PSYC4000: Intensive August, 2023

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Units PSYC4000 Intensive August 2023 [Block mode]

Unit outline_

PSYC4000: Foundations of Professional Psychology

Intensive August, 2023 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Foundations of Professional Psychology is designed to equip you with the knowledge, critical thinking and practical skills that provide the foundation for professional practice in psychology. It will build upon the background in psychological science established in the undergraduate Psychology program to develop your understanding and capacity for critical evaluation of the theoretical and empirical bases underpinning the construction, implementation and interpretation of major cognitive and personality assessment instruments, and the development and implementation of evidence-based psychological interventions. Through the lectures, practical activities and assessments, you will also develop an understanding of current regulatory and legal contexts, including the National Health Practitioner Regulation Act 2009, NSW, Co-Regulatory Jurisdiction Standards, and mandatory reporting requirements. You will also be introduced to the Australian National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce. Lectures on ethical practice will cover key issues in the psychology profession's Code of Conduct including Professional Relationships and the importance of confidentiality, informed consent and record keeping. The implications of cultural diversity and the factors that need to be considered in culturally informed practice will also be illustrated and evaluated. This unit will meet the accreditation criteria for Honours programs in Psychology and provide students with the essential foundations for psychological practice in a range of contexts.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Psychology Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	[24cp of PSYC3XXX including PSYC3010] or [18cp of PSYC3XXX including PSYC3010 and (HPSC3023 or SCPU3001)]
Corequisites ?	PSYC4104
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Caroline Hunt, caroline.hunt@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Skills-based evaluation	Workshop 1 See Canvas for details	5%	Week 02	See Canvas for details
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Quiz 1 See Canvas for details	5%	Week 03	See Canvas for details
Outcomes assessed:
Skills-based evaluation	Workshop 2 See Canvas for details	5%	Week 04	See Canvas for details
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Quiz 2 See Canvas for details	5%	Week 06	See Canvas for details
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment See Canvas for details	30%	Week 07	See Canvas for details
Outcomes assessed:
Supervised exam ?	Final Exam See Canvas for details	50%	Week 08 Due date: 04 Sep 2023 at 15:00	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

See Canvas site for more details.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

the Canvas page and

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

See Canvas site for more details.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week -01	Introduction to ethical practice and the Australian regulatory context for psychologists	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 01	The ethics of professional relationships	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 01	Ethical decision-making and its application to a range of ethical dilemmas in professional practice	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	Communication and interviewing skills	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Application of communication and interviewing skills: role-play practice	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 03	The scientist-practitioner approach; evidence-based practice and psychological interventions	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Application of psychological interventions across a range of contexts	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	Psychometric assessment	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Application of psychometric assessment skills: role-play practice	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 05	The role of psychologists in multidisciplinary settings; the ethical principles of confidentiality, consent and privacy	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Interprofessional practice	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Culturally informed practice	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Cultural responsiveness in professional practice	Seminar (2 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Understand the scientist-practitioner model and its application to professional practice
LO2. Understand and critically evaluate the principles underpinning basic psychological intervention strategies that can be applied across a range of contexts
LO3. Apply basic assessment strategies in situations appropriate to psychological practice, and demonstrate knowledge of the construction, implementation and interpretation of psychometric theory and principles of the more widely used standardised psychological test instruments
LO4. Demonstrate appropriate interpersonal communication and interview skills in situations appropriate to psychological practice and research, including active listening, clarifying and reflecting, effective questioning, summarising and paraphrasing, developing rapport, appropriate cultural responsiveness, and empathic responding.
LO5. Understand the role of psychologists in multidisciplinary settings and recognise issues involved in working in mental health organisations.
LO6. Understand the regulatory legal context and ethical codes governing professional psychology practice.
LO7. Develop cultural awareness and cultural safety to apply psychological knowledge competently and ethically

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

We have significantly revised the assignment focussed on psychometric assessment following student feedback. We have also provided more in-class examples of the application of ethical principles to vignettes to introduce students to the format of the final exam.

Additional information

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

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