96194 - RESEARCH AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN WOP PSYCHOLOGY

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

At the end of the module students will be able to design a research/intervention study in the field of Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology to assess common questions regarding the relationship between psychological variables, display effectively the findings to different audicences, and to develop project management skills in research and innovation activities

Contenuti

The course will begin with an introduction to the research process, where students will learn how to formulate research questions and hypotheses, select appropriate research methods, and consider the implications of their research. As the course progresses, students will delve deeper into the process of designing a research or intervention study, which will involve defining the research problem, dealing with the intervention site, selecting the appropriate research methodology, designing research instruments, determining the interventions setting and the sample size.

Subsequently, the course will focus on the data collection and the understanding of the common psychological variables that affect the workplace, such as motivation, job satisfaction, and leadership style, and assessing the impact of the research/intervention study on organisational outcomes.

Students will also learn about project management principles and practices, which will include defining project objectives, scope, and deliverables, developing a project plan, managing project risks and issues, and monitoring and controlling project progress.

Towards the end of the course, students will focus on effectively displaying their research findings in various formats, tailoring the findings for different audiences, and communicating the research findings effectively. 

Testi/Bibliografia

The slides and scientific articles presented during the course and uploaded to the VIRTUAL e-learning platform will constitute the basic material for the monthly assignments and the final practical exam.

Suggested texts and further reading:

• Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.
• Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. sage.
• Singh, H., & Williams, P. S. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: PMBOK (®) Guide. In Project Management Institute.

Metodi didattici

Participation. The course is designed to be highly interactive, relying on active student participation. Therefore, attendance is strongly encouraged. Small group work, simulations, case studies and classroom presentations are the main elements of the course. Classroom discussions will be stimulated by reading scientific articles provided on the VIRTUALE platform.
The small group work includes the elaboration of a research/intervention project, a communication plan and a process evaluation design and will conclude with related classroom presentations.

Policy on the use of technology in class. Students are encouraged to take notes on their personal laptops, any other use is highly discouraged. The use of any other devices in class (mobile phones, cameras, etc.) is not permitted. Students who need to use voice recorders for class lectures must receive explicit permission from the teacher to do so.

Code of Ethics. All students are required to follow the University of Bologna's code of ethics. Furthermore, students are expected to treat others, themselves, the professor and the teaching staff with respect and courtesy, including respect for diversity of all kinds.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

The course includes several tests, staggered over time. Each test allows the student to obtain a mark that will contribute to the final grade. The grading scale is from 0 to 30, 18 being the minimum passing grade.

• Monthly assignments, due before the end of the lessons. In-class group presentations or activities on topics covered during the previous lessons (up to 15 points available).
• At the end of the course. The course will culminate in a practical application phase, where students will develop a research and innovation proposal, present their expected findings to the class, potential impact and receive peer feedback (up to 15 points). The final presentation will also be evaluated taking into account aspects related to the communication of the technical contents and the graphic layout of the slides (0 to 3 points).

Penalties. A penalty will be applied for each lesson missed (0.5 points for every 2 hours missed) except for justified reasons (e.g. doctor's visits, health problems, emergencies) discussed in advance with the professor. Furthermore, any assignment that is submitted after the deadline, without a proper medical justification or without the prior permission of the tutor involved, will be penalised as follows: 0.5 points will be deducted for each day (including Saturday, Sunday and any holiday) after the deadline. The tasks assigned during the course will have clearly defined objectives and deadlines.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

The VIRTUALE e-learning platform will be the main support for teaching activities.

Scientific papers, useful materials, further reading, teaching slides and assignments will be made available on the e-learning platform.
At the beginning of the course, all course-related information (exercises, deadlines, assessment criteria, etc.) will be available on the VIRTUALE platform.

The detailed rules for group work will be available for download on the platform VIRTUAL at the beginning of the course and will be explained on the first day of the course.

Students with disabilities or special learning needs are asked to contact the teacher to discuss special needs or possibilities to adapt the exam methods.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Marco De Angelis

Consulta il sito web di Federico Fraboni