Course Description: Work is a central part of human existence. The average person spends around 90,000 hours of their life at work. This doesn’t necessarily include the time that people spend commuting to work, working at home, nor the time they spend thinking about work outside of the workplace. I-O psychology examines the human experience at work and the impact that work has on the human experience. This course introduces the scientific study of behavior and application of psychological principles in the workplace. Throughout the semester, we will explore key topics such as job analysis, recruitment, selection, performance appraisal, training, motivation, leadership, job attitudes, and stress and health. Students will develop foundational knowledge for examining the workplace through a psychological lens. The course is intended for students seeking a broad overview of I-O psychology and it’s relevance to careers in business, management, human resources, consulting, and related fields.
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
- Define and explain core concepts, theories, and terminology in I-O psychology.
- Describe major domains of I-O psychology including, job analysis, employee selection, training, performance management, motivation, leadership, and work attitudes.
- Apply basic I-O psychology concepts to real jobs, organizations, and workplace problems.
- Analyze job roles using principles of job analysis to collect, evaluate, and report information about jobs.
Recommended Textbook:
Levy, P. E., O’Malley, A., & Riordan, B. (2025). Industrial/Organizational Psychology: Understanding the Workplace (7th ed.). Worth Publishers, New York.
- The course content and lectures will primarily derive from this textbook. E-book versions can be purchased or rented directly from the Macmillan Learning website.
- We will not be using the Achieve course materials addon, so you do not need to purchase this.
- Should you purchase the textbook? I generally attempt to build the course such that you do not need to purchase the textbook to succeed. Most of the lecture material will be pulled directly from the text. If you do not plan to engage with this material further in your career development, then you might consider renting the e-book. However, if you plan to major or specialize in relevant fields such as Business Management/Administration/Consulting, Human Resources, People Analytics, Organizational Development, Executive Coaching, I/O Psychology, etc. I would recommend purchasing a reference copy for yourself.
Three exams will be offered, including a comprehensive final. 350 points (35%)
Attendance
Attendance is important to your success in this class. Roll call or another form of attendance will be taken every class session. You are allowed two free days to account for undocumented absences or emergencies. 100 points (10%)
In-Class Activities
An in-class activity will occur during nearly every class session (~25–30 total). Activities may include short written responses, small group work, quizzes, or problem-solving tasks. Your lowest two activity scores will be dropped to account for undocumented absences or emergencies. 100 points (10%)
Weekly Discussion Board Posts
(12 total, ~1/week). For each post, choose five concepts from the current chapter/topic, define them in your own words, and provide an example of how each connects to real life, is applied, and/or connects with your personal experiences. Posts are due the day after we finish lecture on a topic at 11:59 PM each week (with some exceptions). 200 points (20%)
Job Analysis Paper
Students will conduct a structured job analysis by interviewing an individual currently employed in a chosen occupation. Using information from the interview, course concepts, and external sources, students will analyze core job tasks, required knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs), and discuss how this information is applied in industrial–organizational psychology. Details below. 200 points (20%)
Research Participation
4 hours of participation in approved psychology research studies through SONA or completion of alternative assignments. Details below. 50 points (5%)
Total 1000 points (100%)
Grading Scale
Your final grade will be assigned as a letter grade according to the following scale:
A 90-100% 900-1000 points
B 80-89% 800-899.99 points
C 70-79% 700-799.99 points
D 60-69% 600-699.99 points
F Below 60% 599.99 points or fewer
Attendance
Attendance is important to your success in this class. Students are expected to arrive on time and stay for the full session to earn full credit. Missing class results in a zero for that day’s attendance grade unless an excused absence is documented. If you arrive late or leave early without prior notice, your attendance score for that day will be reduced. Roll call or another form of attendance will be taken every class session. You are allowed two free days to account for undocumented absences or emergencies.
Academic Integrity
All students are expected to uphold the Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code. This means your work must be your own, you must credit others’ ideas when used, and you must not give or receive unauthorized assistance on assignments or exams.
Honor Code: https://osi.gatech.edu/content/honor-code
Violations of the Honor Code will be reported to the Office of Student Integrity and may result in penalties up to and including a failing grade for the course.
This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Social Sciences area.
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help students master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
- How do I understand human experiences and connections?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:
- Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:
- Intercultural Competence
- Perspective-Taking
- Persuasion