Outline

Overview

Coaching skills are now an essential part of the contemporary workplace. Research shows that the ability to coach self and others is one of the most important skills for employees, managers and leaders. However, to date, opportunities for learning evidence-based coaching skills at universities has been very limited. By completing this unit you will develop a solid understanding of the psychology of coaching in the workplace, in organisations and in relation to personal life matters and the ability to apply such theories in real life situations. We will explore the theoretical foundations of the psychology of coaching including self-regulation theory, goal theory, change theory and solution-focused approaches to coaching and show how to apply these to real-life issues and goals. Students will leave with a portfolio of applied coaching skills, the ability to conduct both formal and informal coaching conversations, the ability to evaluate and create conceptually coherent coaching processes and having experienced a personal coaching program. Active learning in the form of peer coaching is central to this program and will guide students to integrate their developing knowledge, skills and values about coaching in ways that question and build understanding. Students need to be prepared and willing to engage in peer coaching conversations.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Psychology Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	(144 cp of which a minimum needs to be 24 cp of 3000-level or 4000-level units of study) or (12 cp PSYC3XXX)
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	PSYC4721 or PSYC4722
Assumed knowledge ?	Students should have the ability to read and interpret findings from scientific research, and have a basic familiarity with the empirical process
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Gordon Spence, gordon.spence@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Gordon Spence, gordon.spence@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Peer Coaching and Tutorial Participation Participation in tutorial and class activities, including peer coaching.	10%	Ongoing	Ongoing.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Coaching Quiz This is a short online quiz on the content of the course.	15%	Week 07 Due date: 13 Sep 2022 at 13:00 Closing date: 13 Sep 2022	30 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Final Exam Multiple choice short answer and extended-answer questions.	25%	Week 13 Due date: 01 Nov 2022 at 13:00 Closing date: 01 Nov 2022	1.5 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Reflective Report A 2500-word Reflective Report on your personal experience of being a coach.	50%	Week 13 Due date: 04 Nov 2022 at 23:59 Closing date: 02 Dec 2022	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

Result name	Mark range	Description
FA	0 to less than 50	To be awarded to students who, in their performance in assessment tasks, demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars established by the faculty.
PS	50 to less than 65	To be awarded to students who, in their performance in assessment tasks, demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars established by the faculty.
CR	65 to less than 75	To be awarded to students who, in their performance in assessment tasks, demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars established by the faculty.
DI	75 to less than 85	To be awarded to students who, in their performance in assessment tasks, demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars established by the faculty.
HD	85 to 100 inclusive	To be awarded to students who, in their performance in assessment tasks, demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars established by the faculty.

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:

You will receive a penalty of 5% of the maximum value of the assignment for each calendar day it is submitted after your due date. More than 10 calendar days after your due date, a mark of zero is applied. Submissions will not be accepted after the closing date.

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 Coaching Psychology and Evidence-based Coaching	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Coaching in the Workplace	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Coaching relationship building skills and Mental health issues in coaching	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Designing coaching programs using self-regulation theory	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Integrated Goal-focused Coaching 1	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Integrated Goal-focused Coaching 2	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Solution-focused Coaching	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Change theory 1	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Change theory 2	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Critically evaluating coaching programs.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Coaching Skills for life	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	The future of coaching	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Review week. Maps and Models to guide ongoing development.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance and participation in coaching activities and discussion through tutorials and lectures is a requirement that contributes up to 10% towards the final mark for this subject.

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. Appraise the social and theoretical development of personal and professional coaching and its utility in the workplace.
LO2. Distinguish coaching from therapy, counselling, consulting, training and mentoring.
LO3. Critically evaluate and classify models and approaches to coaching.
LO4. Generate coaching plans and conduct coaching sessions
LO5. Develop advanced communication skills for application across a variety of areas of life and work

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.

.This unit will be co-ordinated and taught by new staff.

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

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PSYC4005: Coaching Skills for Work and Life

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect