APAC Accreditation Assessment Summary Report

APAC Accreditation Assessment Summary Report Higher Education Provider University of Western Australia, School of Psychology Date of Determination 15 April 2013 Standards Version June 2010 ver 10 Programs of Study Assessed for Bachelor of Arts Accreditation Bachelor of Science Diploma in Science (Psychology) Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Bachelor of Science (Honours) Master of Clinical Psychology Master of Clinical Psychology (extended) Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Clinical Psychology Master of Clinical Neuropsychology Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Clinical Neuropsychology Master of Industrial and Organisational Psychology Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Industrial and Organisational Psychology This is a summary of the outcomes of an APAC accreditation assessment of the School of Psychology at the University of Western Australia (UWA) and its programs of study. This summary highlights selected key features of the assessment. Comprehensive analysis of the assessment is contained in the full APAC Assessment Team Report. Major changes have occurred at UWA since the last accreditation visit with a new Faculty structure and a new undergraduate program of study structure being introduced in 2012. There has also been some restructuring of the postgraduate programs. The School is situated in the Faculty of Science and the Head of School is an established researcher with an international profile. The School has a very strong research culture and in the 2012 ERA exercise, the School received a ranking of 5. The School of Psychology at UWA currently meets all the Standards relating to the academic organisational unit, the School of Psychology. All but one of the degrees for which accreditation is sought conform with the relevant Standards relating to degree nomenclature. While the Diploma of Science (Psychology) does not conform to Standard 2.3.2 which uses the term Graduate Diploma, the UWA nomenclature is not misleading and satisfies the spirit of the Standard. 1

The profile of the academic staff in the School of Psychology meets the academic staffing Standards and student to staff ratio Standards for the professional program of study streams of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology and Industrial and Organisational Psychology are also met. The School support staff are organised into three teams Front Office, IT and Finance, each with a team leader. The assessors were impressed with the enthusiasm of the support staff and with their stated desire to assist the academic staff by taking on as many of the routine administrative tasks as possible. The School has excellent laboratory facilities with most of the staff having their own research labs. Office accommodation for both staff and postgraduate students is appropriate, although it is spread across a number of buildings on the campus. The teaching and computing facilities for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs are appropriate. It appears, however, that at an undergraduate level teaching space is at a premium and so any noticeable increase in enrolments may create space issues. The test library is attached to the clinic and the operating procedures are appropriate and it is well stocked in relation to the Clinical and Clinical Neuropsychology programs. There are relatively few tests relevant to the industrial and organisational program. However there are other psychometric resources available to the industrial and organisational students. Overall, the School of Psychology is well resourced and Standards for resources are clearly met. The School has a very strong research culture and this permeates the teaching. There is an admirable emphasis on the scientific basis of psychology and on the scientist-practitioner model. The School of Psychology meets all the relevant standards relating to teaching materials and methods. The School is commended on the manner in which it integrates research and teaching, the training they provide in research, and the strong emphasis on the scientist practitioner model in all their programs. Three-year undergraduate programs are offered in the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and the Bachelor of Science (BSc). The School of Psychology has two psychology majors, one in the BA entitled Psychology in Society and a different one in the BSc entitled Psychological Science. Only three units are shared between the two majors the two first year units and a second year research methods unit. To enter the fourth year, students in either the BA or BSc have to complete both their degree specific major and the major from the other degree, i.e. 13 units. It is this 13 unit sequence for which accreditation was sought. The fact that students will have completed this sequence will be reflected on their transcripts which will list both the degree major and the secondary major. In addition to the two Bachelors degrees, a three year sequence is offered via the Diploma in Science (Psychology) to students who have already completed a Bachelors degree. In this program, students are required to complete the 13 unit sequence that is taken in the Bachelor s degrees. In terms of content, the three year psychology sequence provides a very good training in the scientific study of psychology. Careful analysis of the units and the course structure revealed that students cannot avoid any of the core content areas. A variety of assessment methods are in use, including essays, laboratory reports, in-class tests, presentations and examinations. Inspection of assessed work indicated that it was of an appropriate standard and that the feedback given was appropriate. All Standards relating to undergraduate three year sequence programs of study have been met. Two fourth year psychology programs of study are offered at UWA the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and the Bachelor of Science (Honours). The structure and content of these courses are identical. To be eligible for entry students have to obtain a weighted average of 65% in the third year of study in 2

their Bachelor s degree. The School regards the Honours program as a capstone experience and see it as preparing students for the workforce, a research career and/or for entry into postgraduate applied programs. The strong emphasis on research is reflected in the titles of the three coursework units which are Psychological Research and Theory, Psychological Research and Data, and Psychological Theory and Practice. While Honours students are often part of a larger research group, they do produce an individual research project and participate in the various steps involved in the research. The fourth year Honours programs of study meet all the relevant standards. A four year Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) program of study is also offered at UWA. This is an exclusive research-orientated program for high-achieving students (ATAR of 98 or more) and it spans four Faculties. To remain in the program, students have to obtain a weighted average mean mark of 80% in first and second year, and 75% in their third year. Failure to do so would result in the student being transferred into the faculty appropriate Bachelor s degree. The fourth year for a Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) psychology student is identical to that for the BA and BSc Honours students. The Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) meets all Standards for the four year sequence programs of study. The School of Psychology offers professional programs in Clinical Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology, and Industrial and Organisational Psychology. For each of these programs there is a Masters course and this can be combined with a PhD. For the Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology programs, students are only selected for the combined Master s and PhD program of study and the Master s program is regarded as an exit award. For Clinical Psychology there is also a program of study entitled Master of Clinical Psychology (Extended) which is half a year longer than the standard Masters course and allows students to complete coursework on a broader range of topics. As there are no Standards relating to an extended Masters and this degree title incorporates the standard Master of Clinical Psychology, the accreditation status of this extended Masters program is the same as that of the Master of Clinical Psychology. The Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology programs share coursework units with the minimum overlap being 55% and the maximum 78% depending on the choice of electives in the Clinical program. The School has a well equipped clinic with numerous interview rooms of varying sizes which are equipped with the necessary observational and recording equipment. The clinic is used for the training of both the Clinical and Clinical Neuropsychology programs. The on campus practical training of the Industrial and Organisational Psychology students occurs in the Accelerated Learning Laboratory, a facility which is shared by the School of Psychology and the Business School. This recently renovated facility is purpose designed to suit the needs of practising Industrial and Organisational psychologists. In regards to the professional programs the accreditation assessors met with the staff, inspected teaching materials, assessment information, completed assignments, theses, and supervisors reports. The forms of assessment used are varied and include items such as oral presentations, designing and running a workshop, preparing an information brochure for a target audience, video role playing, essays, examinations, research papers, mock assessment reports, case reports, and practical testing exercises. For the industrial and organisational program, the sum of all this information indicated that the Standards for core capability assessment are met. In relation to the Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology programs, while the material seen by the assessors suggests that the core capabilities and attributes stated in Standard 5.1.12 are covered in the programs, the assessors were not able to assess the adequacy of the assessment of core competencies. Hence Standards 5.1.13-5.1.15 for core capabilities assessment were not met. 3

The nature and format of the logbook were changed in 2012 and now uses an electronic template. Students are required to regularly print their log book entries, have them signed by their supervisor and then add them to their personal log book file which is securely stored in the School. The supporting documentation given to students regarding the maintenance of log books is comprehensive and consistent with what is required by the Standards. Only a few Clinical and Clinical Neuropsychology student log books were available to the assessors for inspection. These were not found to be satisfactory. Standard 5.1.17 was not met for the Clinical and Clinical Neuropsychology programs. The log books for the Industrial and Organisational psychology students that were inspected were very detailed and found to be satisfactory. All three fifth and sixth year programs consist of a combination of coursework, research and practical placements and the Standards for program structure are all met. For the Clinical and Clinical Neuropsychology programs, the coursework content relating to the National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce, practice management, psychological files and record keeping, and managing people is adequately covered. In the Industrial and Organisational program, managing people is a core theme and that topic is well covered. However coverage of the National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce, and practice management, storing and accessing psychological files and record keeping, other than in a research context, is insufficient and therefore Standard 5.3.9 (b) and (c) are not met. For all three programs, the linkage between the research component and both the coursework and practical placement components is strong. That is a hallmark of the programs at UWA. The research training that the students receive in the professional programs is excellent and much of the research produced by students is of a publishable standard. All Standards pertaining to research are met for all professional programs. In the Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology programs there are three placements during which the students complete in excess of 1000 hours of supervised appropriate practical placement experience in a range of settings. The first placement is an internal one. Rather than being a single entity, the internal placement consists of a number of modules which have different foci. For instance, there are modules relating to healthy aging, smoking cessation or weight management. Some of the modules are linked to research projects which again highlights the strong emphasis on the scientist-practitioner model which underpins the training at UWA. All students are required to undertake a core module in the University Clinic but then must apply to participate in any of the additional modules. In both the Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology programs there are two external placements which are coordinated by a suitably qualified member of staff. These placements are of a minimum of 45 days duration. These placements occur in a wide range of agencies in Perth and surrounding areas, and are supervised by field supervisors who appear to be appropriately qualified. Because of the problem with the log books and other relevant documentary evidence, e.g. some mid-placement reports were missing, compliance with Standards, 5.3.25, 5.3.28 and 5.3.29 could not be fully assessed and hence these Standards were not met for either the clinical or clinical neuropsychology programs. Based on the documentation that was available it was noted that the requirement for one hour of direct contact for each full day of placement required by Standard 5.3.25 is also not be being met. In the Industrial and Organisational program there are three 45 day practicums in appropriate settings, all of which occur in the second year of training. A few of the placements occur on campus but the majority do not. Bearing in mind the different nature of the applied work that is undertaken 4

in industrial and organisational psychology, and based on the documentation, discussions with staff, students and fieldwork supervisors, Standards for practical placements are met. During the visit it was noted that the provision of placement supervision is a problem for the Industrial and Organisational program. In response to the draft Accreditation report, the University has introduced an additional measure to ensure that field supervisors are registered and the currency of registration is monitored. In addition, the School is now making a concerted effort to encourage appropriately qualified staff to apply for registration and endorsement. In view of these changes, Standard 5.3.23 is met. The field supervisors with whom the team met, generally spoke highly of the students they had supervised. They considered the students to have good skills, especially in the area of research. Two bridging Graduate Diplomas are also offered by the School. The Graduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology and the Graduate Diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology which are specifically designed for the purpose of eligibility for membership of the relevant Australian Psychological Society College. Given the degree of overlap in the Masters programs, most graduates from UWA who undertake one of these diplomas will only have to take one or two coursework units and the two placement components. The coursework content of the two Graduate Diploma courses consists of relevant units taken for the fifth and sixth year programs and satisfies the requirements of Standard 5.5.5. The two Graduate Diplomas use the external placement units in the relevant fifth and sixth year programs and the policies and procedures are the same. Consequently, the problems identified with the Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology programs, apply equally to the practicums for the Graduate Diplomas. The accreditation outcomes are summarised in the attached Accreditation Summary Checklist. 5

APAC Accreditation Summary Checklist for use with APAC Standards June 2010 Version 10 Name of the Higher Education Provider: University of Western Australia Date of Site Visit: 10-11 December 2012 Accreditation of the AOU Rules Rule Section 5 Accreditation Status 5.1-5.6 General Accreditation Standards Standard The Psychology AOU 2.1.1-10 Multi-Campus Institutions 2.2.1-2 Degree Nomenclature 2.3.1-13 Academic Staffing 2.4.1-11 Resources 2.5.1-12 Teaching and Materials: Managing the Learning Process 2.6.1-14 Special Arrangements for Offshore Teaching 2.6.15 Undergraduate 3-Year Sequence Programs of Study Standard Length 3.1.1 Program of Study Structure 3.1.2-5 Program of Study Content 3.1.6-10 Assessment 3.1.11-16 Awarding of Credit or Advance Standing 3.1.17-19 Undergraduate Fourth Year Programs of Study Standard Entry Requirements 4.1.1 Length 4.1.2 Program of Study Structure 4.1.3 Program of Study Content 4.1.4-7 Research Methods and Professional and Research Ethics 4.1.8 Research Project 4.1.9-15 Assessment 4.1.16-22 Awarding of Credit or Advance Standing 4.1.23-25 1

Four Year Sequence Program of Study Standard Program of Study Structure 3.1.2-5 /4.1.3 Program of Study Content (Years 1-4) 3.1.6-7 /4.1.4-7 Research Methods and Professional and Research Ethics 4.1.8 Research Project 4.1.9-15 Assessment 3.1.11-16 /4.1.16-17 Assessment of 4 th Year Research Project 4.1.18-20 Awarding of Credit or Advance Standing 3.1.17-19 Fifth and Sixth Year Masters Program of Study - Clinical Standard Psychology Staffing 5.1.1-3 Advisory/Liaison and Quality Review Committee 5.1.4 Resources 5.1.5-8 Credit for Previous Study 5.1.9-11 Core Capabilities and Attributes Knowledge of the 5.1.12(a) Discipline Core Capabilities and Attributes Ethical, Legal and 5.1.12(b) Professional Matters Core Capabilities and Attributes Psychological 5.1.12(c) Assessment & Measurement Core Capabilities and Attributes Intervention Strategies 5.1.12(d) Core Capabilities and Attributes Research and 5.1.12(e) Evaluation Core Capabilities and Attributes Communication and 5.1.12(f) Interpersonal Relationships Core Capabilities Assessment 5.1.13-16 Log Book 5.1.17 Assessment 5.1.18-19 Entry Requirements 5.3.1-2 Length 5.3.3-4 Program of Study Structure 5.3.5-8 Coursework 5.3.9-10 Research 5.3.11-16 Practical Placements 5.3.17-30 2

Fifth and Sixth Year Masters Program of Study - Clinical Standard Neuropsychology Staffing 5.1.1-3 Advisory/Liaison and Quality Review Committee 5.1.4 Resources 5.1.5-8 Credit for Previous Study 5.1.9-11 Core Capabilities and Attributes Knowledge of the 5.1.12(a) Discipline Core Capabilities and Attributes Ethical, Legal and 5.1.12(b) Professional Matters Core Capabilities and Attributes Psychological 5.1.12(c) Assessment & Measurement Core Capabilities and Attributes Intervention Strategies 5.1.12(d) Core Capabilities and Attributes Research and 5.1.12(e) Evaluation Core Capabilities and Attributes Communication and 5.1.12(f) Interpersonal Relationships Core Capabilities Assessment 5.1.13-16 Log Book 5.1.17 Assessment 5.1.18-19 Entry Requirements 5.3.1-2 Length 5.3.3-4 Program of Study Structure 5.3.5-8 Coursework 5.3.9-10 Research 5.3.11-16 Practical Placements 5.3.17-30 Fifth and Sixth Year Masters Program of Study - Standard Industrial and Organisational Psychology Staffing 5.1.1-3 Advisory/Liaison and Quality Review Committee 5.1.4 Resources 5.1.5-8 Credit for Previous Study 5.1.9-11 Core Capabilities and Attributes Knowledge of the 5.1.12(a) Discipline Core Capabilities and Attributes Ethical, Legal and 5.1.12(b) Professional Matters Core Capabilities and Attributes Psychological 5.1.12(c) Assessment & Measurement Core Capabilities and Attributes Intervention Strategies 5.1.12(d) Core Capabilities and Attributes Research and 5.1.12(e) Evaluation Core Capabilities and Attributes Communication and 5.1.12(f) Interpersonal Relationships 3

Core Capabilities Assessment 5.1.13-16 Log Book 5.1.17 Assessment 5.1.18-19 Entry Requirements 5.3.1-2 Length 5.3.3-4 Program of Study Structure 5.3.5-8 Coursework 5.3.9-10 Research 5.3.11-16 Practical Placements 5.3.17-30 Graduate Certificate or Diploma in Psychology (Clinical Standard Psychology) Program of Study Entry Requirements 5.5.1 Length 5.5.2 Practicum 5.3.17-30 /5.5.3-4 Coursework 5.5.5 Graduate Certificate or Diploma in Psychology (Clinical Standard Neuropsychology) Program of Study Entry Requirements 5.5.1 Length 5.5.2 Practicum 5.3.17-30 /5.5.3-4 Coursework 5.5.5 Authorised: Professor Trevor Waring AM FAPS Chair, Australian Psychology Accreditation Council Date: 15 April 2013 4