module specification

PC5050 - Psychology and Employment (2024/25)

Module specification Module approved to run in 2024/25, but may be subject to modification
Module title Psychology and Employment
Module level Intermediate (05)
Credit rating for module 15
School School of Social Sciences and Professions
Total study hours 150
 
114 hours Guided independent study
36 hours Scheduled learning & teaching activities
Assessment components
Type Weighting Qualifying mark Description
Coursework 50%   Portfolio
Coursework 50%   Work-Based Experience Report (max 1500 words)
Running in 2024/25

(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change)
No instances running in the year

Module summary

This module provides students with the opportunity to critically consider the nature of employment, including issues related to inclusion in the workplace and to consider alternative (e.g. anti-racist) ways of working. They will assess, reflect upon, and develop their own employability skills, attributes and attitudes. Students will be introduced to self-assessments, career planning tools, and digital resources that will support this process. The module provides students with the opportunity to apply their psychological knowledge ethically in an employment context, and to identify and plan for their ongoing training and development needs.

Prior learning requirements

N/A.
Available for Study Abroad? NO

Syllabus

The syllabus will reflect the following interlinked topics:

 Developing self-awareness (e.g. identifying personal preferences and attributes; employability; self-motivation; psychological literacy)
 Interpersonal and transferable skills (e.g. ability to identify biases and microaggressions in the work place; take part in group work; communicate effectively; effectively self-present; and develop IT and digital literacy skills)
 Professional development (e.g. ethics and social responsibility in the workplace, development of a positive online profile, well-being at work, career planning)

Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity

This module is delivered through a combination of teaching and learning methods and a work-based learning experience (minimum 50 hours). Classroom-based learning will be supplemented by online resources for independent study, encouraging a blended-learning approach, and by a work-based experience, encouraging practical and ethical application of the concepts covered in the module. 

The work-based learning experience may be paid or voluntary, and may be linked to work that the student already engages in. Students may identify and arrange their own work-based opportunities or will be supported by the University’s Careers and Employability Service to secure a suitable work-place opportunity. Students will be encouraged to collaborate with staff on research projects.

Personal development and employability attributes will be a central theme across the module. Students will be given opportunities to develop and practice their team-working, digital literacy, time-management, written and oral communication skills throughout the module, for example, through collaborative experiential learning tasks, class activities, and discussions. Reflective learning will be developed through tutor-facilitated in-class discussions and by group and individual formative feedback.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

1. Understand and articulate their employment-relevant attributes, skills, attitudes and preferences. 
2. Effectively present and promote themselves to potential employers, collaborators, investors or recruiters and create a positive online profile.
3. Demonstrate an ability to apply and reflect upon the underlying concepts and principles of ethics and social responsibility covered in the module in an employment context.
4. Understand the challenges faced by different individuals and groups in the workplace, the limitations of existing theory in explaining such issues, and learn to develop creative solutions to real world problems.
5. Identify their need for further training, skill development or new competencies to facilitate their successful career, and their ability to create a strategy to achieve these.

Assessment strategy

This module is assessed by a portfolio in which students are required to evidence their identification and development of professional and employment-based attributes and a work-based experience report where students are required to reflect on the application of psychology-related ethical principles and the issues surrounding diversity and inclusion within the work place. The module assessment strategy is designed to encourage students to explore the relationship between psychological and personal development concepts, and their ethical application in the context of employment.  To pass the module students must achieve a minimum aggregate grade of 40%.

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