This course will provide you with knowledge of the theory and principles of major forms of psychological assessment (including standardised psychometric tests) and relevant cultural, developmental and ethical considerations.
There will be practical components in which you will learn and practice interpersonal communication and interview skills and plan, conduct, interpret and report basic psychological assessments, including an introduction to risk assessment.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Apply their understanding of psychometric assessment principles and tests in settings relevant to professional practice.
2. Explain cultural, social, developmental and ethical considerations in basic psychological assessments.
3. Plan, implement and report basic psychological assessments.
4. Demonstrate appropriate communication skills suitable for a professional environment.

Research-Led Teaching

This course provides a foundation of theory and skills for the major forms of psychological assessment, including clinical interviews, behavioural assessments, and standardised tests. We explore psychometric and theoretical assessment principles, to develop critical and deliberate assessment skills. Students will also be exposed to the key cultural, developmental, and ethical considerations associated with psychological assessment. Through hands-on workshops, this course also develops student’s counselling skills, the capacity to provide a non-judgemental and supportive space. It is only through this space that an accurate and wholistic assessment can be conducted. Finally, students will learn to convey this information accurately through verbal and written reports.

This course will integrate current ethics and regulation in Australian psychological assessment, and will focus on integrating current assessment research with data from specific clients.

 The course acts as a foundation course for advanced psychological assessment in the 2nd year.  

Field Trips

NA

Additional Course Costs

NA

Examination Material or equipment

You will require a method of recording your video assessment (Task 1). This can be completed using your laptop or a dedicated video recording device. Please contact the course convenier ASAP if you require access to video recording devices.

Required Resources

Students will be provided with the required readings for each week of the course. These will be made available in advance on the course site.

Recommended Resources

Students are strongly advised to purchase the following resources as part of their ongoing journey to being professional psychologists.

1. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th eds, 2019)
2. American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (5th eds). American Psychiatric Pub.
3. Zuckerman, E. L. (2019). Clinician's thesaurus: The guide to conducting interviews and writing psychological reports. (8th eds). Guilford Publications.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

•  Verbal feedback on strengths and areas for improvement based on discussions and activities undertaken during class time.

•  Written feedback on strengths and areas for improvement, and an overall grade, for each written assessment piece.

•  A mark for each section of the exam and an overall grade.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Referencing Requirements

Psychology uses the referencing style endorsed by the American Psychological Association:

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington, DC: Author

Adjustments to delivery in 2020

Course delivery and assessment in 2020 was adjusted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Any information below that replaces what was published in the Class Summary for Semester 1, 2020 was approved by the Associate Dean Education (as is required after 10% commencement of a course). Where an activity or assessment is not referenced below, it remains unchanged.

Teaching Activities

• Lectures/Workshops were done by Zoom.

Assessment

Adjustments were made to assignment due dates; for details see the course Wattle site.

• Assessments were modified so students could interact over Zoom, rather than in person.
• Exam was take-home and then submitted on Wattle.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction and Overview of Psychological Assessment
2	Behavioural Assessment	Students will be asked to complete the behavioural record provided during the workshop.
3	Formulation and Conceptualisation	WORKSHOP 1: Counselling Skills (11 March). The workshop will focus on practicing core counselling skills: reflective listening, reflection, minimal encouragers, and validation.
4	The Clinical Interview	Clinical Interview Assignment will be provided during this week
5	Self-Assessment and self-report measures
6	Psychometric Theory 1: Reliability and Validity	Skills Workshop 2: Identifying Risk (25 March). The workshop will focus on practicing asking about risk and safety through role-play and demonstration.
7	Psychometric Theory 2: Clinical utility, Interpretations, and Considerations	Clinical interview assessment due - COB 20 April
8	Structured and Semi-Structured Assessment	Skills Workshop 3: Listening not just Hearing (29 April). This workshop will focus on listening for underlying themes and distress beyond the words.
9	Assessment of Personality
10	Assessment Report Writing
11	Communicating Assessment results
12	Data-Driven Assessment and Course Review
13	No Lecture: Exam Week 1
14	No Lecture: Exam Week 2
15	No Lecture: Exam Week 3	Assessment Report Due. COB. 3 June

Tutorial Registration

Not applicable

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Assessment role play – Administration of clinical interview and the DASS-21.	50 %	20/04/2021	04/05/2021	2,3,4
Assessment Report	50 %	03/06/2021	17/06/2021	1, 2, 3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Students will be expected to attend all workshops in line with the standards of a professional training program. Workshops are not recorded and absences without appropriate documentation will result in missing course content. Please contact the course convenor in advance if unable to attend specific workshops.

Examination(s)

Students will be marked in accordance with detailed criteria and/or a rubric for each assessment task. 

A final exam is included in this course. Students will be provided with detailed information about this, and other assessment tasks in the course, through the course site.

Assessment Task 1

Assessment role play – Administration of clinical interview and the DASS-21.

Topic: In pairs, students will record a clinical assessment interview with another classmate to demonstrate the skills learned during the workshops, and then reflect on their own clinical assessment. This task will provide students with the opportunity and practice the clinical interview skills developed in lectures and skills workshops, and develop strong self-reflection practices.

Students are advised to practice keeping detailed notes during their video, as this video will form part of the next assessment for the course: Assessment Report (Task 2). 

Value: 50%

Submitted pieces:

·      A video of the student's clinical assessment (30minutes). 

·      A written reflection on the student's assessment (750 - 1000 words). 

Feedback for this assignment will also be provided in a 1:1 face-to-face format. Students will be asked to share and reflect upon sections of their interview to reflect with the course convener or an MPP staff member.

More detailed information on assessment requirements and marking will be made available on the course site and through discussions in workshops.

Due date: COB 20 April 2021.

Assessment Task 2

Assessment Report

Topic:

Writing strong assessments is a key skill of professional psychologists. This assessment aims to help students develop clinical assessment report skills and allow students to integrate their knowledge on referral questions and assessment aims, psychological measures, clinical interview, formulation, interpretation, and recommendations.

This report will be based on their video assessment (Assessment Task 1).

Submitted pieces:

• An assessment report based on the clinical interview in the assessment role play and the results of the DASS-21. Approximately 2000 words in length exluding figures, tables, and citations. Assessment should be completed using the template provided (on course Wattle site).

Value: 50%

Due Date: COB 3 June 2021

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Given the size of the video assignment, students should submit assignments via a cloud-platform link or handed to the course convenor during class time.

Late Submission

Video assessment (Assessment Task 1) and the Assessment report (Assessment Task 2)

• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be returned electronically through the course wattle site approximately two weeks after the due date.

Students will be asked to share a 5minute section of their video to watch with the convenor to develop self-reflective practice.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Grading in the Master of Professional Psychology program reflects achievement of competencies as appropriate to developmental level. As such, students will be provided with grades indicating that competency has been met Course Requirement Satisfied (CRS) or not met (Fail).

Failure to submit an assignment of a high standard which meets requirements for a passing grade (50%) will result in a student receiving feedback on the area/s requiring remediation and one opportunity for resubmission of the assignment to address these issues. This opportunity is provided only in circumstances where a genuine attempt to address the assignment requirements was determined to be made in the first submission. If the resubmission satisfactorily addresses the issues identified, a grade of CRS will be awarded for the task. The need to re-submit the same assignment twice due to inadequate performance will result in overall failure of the assessment piece, and thus the course, which will need to be repeated in a future offering.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students