MEASUREMENT SYLLABUS - PSY 310
  Fall 2018 (2188)
Section 040: TH 3:00 - 4:20;   138 Old Main
Section 050: MWF 11:00 - 11:50;  276 Old Main

Professor: Dr. Robert S. Ryan

Office: 385 Old Main

Office hours: Tues. 12 - 2; Wed. 2 - 3; Thurs. 12 - 2. You are welcome to drop in at my office, 385 Old Main, any time to try to catch me. I can usually take a few minutes to help you unless I am tied up with something very important or time sensitive. It doesn't have to be during my office hours. You can drop in any time I'm not teaching, in a meeting, or busy with some other commitment (use the links to my teaching schedule and to my calendar to see my specific meetings, and other commitments). However, if you are going out of your way to see me, whether during my office hours or not, then it is always best to call me at 484-646-4325 right before you want to come, just in case I am not available because of something unexpected. For example, I could be with another student who just stopped in. If you call or visit my office during a time you thought you could catch me and find that I am not there right at that moment or I don't answer the phone, don't assume I'm not available. First, knock on my door if it is closed. Also, I could have just stepped away from the office or my phone for a few minutes. So if you don't see me in my office, and I don't answer when you knock or answer the phone when you call, always wait at least a few minutes and try again.

Phone: 484-646-4325

E-mail: rryan@kutztown.edu

Website: http://faculty.kutztown.edu/rryan

Required Text: Cohen, R.J., Swerdlik, M.E., & Sturman, E.D. (2013). Psychological Testing and Assessment: An Introduction to Tests and Measures. New York: McGraw-Hill. You can use the most recent edition (9th), but it is more expensive. You may also use an earlier edition. If you use the 9th edition you will be able to access the Connect website at no additional cost, but the Connect website is not required. If you use an earlier edition you can purchase access to the Connect website, although, again, it is not required.

Course description: An introduction to the theory of measurement of human behavior, its application to test and survey design and the application and evaluation of tests and survey tools in practice, clinical, industrial, educational, and research situations.
PREREQUISITES: PSY 011 with a C or better and PSY 200 or MAT 140 or BUS 120 with a C or better.

Course objectives:

Summary of class policies and Study Tips.
(For complete class policies, see http://faculty.kutztown.edu/rryan/policies.htm)

Academic Honesty: It is my intention to uphold the academic honesty policy of Kutztown. Academic dishonesty involves any attempt to obtain academic credit or influence the grading process by means unauthorized by the course instructor."  Click here for the complete Academic Honesty Policy.

Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who need special accommodations must make their requests and submit documentation to the Disability Services Office (215 Stratton Administration Building, 610- 683-4108, direct any emails to the Provider of Services to Students with Disabilities, Ms. Linda Lantaff, lantaff@kutztown.edu). The Disabilities Services office will then provide the student with a letter to the professor asking for appropriate accommodations. The letter should be sent to Dr. Ryan immediately.

Attendance: Attendance records are kept to help identify students at risk. No points towards your grade are added or subtracted due to attendance, but poor attendance will surely hurt your ability to do well on tests.

If you miss a class: If you miss a class, see me the next day. You may have missed an unannounced quiz or oral quizzing, and it is important to make it up immediately.

Excusable absences: Any time you miss a test you are given a grade of zero. To replace the zero with a grade, first, you should make up the test immediately (the next day). Secondly, however, in order to be allowed to have your grade count, you must provide written documentation that your absence was necessary.

Communication: Kutztown email is now the standard means of communication between faculty and students. If I need to contact the whole class (especially important in the winter) I will send an email to the class list. The class list contains the Kutztown email address of everyone registered for the course. You should check your email regularly. If you do not wish to use your Kutztown email, then you need to set it to forward to whatever email you actually use. Contact Information Technology for help with your email.

Grading: The grade for the course comes from the various quizes, tests, and exams. These may consist of any combination of objective (multiple choice; true/false) and subjective (short answer; essay) questions. They may be oral or written, announced or unannounced. Therefore, you must keep up with learning the material as it is presented. Grades come from these sources only. There is no extra credit. Each time you take a test, your grade will be posted on D2L as soon as possible after the test. We will go over the test in class as soon as possible after the test, usually, in the next class. Once you have taken more than one test, along with the most recent test grade, the resulting course grade will be posted. Therefore, if you are having difficulty as the course progresses, you will be aware of that in sufficient time for you to make a decision about whether you wish to continue in the course.

The grade on any individual evaluation will be shown as a percentage grade. It can be converted to a letter grade according to the following breakdown. I do not use plus/minus grades:

90% - 100% = A
80% - 89% = B
70% - 79% = C
60% - 69% = D
< 60 = F

Calculating grades: Your grade for the course is a weighted average of the various test grades that you will receive. See Class Policies to learn how to work with weighted average grades.

Schedule of Topics and Tests. There will be four announced tests, including a cumulative final exam, each weighted equally. If there are no unannounced tests, then each of the four announced tests will be worth 25% of the grade. If there are any unannounced tests, then the weights of the announced tests will all be reduced equally by a small amount, and the unannounced test(s) will make up the difference. Each announced test, except for the cumulative final exam, will be on the material covered since the previous announced test. Anything from the assigned chapters in the text, and anything from the lectures, including any class activities, will be fair game for the tests. Although the pre-final tests will not be cumulative in content, the nature of the material is sometimes cumulative. That is, explanations of new topics sometimes make use of your understanding of previous topics.

Schedule of Topics 

(Subject to change as needed)