 Monday, February 7 – Performance Evaluation Chapter 7; Outside Readings #7 & 8

Wednesday, February 9 – Performance Evaluation Chapter 7; Outside Readings #7 & 8

Friday, February 11 – Performance Evaluation Chapter 7; Outside Readings #7 & 8

Written Assignment #2 – Performance Evaluation Criteria

Due Date: Monday, February 14

Monday, February 14 – Designing and Evaluating Training Programs Chapter 8

Wednesday, February 16 – The Physical Design of Workspaces pp. 550-557 &

Outside Readings #9, 10, 11

Friday, February 18 – The Physical Design of Workspaces (same as previous date)

TEST #3 (Monday, February 21) Chapters 7 & 8 + pp. 550-557

Outside Readings #7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Wednesday, February 23 – Employee Motivation Chapter 9 & pp. 524-530;

Outside Readings #12, 13, 14

Friday, February 25 – Employee Motivation (same as previous date)

Monday, February 28 – Employee Motivation (same as previous date)

Wednesday, March 2 – The Work Environment: Health, Safety, & Job Stress Chapter 15 &

Outside Readings#15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Friday, March 4 – The Work Environment: Health, Safety, & Job Stress (same as previous date)

Written Assignment #3 – Understanding What Motivates You

Due Date: Monday, March 7

Monday, March 7 – The Work Environment: Health, Safety, & Job Stress (same as previous date)

TEST #4 (During Scheduled Final Exam Time)

Chapters 9 & 15 + pp. 524-530; Outside Readings #12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

GRADING
Your grade will be based upon the average percentage score of your four test scores and three written assignments. The written assignments are fairly brief, and two of them are specifically designed to help you sort out some career-relevant information about yourselves. The average grade that you receive on these three assignments will be weighted into your final grade in the course as the equivalent of one test.
Here are the grade cutoffs: A = 93%; A- = 90%; B+ = 88%; B = 83%; B- = 80%; C+ = 78%; C = 73%; C- = 70%; D+ = 68%; D = 63%; D- = 60%; F < 60%.

THE TESTS
The tests will be based on the textbook, the outside readings, and things that I cover in class that may not be found in the readings.

There will be four tests, each covering approximately three textbook chapters and several outside readings. The tests will be a combination of multiple-choice and short-answer essay questions. Each test will be designed to be completed within the scheduled class period, and no electronic devices or other resources can be used during the test. In other words, these will NOT be open-book tests.

The last test is scheduled during the final exam period, but it is NOT a comprehensive final exam – it is simply the last test.

THE WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

This term, you will engage in a variety of in-class activities designed to make you more familiar with the concepts you are studying in the text. There will be three projects that will count toward your final grade. Each assignment will result in a brief written paper (2 to 3 pages).

These assignments are fairly brief, and two of them are specifically designed to help you sort out some career-relevant information about yourselves. The average grade that you receive on these three assignments will be weighted into your final grade in the course as the equivalent of one test. The details of these assignments will be presented to you in class, but a general description of each is listed below.

Project #1 – Holland’s Vocational Preference Inventory (Due Date: Monday, January 19)

Dr. John L. Holland has created a very influential instrument for helping individuals to explore what occupations might be good for them to pursue. His instrument is known as The Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI). In your first written assignment, you will be doing a self-assessment of your occupational interests by using a shortened, online version of Holland's VPI. After analyzing the results of your occupational interests, you will write a reflective essay in which you discuss your reactions to your assessment.

CLICK HERE to download the instructions for this assignment.

CLICK HERE to access the website where you will assess your vocational interests.

Project #2 - The Problem of Criteria in Performance Evaluation

(Due Date: Monday, February 14)

It is more difficult than it might first appear to develop valid criteria for evaluating the performance of employees. Your assignment in this project is to develop criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of sales representatives for a major toy company.

The sales reps are responsible for establishing and servicing accounts with retailers who will carry the company's toys on its shelves. The job entails getting the retailers to purchase toys from the company for sale to the public. The sales reps are responsible for finding new clients as well as for keeping the old ones satisfied. The sales reps are assigned to territories, with the more senior employees getting the choice of the most desirable territories. Territories can differ greatly in terms of such things as geographic area covered, population base, and average number and size of retail stores in the territory.

Your assignment will be evaluated according to how well you get around the criteria problems we have discussed, such as contamination and the problem of using "hard" vs. "soft" criteria. In your proposal, be very specific about exactly what measurements would be used, when they will be taken, how often they will be taken, and so on. Be sure to defend your decision.

Project #3 – Understanding What Motivates you (Due Date: Monday, March 7)

There are many different incentives to get employees to work hard. Some of these incentives are intrinsic motivators, which are qualities of the work itself that make work tasks absorbing, enjoyable, and satisfying. Other incentives are extrinsic in nature, in that they are outcomes of the work such as money and status that enable an individual to acquire other things that are important to him or her. In this project, you will be presented with a long list of possible motivators. From this, you will select a shorter list of things that you think will be most important to you on the job that you get after college. You will then do an analysis of this selected list and write a reflective essay about the types of work incentives are most relevant to you. Please note that the first stage of this project requires that you be in class on the day that we identify your work incentives.

CLICK HERE to download the instructions for this assignment.