Here's some stuff copied and pasted from the Course outline of when I took psych 1XX3 (sorry there's so much to read haha)
overall, I'd recommend the course
Course Description
Psych 1XX3 builds on the research methods and levels of analysis approach introduced in PSYCH 1X03. In this course, we will focus on the biological mechanisms informing Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour. In the first half of the course, our research framework will examine several levels of analysis (Unit 1: Evolution and Development, and Unit 2: Neuroscience). In the second half of the course, we will apply this analysis to Unit 3: Sensory Systems and Critical Behaviours. A semester long group project (with appropriate checkpoints) will thread throughout the course as you continue to develop research skills including locating, evaluating, synthesizing and reporting on topics in psychology using multiple levels of analysis. In combination with Psych 1X03, students will emerge with the appropriate background, terminology and skills to support further courses in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour. These are skills that will also transfer well to any discipline you pursue!
Evaluation
Your final grade in this course will be determined by the following measures:
Term Group Project 20%
Midterm Examination 25%
Avenue Quizzes 10%
Final Examination 35%
Tutorial participation 10%
Research participation (Optional) 5%
Evaluation: Required Components
Tutorial Participation – 10%
Your tutorials are an important part of the course contributing to 10% of your final grade. Your TA will expect active participation from all students to help create an active learning environment. If you have specific issues with this process you must speak with your TA as soon as possible. Your TA will use the rubric below to assign participation grades.
Note that students who regularly attend tutorials but make little or no contribution to discussions cannot receive a grade higher than 4 out of 10. Therefore, it is essential that you participate if you wish to earn a high participation grade. To monitor your progress in the tutorials, you will be assigned a midterm tutorial grade. You must first send an email (using your McMaster account) to your TA with a self-assessment of your tutorial grade based on the criteria outlined in the table below and explain your reasoning. Send this to your TA by Friday, February 11th at 6pm.
Term Group Project – 20%
In addition to enhancing your knowledge of course content, the term group project is designed to improve your skills in several areas important to the field of psychology: working in groups, evaluating primary research articles, analyzing experimental design, writing in a scientific fashion, and presenting your findings. Throughout the term, the following components will be evaluated:
Avenue assignment (individual) – 2%
Research outline (group) – 3%
Presentation (group) – 5%
Research Paper (group) – 10%
Avenue Quizzes – 10%
There are five short Avenue quizzes which will generally cover the two weeks of material immediately beforehand. Each Avenue quiz consists of several multiple choice questions, and will be worth 2.5% of your course grade. The lowest quiz score will not count toward your final mark. Avenue quizzes will be made available online Wednesday at 6 a.m., and promptly be removed 48 hours later on Friday at 6 a.m. Each quiz covers the preceding web module content, as summarized in the outline on page 11.
Midterm Exam – 25%
The midterm exam is tentatively scheduled for the evening of Wednesday February 16th and counts for 25% of your final grade. It is your responsibility to keep up to date with the exact date, time and location as these may change. The midterm exam may cover material presented in the web modules, lectures, tutorials, and handbook readings. Although no questions will come from material presented solely in the textbook, for many students (especially those with a limited background in biology or science), keeping up with the recommended readings is important to your academic success. If your final exam grade is higher than your midterm grade, the weight of the midterm will be reduced by half (to 12.5%).
Final Exam – 35%
A cumulative final exam will be written in December as scheduled by the Registrar's Office. If you choose to complete the optional research participation (see below), the weight of your final examination will be reduced from 35% to 30%. The Final Exam covers material presented in web modules, lectures, tutorials, and course handbook readings from the entire term.
Evaluation: Optional Component
Research Participation Option
You have the option to reduce the weight of your Final Exam from 35% to 30% by completing two hours of research participation with the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour. In addition to providing you with extra credit, the research participation option allows you to take part in some of the exciting research at McMaster, and to observe how psychologists conduct their studies. The system that the department uses to track research participation is Experimetrix, which can be accessed at intropsych.net or through
www.experimetrix.com/mac. To access Experimetrix for the first time, select the “New User Registration” option at the top of the screen and enter your name, student number, and McMaster email address (for security reasons, only your McMaster email address may be used). After a short delay, you will receive an email from Experimetrix with a username and temporary password that you can use to access the website.
Completing Your Research Participation Credit
When you log into Experimetrix for the first time, you can change your temporary password to something more memorable by selecting “Edit Your Profile”. Also, you must register yourself as an IntroPsych student by selecting “Edit Your Course Selection” and then selecting “Psych 1XX3”. To register for an experiment, select “Sign up for Experiments” from the main Experimetrix page. You will be presented with a list of currently available experiments, with a short description given about each. Before selecting an experiment, be sure to read the description carefully, making special note of any specific criteria for subjects (for example, some experiments only allow females to participate, while others may require subjects who speak a second language). When you have found an experiment that you would like to participate in, select “View Schedule” to view available timeslots, then select “Sign-Up” to register for a timeslot that fits your schedule. You will receive a confirmation email with the details of your selection. Be sure to write down the experimenter, location, and telephone extension from this email. After you have completed an experiment, you will be given a purple slip verifying your participation. This slip is for your records only – in the event that an experiment is not credited to your Experimetrix account, this slip is your proof of participation. Shortly after completing an experiment, you should notice that your Experimetrix account has been credited by the experimenter. It is very important that you select “Assign Credits To Your Courses” and assign earned credits to Psych 1XX3, or you will not receive your research participation credit.
Additional Notes
You must complete two hours of experiments, and no less, to earn the 5% credit
If you do not wish to participate as a research subject for any reason, you may still earn your research participation credit by observing two hours of experiments (please see Ann Hollingshead in the Psychology Building, Room 205).
If you fail to show up for two experiments, you will lose your option to complete the research participation credit. If you know in advance that you will be unable to attend a scheduled experiment, please contact the experimenter immediately.
Course Handbook
Your handbook is a required component of the course, containing valuable information regarding course structure, outlines, guides and web lectures and tutorials.
Course Textbook
Your two course textbooks are optional components of the course, meaning that information in these books are not directly testable. These textbooks are meant to supplement the web lectures and give you a deeper understanding of the concepts. They are especially useful to those who do not have a background in biology. Both can be purchased at Titles Bookstore.
1. Psychology- 5th edition by Peter Gray
2. Discovering Psychology (e-book)- Dr. Joe Kim
IntroPsych.net
There are many supplementary resources that have been specially developed to compliment the handbook at intropsych.net including examination practice questions, study aids, an interactive glossary, and information about course events, university’s services, academic success and student life. A portion of the proceeds from this courseware goes toward the development and maintenance of intropsych.net
Avenue
Your primary course content will be delivered through the Avenue learning management system, located at
http://avenue.mcmaster.ca/. Avenue is your launching point for weekly web modules, course announcements, discussion forums, and grade records. To access Avenue, use your MacID and password. Below are some of the features of Avenue.
Online Lectures
As well as weekly live lectures, you will receive lectures online. You can access the web lectures from the library, your room, or anywhere you have an internet connection. Online lectures are made up of interactive web modules featuring audio, video, animations and vivid graphics. Check out the many advanced features allowing you to interact with the content according to your personal learning style. Use the navigation tools and integrated search function to move about the lecture. Test your knowledge with checkpoints; learn more about faculty related research through Beyond IntroPsych; leave your comments with the Shout Wall and take a Poll; interact with fellow students and course staff with Live Chat.
New web modules are released every Monday at 6PM for the following week’s tutorials. Once a web module is released, it stays up all year for you to reference. However, be sure to view the assigned web modules before you arrive at your weekly live lecture and tutorial session to stay on schedule and to actively participate.
Live Chat
Click on LiveChat (within a web module or in Avenue) to join a live discussion with fellow students. LiveChat is moderated Monday to Thursday 11am-4pm by Instructional Staff (Teaching Assistants, the course coordinator and Dr. Kim) so you can get instant feedback if you’re confused!
Discussion Boards
More extended topic discussions are available on the Avenue Discussion Board. Join an existing discussion or start a new thread. Our discussion boards are consistently the most active of any course on campus so jump right in with your opinion.
