Psych 465 (Applied Apprenticeship) Extended Course Description

Apprenticeship Placement

The apprenticeship component of Psych 465 gives students the opportunity to develop discipline-related skills and competencies in a professional setting, under the guidance of a host organization.

The apprenticeship placement is meant to be mutually beneficial to students and the community: work is engaging and meaningful for students, and host organizations achieve business objectives while supporting the workforce of the future.

Psych 465 offers students the opportunity to apply knowledge of the science of human behaviour in the fields of clinical, cognitive, cognitive neuroscience, developmental, industrial/organizational, and social psychology in a workplace setting.

Students must volunteer 60 hours at their placement, over the course of 10 weeks during the Winter 2019 term.

Students will negotiate the hours and days of their apprenticeship with the host organization.

You are expected to spend six hours per week (e.g., six hours on one day, or three hours on two days) at your placement, as arranged with your host organization.

When developing your Winter term schedule please keep in mind that one or two blocks of time will be required for your placement. Keep travel time in mind when putting your class schedule together.

Seminar Component

In addition to the apprenticeship component, Psych 465 students are required to meet at a weekly two-hour seminar.

The seminar gives students the opportunity to reflect on their experiences in the work environment, and discuss relevant career development tools, such as networking and resume-building. Students are required to make a short end-of-term presentation about their apprenticeship experience.

The course outline will be available on the first day of Winter 2019 term class, 2019.

Please note that this is a cross-listed course, and that you will be taking the class with a number of Human Resources Management students. The seminar component is held with PSYCH 467 (Human Resources Apprenticeship)

Psych 465 is intended to give students the opportunity to:

• Complete a substantive project or series of engaging tasks at an organization
• Develop professional skills though hands-on, practical work experience
• Integrate, apply, and deepen knowledge gained in the classroom
• Work toward acquiring competence in your field of study, and reflect on your professional skills
• Learn how to become an effective member of the workforce
• Expand your professional networks
• Gain exposure to positions and responsibilities you could fill within particular work organizations upon graduation
• Assess your career aspirations and potential career opportunities in today’s workforce environments

Prerequisites

• PSYCH 291 and PSYCH 292
• Level at least 3A Psychology Majors only
• Psychology average at least 75%

Psych 465 is open to students in regular (non-co-op) and co-op programs of study. Preference will be given to students in regular (non-co-op) programs.

Enrolling in Psych 465 involves an application and interview process. Entry into the course is not guaranteed, and is competitive.

There are several steps for gaining admittance into Psych 465:

1. Determine if you are eligible
2. Apply to the course through the online application. Submitting an application to enrol does not guarantee you a spot in the course. The application consists of an online form, resume outlining work and education experience, and references. The application form will be available September 6, 2018, and application is due Tuesday, September 25, 2018, at 11:59pm.
3. If successful through initial screening, participate in an interview. The interview and placement arrangement process takes place during the fall 2018 term. Participating in the interview and placement arrangement process does not guarantee you a spot in Psych 465. Consult with the Experiential Learning Coordinator to determine if you can arrange your own placement with department consent.

Finding Your Placement

Candidates who have completed a successful interview then move on to the final step of finding a suitable placement. Placements are not guaranteed, however, two approaches can be used to find a placement.

1. We will match you with an organization that is interested in hosting a student. You may be required to complete another interview with the host organization.

2. You can also opt to arrange your own placement with department consent. Submit an Arrange Own Placement Request Form (available Fall 2018) and discuss the opportunity with the Experiential Learning Coordinator. If you are unsuccessful in arranging your own placement, we will do everything possible to find a placement for you, however, placements are not guaranteed.

Enrolment Procedures

Admittance into the course is not guaranteed due to placement availability. Because of this, during your initial enrolment period, you must enrol in five courses other than Psych 465. If you are admitted into the course, you will officially enrol in Psych 465 shortly after the matching process closes at the end of the fall 2018 term, and drop an alternative course.

Course capacity is based on number of available placements.

Grading is on a credit/no credit grading basis. CR and NCR grades have no impact on average calculations for the degree. Psych 465 is worth .5 academic units. There is no final exam in the course.

In order to receive a CR grade in PSYCH 465, you must satisfy the expectations established by the apprenticeship supervisor for the apprenticeship position as well as the objectives established by the Course Coordinator for the seminar component of the course. Those who fail to meet these expectations will receive an NCR grade (no credit).

Those whose home Faculty is the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Science are allowed to take courses on a CR/NCR grading basis. If your home Faculty is other than Arts or Science, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are allowed to take a course on a CR/NCR grading basis.

Residency Requirements

Please read carefully the residency requirementsfor your home Faculty and Major before taking any courses on a CR/NCR grading basis particularly if you have internal (University of Waterloo) transfer credits (e.g., following a change in home Faculty or following a failed standing), external transfer credits from other institutions, or any passing grades on the Waterloo transcript other than on a numerical grading basis (e.g., CR or AEG).

Residency requirements by home Faculty:

• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Science
• Other Faculties - check the Undergraduate calendar and the appropriate academic advisor for information

Transportation

Transportation to the apprenticeship setting is the student's responsibility.

Community Organization Documentation