PSYCHOLOGY 3200 Industrial Psychology: Personnel Selection Mixed Mode COURSE OUTLINE

Transcription

1 Instructor PSYCHOLOGY 3200 Industrial Psychology: Personnel Selection Mixed Mode COURSE OUTLINE Dr. Ross M. Woolley. address: Office B252N. Phone: (604) Readings Catano, Victor M., Wiesner, W.H., Hackett, Rick D., & Methot, Laura J. (2010). Recruitment and Selection in Canada. (4 th. ed.). Nelson Education. Supplemental readings are listed in the course syllabus. Many will be provided via links within the course content in Blackboard, while others will be distributed as hand outs in class. Office Hours I'll be discussing my office hours during the first two weeks of class. We'll identify some times which work. I can also be reached by in two ways: (a) my address at Langara listed above, and (b) my in our course in Blackboard. Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes Psychology 3200 is designed for students who are interested in learning more about a specific area within the field of industrial psychology called personnel selection. The main focus will be on how industrial psychologists approach the assessment of jobs and the assessment of applicants for those jobs. Topics for the term will include: measurement principals underlying personnel selection (reliability, validity), job analysis, performance appraisal, cognitive testing, personality testing, assessment centers, interviewing, and utility analysis. We will study key research in personnel selection. While the course if primarily a theories (rather than skills) course, students will have the opportunity to experience some of the selection and job profiling methods that we will study first-hand.

2 At the conclusion of this course, students will: Understand how jobs and individuals are profiled in the field of industrial psychology, Be able to identify appropriate methods of analyzing jobs and conduct a basic job analysis, Understand how industrial psychologists measure job performance, Be able to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various selection procedures in terms of their practicality, validity, and utility, Have first -hand experience with various methods of assessing jobs and people. Course Structure and Overview Class times are: Mondays from 2:30 4:20. On Mondays we meet in the classroom. You will also be expected to spend at least 2 hours on line each week. You should set aside roughly two hours for on-line activities during each week. Naturally, you will also need to invest additional time to do your readings, assignments, exam preparation, etc. On Wednesdays, starting in about Week 4, you will also attend a one-hour group project meeting. Class activities will include: lectures, group activities (instructor-led workshops, student-led review of articles), case studies, and discussions. On-line activities will consist of reading articles or reviewing websites through web links, taking questionnaires/tests as well as participation in the discussion forum. Each week, you will be assigned readings from the textbook and supplementary readings available on line. You will often link to other web sites to obtain information or read an article via a link to our library. You will complete assignments roughly every other week. On-line Discussion Some of your on-line activity will be dedicated to the discussion board. I will post some discussion questions for each week of the course (three or so) and you will participate just as you would participate during an in-class discussion. You are required to make a minimum of 3 posts per week for a total point value of 27 over the entire semester (3 posts per week X 9 weeks). In addition to reading and responding to posts that the instructor makes, students are also required to create their own discussion topics/questions to which other students can respond. These must relate in some way to what we are studying that week. Students who post will be expected to moderate the topic (read the other students responses to your post) and make comments and/or encourage other discussion. Students will be awarded 3 points for each of their two posts for a total point value of 6 points for the semester. Thus, total point value for the term is 33 (27 + 6). This is an easy way to boost your grade, provided that you invest time each week in reading the posts and formulating your own responses.

3 You must keep up with discussion posts. I will only grade contributions made during the relevant week. So, for example, in Week 2 of the course I will only grade posts made up until the 23 rd (Friday) at 5PM. After the cut-off for each week, the discussion posts will be locked out. So, for example, you will not be able to make posts for Week 2 on September the 24 th. I m not trying to be difficult; I just want to emphasize the importance of keeping current with your postings and using your on-line time each week productively. 10% of your grade is based upon Discussion participation. I expect that you'll find this to be a challenging but engaging course. You will be busy with the readings, assignments, and discussion topics. You'll find the Discussion forum is a great way for all students to participate, even those who might be reluctant to speak up in class. Assignments There are assignments roughly every other week. These become available on-line at the beginning of the week via Blackboard and are due early the following week. Take note of the deadline; you'll see the deadline posted within the assignment as well as on the calendar. The Blackboard assignment system will not allow you to submit assignments late. If you're going to be late with assignments, contact me in class or by to make alternate arrangements. Exams There are three term exams and one final. The term exams will take place during Week 5, Week 8, and Week 11 on the Monday of that week. The final exam will be scheduled during the regular final exam week. We won't know the date and time for the final until mid way through the term. Group Project Students will participate in and complete a group project, culminating in a group presentation during Week 11 or 12 and submission of a final group report. I'll provide a lot more information about the group project later in the term. Wednesdays have been dedicated as a meeting time for your group but you will undoubtedly need to schedule additional meeting times as well. I will not be facilitating these meetings but I am available for consultation.

4 Tentative Schedule Dates Topics Readings Week 1 September 12 Introduction and Overview of Course Overview of Blackboard, using the Discussion function, , etc. Introduction to the field of Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Chapter 1 Week 2 September 19 Week 3 September 26 Week 4 October 3 Week 5 October 10 is a holiday. Week 6 October 17 Week 7 October 24 Week 8 October 31 Week 9 Measurement concepts: individual differences, reliability, validity, regression, correlation. Conducting a validation study: the case of MTS. Job Analysis: Profiling jobs, KSAO s, competencies. Methods and best practices. Conducting a basic job analysis using the critical incident technique. Performance Measurement: Models of job performance, methods for assessing employee performance (BARS, 360-degree assessment). Developing a competency-based performance appraisal system using BARS. Exam 1: Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5 and selected readings. Exam 1 will be held on-line. Cognitive Ability Testing: Definition and measurement of intelligence and g. Issues in measurement of IQ. Validity of measures of IQ. Chapter 2 Hakstian, A. R., Woolley, R. M., Woolsey, L. K., Kryger, B. R. (1991). Management selection by multiple domain assessment: I. Concurrent validity. Educational & Psychological Measurement, 51, Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 8 Gottfredson, Linda S. (1998). The general intelligence factor. Scientific American. Personality Assessment: Models of personality measurement. Focus on the Big 5. Validity of personality testing and tests. Review of key personality measures. Honesty testing. Emotional intelligence. Assessment Centers: Defining the assessment center method. Types of simulations and associated validity. Work samples and simulations. Leadership. Exam 2: Chapter 8 and selected readings. Chapter 8 Hogan, Robert. (2005). In defense of personality measurement: new wine for old whiners. Human Performance, 18, Chapter 8 Chapter 9 November 7 The Selection Interview: Types of employment interviews: situational, behavioural, structured versus unstructured interviews. Evidence on validity. Week 10 Decision Making: Translating validity into utility. Chapter 10

5 November 14 Week 11 November 21 Week 12 November 28 Week 13 December 5-13 Combining selection data. Types of error in decision making. Methods of measuring utility. Group Presentations Group Presentations Final Exam Week: Date TBA. Final exam is cumulative, but more heavily weighted with questions based on Chapters 9 and 10. Hakstian, A. R., Woolley, R. M., Woolsey, L. K., Kryger, B. R. (1991). Management selection by multiple domain assessment: II. Utility to the organization. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 51, No readings this week. No readings this week. Review all course readings for final exam.

6 Evaluation Exam # 1 10% Exam # 2 10% Final Exam 20% Discussion Postings 10% Assignments 20% Group Project 30% Grades Your overall grade will reflect your mastery of the material as measured by all of the indicators, listed above. The cut-off scores for the various grade categories are as follows: Letter Grade % A A A B B B C C C D F 0-49 You will receive a "W" grade if you withdraw from the course. If a student wishes to receive a "W", s/he must withdraw prior to the deadline.

7 Missed Tests, Assignments, Discussion Posts If you miss one of the above, then you will receive a grade of "0", unless you: 1. notify me in advance of the due date, and provide a compelling reason for why you will be absent, or 2. provide me with a doctor's note documenting your illness if you notify me of your illness AFTER the exam. It is a really, really, really good idea to notify me in advance if you are going to be late with an assignment, quiz, or cannot make a scheduled exam. I m accommodating, but much less so if you contact me several days late without a valid (e.g., medical) excuse. Additional Recommended Sources Additional, supplementary sources (web-sites, articles) will be listed as we review each appropriate topic. Although students may not be tested on the content of these additional sources, they will greatly aid in student understanding of the topic. Staying in Touch I cannot stress to you enough the importance of staying in touch, both in the class room and online. I will post updates on the calendar and send s to you frequently so it is important that you log on most days just to keep up to date on events.