IOP1501/101/0/2024

Tutorial Letter 101/3/2024

Psychological Processes in the Work and

Self-employed Context

IOP1501

Semester 1 and 2

Department of Industrial and Organisational

Psychology

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail account and
make sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa website for this
module, IOP1501-2024-S1/S2, as well as your group website.

Note: This is a fully online module. It is, therefore, available on myUnisa only.

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CONTENTS

Page
1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 3
2 MODULE OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 Purpose of the module .................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Outcomes ....................................................................................................................................... 5
2.3 Learning content for the module ..................................................................................................... 5
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ............................................................................................ 6
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS .................................................................................... 7
4.1 Lecturers for the module at the time of printing .............................................................................. 7
4.2 Department ..................................................................................................................................... 7
4.3 University ........................................................................................................................................ 7
5 RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................. 7
5.1 Prescribed book(s) .......................................................................................................................... 7
5.2 Recommended book(s) .................................................................................................................. 7
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves) ..................................................................................................... 7
5.4 Library services and resources ....................................................................................................... 8
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................. 9
6.1 First-Year Experience Programme ............................................................................................... 10
7 ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 11
7.1 Assessment plan .......................................................................................................................... 11
7.2 Assessment due dates ................................................................................................................. 12
7.3 Submission of assessments ......................................................................................................... 12
7.4 Calculating your final mark ........................................................................................................... 14
7.5 Randomised multiple-choice questions ........................................................................................ 15
7.6 Guidelines on answering multiple-choice questions ..................................................................... 15
7.7 Invigilation/proctoring .................................................................................................................... 16
8 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY .......................................................................................................... 17
8.1 Plagiarism ..................................................................................................................................... 17
8.2 Cheating ....................................................................................................................................... 17
9 STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES ................................................................................... 18
10 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS .......................................................................................... 18
11 IN CLOSING ................................................................................................................................. 18
12 ADDENDUM – TERMINOLOGY .................................................................................................. 19

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1 INTRODUCTION

Dear Student

Unisa is a comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODeL) higher education institution. Our curricula
encapsulate a range of offerings, from strictly vocational to strictly academic certificates, diplomas and
degrees. Unisa's "openness" and its distance e-learning character result in many students, who may
not have had an opportunity to enrol in higher education, registering at Unisa. Our programmes are
carefully planned and structured to ensure success for students, ranging from the under-prepared but
with potential, to the sufficiently prepared.

Teaching and learning in a CODeL context involve multiple modes of delivery, including blended
learning and fully online learning. As a default position, all post-graduate programmes are offered fully
online with no printed study materials, while undergraduate programmes are often offered in a blended
mode of delivery, where printed study materials are augmented with online teaching and learning via
the learner management system known as myUnisa. In some instances, undergraduate programmes,
such as this module on psychological processes in the work and self-employed context (IOP1501), are
offered fully online as well.

Furthermore, our programmes are aligned with the vision, mission, and values of the University. Unisa's
commitment to serve humanity and shape futures, combined with a clear appreciation of our location
on the African continent, means that Unisa's graduates have distinctive graduate qualities, which
include:

• being independent, resilient, responsible and caring citizens who are able to fulfil and serve in
multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and global communities
• having a critical understanding of their location on the African continent with its histories,
challenges and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts
• the ability to critically analyse and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of information and data
from multiple sources in a globalised world with ever-increasing information and data flows and
competing worldviews
• knowing how to apply their discipline-specific knowledge competently, ethically, and creatively to
solve real-life problems
• an awareness of their own learning and developmental needs and future potential

As indicated, the module IOP1501 is offered online (all information will be available via the internet), and
we use myUnisa as our virtual campus. MyUnisa is an online system that is used to administer, document,
and deliver educational material to you and support engagement with you. Look out for information from
your lecturer and on other Unisa platforms on how to access the virtual myUnisa site for this module.
Information on the tools that will be available to you to engage with your lecturer(s) and fellow students
(to support your learning) will also be communicated on various platforms.

You are encouraged to log on to the module's site on myUnisa regularly (that is, at least twice per week).

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Because this is a fully online module, you will need to use myUnisa to study and complete the learning
activities for this module. Visit the myUnisa website for IOP1501 for semester 1 (IOP1501-2024-S1) or for
semester 2 (IOP1501-2024-S2), depending on the semester for which you are registered, frequently.

The HOME PAGE of the module site contains two important sections (an ACTIVITY segment and an
ORIENTATION segment) that you must use to orientate yourself about IOP1501, access your learning
material, and get to know what assessments you must do to pass the IOP1501 module.

• The ACTIVITY section contains the following:

o Announcements the lecturers use to share important course content and information
about your assessments during the semester
o An online copy of this Tutorial Letter 101/3/2024 (this tutorial letter)
o The links to the compulsory assessments for IOP1501; it is in the ACTIVITY segment
that you will also submit your assessments.
• The ORIENTATION section contains the following:
o Information about the study material you will need to reach the learning outcomes of the
module. Prescribed and additional resources can be accessed here.
o Guidance about how to submit the compulsory assessments in the continuous assessment
section. You need to read this section carefully before submitting any assessments.
o The eleven (11) LESSONS that are grouped into three (3) SECTIONS.

Select the
arrow to
access the
assessment
s

We wish you every success with your studies!

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2 MODULE OVERVIEW

2.1 Purpose of the module

The purpose of this module is to introduce you to the theoretical perspectives, methodology and
psychological basis of human behaviour in the global, African, and South African contexts. Students who
have completed this module successfully have a fundamental knowledge base of psychological and social
processes in the work and self-employment context. This fundamental psychology knowledge base
contributes to understanding individual differences and work behaviour, and the improvement of
interpersonal work relationships and organisational effectiveness.

You will learn about processes such as the biological basis of human behaviour, development, learning,
perception, cognition, motivation, attitudes, and pro-social and antisocial behaviours such as aggression
and conflict. You will also learn about social processes such as group behaviour and leadership.

2.2 Outcomes

This module contributes to your degree studies and the difference your qualification will make to your life
and other people's lives. If you pass the second- and third year IOP modules, you can complete an honours
degree in Industrial and Organisational Psychology (IOP). Thereafter, you can do a professional master’s
degree in IOP, an internship and the board examination to register as a professional industrial psychologist
with the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

For this module, you must master three overall study outcomes:

• Specific outcome 1: Demonstrate an informed understanding of the principles of IOP and how
they can be applied to various roles you as a student fulfil in real life (personally, socially and
professionally).
• Specific outcome 2: Demonstrate an awareness of how people's basic behaviour and related
processes contribute to the overall behaviour of individuals in the workplace and self-employed
context, including how the overall behaviour of individuals influences the student in various
graduateness-related roles.
• Specific outcome 3: Demonstrate an informed understanding of the importance and contributions
of social processes to human behaviour and interactions in the work and self-employed context.

For each of these learning outcomes, there are assessment criteria that you will be assessed on to
demonstrate your competence in this module. These assessment criteria are linked to each of the eleven
(11) lessons you will find on myUnisa.

2.3 Learning content for the module

The eleven (11) lessons for this module are categorised into three sections:

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SECTION 1: Industrial & • LESSON 1: GRADUATENESS

Organisational • LESSON 2: WHAT IS WORK?
Psychology @work • LESSON 3: INDUSTRIAL & ORGANISATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

• LESSON 4: NEUROSCIENCE & HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

SECTION 2: Individual • LESSON 5: COGNITION & MEMORY
Psychological Processes • LESSON 6: MOTIVATION & EMOTION
@work • LESSON 7: SENSATION, PERCEPTIONS, ATTITUDES, VALUES
• LESSON 8: LEARNING & COGNITION

SECTION 3: Social • LESSON 9: SOCIAL PROCESSES & GROUP BEHAVIOUR

Psychological Processes • LESSON 10: LEADERSHIP
@work • LESSON 11: SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYABILITY

Access and STUDY the content of the lessons on the IOP1501 module site on myUnisa. Each lesson
contains a study guide. Some lessons have additional prescribed reading material to study and some
have activities that you must complete before continuing to the next lesson.

3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION

Unisa has implemented a transformation charter in terms of which the university has placed curriculum
transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda. Curriculum transformation includes student-
centred scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching and assessment practices, the scholarship of
teaching and learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies and philosophies into the curriculum. All
of these will be phased in at both the programme and module levels, and because of this you will notice a
marked change in the teaching and learning strategy implemented by Unisa, together with the way in which
the content is conceptualised in your modules. We encourage you to embrace these changes during your
studies at Unisa in a responsive way.

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4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

4.1 Lecturers for the module at the time of printing

Dr L Tonelli Primary lecturer leyl@unisa.ac.za

Prof HA Barnard Secondary lecturer barnaha@unisa.ac.za
Ms M Kumbi Postgraduate development fellow kumbim@unisa.ac.za

When you contact a lecturer by e-mail, please include your student number and the module code in the
subject line to enable the lecturer to help you more effectively.

4.2 Department

You can contact the Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology as follows:

Telephone number: 012 429 8054/8033

E-mail: Deptiop@unisa.ac.za

4.3 University

The contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa website, at
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries.

Please include your student number in all correspondence.

5 RESOURCES

5.1 Prescribed book(s)

There are no prescribed textbooks or recommended books for this module.

5.2 Recommended book(s)

There are no recommended or prescribed books for this module.

5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)

The module content is divided into 11 LESSONS on myUnisa. For some of these lessons we prescribe
additional reading material (e-reserves) that you must study to enable you to do the assessments and to
pass the module. In each lesson we clearly note on myUnisa whether there is additional reading material
to be downloaded and studied. The following e-reserves are prescribed for IOP1501 and can be
downloaded from the library catalogue by following the link to the Unisa Library provided on myUnisa. A
link is also provided for you in your READING MATERIAL section, as well as in the LESSON sections on
myUnisa. More information is also available at: https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/request.

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E-reserves can be downloaded from the library webpage under e-Reserves. More information is available
at http://oasis.unisa.ac.za/search/r.

Allvin, M., & Movitz, F. (2017). Whose side is technology on, really? On the interdependence of
work and technology. In N. Chmiel, F. Fraccaroli, & M. Sverke (Eds.), An Introduction to work
and organizational psychology: An international perspective (pp. 121-134), Wiley-Blackwell.
Coetzee, M., & Schreuder, A.M.G. (2020). Changes in the world of work and careers. In M. Coetzee,
& A.M.G. Schreuder (Eds.), Careers: an organisational perspective (6th edn., pp. 42-89), Juta.
De Kock, F.S. (2018). Industrial, work and organizational psychology in Africa. In D.S. Ones, N.
Anderson, H.K. Sinagil & C. Viswesvaran (Eds.), The Sage handbook of industrial work and
organizational psychology (pp.110-127), London, Blackwell.
Donald F. (2015). Leadership. In A. Moerdyk, N. Dodd, F. Donald, J. Kiley, G. Van Hoek, & L. Van
Hoek (Eds.), Organisational behaviour (pp. 178-202), Oxford University Press.
Gross, R. (2015). Learning and cognition. In R. Gross (Ed.), Psychology: The Science of mind and
behaviour (7th edn.).
Kgatle, M.S. (2018). Servant leadership: An urgent style for the current political leadership in South
Africa. Verbum et Ecclesia 39(1), a1815. https://doi.org/ 10.4102/ve.v39i1.1815.
Kiley, J. (2013). Attitudes and values. In Z.C. Bergh, & D.J. Geldenhuys (Eds.), Psychology in the
work context (5th edn., pp. 188-209, London, Oxford University Press.
Ncube, L.B. (2010). Ubuntu: A transformative leadership philosophy. Journal of Leadership Studies
4(3), 77-82.
Nevid, J.S. (2018). Sensation & perception. In J.S. Nevid, Essentials in psychology (pp. 86-131),
Cengage.
Woods, A., Dinh, J., & Salas, E. (2017). How do I learn what to do? How the science of training
supports learning. In N. Chmiel, F. Fraccaroli, & M. Sverke (Eds.), An introduction to work and
organizational psychology: An international perspective (pp. 121-134), Wiley-Blackwell.

5.4 Library services and resources

The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources. The library has created numerous
library guides, available at http://libguides.unisa.ac.za

Recommended guides:

• For brief information on the library, go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance.

• For more detailed library information, go
to http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library.
• For Frequently Asked Questions,
visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Frequently-Asked-Questions.
• For research support and services such as the Personal Librarian service and the Literature
Search Service (for a librarian's assistance on your research topic),
visit http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Research-support.
• Library training for undergraduate students:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Training
• Lending services:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Lending-services.
• Services for postgraduate
students: https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-Postgraduates

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• Support and services for students with disabilities:

https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-students-with-special-needs
• Library technology support:
https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport
• Finding and using library resources and tools:
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• A-to-Z list of library databases:
https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php

Important contact information:

• Technical problems encountered in accessing library online services: Lib-help@unisa.ac.za
• General library-related queries: Library-enquiries@unisa.ac.za
• Queries related to library fines and payments: Library-fines@unisa.ac.za
• Interlibrary loan service for postgraduate students: libr-ill@unisa.ac.za
• Literature search service: Lib-search@unisa.ac.za
• Social media channels: Facebook: UnisaLibrary and Twitter: @UnisaLibrary

6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

The Study @ Unisa brochure is available on myUnisa, at www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies.

This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies through Unisa.

If you need assistance with regard to the myModules system, you are welcome to use the following contact
details:

• Toll-free landline: 0800 00 1870 (Select option 7 for myModules.)

• E-mail: mymodules24@unisa.ac.za or myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za

You can access and view short videos on topics such as how to view your calendar, how to access module
content, how to view announcements for modules, how to submit assessments and how to participate in
discussion forum activities by clicking on the following link: https://dtls-
qa.unisa.ac.za/course/view.php?id=32130.

Important: Registered Unisa students get a free myLife e-mail account. Important information, notices
and updates are sent exclusively to this account. Please note that it can take up to 24 hours for your
account to be activated after you have claimed it. Please do this immediately after registering at Unisa,
by following this link: myLifeHelp@unisa.ac.za

Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official correspondence with
the university and will remain your official primary e-mail address on record at Unisa. You remain
responsible for the management of this e-mail account.

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6.1 First-Year Experience Programme

Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful. This is also true in
the case of students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a dedicated open distance and e-learning
institution, and it is very different from face-to-face/contact institutions. It is a mega university, and all our
programmes are offered through either blended learning or fully online learning. It is for this reason that
we thought it necessary to offer first-time students additional/extended support to help them seamlessly
navigate the Unisa teaching and learning journey, with as little difficulty and as few barriers as possible.
This additional support is offered to you in the form of a specialised student support programme for
students enrolling at Unisa for the first time – Unisa's First-Year Experience (FYE) Programme. This
programme is designed to provide you with prompt and helpful information about the services that the
institution offers and shows you how you can access information. The following FYE services are currently
offered:

• FYE website: All the guides and resources you need in order to navigate through your first year at
Unisa can be accessed, using the following link: www.unisa.ac.za/FYE.
• FYE e-mails: You will receive regular e-mails to help you stay focused and motivated.
• FYE broadcasts: You will receive e-mails with links to broadcasts on various topics related to your
first-year studies (e.g., videos on how to submit assessments online).
• FYE mailbox: For assistance with queries related to your first year of study, send an e-mail to
fye@unisa.ac.za.

To ensure that you do not miss out on important academic and support communication from the SRU,
please check your myLife inbox regularly.

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7 ASSESSMENT

IOP1501 is a continuous assessment module.

This means that for IOP1501 you must complete four (4) compulsory assessments which ALL
contribute to your final year mark. There is no examination. There is also no supplementary exam
for those who fail the module. You will have to reregister for the module.

All the assessments consist of randomised multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The assessments have
different time restrictions. You must read the detailed information about each assessment and on how
to submit each assessment, and you must calculate your final year mark on myUnisa carefully. This is
essential, so that you will understand the rules for each assessment. Log on to the module site on
myUnisa and select and read with attention the section named Assessment.

Apart from the detailed information on myUnisa, we provide some guidance on the following below:

• the four (4) assessments in the assessment plan

• how to submit assessments online
• how to calculate your final mark
• what randomised multiple-choice questions (MCQs) mean
• how to complete MCQs

7.1 Assessment plan

• To complete this module, you will be required to submit four (4) compulsory assessments.
• All information about when and where to submit your assessments will be made available to you
via the myModules site on myUnisa.
• The due dates of assessments, as well as the actual assessments are available on the myModules
site.
• There is no examination for IOP1501.

The following is a breakdown of the compulsory formal assessment activities as they become due during
the semester. This is applicable to students registered for semesters 1 and students registered for
semester 2.

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Assessment Where to find Type Feedback Percentage

number the assessment (%)
contribution
to the final
mark
(weighting)
Assessment Find important 2 attempts 15%
01 information in the 20 x randomised MCQs
ASSESSMENT
Assessment section on the 2 attempts 20%
02 myUnisa site for 20 x randomised MCQs
*You will not
this module.
receive feedback
Assessment 2 attempts 25%
and results
03 DUE DATES are 25 x randomised MCQs
immediately after
provided on
submission.
Assessment myUnisa. 2 attempts 40%
Feedback on the
04 30 x timed randomised
assessments will be
This is an online MCQs
made available
module, and the * This assessment has a
online about 2
assessments are time restriction.
weeks after the due
not provided in
date.
this tutorial letter. The conditions for this
The assessments assessment are similar to
will be provided those of an exam.
online as they
become due.

7.2 Assessment due dates

• The due dates of the assessments are not included in this tutorial letter.
• The due dates for the assessments will be made available to you on the Assessment landing page
for this module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you upon registration.
• Please start working on your assessments as soon as you register for the module.
• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates for the
submission of the assessments.

7.3 Submission of assessments

• Unisa, as a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), is moving towards

becoming an online institution. You will therefore see that all your study material, assessments and
engagements with your lecturer and fellow students will be made available or take place online.
We use myUnisa as our virtual campus.
• The myUnisa virtual campus offers you access to the myModules site, where your learning material
will be available online and where assessments should be completed. This is an online system that
is used to administer, document, and deliver educational material to students and support
engagement between academics and students.

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• The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the myModules 2024
button to access the online sites of the modules for which you are registered.
• The University undertakes to communicate clearly and as frequently as is necessary to ensure that
you obtain the greatest benefit from the use of the myModules learning management system.
Please access the Announcements on your myModules site regularly, as this is where we will
post important information, we wish to share with you.
• When you access the module, you are registered for on the myModules site, you will see a welcome
message posted by your lecturer. Below the welcome message, you will see the assessment shells
for the assessments that you need to complete. All the assessments in IOP1501 are randomised
multiple-choice assessments. All the assessments must be completed on the assessment shells
available on the respective module platforms.
• To complete quiz assessments, please log on to the site of the module for which you need to
complete the assessment. Click on the relevant assessment shell (Assessment 1, Assessment 2,
etc). There will be a date on which the assessment will open for you. When the assessment is
open, access the quiz online and complete it within the time available to you. Quiz assessment
questions are not included in this tutorial letter (Tutorial Letter 101) and are only made available
online. You must therefore access the quiz online and complete it online where the quiz has been
created.
• It is not advisable to use a cellphone to complete a quiz. Please use a desktop computer, tablet or
laptop when completing a quiz. Students who use a cellphone find it difficult to navigate the Online
Assessment tool on the small screen and often struggle to navigate between questions and
successfully complete the quizzes. In addition, cellphones are more vulnerable to dropped internet
connections than other devices. If at all possible, please do not use a cellphone for this
assessment type.
• It is your responsibility to manage the completion and submission of your assessment.
• Make sure you have READ all the information about the assessment in the CONTINUOUS
ASSESSMENT section and in the ORIENTATION segment of the module site.
• The system is set to record the highest mark of all permitted submissions. The highest mark will
be contributed towards your final mark, according to the weighting of the assessment, as seen in
section 7.1.
• There is no supplementary exam for IOP1501. If you fail to obtain a 50% minimum final mark
for the assessments, you will have to re-register for another semester.

Retain the following as proof that you have submitted an assessment successfully:

1. The notification you receive when you submit the assessment.

2. The notification forwarded to your myLife e-mail account.
3. The submitted assessment, which will reflect in the list of submitted assessments under the Online
Assessment tab.
4. When you see the "not permitted" notice in the list of submitted assessments, it means that you
have submitted your assessment and will not be able to submit again. If you are allowed an
additional attempt, you will be able to open your first attempt and submit again. If you have used
all the attempts set by the system, no further submissions will be permitted.

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7.4 Calculating your final mark

To pass the module, you must achieve a year mark/final mark of at least 50%. If you obtain less than
50% for your final mark, you will fail the module.

Continuous assessment means that you are not going to write any examination but will be assessed
continuously on the four (4) assessments, which will ALL contribute to your year mark/final mark
according to the percentage weighting of each assessment.

The assessments become progressively more difficult, and their weighting becomes higher. For example,
the last assessment, Assessment 04, contributes 40% to your final mark and it is a timed assessment,
with strict rules, very much like an exam.

The proportion that each assessment contributes to the final mark is indicated in the box below, which also
clarifies how your final year mark is calculated.

CALCULATING THE FINAL YEAR MARK

Your final mark is based on the weighted marks received for each of the four compulsory assessments.
Each assessment contributes a different weight towards the total mark, namely:

Assessment 01 15%
Assessment 02 20%
Assessment 03 25%
Assessment 04 40%

For example:
If the total mark for an assessment is 20 and the weight of that assessment is 15% and you receive an
assessment mark of 19, you would have obtained 14% of the total final mark. The greater the weighting
of the assessment, the higher the percentage contributed towards the final mark.

You can track your progress throughout the year as you work towards obtaining the 50% subminimum to
pass the module.

Remember that the better your assessment marks are, the better your final mark will be. It is therefore
imperative that you do well in all four (4) assessments to benefit from good marks being added to the
overall mark for your qualification. Should you be following a career path in Industrial and Organisational
Psychology and continue with your Honours programme in Industrial and Organisational Psychology, you
would need a minimum of 60% for your major(s), or for a selected number of NQF 7 modules in the
qualification. If you are not following a career path in Industrial and Organisational Psychology, see the
admission requirements for other postgraduate programmes. It is imperative to try to score the highest
pass percentage in each module you complete for your first degree, so that you may continue with your
studies.

Be sure to access myUnisa regularly to keep yourself informed. It is advisable that you activate your
myLife e-mail account as soon as possible, as all communication posted online will automatically
generate an e-mail to this account. Remember that your mark for each assessment will contribute a
weighted percentage to your final mark.

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7.5 Randomised multiple-choice questions

The multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in your assessments are randomised. This means that the
alternative answers or options of a MCQ are changed every time a student attempts the question. Each
time a student begins the assessment, the correct answer to each MCQ remains the same, but will move
between different options numbers. This also means that no two students will receive the exact same
MCQs.

Example

When a student opens the assessment the first time, they may receive a question such as this:

The “midlife crisis” experience relates to _______.

A. children leaving home

B. the reassessment of careers
C. physical decline
D. all of these options

The answer to this question is “all of these options” (D).

If a student opens the assessment a second time, they will receive the same question, but the answer
will be in a different position:

The “midlife crisis” experience relates to _______.

A. children leaving home

B. the reassessment of careers
C. all of these options
D. physical decline

The answer to this question is “all of these options” (C).

The correct answer remained the same; however, the position moved from D to C. Therefore, do not rely
on merely recognising in which position the answer is; read the questions and alternatives each time you
attempt the assessment. Be sure that you know the right answer and indicate it as such, irrespective of its
position. Review the questions and answers thoroughly before your final submission, and make sure that
you have answered correctly and not merely copied what you had done before.

7.6 Guidelines on answering multiple-choice questions

Many students find it difficult to answer multiple-choice questions. The following suggestions should help
you to answer this type of question more easily.

• Do not rely merely on recognising the correct answer to answer MCQs correctly. Recognition
usually entails choosing a familiar item – but with MCQs, each alternative answer can look familiar.
Don't rely on familiarity – rather make sure you understand what each alternative answer means
in the context of the question. This level of understanding is best achieved by studying for the
assessment as though it were a short or essay-question assessment/examination.

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• Try to answer the question before you read the alternative answers. The alternative answers may
confuse you, so it is best to think about what you know before you look at them. If you are unsure
what the stem of the question is asking, glance at the alternative answers to get a better idea. It is
also important that you understand and recall the module content.
• Always read the alternative answers carefully, instead of jumping to the conclusion that a particular
one must be the correct option.
• Beware of jargon. Alternative answers may contain technical language to test whether you know
the difference between what "looks right" and what "is right".
• Beware of alternative answers that are correct statements in other contexts, but not the correct one
for the question stem. Be sure that your choice best completes the stem.
• Be particularly careful with alternative answers such as “All of these" and "None of these". These
are usually the most difficult. Look carefully at every alternative answer to ensure that it says what
you think it says. Sloppy reading can be particularly disastrous with such items.
• Watch out for double negatives! A question stem that reads "Which of the following is not true?" is
particularly difficult, especially if one or more of the alternative answers also contain negatives.
Identify the alternatives that are true; you will soon identify the correct (false) alternative if you use
a process of elimination.
• A good strategy for answering MCQs is to answer as many of the questions as you can, without
worrying about the ones you cannot answer. Then work through the questions again and answer
all the questions you are uncertain about. Answering the easier questions first may help you to
overcome some anxiety.
• Pace yourself properly throughout the examination. On average, you will have just over one minute
per question. This means that you may have some time left to answer the difficult questions. Also
make sure that you have a bit of time to review your answers.
• When receiving feedback on your assignments, review the questions that you got wrong and try to
find out why you answered them incorrectly. Look for patterns in your incorrect answers, both in
the type of material tested and in the form or style of the questions. If you are unsure why the
alternative answer that you chose for a particular question was incorrect, review the text and your
notes again. If you are still unsure, contact your lecturer or tutor.

To get the maximum benefit from these suggestions, we recommend that you review them before each
assessment.

7.7 Invigilation/proctoring

Since 2020 Unisa has been conducting all of its assessments online. Given the stringent requirements of
professional bodies and the increased solicitation of Unisa's students by third parties to unlawfully assist
them with the completion of assessments and examinations, the University is obliged to assure its
assessment integrity through the utilisation of various proctoring tools, such as Turnitin, Moodle Proctoring,
the Invigilator App and IRIS. These tools will authenticate each student's identity and flag suspicious
behaviour to assure the credibility of the student's responses during assessments. The description below
is for your benefit, as you may encounter any or all of these in your registered modules:

Turnitin is plagiarism software that facilitates checks for originality in students' submissions against
internal and external sources. Turnitin assists in identifying academic fraud and ghost writing. Students
are expected to submit typed responses for utilisation of the Turnitin software.

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The Moodle Proctoring tool is facial recognition software that authenticates students' identity during their
quiz assessments. This tool requires access to a student's mobile or laptop camera. You must ensure
that your camera is activated in your browser settings prior to your assessments.

The Invigilator mobile application-based service verifies the identity of an assessment participant. The
Invigilator mobile application detects student dishonesty by proxy and ensures that the participant is the
registered student. Students must download the app from the Play Store or App Store (Google, Huawei
and Apple) on to their (camera-enabled) mobile devices prior to their assessment.

IRIS Invigilation software verifies the identity of a student during the assessment and provides for both
manual and automated facial verification. It can record and review a student's assessment session. It flags
suspicious behaviour by the student for review by an academic administrator. IRIS software has to be
installed on students' laptop devices that are enabled with a webcam.

Students who are identified and flagged for suspected dishonest behaviour by the invigilation and
proctoring reports are referred to the disciplinary office for formal proceedings.

Please note:
You must refer to the assessment information on each module's site on myModule sites to determine
which proctoring or invigilation tool will be required for your formative and summative assessments.

8 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

8.1 Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as your own.
It is a very serious form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic dishonesty:

• Copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging the source.
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information.

8.2 Cheating

Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of another student
during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your work
• Using social media (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate assessment
information
• Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files in contravention of examination guidelines
• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating)

For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:

https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules

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9 STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD) provides an opportunity
for staff to interact with first-time and returning students with disabilities.

If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional time for
assessments, you are invited to contact the lecturers (contact details are in section 4 of this tutorial letter
and on the landing page of the module site) to discuss the assistance that you need.

10 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Refer to the module site for FAQ.

11 IN CLOSING

Do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail if you have problems with the content of this tutorial letter or with
any academic aspect of the module. We wish you a fascinating and satisfying journey through the learning
material, and trust that you will complete the module successfully.

All the best!

The IOP1501 lecturing team

DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANISATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

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12 ADDENDUM – TERMINOLOGY

You can download many of the psychology terms used in this module from the Glossary section of the
module site. In addition, you can access an Open Education Resource Term Bank, which allows you to
enter a psychology term, and have it translated into an official South African language of your choice.
Please note that this tool is in the development stage and may not have all the translations.

©
Unisa 2024

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