Industrial/Organizational Psychology with Lab & Sims
Price
TBA
Duration
2 Quarters, 1 Semester
Table of Contents
COURSE OBJECTIVE
Industrial/Organizational Psychology (I/O psychology) is a field of psychology that applies the fundamental scientific principles of psychology to the workplace environment to make work more fun and more productive. The practice of I/O psychology has been in existence for approximately 100 years, mostly as a result of the Industrial Revolution.
The industrial aspect of the field focuses on job analysis, training and performance appraisal, while the organizational side of the field is more concerned with relationships among employees. Employees feel more valued and are more productive when they are adequately trained, supported and treated with respect. Employers who utilize these practices benefit with increased revenue overall.
Besides being educated in psychology and research methods, I/O psychologists must also receive training in labor laws, management/administration, communication, and data analytics. I/O psychologists are usually hired or contracted by a company to address a variety of issues. These psychologists employ their skills to identify any needed training, formulate employee service programs, coach management or other upper-level professionals, and even assess customer satisfaction. More often than not, they work in conjunction with the entity's human resources department.
The objective of this course is to teach you how to evaluate and analyze industries and organizations on a psychological level. You will cover topics such as job analysis; employee selection, training, and motivation; leadership and conflict; the psychology of groups; and mental health in the workplace.
COURSE FORMAT
The class meets 90 minutes twice a week (M/W or T/Th) for 20 weeks. Like all other courses in our curriculum, Industrial/Organizational Psychology with Virtual Labs and Sims consists of two components: asynchronous and synchronous learning.
We use the Psychology 301: Industrial/Organizational Psychology course for the asynchronous flipped classroom portion of the course. This makes up 30% of your overall grade.
Your academy instructor will facilitate the virtual in-person synchronous portion of the course. This makes up 60% of your overall grade.
Asynchronous Learning
Psychology 301: Industrial/Organizational Psychology course on Study.com was created by a panel of expert instructors who break down concepts with bite-sized, animated video lessons organized into topical chapters that improve comprehension and retention, making learning fun and engaging. Each video is approximately 5-10 minutes long and comes with a quick quiz to help you measure your "first exposure learning" during the pre-work phase before the actual class. At the end of each chapter, you will complete a chapter test to see if you're ready to move on or have some material to review.
You should expect to spend 50-70 minutes per week on these homework assignments. The academy intentionally schedules no classes on Fridays to provide dedicated time for homework assignments and out-of-class projects.
Synchronous Learning
Our academy instructor, who will also serve as your Gamemaster, will facilitate the live, virtual classroom sessions, which will supplement and build upon the Psychology 301: Industrial/Organizational Psychology course. Additionally, they will answer any questions you may have about the asynchronous material.
Our in-person sessions are designed to make learning fun and interactive! Here's what you can expect:
Interactive discussions: We will delve deeper into key concepts from the asynchronous material and address any common misconceptions.
Team-based activities: You'll work collaboratively with your fellow students to earn points and badges, and climb the leaderboard as you embark on scientific adventures!
Labs and
Simulations: We will conduct virtual labs and simulations to provide hands-on experience with key concepts, like individual, group, and organizational dynamics, as well as workplace motivation and reward systems.
Exams
There will be a comprehensive mid-term exam over all content covered during the first quarter and a comprehensive final exam over all content covered during the second quarter. Both of these exams are weighted equally, and the combined average will count as 10% of your course grade.
COURSE TOPICS
Chapters: 14; Lessons: 158
INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION BOARD
Each chapter features an interactive discussion board powered by Discussion Hero, a gamified platform developed by Northwestern University. Students choose between "hero" and "villain" roles and avatars, earning points for their contributions. This fosters a sense of competition and engagement, making discussions even more rewarding.
Benefits of Participating in Discussions:
Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills: Go beyond memorization and passive learning by analyzing information, evaluating different perspectives, and forming your own conclusions.
Enhance communication skills: Practice clear communication, learn to articulate your ideas effectively, and develop respectful listening and rebuttal skills.
Fosters a collaborative learning environment: Learn from each other, share knowledge, and collaborate on problem-solving, creating a dynamic and enriching learning community.
Deepen your understanding of the content: Actively engaging with the course material through discussion solidifies and expands your understanding beyond lectures and readings.
Provides diverse perspectives: Discussions expose you to different viewpoints and interpretations, encouraging critical thinking and broadening your understanding of the subject matter.
Offers opportunities for self-reflection: Examining your own thoughts and arguments in response to prompts and engaging with others' perspectives helps solidify your learning and identify areas for further exploration.
Apply knowledge to real-world scenarios: Apply course concepts to real-world situations through discussions, enhancing the material's relevance.
Build a digital learning portfolio: Discussions serve as a reference for your learning journey, allowing you to revisit key concepts and track your progress.
Develop digital literacy: Discussions provide a platform to practice online communication etiquette, including respectful disagreement, constructive argumentation, and responsible information sharing.
To actively engage in meaningful learning and reap the benefits mentioned above, participation in each chapter's discussion board is expected and will contribute to your overall grade. Your instructor will provide a clear rubric within Discussion Hero outlining the expectations for participation and how your contributions will be evaluated. This ensures consistent and transparent assessment while allowing you to showcase your understanding and critical thinking skills throughout the course.
LABS AND DEMONSTRATIONS
To strengthen high school psychology curriculums, the American Psychological Association (APA), with the assistance of a dedicated group of high school and college teachers, created a series of lab exercises. Each of the exercises provides high school students with the opportunity to plan and carry out investigations utilizing laboratory procedures just as would occur in biology, chemistry, and physics courses, including suggestions for data analysis and preparation of lab reports.
The APA has also developed and made available an online psychology laboratory that includes dozens of interactive labs and demonstrations across several domains in psychology. These, too, present data for analysis.
Your instructor will select specific lab exercises and demonstrations from these resources to enhance your learning experience, utilizing them for individual and small-group assignments..
The APA lab exercises provide high school students with the opportunity to:
Develop critical thinking skills through designing, conducting, and analyzing research investigations using the scientific method.
Gain experience with the scientific method, including hypothesis development, data collection, and analysis.
Practice applying research methods and data analysis techniques.
Learn to interpret psychological findings and draw evidence-based conclusions.
VIRTUAL SIMULATIONS
The Sims 4: Your Virtual Behavioral Science Lab
Imagine exploring human behavior not just through lectures, textbooks, and case studies, but by creating virtual worlds and shaping the lives of the virtual people (Sims) who inhabit them! Our innovative virtual simulations, featuring the popular game The Sims 4, bring key concepts in behavioral science to life in a fun and effective way.
The Sims 4 isn't just a game – it's a life simulation powerhouse, with some role-playing game (RPG) elements, that caters to diverse learners. This open-world environment empowers you to create your own narratives and experiment with theories of I/O psychology in a safe, controlled setting. Unlike traditional games, The Sims 4 has no set goals or win/lose conditions, allowing you to focus on maximizing your learning impact.
Throughout the course, you'll participate in various solo and team-based simulated challenges related to key themes and concepts in I/O psychology. Your instructor will provide clear guidelines, including the theme, backstory, learning objectives, goals, rules, constraints, and scoring rubrics. Additionally, they may offer suggestions on other parameters such as storyline, Sim traits, or other demographic characteristics like age, marital status, profession, lifestyle, and socioeconomic background, to ensure a comprehensive and dynamic learning environment.
Ready to Dive Deeper?
If you're new to the game, you can explore specific aspects of The Sims 4 and how they contribute to our virtual simulations.
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Assignments are intended to assess your application, analysis, and critical thinking skills in relation to the concepts you learn in the course. Two assignments are required for this course.
The first course assignment comes in the form of a written project report. Building on the knowledge you gained throughout the course, you'll be tasked with writing a comprehensive diagnosis of an organization. You'll be asked to:
Describe an organization's practices
Come up with solutions based on your diagnosis
The second-course assignment comes in the form of an 1800 - 2000 word paper. Building on the knowledge you gained throughout the course, you'll be tasked with addressing the psychological health of your workforce. You'll be asked to:
Define and describe psychological health in the workplace
Describe and analyze factors that are contributing to poor morale
Propose solutions and discuss how you will prevent these issues from recurring in the future
FOR EACH OF THESE ASSIGNMENTS: As part of your research, you must include a mix of both primary and secondary sources, with at least one source from a scholarly peer-reviewed journal.
Primary sources are first-hand accounts such as interviews, advertisements, speeches, company documents, statements, and press releases published by the company in question.
Secondary sources come from peer-reviewed scholarly journals, such as the American Journal of Psychology. You may use like JSTOR, Google Scholar, and American Psychological Association to find articles from these journals. Secondary sources may also come from reputable websites with .gov, .edu, or .org in the domain. (Wikipedia is not a reputable source, though the sources listed in Wikipedia articles may be acceptable.)
These assignments will make impressive additions to your online portfolio by showcasing your passion for psychology and research to college admission officers and potential employers for summer internships.
COURSE OUTCOMES
After completing this course, you will be able to:
Discuss the field of industrial/organizational psychology, describe what it is, and outline its history.
Compare and contrast social scientific research methods, and how social scientific research methodology is used by I/O psychologists.
Examine how jobs are analyzed, how workers are recruited and selected for jobs, how workers' job performance is evaluated, and how workers are trained.
Examine psychological states that influence employee work behavior, such as the motivation to work, the satisfaction one gets from a job, and the stress that occurs because of job demands.
Relate how workers interact in the formation of work groups and larger work organizations and critique interactions of workers and work groups.
Evaluate the impact of leadership styles on employee motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational performance.
Analyze the role of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and its effects on team dynamics and organizational culture.
Examine the psychological factors influencing employee engagement and its correlation with productivity and retention rates.
Assess the effectiveness of performance appraisal systems in providing constructive feedback and fostering employee development.
Explore the concept of organizational culture and its influence on employee behavior, decision-making, and job satisfaction.
Discuss the psychological principles underlying effective communication strategies in the workplace.
Critically evaluate the ethical considerations involved in conducting research in industrial/organizational psychology.
Investigate the psychological theories and methodologies applied in talent management and succession planning.
Examine the impact of technological advancements and automation on job design, employee morale, and organizational structure.
Propose strategies for managing organizational change effectively, considering psychological factors such as resistance to change and organizational readiness.
PREREQUISITES
There are no prerequisites for this course, but most students prefer to complete Psychology 101: Intro to Psychology.
COLLEGE OR DUAL CREDIT
Psychology 301: Industrial/Organizational Psychology has been evaluated and recommended by ACE for 3 semester hours and may be transferred to over 2,000 colleges and universities. If you're seeking college credit, after completing this course, you can take the online proctored exam at any time for an additional fee.
Your Instructor
TBD
