Unit Outline

In today’s information-rich world it is essential to be able to interpret and critically evaluate empirical and popular reports of psychological research, as well as research findings more broadly. We need to be able to recognise the characteristics of valid research, to understand what distinguishes trustworthy reporting from biased and misleading reporting, and to communicate the findings from psychological and other research in a clear, accessible and unbiased way. In this unit you will explore foundational concepts of research methods, research design and research ethics that will help you interpret and critically evaluate psychological research. You will learn how to use library and web resources to locate relevant, reliable and valid evidence about psychological findings and theories. You will also learn skills to help you summarise conceptual and numerical information in a clear, concise and accessible manner for a range of audiences. The skills gained in this unit are powerful and readily transferable to many of today’s workplaces and they provide a solid foundation for further study in psychology.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Describe the major principles that govern ethical research involving diverse populations.
2	Apply information literacy skills to locate and retrieve high-quality information sources relevant to a research topic
3	Identify fundamental research methods and primary variables in psychological research studies from written and verbal descriptions.
4	Summarise and communicate conceptual and quantitative information using a style and language appropriate for defined audiences.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

In response to student feedback and a review of the unit assessments and content a few changes will be introduced in 2026.

The information literacy component has been revised to introduce students to generative AI tools.

The Writing with Integrity topic has been substantially revised with a greater focus on the valid use of sources. This focus will help ensure your writing provides readers with useful information that avoids misinformation or disinformation.

The final exam has been revised with a greater emphasis on applying skills developed over the unit.

Teaching arrangements


ATTENDANCE MODE	TEACHING TYPE	LEARNING ACTIVITY	CONTACT HOURS	FREQUENCY
On Campus	Lecture (Online)	Online Lecture Modules - Unit content and concepts are delivered weekly as online (asynchronous) lecture modules.	2	Weekly
	Practical	2 hour on campus practical class weekly	2	Weekly
	Independent Learning	Self-directed study - Set aside time each week to complete assigned readings, revise topics and content, and work on assessment tasks.	6	Weekly
Online	Lecture (Online)	Online Lecture Modules - Unit content and concepts are delivered weekly as online (asynchronous) lecture modules.	2	Weekly
	Independent Learning	Self-directed study - Set aside time each week to complete assigned readings, revise topics and content, and work on assessment tasks.	6	Weekly
	Individual Study	2 hour online (asynchronous) practical modules weekly	2	Weekly

Attendance / engagement expectations

If your unit is offered On campus, it is expected that you will attend all on-campus and onsite learning activities. This is to support your own learning and the development of a learning community within the unit. If you are unable to attend regularly, please discuss the situation with your course coordinator and/or our UConnect support team.

If your unit is offered Online or includes online activities, it is expected you will engage in all those activities as indicated in the Unit Outline or MyLO, including any self-directed learning.

If you miss a learning activity for a legitimate reason (e.g., illness, carer responsibilities) teaching staff will attempt to provide alternative activities (e.g., make up readings) where it is possible.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Practical exercises	Week 3	15 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Written Assignment	Week 6	45 %	LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Research participation and reflection	Week 12	10 %	LO1, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 4:	Final Exam	Exam Period	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Practical exercises

Task Description:

Five quizzes (3% each) across the semester. Quizzes will be comprised of a variety of question types including but not limited to MCQ, matching, short-answer, ordering, and multi-select.

30 minutes per quiz
Each quiz will be open for a two-week period. You can attempt a quiz at any time while it is open. Once you start a quiz you will have 30 minutes to complete it. Quizzes cannot be paused once they are started and there will only be one attempt for each quiz.

DDue Dates: from week 3
Quiz 1 - Opens Monday 2nd March – closes Sunday 15th March (11:58 pm)
Quiz 2 – Opens Monday 16th March– closes Sunday 29th March (11:58 pm)
Quiz 3 – Opens Monday 13th April – closes Sunday 26h April (11:58 pm)
Quiz 4 – Opens Monday 27th April – closes Sunday 10th May (11:58pm)
Quiz 5 – Opens Monday 11th May – closes Sunday 24th May (11:58 pm)

Task Length:

30 minutes per quiz

Due Date:

Week 3

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply ethical concepts to critique research designs.	LO1
2	Apply knowledge of research methods to interpret psychological research studies.	LO3
3	Apply knowledge of descriptive statistics to summarise, interpret and evaluate data and research findings.	LO4
4	Apply information literacy skills to evaluate the quality and appropriateness of information sources for specific audiences and contexts.	LO2

Assessment Task 2: Written Assignment

Task Description:

At the beginning of the semester, you will choose from one of three contemporary issues that have been selected by your unit coordinator.

You will adopt the role of a psychological scientist and write an explanatory essay for a general reader, introducing the reader to the contemporary issue you have selected. Your goal is to communicate the relevance of the issue from a psychological science perspective, and to explain how psychological scientists contribute to understanding the issue and how they might contribute to potential solutions.
You will also introduce the reader to a recent primary research article to illustrate how some psychological scientists are currently studying this issue.

The 45% weighting for this assignment is distributed across two components:
- (5%) selecting and justifying a suitable research article to focus your essay on.
- (40%) the final written essay

Due dates:
Submit the research article your essay will focus on by the end of Week 6: Friday 10th April at 11:58pm
Submit your written assignment by the end of Week 10: Friday 8th May 11:58 pm

Task Length:

Maximum 1,200 words

Due Date:

Week 6

Weight:

45 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Use current, primary empirical research to illustrate how psychological scientists are researching a contemporary issue.	LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Communicate using plain language appropriate for a general reader.	LO4
3	Conduct a literature review on a contemporary issue and describe the issue’s history, relevance and challenges from a psychological science perspective.	LO2, LO4
4	Apply disciplinary standards to the presentation, organisation and coherence of information.	LO4
5	Apply information literacy skills to identify a current primary research article and justify why the article is appropriate for the assignment.	LO2

Assessment Task 3: Research participation and reflection

Task Description:

Research participation and reflection.
Due: End of Week 12, Friday 22nd May 11:58pm

Task Length:

4 hours research participation/research modules, plus a 300-word (maximum) reflection.

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Reflect on the student research participation experience and discuss how research participation contributes to learning about the discipline and methods of psychological science.	LO1, LO4
2	Complete required hours of active participation in an ethics approved research project, and/or complete research modules on research participants’ perspective.	LO1, LO3

Assessment Task 4: Final Exam

Task Description:

Final Exam online (2 hours)
Short-answer and long-answer questions requiring application of concepts, knowledge and skills developed throughout the unit.

Task Length:

2hrs

Due Date:

Exam Period

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Use psychological science terminology and theory in applied contexts to describe psychological concepts.	LO1, LO3, LO4
2	Apply knowledge of research methods and research ethics to interpret and critique research study designs used in the psychological sciences.	LO1, LO3
3	Apply knowledge of statistics and principles of data presentation to interpret, present and critique research findings.	LO3
4	Apply information literacy skills to locate and evaluate information sources.	LO2

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes and achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

You will need the following texts. Both texts are freely available online and can be downloaded as PDF files:

Spielman, R.M., Jenkins, W.J. & Lovett, M.D. (2023). [eTextbook] Psychology 2e. https://openstax.org/details/books/psychology-2e

Danielle J. Navarro and David R. Foxcroft, Learning Statistics with jamovi: A Tutorial for Beginners in Statistical Analysis. Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers, 2025, https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0333