PSY1018 : Psychological Enquiry 1: Academic Skills and Historical Perspectives - An introduction to Psychology
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Billie Moffat-Knox
- Co-Module Leader: Dr Barbara-Anne Robertson
- Owning School: Psychology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
Psychological Enquiry 1 is the first in a programme of modules delivered at each stage of the programme. This module serves as an introduction to the study of psychology and has two key aims;
1) Supporting students' development of academic skills, professional skills and psychological literacy
2) Setting the historical context of psychology as a field of study .
In particular, this module supports the transition into the academic environment at University through lectures, workshop sessions and study groups. It provides the historical context of psychology as a discipline across the core domains and allows students to utilise that material in order to drive the development of relevant academic and professional skills and their broader psychological literacy. The module is supported by peer mentors who help support first year students with the transition to academic study.
Outline Of Syllabus
Students will complete six blocks of content, focussing on different areas of historical focus – these will map onto core stage one content.
The historical content will not only support students understanding of the backdrop to modern day psychology but will also serve as a vehicle for the development of core academic and professional skills and the students’ psychological literacy. In particular students will learn about literature searching, reading and summarising research papers, APA referencing, good academic conduct, ethics including British Psychological Society (BPS) code of ethics and conduct, critical thinking and evaluation, presentation skills and essay writing.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 48:00 | 48:00 | Preparation of portfolio submissions and revision and preparation for the final exam |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 6 | 2:00 | 12:00 | PiP Historical content of each of the core areas of focus |
| Structured Guided Learning | Academic skills activities | 1 | 24:00 | 24:00 | Practice of academic skills developed across the course |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 6 | 2:00 | 12:00 | PiP Study group sessions supported by peer mentors and/or academic staff which focus on portfolio component completion. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 6 | 2:00 | 12:00 | PiP Academic and professional skills and psychological literacy development |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | PiP Introduction to workshop sessions and key skills |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 1 | 4:00 | 4:00 | Developing group work |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | PiP Exam Q & A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 83:00 | 83:00 | Background reading to prepare for weekly teaching sessions and post-teaching reading to consolidate learning. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Module talk | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | PiP Introduction to the module and broad historical overview |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The teaching for this module will be delivered across 6 blocks across the two semesters. These will be sandwiched between an introductory week; to set expectations for the module, give a broad historical overview and introduce key skills and an exam Q & A to allow for any final exam queries to be answered.
Each block will span 3 weeks, it will include a lecture to cover the historical component of the domain in focus, a workshop to develop the practical skills associated with that block and a small group study session to draw together the lecture and workshop content. These will also allow further study and portfolio submission preparation. The lectures and workshops will be staff led, with the workshops supported by peer mentors. The small group study sessions will be student led supported by academic staff and/or peer mentors dependent on the task.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 90 | 2 | A | 100 | PiP invigilated essay examination -– choose 2 from 6 questions. |
Zero Weighted Pass/Fail Assessments
| Description | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | M | Skills portfolio 6 exercises: Abstract; small group video presentation; essay paragraph & APA formatted references; redraft of essay paragraph using 3+ sources of evidence; individual presentation; introduction, conclusion & final essay paragraph. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The skills portfolio assesses the skill outcomes of the module that students will develop over the course of the module. The skills focus on academic and scientific communication and include literature searching, referencing, plagiarism, critical thinking, presentations, ethics and an awareness of EDI issues in psychology and essay writing.
Students will be encouraged to complete all portfolio components during scheduled workshop sessions, the aim being that students work alongside their mentors and peers to ensure they have achieved the appropriate skills over the course of the module and demonstrate concept threshold of the assessed competencies. Students will be required to submit their skills portfolio which consists of six components across the module (3 components per semester). Formative feedback on the portfolio components will be provided in the small groups during teaching sessions to support the portfolio submissions.
Students must complete all 6 competencies in order to pass the portfolio. If they do not pass the portfolio the exam mark will be capped at 40%.
The exam essay will assess the knowledge outcomes of the module and also allow practice of skill outcomes including writing essays, evaluating sources and critically analysing classic articles in psychology. The exam will also help students develop the skill of writing essays under exam conditions. The exam will include 6 questions split into two blocks; students will need to answer one question from each block. This format will help to ensure students are assessed across the breadth of content covered in the module.
The module mark is derived from the exam but that mark will be capped at 40 if the portfolio is not completed.
If the module is failed students will resit failed assessments in the same format during the August resit period.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- PSY1018's Timetable