I.O SYLLABUS 2015

B. A. J. I/O Psychology Spring 2015
PSYC: 3590, Auburn University
INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 3590
MWF 11:00 – 11:50 PM, THACH 202
Spring 2015
Instructor Office Hours
Mr. Brandon A. Johnson M & W, 12:00 – 1:30 P.M.
Thach 210 T & R, By appointment only
334-844-4412
BAJ0013@auburn.edu
Course Description
Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology is a branch of psychology that applies the principles
of psychology to the workplace. The purpose of I/O psychology is “to enhance the dignity and
performance of human beings, and the organizations they work in, by advancing the science and
knowledge of human behavior” (Rucci, 2008). To that end, I/O psychology is both a scientific
discipline and an area of professional practice. As a scientific discipline, I/O psychology is the
study of organizations and employees using scientific methods and psychological principles. As
a profession, I/O psychology focuses on applying I/O-related research to solve practical
problems in the workplace. The ultimate objective of this discipline is to maximize both
employee well-being and organizational effectiveness.
Required Texts
Levy, P. E. (2013). Industrial/organizational psychology: Understanding the workplace (4th
ed.).
New York, NY: Worth.
Recommended Text
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Course Objectives
You will (a) engage the history and various complexities within this field, (b) familiarize
yourself with major theories and research, (c) understand how I/O psychology is applied in
organizations, and (d) understand how the material covered in this class informs your future
employment experiences.
This course is writing intensive. Do not expect this to be a class where you simply identify
multiple choice items on a test. Writing is critical to your professional development. As aspiring
professionals, I expect you to complete all assignments with academic integrity. As a reminder,
plagiarism is taking the work of others and offering it as one’s own. Plagiarism is a major breach
of academic responsibility and trust and is unacceptable in any community of learning. As such,
plagiarism is cause for automatic failure of the course in which the statement, paper, project, test,
or oral presentation has been plagiarized. The following link directs you to the policies and
procedures that govern academic honesty for Auburn University:
https://sites.auburn.edu/admin/universitypolicies/Policies/AcademicHonestyCode.pdf.

Teaching Philosophy
Teaching has distinct opportunities for both teacher and learner. As a teacher, I have the
opportunity to demonstrate tenacity, optimism, and an appropriate level of humor to you.
Exhibiting such attributes fosters an engaged classroom and builds rapport. It is this rapport that
allows me to quickly identify and address obstacles in learners’ understanding, as well as utilize
what I refer to as an “artistic approach” to my presentation of information. Teaching entails
creating an atmosphere conducive to learning where both teacher and learner share information
and ideas. This reciprocal exchange benefits and allows for growth on the part of all parties. An
artistic approach to teaching fosters an environment that encourages creativity and critical
thinking in a low- or no-stakes environment. Learners find it easy to share ideas, without any
recourse for wrong ideas or for a lack of understanding. Ultimately, I strive to teach you how to
think and how to synthesize information in a way that facilitates problem-solving skills.
I believe the most basic information can be taught in such a way as to create a dynamic
experience in terms of critical thinking and overall excitement, but still maintain the integrity of
the information being presented. I value the experience you have. I like to exhibit the traits—
tenacity, resilience, dedication, and organization—that I like to see in you. I encourage you to
attend to the world around them and understand how class material impacts their day-to-day
experiences. I challenge you to ask questions, but also take the time to seek out the answers to
the questions you have asked. I value your feedback, and I will periodically ask you to provide
feedback during the progression of the course. This allows me to make modifications to the
course to fit the individuals in it. I do not wish to simply be a purveyor of content and
information. Rather, I desire to create a positive, pleasant experience. However, you play a
critical role in making this philosophy a reality—be prepared and be ready to learn!
COURSE ACTIVITIES
Writing Assignments
You will have several writing assignments throughout the semester. These should simply be
APA style, one-to-two-page responses to questions from your assigned readings. Examine the
readings critically and answer the questions that you are asked. Your answers should be
complete and concise. As well, please remember that these writings should indicate that you read
the materials. Generic dribble is easier to detect than you think, and it defeats the purpose of this
class. You will have 8 writing assignments, each worth 12.5 points that you submit on
CANVAS.
I want to encourage you to pay attention to your writing. I will DEDUCT ½ a point for every
typo or grammatical error in any written assignment OR major project. To clarify, I will deduct
for the following common errors: misspelled words, use of the wrong word, lack of subject-verb
agreement, sentence fragments, missing commas in a series, lack of pronoun-antecedent
agreement, missing a comma after an introductory element, vague pronoun reference,
wrong/missing prepositions, omission of necessary words, and confusion of homophones (e.g.,
“its” vs. “it’s”). The goal is not for me to be difficult. Rather, it is to challenge the tendency to
procrastinate and to encourage editing of one’s work. In the interest of fairness, I will ADD ½ a
point to every person in the class for every typo or grammatical error that you find on any
handouts I give you.

Résumé/Vitae
Employee selection is a major topic within I/O psychology, and submitting the résumé/vitae is
often the first step to decide whom to hire and whom not to hire. As a component of your
professional development for this class, you will need to draft a professional résumé or
curriculum vitae and submit it to me by 11:00 a.m. on Friday, Friday, February 27, 2015. This
assignment is worth 50 points.
Job Analysis Project
You will work in groups of 3 to 4 people to complete an abbreviated job analysis and develop
structured interview questions in a safe environment. To clarify, a “safe” environment means that
you will interview a friend or family member and write up the results for class, as opposed to for
an organization. Job analysis provides the basic information for almost everything that I/O
psychologists do in the course of their work. This project will give you an opportunity to conduct
major steps in a job analysis by interviewing a subject matter expert, writing task statements,
identifying KSAOs, developing structured interview questions, and writing a final report. The
goal of this assignment is for you to apply the course’s major concepts and theories to a real-
world situation. You will be asked to work in groups/teams because working in groups or teams
is what they will most likely encounter in the workplace, regardless of their chosen profession.
Groups’ final products include a job analysis [with task statements and KSAOs], a brief
structured interview, and a written report. The project is worth a total of 200 points.
This project has the following deadlines:
Friday, February 20, 2015 @ 11:00 a.m. – Submit a list of group members and the job to be
studied for instructor approval. This component is worth 10 points of the final project grade.
Friday, March 20, 2015 @ 11:00 a.m. – Submit a draft of your job analysis task statements
and KSAOs. This component is worth 40 points of the final project grade.
Friday, May 01, 2015 @11:00 a.m. – Submit the final job analysis project report from the
group, as well as peer evaluations from individual group members. This component is worth
100 points of the final project grade, bringing the project to a total of 150 points.
For the final project, you will receive individual grades on the project based on the group’s
overall final report (worth a maximum of 80 points) and evaluation of your contribution to the
project by the other members of your groups (worth a maximum of 20 points).
Further instructions and details will be provided to you on a separate handout and during class
time.
Grading Policy
You will have several assignments throughout the semester. These assignments will total 700
points. The grading scale is as follows:
A = 90 – 100% (627 – 700 points)
B = 80 – 89% (557 – 626 points)
C = 70 – 79% (487 – 556 points)
D = 65 – 69% (452 – 486 points)
F = 64% or less (451 or fewer points)

The points for this class are distributed across the following assignments:
Writing Assignments (8 assignments, 12.5 pts. each) – 100
Résumé/Vitae – 50
Tests (4 exams, 100 pts. each) – 400
Final Project (2 parts, 50 pts. each) – 150
Late Assignments and Make-up Policy
All assignments are due at the specified time in the syllabus. I will deduct 20% per day for any
assignment you turn in late. For example, an assignment worth 100 points that is turned in two
days late will automatically be deducted 20 points before it is even graded. Thus, the maximum
possible grade in this example is 80 points. Therefore, it would behoove you simply to turn in
your work on time. You may submit late work without penalty if you have a university
sanctioned excuse. Please refer to the online Student Handbook to determine what qualifies as a
university sanctioned excuse and relevant time limits. Make-ups of any sort are your
responsibility. I will not remind you to take an exam you have missed or to turn in an
assignment. Any make-ups that arise are subject to the policies in the online Student Handbook,
which can be found at the following:
https://sites.auburn.edu/admin/universitypolicies/Policies/PolicyonClassAttendance.pdf
Attendance Policy
I will record attendance at every class meeting, and I expect you to attend class. Student athletes
should submit a copy of their semester schedules by January 23, 2015. Only valid university
excuses will be accepted as evidence to support having missed class. Any student who is absent,
even for a legitimate cause, is responsible for the material covered and assignments given during
that time. I will not give you a personal lecture covering everything you missed while you were
absent. However, I will clarify anything on which you are confused. Consistent with university
policy, missing class with three or more unexcused absences will result in your earning an
“FA” in this course.
Accommodations Policy
Students who require accommodations due to a registered disability should contact me during the
first two weeks of class to go over the logistics of your accommodations, such as are required for
this class. If you do not have an Accommodation Memo but need accommodations, please
contact the Program for Student with Disabilities (PSD), 1244 Haley Center, (334) 844-2096
(V/TT).
Extra Credit Policy
You may take advantage of two extra credit opportunities in this class. The maximum amount
of extra credit that may be earned is 25 points. That having been said, you may watch the
movie, The Devil Wears Prada, and you may subsequently write a 5-page paper that discusses
how I/O psychology informs this movie. Or, you may watch any 5 episodes of Better Off Ted
and discuss the role of I/O psychology within each episode. You may also combine these options
based upon how much you wish to write. However, please remember that the aforementioned
writing rules still apply (i.e., APA style, good grammar, etc.).

COURSE CALENDAR
DAY ASSIGNMENT
1/14 – WED Introduction – Syllabus Review; Chapter 1
1/16 – FRI Chapter 1; Writing Assignment Due: C.T. - #1.2, A.Q. - # 1.2
1/19 – MON MLK DAY NO CLASS
1/21 – WED Chapter 2
1/23 – FRI Chapter 2; Writing Assignment Due: C.T. - #2.2, A.Q. - #2.5; SA Due
1/26 – MON Chapter 2
1/30 – FRI Chapter 3
2/06 – FRI TEST 1: CHAPTERS 1 - 4
2/13 – FRI Chapter 5; Writing Assignment Due: C.T. - #5.2, A.Q. - #5.3
2/20 – FRI Chapter 6; Writing Assignment Due: C.T. - #6.3, A.Q. - #6.5;
JOB ANALYSIS PROJECT DEADLINE #1
2/27 – FRI Chapter 7; Résumé/Vita Due!
3/20 – FRI Chapter 10; Writing Assignment Due: C.T. - #10.3, A.Q. -#10.2
JOB ANALYSIS PROJECT DEADLINE #2
3/23 – MON SPRING BREAK
3/25 – WED SPRING BREAK
3/27 – FRI SPRING BREAK

4/10 – FRI Chapter 12
4/27 – MON Job-Analysis Project Work
4/29 – WED Job-Analysis Project Work
5/01 – FRI COMPLETED JOB ANALYSIS PROJECT DUE AT 11:00AM
______________________________________________________________________________
FINAL EXAM: CHAPTERS 12 - 14
Date: THURSDAY, MAY 07, 2015
Location: THACH 202
Time: 12:00 noon – 2:30 p.m.
A Final Note on Technology…
I want you to enjoy this class. I want this to be a wonderful experience for both of us. If you
decide you wish to text in my class, your actions will ensure that this is not a pleasant experience
for both of us. You do not need to check the time. You will always get out on time. You do not
need to use your devices for purposes other than learning. You do not need to respond to an e-
mail that you just received. Resist the temptation to check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
while my class is in session. Finally, remember that e-mail is the approved form of
communication at Auburn University. It is your responsibility to check your campus e-mail so
that you are aware of any class changes.

I.O SYLLABUS 2015

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