P-SYC 2.0

Preparing to start your course

P-SYC

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to the interactive tool design to help prepare you to start your time studing at Arden university

Welcome

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Throughout your learning journey with us, you will get the chance to meet many different teaching staff, support staff and of course - Students! so, before we get started, let's meet some of the senior leadership team within the psychology school

Homepage

Format of teaching and role of tutors

Self-drected learning

Assessments and Feedback

what you will need

Careers and employability

Demonstrating the Arden values in your academic journey

Additional support and information

Feedback

Show

Learn

Set goals

Plan

Identify/ Reflect

Self-directed Learning

This is where you will find information that will help youu to understand what it means to be an independent learner

Study skills

Independent learning

How to conduct self-directed study

What do I need to do?

Expectations of self-directed study

Independent learning

What is Independent Learning?

Studying at university is an exciting, rewarding and hard-working experience. It’s also one that requires each student to be responsible for their own learning and progress. Unlike previous levels of education, where learning is mainly guided by teachers, university students need to work in partnership with staff to improve their knowledge. This means taking ownership of your learning, as the time and effort that you dedicate to your studies is just as important as the module content that you will engage with. One way in which students are expected to do this is by taking part in independent learning. This means: • Taking responsibility for your understanding and development. • Managing your own study time. • And directing your own learning without the supervision of a tutor. Examples of independent learning can include conducting wider reading for an assignment, preparing for upcoming lectures, submitting draft assignments, reflecting on your feedback, writing up your notes, proactively booking 1-2-1 meetings with lecturers, practising your academic skills, and attending revision sessions. But don’t worry, independent learning doesn’t mean working on your own. Instead, it means working autonomously – i.e., deciding what you need to focus on for yourself, and then choosing what methods of learning you want to follow. Here at Arden, we actively encourage you to speak to your classmates, discuss your ideas with friends, and even seek guidance from students who are further ahead in their programmes. This can provide a really beneficial platform for you to talk through your challenges and questions. Independent learning is not only a necessary part of university life, but a necessary part of the workplace too. Being organised, managing your workload, setting yourself targets, holding yourself accountable, and reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses are essential attributes for success.

How to conduct self-directed study

Independent learning, also referred to as self-directed study, encompasses a wide range of activities. This includes working through module lessons, preparing for lectures, completing assignments, and revising. You’ll notice here that attending lectures and meetings with lecturers isn’t included – and this is because self-directed study does not include contact time with university staff. Instead, it represents the time each student is expected to spend on their own learning and development.

Show

Learn

Set goals

Plan

Identify/ Reflect

What do I need to do?

To guide your self-directed study, it can be useful to think of this process as a cycle:

Show

Learn

Set goals

Plan

Identify/ Reflect

What do I need to do?

Step 1:The first step of this process is the identify and reflect on where your current gaps in knowledge or skills are. This might include asking yourself: • What am I finding difficult to understand? • What part of my assignment am I struggling with? • What did my latest feedback recommend I work on? • What is needed to improve my next grade?

Show

Learn

Set goals

Plan

Identify/ Reflect

What do I need to do?

Step 2:The second step is to set yourself goals on what you are going to learn. We recommend that these goals are clear, measurable and specific, such as: • By the end of this module, I want to improve my use of APA referencing. • By the end of this module, I want to develop my critical thinking skills and including more evaluation in my assignments. • By the end of this module, I want to have a clearer understanding of Social Learning Theory, and apply this to my assignment

Show

Learn

Set goals

Plan

Identify/ Reflect

What do I need to do?

Step 3:The third step is to develop a plan that addresses how you will meet your goal(s). Your plan should be realistic, achievable, and ideally offer a timescale for you to complete this within. The aim here is to hold yourself accountable, keep yourself engaged, and break your goals down into bite-sized chunks. For example: • I will attend a workshop on APA referencing and in-text citations. • I will identify three strengths and weaknesses of each resource I use within my work. • I will read Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of this textbook over the next three weeks.

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Learn

Set goals

Plan

Identify/ Reflect

What do I need to do?

Step 4:The fourth step involves you learning what you need to know until you believe that your goal has been achieved. This would likely mean: • Following each section of your plan and ticking these activities off. • Taking part in additional activities or engaging with supplementary reading that will also aid your learning. • Regularly checking your understanding and development to see your own progress.

But this process doesn’t end with the fifth step, as you can continue to identify and reflect on areas for improvements throughout your course. For example, utilising your assignment feedback after each submission, or identifying a new topic that needs your attention from your current module. This also means that you will be engaging with continuous self-directed study – repeatedly taking ownership of your development, improving your understand and skills, reflecting on your progress, and demonstrating an awareness of your academic needs. This is a vital skill, which can be utilised both within and outside of your university programme.

Show

Learn

Set goals

Plan

Identify/ Reflect

What do I need to do?

Step 5:The fifth step in this process is showing what you have learned – usually within your modules or assignments. For example: • Sharing knowledge with others (e.g. your classmates or lecturers). • Using your new academic writing skills within an upcoming piece of work. • Demonstrating the depth of your understanding within your assignments.

As an Arden University student, you will be encouraged to develop the skills you need to become an effective independent learner. This includes:

Study Skills

Managing your time

Presenting an argument

Demonstrating academic integrity

and Proof-reading your work

These skills are essential to your success, as they will help you to improve your grades, enable you to pass your modules, and allow you to apply your skills and knowledge to the workplace. But we don’t expect you to have these skills or feel comfortable with them just yet! Here at Arden, we are proud that our students come from a variety of backgrounds, including those without formal qualifications, and those who have been out of education for a number of years. That is why all our students have access to the Study Skills Team, who are here to support your academic development across your entire programme. This includes access to a dedicated module, regular academic workshops, and the ability to book one-to-one appointments (that are available six days a week). In preparation for your studies, this section offers an overview of six key skills you will need to demonstrate within your programme, as well as guidance on transitioning between different levels of study. After all, the skills required at the start of your course are likely to differ to those needed at the end of it.

Managing your time

As a university student, you are expected to complete around three hours of self-directed study each day – and this is likely to be on top of any work, family and personal commitments. It is therefore vital that you manage your time well, in order to stay in control of your studies and meet your deadlines. When juggling a range of different tasks, it is firstly important that you know how to prioritise. For example, creating a to-do list and assigning each job with a level of importance or urgency. Once you have identified the most crucial tasks, you can begin completing these first – ideally concentrating on one at a time and giving yourself sufficient breaks in between. Getting enough rest also allows your brain to relax. But it’s important to avoid wasting time on activities that will interfere with your time management. Though it can be tempting to scroll through Facebook for hours, this can eat into your valuable study time and cause more stress later on.

Presenting an argument

When forming your academic arguments, it’s important that you include the following four components: · Premise – an idea or statement that your argument is based on. · Evidence – resources (e.g. research) that supports your ideas. · Explanation of assumptions – explanation for how the evidence supports the claims. · Reasoning – the reasons why this viewpoint should be accepted. This will help you to present an argument that is clearly structured, easy to follow, and convincing. It will also strengthen your work and help you to examine and address any counter-arguments that you might have come across.

Proof-reading your work

When completing your assignments, it’s important to ensure you have answered the question and that your response can be easily followed and understood. This means that you need to be able to check for any issues (e.g. typos or poor presentation) that could impact the credibility and quality of your work. Errors typically happen when students are rushing to meet a deadline, so don’t leave themselves enough time to complete the proofreading and editing stage. This means that little mistakes could be overlooked or not noticed. In order to minimise these issues and correct the work before your final submission, you should read back through it and ask yourself the following: · Content – have you fully answered the assessment question? · Structure – have you used paragraphs and offered an introduction and conclusion? · Style – have you used a suitable tone and written from the correct point-of-view? E.g., a formal tone and the third-person (they/author names) for essays. · Spelling – have you spotted any spelling mistakes? E.g., their vs. there. · Grammar – have you used the correct verb tenses and do your subjects and verbs agree? E.g., writing in the past, present or future – and he had vs. they have. · Punctuation – do your commas and full stops sound right when you read the work aloud? Don’t forget, you can also run the work through a spellchecker, such as the one build into Microsoft Word. But this might only catch a few of the problems – and won’t be able to check the suitability of your content. So, it’s also important for you to complete a manual review of the final draft too.

Avoiding Plagiarism

APA referencing and Avoiding plagiarims

Using AI

Regular academic skills workshops

Demonstrating Academic integrity

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Academic integrity refers to a commitment that the work you submit is entirely your own, made up your original response to the assessment question. On the other hand, plagiarism refers to using the work, words and ideas of others without acknowledging that this has been taken. According to Turnitin, there are ten different types of plagiarism that a student could commit. This includes cloning someone else’s work, including references to non-existent or inaccurate sources, and mixing up material that has been copied from multiple sources. Check here for plagiarism: Turnitin However, it’s also important to note that students are capable of accidental plagiarism, where you might miss a reference out by accident or include parts of a previous submission that you’ve made (self-plagiarism). Even though this may happen by mistake, it can still count as plagiarism and still lead to your work being referred for an offence. For this reason, it is really important that you fully understand what we mean by academic integrity and plagiarism – and reach out for help if you need extra support with this.

Wider Reading

Reading is an essential tool for your university studies, specifically to aid your understanding and the development of your critical and analytical skills. As part of your modules, you will need to follow the required reading and you’ll be expected to take part in ‘wider reading’ – i.e., independently engaging with different types of resources to improve your grasp of the topic. Wider reading can involve books, journal articles, websites and reports. It’s also good practice to focus your wider reading on good quality resources – such as peer-reviewed journals, academic textbooks, and educational or governmental webpages. This ensures your information will be up-to-date, unbiased and trustworthy. Note: A journal article is a scholarly piece of work that is published in peer-reviewed journals. Examples include research articles, which you will read throughout your course For new Psychology students, you might find the Library’s Subject Guide a useful resource, which includes links to databases, professional bodies and associations, podcasts, newsletters, and websites. This information has not only been identified as useful for your programme, but it provides a great starting point for exploring psychology as a whole. However, as part of your modules, you may need to conduct wider reading on a particular topic or area – and this time, you will need to explore literature using the Arden Library or an academic search engine (such as Google Scholar). This will allow you to search for a particular key word or phrase (such as ‘psychology of learning’) and find relevant results. Once you have found a potential resource, you should skim its abstract or introduction. This will help to save you time by evaluating the suitability of the resource. If it is appropriate to use, you can then begin your reading – which may include reading the resource in full or making notes as you go along. You might also find that additional authors or works are mentioned, which you can add to your reading list. As you can see, wider reading can take a fair amount of time – so it’s important that you consider this when organising your studies. However, wider reading shouldn’t be a chore! You will have opted to study psychology for a reason, and most likely, the reason is you find it interesting. So, make sure your wider reading is worthwhile and stimulating for you too.

Referencing

As Psychology students, you are required to follow the American Psychological Association (APA) style. This means that everyone who studies and works within psychology uses a consistent format when quoting, discussing, and listing the resources we have used in our work. Therefore, allowing each other easily identify and find the literature cited. To better understand the APA style, you might wish to explore their website. This features guidance on following the style and an explanation of why we use it. Likewise, it is extremely important that all students read, download and refer back to Arden’s APA Referencing Guide, which can usually be found within your modules and on the Library portal.

Expectations of self-directed study

One of the first things that new students ask is “how many hours should I be studying per week?” – and this is a great question, as it’s important that your study expectations are in line with our own. Likewise, it’s important to be clear if this time includes organised learning (e.g., lectures) or self-directed study. According to guidance from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), students should be completing ten hours of study per university credit. This framework, known as notional learning time, is agreed and used across higher education providers for their undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Notional learning time should be thought of as the time spent by students in pursuit of their own education. Once again, the emphasis here is on each student’s responsibility for their learning and not on their contact time with staff. And so, this ten hours does not include the time spent with lecturers or in class. But how do I apply this to my course? Click on the next page for more information

This is why it’s important to be realistic about your time and manage your workload accordingly. For example, blocking out a few hours on an evening, so that you can devote the time entirely to your studies. This would help you organise your work, stay on top of the module content, and get the most out of live sessions with tutors and other students. Of course, our staff are here to work alongside you and support you. We may also share useful resources and tips on our forums – such as links to the Library, helpful YouTube videos, or other relevant resources. But the overall responsibility for your learning and your success always lies with you.

Expectations of self-directed study

Number of self-directed study hours

Time Frame

But how do I apply this to my course? Well, here in Psychology, the majority of our modules are typically worth 20 credits each and run for ten weeks. If we apply the above framework to this, we would expect our students to dedicate an average of 200 hours of learning for every module you take.

Taken from the Framework for HE Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies (2024).

Managing the Transition Between Levels of Study

Just as your knowledge and skills will develop across your programme, so will the expectations and requirements of each level of study. This is to ensure that you are meeting the academic standards of achievement set by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). In simple terms, the higher the award, the harder the modules and assessments. Meaning that students need to be prepared for greater challenges as they progress through their studies. But we aren’t saying this to cause you stress or worry! Instead, we want to prepare you for this change and help you to adapt to the demands of Levels 4, 5 and 6.

Level 6 Descriptor

Level 5 Descriptor

Level 4 Descriptor

To get a better understanding of what is required at each level, take a look at the following example. This shows the knowledge and understanding requirements across a standard degree programme.

Managing the Transition Between Levels of Study

As we know, at Level 4, you are still getting to grips with university life and developing the initial skills you need to succeed. Therefore, the expectations on you are less at this point of your studies. But as you move into Level 5 and onto Level 6, you will be expected to show greater depth and breadth within your subject area. To put this into context of your Psychology programme, let’s look at student engagement with primary data collection and the use of research ethics. Although you will come into contact with research methods at Level 4, you may not be asked to collect your own data or submit any ethical applications. As at this stage, our aim is to introduce you to key concepts and provide with you a general understanding of what research is. But at Level 5, you will take two specialised modules in quantitative and qualitative research methods, where you may also be asked to collect data, show an awareness of ethical considerations, and successfully secure ethical approval. This will then inform your very own piece of independent research at Level 6. It is therefore vital that you are aware of the differences in levels and also take time to familiarise yourself with the requirements of these. More information on the skills required can be found in the above QAA framework document – and we recommend that you look through this now, as well as at Levels 5 and 6.

Managing the Transition Between Levels of Study

If you are ever unsure about the quality of your work, the skills required at your level of study, or how to manage the transition across your course, don’t forget to reach out to your lecturer or the Study Skills Team. But by following the module guidance, and acting as an independent learner, you have all the tools you need to ensure your own success. The Academic Skills Team also have a number of resources available. You will be able to access these links when you are fully enrolled: • Main library page - Home page | Arden Library • Academic Skills Workshops - Arden Library • Academic Skills Tutor Workshops - Arden Library • Using the Library - Arden Library • Academic Writing - Arden Library • Critical Thinking - Arden Library • Dissertation Research - Arden Library • English Language - Arden Library • Exams and Assessments - Arden Library • Numeracy - Arden Library • Reading and Notetaking - Arden Library • Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism - Arden Library • FAQs - Arden Library

Format of teaching and role of tutors

Blended and Distance learning: What's the difference?

Information for distance learning students

Live sessions

Asynchronus materials and iLearn

Importal roles

More information

Research Method Support Team

Volunteer Research Assistants (VRA's)

Professional Development Coaches

Volunteer Learning Assistants (VLA's)

Module Lecturers

Module Leaders

Programme Leaders

Lecturers responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and reviewing teaching and assessment within specific modules.

Lecturers who contribute to teaching and assesment within specific modules in collaboration with Module Leaders

Lectures responsible for designing, managing, and reviewing a specific programme.

Important Roles

When you start your course, you will be introduced to a range of friendly faces looking to help you settle in and imporve your learning experience within the school of psychology. Here are the main roles you will come across.

Other key channels

A core objective of the Psychology programme is to help you develop skills as an independent learner. Therefore, your Module Leaders/Lecturers will provide you with the necessary tools and support to enable you to do so.

Additional support

Module leaders will not:

Module leaders will:

Important roles - more information

iLearn

This is ideal for Arden students as you can refer to materials at times that are convenient for you, without the time constraints! Usually, asynchronous materials will be presented using a variety of online tools and/or in various formats, such as: • Video Recordings • PDFs • Word Documents • PowerPoint Presentations • Wakelets • Padlets • Lessons

This allows you to: • Watch a lecture either live or in your own time. • Pause, rewind and replay content to help your understanding

These materials will guide you through the module content, all whilst developing your critical thinking skills . Your lessons, specifically, will provide a valuable foundation for your learning and will nicely coincide with your timetabled live sessions . In your lessons, you will be able to click through each page at your own pace, and discover more about your dedicated topic along with accessing links to external sources to further your understanding. To enhance your learning journey, asynchronous materials are provided mainly through our online platform, iLearn.

Asynchronous materials and iLearn

At Arden, we value accessibility and inclusion, therefore the times and dates of live Zoom sessions for distance learning students are as varied as possible to accommodate different lifestyles. However, don’t panic if you cannot attend! Recordings of all live sessions are uploaded onto iLearn as part of your asynchronous materials (i.e., learning resources provided for you to use or complete at a time that suits you, for as long as you like, at your own leisure).

WhatsApp groups

Discussion forums

Discussion forums, embedded within iLearn, will allow you to interact with lecturers and other students at your own pace. Discussion forums contain thought-provoking questions related to your lesson content that you can easily respond to by clicking in the response box and sharing your ideas. Often, there may also be a link to an activity that may test your knowledge on a particular topic. Although you don’t have to participate, actively engaging in discussion forums has been found to improve learning experiences by: • building a stronger sense of community with groups that share similar goals and ambitions • developing important cognitive skills (e.g., critical thinking) • consolidating knowledge and deepening understanding of course content, particularly through structured discussions that include guided questions or activities (Kovanović et al., 2015; Martin & Bolliger, 2018) Be it via blended or distance learning, there will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions, exchange ideas, and truly feel part of an academic community

iLearn

iLearn will be the online platform in which you will navigate to access your course’s content. Similar to Blackboard and Moodle, iLearn displays pages for each of your modules, which give you access to some of the tools/resources listed above as well as discussion forums. By supporting both synchronous and asynchronous content and forms of communication, iLearn offers an accessible and flexible way of learning (Gamage et al., 2022). Research suggests platforms such as iLearn can:• Improve student engagement, satisfaction, and performance (Gamage et al., 2022) • Stimulate communication and collaborative learning (Costa et al., 2012) • Encourage social interactions and provide a space for community-building (Susana et al., 2015) Although iLearn may seem a little daunting at first, the more you explore, the more helpful it will become, and you can always ask for help navigating the platform if you ever need to! Also, don’t need to worry if you’ve not had much experience with online learning platforms in the past - you will have time to navigate your way around and familiarise yourself with where the materials are located. In fact, modules are available for release one week before the start of each teaching block, so you can begin to explore your module page and start reading the core materials early if you wish to. On your dedicated module page, there will be opportunities to download resources that are beneficial to facilitate what you will learn from the lessons and live sessions.

Assessments and Feedback

Where we will give you an introduction to the types of assessments that you may need to complete, and how feedback is provided:

Types of assessments

Assignment briefings and marking criteria

Formative feedback

Feedback and Feedforward of summative assessment

Academic integrity (or playing fair)

If you need extra time on assignments

Let's apply some psychology!

Types of Assessment

Over the course of your degree, you will experience many varied types of assessment. You will however not have exams, which we do not use on the psychology courses. Across level 4 alone you will complete a research methods report, essay, case study evaluation, record a narrated presentation, and develop a poster which you present. You will also begin a reflective portfolio, which you will complete through your course and submit at level 6. At level 5 and 6 of your course, the assessments depend on which modules you choose (if your course has optional modules), but some other types of assessment used are psychometric reports, development of a digital artefact, role plays of client sessions with follow up case notes/reflection, qualitative and quantitative research methods reports, research proposals, newspaper articles, handbooks, behaviour change leaflets and of course your final independent research report (dissertation). As you can see, you will experience a range of interesting assessment types! These aim to enhance knowledge and skills necessary for psychology professionals. Common across all assessments is that you will develop skills in writing and presenting information. While the required formats will differ, writing clearly to express your ideas in an organised way is common to all.

Assignment briefings and Marking criteria

Assessment is used to check that you have met the learning outcomes for each module and the course overall, but beyond this, psychologists present to many different audiences (students, academics, researchers, policy makers, charities, the general public, the media, and many others) hence the varied formats of assessment. For each assessment you should expect to receive an assignment briefing and the marking criteria being applied. The assignment briefing outlines the: • Learning outcomes being assessed • Submission guidelines - submissions are made through links on your iLearn module pages; submission date can also be found on the iLearn pages • Assignment task including word or time limits • Breakdown of marks available by section (where applicable) • Opportunities for formative feedback and deadlines for these • Assessment criteria You should note that an assignment briefing is a guide to what should be included for a task, but it is not a checklist of items to include. Although your tutors will guide you, ultimately it is up to you to interpret the task set, and there may be several valid interpretations, so do not worry if your approach is different from your peers. Discuss it with your lecturers. The library also run sessions on planning for assignments here - Library workshops. Assessment is an important aspect of gaining your degree but it should not be seen as the be-all-and-end-all of your learning. This means that module lessons and tutors will cover areas that are not necessarily directly assessed in a module. ’Teaching to the assessment’ is not the aim - your learning is broader than any single assessment for a module.

Assessment criteria

Assessment criteria come in various forms: • Generic assessment criteria are provided by the University that describe the standards expected for each grade band. It is common in academia to refer to honour’s degree classifications to reflect grade bands, which are a first class (70%+), an upper second class (in the 60s), a lower second class (in the 50s), and a third class (in the 40s). Postgraduate courses have distinction (70%+), merit (in the 60s) and pass (in the 50s) instead of these classifications. The generic criteria indicate the qualities expected for work at each of these levels. At undergraduate level the pass mark is 40% for any assessment (50% for postgraduates). • Rubrics are a variation of the Module assessment specific marking criteria where the criteria are presented in a grid format. This grid cross-references the quality criteria for each grade band with specific elements of the assessment. For example, for a research method report the grid could outline the qualities and expectations of each grade band for each section of the report such as the Introduction, Method, Results etc. Rubrics present students with a clearer idea of what is expected of them within the assignment, and the relative ‘weighting’ of different elements of the assessment. If you are unsure how to interpret the rubric reach out to your lecturer

Task words in assessments

Within your assignment briefs, you will notice various phrases or ‘task words’, that tell you what you will need to do within your summative assessments. The arguments that you develop for each assignment, should be based on academic sources, such as research studies in peer-reviewed journal articles, and textbooks. You should not use websites that are not peer-reviewed, as these are not academic sources. Here are some examples of these task words: • Analyse: Explore a concept, outline different components of it, and how these relate to each other, in an organised way • Compare: Demonstrate how two or more things (such as theories) are similar • Contrast: Demonstrate how two or more things (such as theories) are different • Evaluate: Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of something, such as a psychological theory • Discuss: Explaining a concept and then give details on points for and against it, that are supported with psychological academic sources

Formative Feedback

The term ‘formative feedback’ encompasses all feedback that you gain throughout a module, up to the point of submission. There are numerous ways that you can gain formative feedback, such as interactions with your tutors in live sessions, emails with your tutors, and 1:1 meetings. However, you may hear the term ‘Formative feedback’ more, when describing feedback provided on draft submissions. ‘Formative feedback’ is feedback provided on an assessment prior to the final submission. Tutors will provide feedback on your content, clarity of your arguments, evaluative skills, general writing style and referencing, or any other areas where they feel strengths or areas for improvement have been identified. They will not provide a grade for formative work. What you can submit for formative feedback will vary between modules and across levels. You will be given a deadline for submitting formative feedback ahead of the final submission deadline, but can submit earlier than this if you would like to. Details of what you can submit for formative feedback, and how to submit this will be provided on each iLearn module page and in the assignment briefing. In the early stages of your course, you may be able to submit a complete working draft of your submission. For some modules you may submit a plan or a particular section of your work. This is so that you do not become dependent on formative feedback but develop your own skills and knowledge in writing to a specific task. Written formative feedback will only be provided on one submitted draft. You cannot resubmit a revised draft for further written feedback, but you can always ask further questions about specific areas of your assessment. Across levels you will find that the amount of written formative feedback is reduced and by level 6 you may have none (except for your research project). By this stage you should have developed a good grasp of what is required. However, also keep in mind that formative feedback takes many forms. It is not just written commentary on your draft work, but feedback through discussion forums, responses to email queries, Zoom sessions, 1-2-1 meetings, Academic Skills Team support, and any response you get to questions about an assessment. So, there are many different opportunities for receiving formative feedback, but it is up to you to engage in these. Expect your lecturers to challenge your understanding and support you in finding the right answer for yourself, and not give you the answers!

Feedback and Feedforward on Summative Assessment

‘Summative assessment’ refers to marking of an assessment submitted for grading. We use the term to distinguish this type of assessment from formative work. For summative assessment you will receive written feedback on submitted work and a grade. You will also receive ‘feedforward’ advice, which refers to what you can do to improve future submissions. This will typically focus on two or three key areas where you can make the most impactful improvements rather than everything in a submission that could be improved. You might notice that advice given in the ‘feedforward’ of your summative assessment was not given for the formative feedback. This is because the purpose of the formative feedback is to give pointers on where the work could be strengthened, but it is not to tell you absolutely everything that needs to be done to get top marks.

Academic integrity (or Playing fair)

Academic integrity is about fairness and honesty in your scholarship. Its converse is academic misconduct or unfair practice which typically refers to plagiarism (presenting someone else’s writing or ideas as your own without acknowledgment) or collusion (working with others to produce a single piece of submitted work without approval and each claiming it is an individual original submission). Plagiarism is not simply copying someone else’s words; it is presenting their ideas as your own! The best way to avoid unintentional plagiarism or collusion is to develop a sound academic writing style, learning how to properly present previous work and acknowledge the authors of that work. This is also known as developing your ‘academic voice’. A key part of this is that you write your understanding of what others have said or done without relying on their phrasing. Correctly citing and referencing the work of others is a key part of this, but still only part of the broader picture of developing a writing style that distinguishes your reflections on another’s work from their original thoughts. This comes with practice so expect to make mistakes along the way. For example, when you take notes on something you have read, do not copy what was written. If you immediately summarise what the original authors wrote, you are already moving away from the original text but remember to keep a note of where it came from so you can reference the work. You will find the University’s formal policy on Academic Integrity at Academic Integrity. For more information on academic writing and referencing see Referencing. In psychology we follow the APA referencing style. The Academic Skills Team also deliver workshops on academic writing skills outlined here - Academic Writing. Reading original academic work is also highly recommended as you will implicitly absorb how academic work is written simply by seeing how others have done it, even without trying!

AI - artificial intellegence

Artificial intelligence (also known as AI) can be a useful tool to help you learn and develop. For instance, AI is able to explain complex topics or theories in student-friendly ways, it can help you to create a rough structure of your work, and it can suggest literature for you to read. However, it’s important to make sure you are using AI ethically and appropriately within your work and understand how this forms part of your commitment to upholding academic integrity. Otherwise, the university may need to investigate the originality and authenticity of your submission. Let’s go over a few simple dos and don’ts of AI use to help you get started… Here are things you should do: • Do: use AI to help you understand and research a concept, theory or topic. • Do: use AI to help you create essay plans or develop research questions. • Do: use AI to check your spelling, punctuation and grammar. • Do: acknowledge AI use in your work by referencing this as you would a book or online article. • Do: check the accuracy, relevance and trustworthiness of AI outputs.

AI - artificial intellegence

Here are things you should avoid doing: • Don’t: use AI to write sections of your work for you – or rely on AI to write your full submission. • Don’t: use AI tools to generate ideas, prompts, data or arguments and claim these as your own. • Don’t: use AI for the explanation, evaluation, critical analysis or reflective aspects of your assessments. • Don’t: allow AI tools to re-write sections of your work or make changes to the content you have included. • Don’t: use AI tools as your only source of reading and research. To help you improve your awareness and understanding of AI, the Academic Skills Team run workshops on ‘Using AI for Academic Purposes’ and are available for 1:1 meetings. You will also find guidance on acknowledging AI in your work within our referencing guides, and Arden grants you access to Draft Coach via the web version of Microsoft Word. This AI tools helps you to recognise areas of the work where grammar, spelling, punctuation and paraphrasing improvements are needed, which can help you to edit and improve your work before you submit!

If you need extra time on assignments

All assignments have a deadline in week 10 of a module. Sometimes the unexpected happens and you cannot meet this deadline. There are several processes outlined below that you can draw on if this happens to you. The most important aspect of this is that you reach out to Student Support or your Course team as early as possible. Student support or Registry administer these processes, not your course tutors, although they can support your applications. 1. You are automatically registered with an intention to submit when you activate a module (with the exception of your final Research Project which works a little differently). You can opt to defer the first attempt on a module once. When you defer you are automatically registered for the next submission point. The assignment to be submitted is then the one due for this submission point, not the one originally due for the deadline you deferred. The deadline for deferring a module is one week before the submission deadline. 2. If you are close to finishing and just need a little extra time you can apply to Student Support for a Short-term Extension (STE) of up to 1 week. 3. If an STE would not help or you miss the deadline you can apply for Exceptional Mitigating Circumstances, explaining the circumstances. Mitigation forms are found on the ‘A-Z of Key Information’ accessible when you have access to iLearn (with separate forms for Distance and Blended learning students) and the policy can be found at Exceptional Mitigating Circumstances. If your circumstances are accepted, you would be granted a deferral. 4. For circumstances which will impact your studies over the longer term, you may benefit from a Leave of Absence. This lets you pause your studies for a specified period, typically of up to 12 months. For more on this option see Leave of Absence policy .

Like any new journey you will need to make sure you are prepared for the exciting adventures to come. As a new psychology student, this means making sure you have all the available tools ready to use at your disposal. As psychologists, we use a wide range of technology and tools, from everyday word processors like Microsoft Word, to Excel, to emails, and more specialised software such as statistical packages and referencing tools. The most valuable tool you will need is something to do your work on. This will vary for most, but what you will need is some form of technology that you can access all the following tools on. We would recommend some form of laptop computer, especially if you are on one of our blended learning courses, so that you can use your device and study time in our study centres. Tablet devices work for some, but it is important that you have a comfortable and competent setup to author essays, reports, presentations, and other assessment pieces that allow you to submit high quality work on time. As for various software you will need, while there are various alternatives, these are the ones we recommend and are provided (at least in part) by Arden to help you maximise your time on your degree.

What you will need

This section willguide you through some key equipment and software that you may need throughout the course:

Microsoft Office

Jamovi

Reference managers

Library and Book services

Soft skills

You will be asked to login to your account, and the details for this will be in the email sent to your personal address, from Arden. This will look like “STUxxxxxx@arden.ac.uk”. Once you have this, you can access your new Microsoft student account and click the button in the top right of the webpage to download the applications. You can do this on and Mac and a PC by simply downloading them from here and logging in once they are downloaded. If you are using a Chromebook, you can download the apps individually through the Google Play Store, and login to each with the details provided. You can also use the online versions of these applications through their associated website, but the main point is to ensure you have access to them, as they are used for other services you have access to!

You can download the entire Microsoft Office Suite of applications here: https://www.office.com/

Microsoft Office

The first thing you will need is Microsoft Office. This is an important and often overlooked element of your study time. Not only is it easy to use for writing up essays and reports, but you will receive a lot of your communication from Arden itself, and your lecturers, via email. As such, it is important that you can access your Arden Student Email account, and the easiest way is to simply download Microsoft Office and log into your student account!

You can download Jamovi easily on a PC or a Mac, just follow the standard download and install steps that you would for other applications (such as Microsoft Office) and make sure you know where to access the main application ready for your research methods modules! If you are using a Chromebook, the process is slightly more convoluted. There are two options for this. The first is to “sideload” a version of Linux onto your Chromebook and then install Jamovi to this. There is a guide to this on the Jamovi website found here: https://www.jamovi.org/user-manual.html#linux-and-chromebooks This involves downloading and installing an application called flatpak that allows you to run a virtual Linux environment, and thus install Jamovi onto and run it from. The web guide linked above does a wonderful job of describing this install and we would recommend you follow this step-by-step to do this. The other option if you run a Chromebook (or for those that do not want to install this) is to use the cloud version of Jamovi on their website: https://cloud.jamovi.org/ This is still a feature in development, and as such is prone to break unfortunately, but it is a viable option if you are unable to download it onto your computer, so that you can undertake statistics work. There are alternatives to Jamovi that you should be aware of, as it is not the only tool that psychologists use. In the past the dominant piece of software was SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences); however, this is quite expensive for an institute to purchase licences for and the updates to this are exceedingly rare. As such, Jamovi has emerged as the premier tool for new psychologists to use, and is built on R, a coding platform that lends itself easily to statistics work and will enable you to explore further into the world of statistics, should you wish to!

Jamovi

The next piece of software you will certainly need for your psychological exploits is something to do all your statistics with! You do not need to worry about how to use this until you start your "Exploring Research in Psychology" module, as we will go through the techniques in this, and your level five module “Quantitative Research Methods.” However, you can make sure you are prepared for these modules by having Jamovi downloaded and being able to open it in readiness for your classes. To download the application head over to the website below: https://www.jamovi.org/download.html Here, you will see two options. We recommend downloading the current “Solid” version of the software. Jamovi is a free, open-source piece of software, and as such is being constantly updated. While the basic functions are not usually altered, it is constantly improved. But the solid version is one that has been tested extensively and is mostly free of errors and critical faults. Currently at the time of writing, this is version of 2.2.5, but if there are any significant changes this guide will be updated.

Reference Managers: Zotero

It would be good to get into the habit of downloading one of these referencing tools and use them to record any articles whenever you come across a paper from an academic source. As you can imagine, trying to organise multiple papers for each assignment can get very confusing, but if you have a record of the papers under different headings then this will make your life so much easier! Zotero For saving papers 'Zotero' is a useful tool used to collect and organise papers as you find them during your degree. It is a freely accessible tool useful to organise, annotate, citing and sharing research. You can download it via this link: Zotero | Your personal research assistant Within Zotero, you can download a function called a 'bookmarklet' that allows you to press on the icon whilst on the article and this saves the paper into your Zotero library software. Follow the below link for more information on this: https://www.zotero.org/downloadbookmarklet. This software produces a reference list in your chosen reference style of all the papers recorded too, this prevents you from referencing each individual paper. However, one thing to note is that if the paper is displayed on an Adobe version, it can sometimes be difficult to record the paper source properly, so be wary of that when using this feature.

Library and Book services

As part of studying for your degree, you will undoubtably need books to read! This is where the eBook services provided by Arden will be useful. Currently we use Kortext which is a platform providing free access to essential and wider reading for your course in the form of eBooks. It features a vast eBook library which is personal for each of you. Other services may have access to books but sometimes there are only a limited number of digital copies available and so you must wait for your turn to download and use a copy of the book. However, with Kortext, your library is your own and so you do not need to wait for anyone else to be done with the book as there is unlimited access. Further, you can make notes, annotate and highlight directly in the book within Kortext. You can access this here: https://kortext.com/ You will need your Arden University log in details to access Kortext. Simply click ‘Sign In’, enter your Arden University email address, then click ‘Sign in through your institution’ and follow the instructions. From your library within the platform you can use the search bar to search for book titles, authors, or even general topics within psychology. Once you’ve started reading some books you’ll see that your bookshelf will start to populate with books you are currently reading to make them easy to find again. Once you have your book of choice open, you can click ‘Display Options’ in the top right corner to alter the text font and size. You can also alter the background colour of the eBook. Try out the different options to see which works best for you! You can highlight important points within the text that you wish to come back to later, or even leave comments to remind you why you want to return to it, for example it being a good explanation of a concept or wanting to refer to it in your assessment. Kortext will provide you with access to books, so if you are looking for academic journals you should make use of the Library Portal: https://library.arden.ac.uk/ Please note that the Library Portal can also find books through Kortext and so it’s often a great starting place to find additional reading and sources.

Soft skills

Lastly, you will need what is known as soft skills. Most of these you will acquire over the course of your degree as you become proficient in psychology and its many areas and intricacies. These range from being able to think critically about an area of research or problem solve in experiments, to writing professionally and maintaining an elevated level of academic integrity and scholarship. The most important skill you can take in to your first classes with you are that of being open to learning new things, questioning everything you learn, and being open to constructive feedback about your work. Remember, we are not expecting you to be a first-class student from the moment you enter university, but we want you to grow into the academic that you are capable of being. This means learning along your journey and applying all the lessons you attend into your whole degree course. To help you, we have a great academic skills team that are ready and capable to help you with techniques to better your academic writing ability, your critical thinking and writing skills, help you to master referencing, and your ability to tie narratives together in essay to get your argument across. The team have workshops and one-to-one sessions that can be booked through our virtual learning platform “iLearn” at the following link: https://library.arden.ac.uk/academic-skills There is a vast array of workshops on all the skills you will need to master to get the most out of your time at university and your degree. But this all comes with the openness from you to want to learn and to better yourself. And it is important to take that skill as the most important - to want to learn and to enjoy your time studying!

Blended and Distance learning: Whats the difference

In short, distance learning (or ‘DL’) offers solely online content which can be accessed through iLearn. Blended learning (or ‘BL’) typically incorporates the online content along with the requirement to physically attend sessions at one of our study centres in either the UK or Berlin. In other words, ‘blending’ face to face contact with staff and students with the inclusion of online resources, activities, discussion forums, and lessons. As a blended learning student, you will receive your timetable in which you will be required to attend your nominated campus. Here is what a blended learning timetable typically includes: • Eight hours of timetabled classes spread over two days (four hours per day in the morning or afternoon) where you will be encouraged to debate, discuss and ask questions to enhance your learning. • A minimum of 25 hours of self-guided study per week on iLearn including tutorials, coursework, discussion forums, career development activities and much more. For distance learning students, your typical day will be completely in your control! With regular interaction with lecturers and other students, you will develop the key transferable skills such as time-management and prioritisation that will be an integral part of your academic journey. Here is a breakdown of some of the online resources that will be offered: • Live sessions • Discussion forums • Appointments with Lecturers • Dedicated personal tutor support • Career advice • Access to the online library • Access to our Inclusion Portal

Live Sessions

While blended learning students will be required to attend timetabled classes on campus, distance learning students will be able to attend online live sessions. At the beginning of teaching week 1, your Module Leader will publish the live session timetable, detailing a list of lecturer-led live sessions usually held on Zoom. Links will be provided for you to access the sessions, wherever you may be in the world! Within the session, you will find the opportunity to post questions in the chat box whilst the lecture is in progress. You may also wish to connect with your fellow students here which is a great way to make new friends! You will also have the option to switch your camera on or turn it off, it is entirely your choice. Either way, be sure to participate as much as you can to get the most out of your sessions. In summary, live sessions at Arden offer the opportunity to: • Interact with your module lecturer/s live and ask questions. • Participate in discussions with your peers and feel part of the academic community.

Asynchronous Materials; Why are they used?

At Arden, we value accessibility and inclusion, therefore the times and dates of live Zoom sessions for distance learning students are as varied as possible to accommodate different lifestyles. However, don’t panic if you cannot attend! Recordings of all live sessions are uploaded onto iLearn as part of your asynchronous materials (i.e., learning resources provided for you to use or complete at a time that suits you, for as long as you like, at your own leisure). This allows you to: • Watch a lecture either live or in your own time. • Pause, rewind and replay content to help your understanding. This is ideal for Arden students as you can refer to materials at times that are convenient for you, without the time constraints! Usually, asynchronous materials will be presented using a variety of online tools and/or in various formats, such as: • Video Recordings • PDFs • Word Documents • PowerPoint Presentations • Wakelets • Padlets • Lessons These materials will guide you through the module content, all whilst developing your critical thinking skills. Your lessons, specifically, will provide a valuable foundation for your learning and will nicely coincide with your timetabled live sessions . In your lessons, you will be able to click through each page at your own pace, and discover more about your dedicated topic along with accessing links to external sources to further your understanding. To enhance your learning journey, asynchronous materials are provided mainly through our online platform, iLearn.

iLearn, discussion activities and forums; How do they enhance learning?

iLearn will be the online platform in which you will navigate to access your course’s content. Similar to Blackboard and Moodle, iLearn displays pages for each of your modules, which give you access to some of the tools/resources listed above as well as discussion forums. By supporting both synchronous and asynchronous content and forms of communication, iLearn offers an accessible and flexible way of learning (Gamage et al., 2022). Research suggests platforms such as iLearn can: • Improve student engagement, satisfaction, and performance (Gamage et al., 2022) • Stimulate communication and collaborative learning (Costa et al., 2012) • Encourage social interactions and provide a space for community-building (Susana et al., 2015) Although iLearn may seem a little daunting at first, the more you explore, the more helpful it will become, and you can always ask for help navigating the platform if you ever need to! Also, don’t need to worry if you’ve not had much experience with online learning platforms in the past - you will have time to navigate your way around and familiarise yourself with where the materials are located. In fact, modules are available for release one week before the start of each teaching block, so you can begin to explore your module page and start reading the core materials early if you wish to. On your dedicated module page, there will be opportunities to download resources that are beneficial to facilitate what you will learn from the lessons and live sessions. Our modules all follow a standardised iLearn layout which means you’ll soon get used to the platform!

Discussion forums, embedded within iLearn, will allow you to interact with lecturers and other students at your own pace. Discussion forums contain thought-provoking questions related to your lesson content that you can easily respond to by clicking in the response box and sharing your ideas. Often, there may also be a link to an activity that may test your knowledge on a particular topic. Although you don’t have to participate, actively engaging in discussion forums has been found to improve learning experiences by: • building a stronger sense of community with groups that share similar goals and ambitions • developing important cognitive skills (e.g., critical thinking) • consolidating knowledge and deepening understanding of course content, particularly through structured discussions that include guided questions or activities (Kovanović et al., 2015; Martin & Bolliger, 2018) Be it via blended or distance learning, there will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions, exchange ideas, and truly feel part of an academic community!

iLearn, discussion activities and forums; How do they enhance learning? cont.

As just mentioned, we want our students to feel part of an academic community, and so we actively encourage you to get to know your fellow peers. Whatsapp groups (and other social media) are a great way to do this, as they can help building friendships, especially when it comes to distance learning. However, it’s important to remember that student-led Whatsapp groups are not official or affiliated with Arden University. This means there is potential for incorrect information to be circulated through these. Therefore, course-related questions should be directed to lecturers, discussion forums, or additional support services instead. It is also worth mentioning that breaches of relevant University policies (e.g., ‘…damage the reputation of Arden University or its affiliates, staff, students, customers, clients, business partners, suppliers, vendors or other stakeholders’) are subject to disciplinary action, so students are encouraged to use Whatsapp groups appropriately, whilst being mindful of such policies.

WhatsApp Groups

A core objective of the Psychology programme is to help you develop skills as an independent learner. Therefore, your Module Leaders/Lecturers will provide you with the necessary tools and support to enable you to do so. Module Leaders/Lecturers will:• teach and guide you through relevant content • help clarify understanding and provide constructive feedback, and formative feedback • provide supporting resources and signpost you to additional support, when/if needed • encourage you to be autonomous in your learning journey This last point means that, when teaching and answering questions, Module Leaders/Lecturers may sometimes advise you on where to find and how to examine key information, stimulate critical thinking and problem solving, and suggest alternative ways to approach specific aspects or assignments, rather than offering you concrete solutions or definitive answers. This gives you the opportunity to not only complete a particular module and progress to the next one, but to also spark creativity and achieve important learning outcomes that will help you succeed independently within and beyond your degree! It’s also important to remember Module Leaders/Lecturers will not normally: • provide support outside their working hours • provide support related to modules they do not teach or issues concerning specific student services (see ‘Additional Support’ below) Module Leaders/Lecturers will be available to support you during live sessions or timetabled classes as well as via email, with each module having its own inbox through which you can contact any member of the module team. You will also be able to schedule one-to-one meetings with a Module Leader/Lecturer. One-to-one meetings are an opportunity to ask questions and discuss module-specific issues outside your live session schedule or timetabled classes. Some modules, depending on the type of assessment and nature of the module itself, may also offer Group Office Hours. Group Office Hours are regular drop-in sessions led by a Module Leader/Lecturer where students can discuss module content, ask questions, or just have a nice, informal chat! Either way – Module Leaders/Lecturers will be there to help you make the most of each module!

Module Leaders/Lecturers - A Closer Look

The Psychology School has its own Twitter account, which provides key updates and interesting resources. You can follow this account by searching the handle @ArdenUniPsych We also have regular newsletters that are sent around the school. Students have an opportunity to write portions of this. If this is something that you are interested in, please contact the Psychology admin team by emailing socialsciencenewsletter@arden.ac.uk.

Other key channels

Within this part of your P-SYC toolkit we will explore the main divisions of Psychology within the British Psychological Society (BPS) and consider the career pathways to becoming a chartered and registered psychologist within those divisions. We will also consider the transferable skills your course will help you develop, the alternative career pathways that psychology graduates can take and lastly, support available within the Psychology School, and how your psychology course can support your career progression in your current career. Although you have yet to start your course, it’s beneficial to be aware of the many options and directions you could take and have realistic expectations of what these would require from you!When you begin your course at Arden, you will be able to access the Psychology Student Employability site here: Psychology Student Employability SharePoint Site - Home

Careers and employability

When you enroll on your Psychology course, you will be able to access a variety of support to enhance your employability and professional developed. These include: • Authentic assessments and curriculum – meaning that your assessments and what you learn will prepare you for real-world contexts, such as the workplace • Professional Development Coaches based in the Psychology School are available to support you with your goal-setting and professional development plans, using coaching techniques • Extra-curricular opportunities (subject to availability and eligibility). These include: - The Volunteer Research Assistant scheme where students can volunteer to join a research project team - The Volunteer Learning Assistant scheme where students can volunteer to facilitate learning within a module - Supporting the FoSS Social scheme, which provides opportunities for students to connect - The Volunteer Digital Resource Creator scheme, where students can produce a set of required resources for a specific project • Employability events within the Faculty of Social Sciences, including professional development and careers-based talks from internal and external speakers • Access to the LinkedIn Learning platform, with an array of training • A dedicated university Careers team, and access to Arden Futures, which hosts career resources, jobs and individual support …and more!

Careers and employability support at Arden University:

Career progression from your course

Transferable skills developed during the course

Alternative career pathways for Psychology graduates

Neuropsychology

Sport & Exercise Psychology

Occupational Psychology

Coaching Psychology

Counselling Psychology

Health Psychology

Forensic Psychology

Educational Psychology

Clinical Psychology

Academics, Research & Teaching

The BPS contains many distinct divisions of psychology for the core areas that psychologists support and work. Within these divisions, there are distinct progression pathways to becoming a chartered/registered psychologist in that area. When we refer to ‘chartered’, this means you are recognised to have an appropriate set of qualifications to be a practitioner psychologist in that area (a professionally trained psychologist who practices directly in a certain area). With this chartered status, a psychologist can then become ‘registered’ via the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) who ensure only qualified individuals can use protected titles as a practitioner psychologist. In this section we will explore the main divisions and their progression routes. You can explore these all in more detail here via the BPS. An important consideration is that after your course you will gain graduate basis for chartered membership (GBC) of the BPS (BSc Psychology, BSc Psychology with Counselling or MSc Psychology conversion) if you successfully pass with a 2:2 or above. thish means that routes discussed below are those linked to having this GBC. Joints courses are not accredited by the BPS which means you will not gain GBC, but the BPS careers page does show other routes into the various domains without GBC. Within the BPS career options page, you will see many others beyond just the chartered practitioner roles that exist within the separate divisions, but these are what we will explore here:

The Divisions of Psychology and career pathways

Academics, Research & Teaching

This division of the BPS focuses on supporting those who teach or research in psychology, whether at a university, school, college and other academic areas. This career route allows those who teach or research to do so either generally or in their specific areas of interest within psychology. To become a member of this division you can either: Complete PhD research in psychology, teach psychology for a minimum of 5 years or evidence considerable research experience without completing a PhD. It’s important to note that there are teaching and research roles that you can take on before becoming a member of this division. These experiences will help you in applying to become a chartered member of this division.

Clinical Psychology

The Division of Clinical Psychology supports qualified clinical psychologists who work to support individuals with clinical mental health disorders using psychological therapies, usually in terms of more serious mental health difficulties. There is only one way of becoming a member of this division, being qualified by holding a BPS accredited Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Places on this doctorate are offered at multiple universities and can be applied for once GBC has been achieved. You can find out more information here: https://www.clearing-house.org.uk/

Counselling Psychology

Counselling psychology differs from clinical psychology in terms of approach and often the severity of mental health difficulties that are experienced. Counselling psychologists work with a mixture of psychological therapies and psychotherapeutic techniques. To become a counselling psychologist, you must either complete a BPS accredited doctorate in counselling psychology, or the ‘Qualification in Counselling Psychology’ which differs in delivery method.

Coaching Psychology

The Division of Coaching Psychology defines itself as ‘the scientific study and application of behaviour, cognition and emotion to deepen our understanding of individuals’ and groups’ performance, achievement and wellbeing, and to enhance practice within coaching' (BPS, 2022). To be a member of the Division of Coaching Psychology, you would have to evidence professional recognition based on experience and relevant qualifications outlined by the BPS. The BPS are also currently developing a BPS qualification route, including Stage 1 of a BPS accredited coaching psychology masters and a 2-year doctoral level qualification at stage 2.

Educational Psychology

Educational psychology focuses on supporting children in schools, but educational psychologists can go beyond this to support parents to best meet their children’s needs in the home as well. To be a member of the Division of Educational Psychology, an individual must gain a BPS accredited doctorate in Educational Psychology which can be applied for once GBC has been achieved.

Forensic Psychology

The Division of Forensic Psychology focuses on applying psychology to the legal system and in terms of criminal activity, criminal offenders and look to help shape a safer community through reducing criminal behaviour and reoffence. Similarly, the Division of Forensic Psychology requires members to complete a BPS accredited doctorate in Forensic Psychology which can be applied for once GBC has been achieved.

Health Psychology

The Division of Forensic Psychology focuses on applying psychology to the legal system and in terms of criminal activity, criminal offenders and look to help shape a safer community through reducing criminal behaviour and reoffence. Similarly, the Division of Forensic Psychology requires members to complete a BPS accredited doctorate in Forensic Psychology which can be applied for once GBC has been achieved.

Neuropsychology

The Division of Neuropsychology is focused on best understanding the functions and structures of the human brain in terms of how we can then support others with neurodegeneration, brain injuries or diseases that impact the brains functioning. To join the division of Neuropsychology, you can either qualify as a clinical or educational psychologist via their doctorate routes and then complete a qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology or have 2 years’ experience working in the field whilst a chartered psychologist in any other area.

Occupational Psychology

The Division of Occupational Psychology is interested in understanding workplace behaviour and other areas of industry within the employment sector and can contribute to positive and effective work practices. To become an occupational psychologist and member of this division, you can either complete a 2-stage approach (Stage 1: BPS accredited MSc in Occupational Psychology, Stage 2: supervised practice within a placement) or by completing an occupational psychology focused professional doctorate. You can find out more about the BPS accredited MSc at Arden University here.

Sports & Exercise Psychology

The Division of Sport & Exercise Psychology is focused on best supporting athletes in terms of performance, development and enjoyment of sport and exercisers in terms of maintaining healthy exercise behaviours and routines. Sport & exercise psychologists that want to join this division can do so via multiple routes such as a 2-stage process (Stage 1: BPS accredited MSc in Sport & exercise Psychology, Stage 2: supervised practice within a placement), by completing a BPS accredited doctorate programme that can be applied for with GBC, or by completing sport & exercise psychology focused PhD research with GBC.

Transferrable skills from studying at Arden University

When considering what your course gives you, one of the most important areas is transferable skills. When we say transferable skills, we mean those skills that you develop that can be transferred to different careers or practical skills later on in your careers or educational journey. Arden University has various graduate attributes that you will meet as a result of studying with us. These are: 1. Digitally literate: to show confident and critical use of information and digital technologies across a range of professional, personal, and academic contexts 2. Professionally knowledgeable: in‐depth comprehension, awareness, independent research skills, and other skills associated with subject area and discipline(s) 3. Socially intelligent and proactively inclusive: able to effectively navigate complex (working) relationships with others from any background or culture using teamwork, communication, and leadership skills 4. Contextually innovative: through applying skills of critical, creative, and evidenced based analysis and/or personal reflection to current real-world situations and future challenges Your course has been designed to have many professional development skills embedded into them, to enhance your employability. These include: • Competency with IT applications • Theoretical knowledge development • Time management • Practical research and data management • Ability to receive and implement constructive feedback • Study-work-life balance • Awareness of ethical considerations & standards • Analysing and evaluating • Self-reflection

Transferrable skills from studying at Arden University cont...

Your course has been designed to have many professional development skills embedded into them, to enhance your employability. These include: • Competency with IT applications • Theoretical knowledge development • Time management • Practical research and data management • Ability to receive and implement constructive feedback • Study-work-life balance • Awareness of ethical considerations & standards • Analysing and evaluating • Self-reflection Take a look at the Arden University Psychology School Graduate Skills Matrix to understand the different skills that you will develop from completing your undergraduate or postgraduate degree here.

Alternative Career paths for Psychology Graduates

Many start a course in psychology with the intention of becoming a practitioner in the distinct divisions we discussed earlier. However, you are certainly not limited to developing in these career pathways and the valuable transferable skills that are developed during a psychology degree are highly sought after by employers in many sectors. We will explore some of those here but ultimately, the transferable skills you develop are exactly that, transferable to many careers! Media and advertising Applying our understanding of behaviour to consumer buying behaviours. Research – User experience research – Marketing research Using research and analysis skills to aid in the development of government policy, product/service design or marketing strategies. Human Resources Understanding of individual differences, ethics, validity and reliability in the assessment and selection of individuals into a job role.

Alternative Career paths for Psychology Graduates cont...

Management roles Using your knowledge of leadership, teams, motivation, well-being, decision making. Learning Mentor/Teaching support Work with adults or children to support learning and those delivering teaching content. The role is in all education settings, from primary, secondary to higher education. Social Worker Social Workers focus on supporting families and individuals to help improve quality of life and ensure safety and safeguarding for vulnerable individuals such as children, those with disabilities, additional needs or mental health issues. Mental Health Nurse Registered mental health nurses take on a nursing degree with a mental health focus to be able to support individuals with various types of mental health diagnosis either within secure units, rehabilitation units or within the community. This includes providing support with medication and other areas.

There are many other areas where a psychology degree could be particularly relevant that you may want to explore on the Prospects website here.

Career progression from your course

Although many students come onto a course in psychology with a specific psychology career in mind, we recognise that many students may also be looking for a new challenge, knowledge and set of skills that they can implement in their existing career. This could be in terms of running your own business, working in business/economics or in some form of care setting just as some examples. As we saw earlier, the transferable skills embedded into the teaching and assessment of a psychology course are those that can easily be applied to most other careers. At Arden, all students have the opportunity of careers support, whether that is in terms of reaching your dream of becoming a registered practitioner in one of the psychology divisions we discussed earlier or if you are just looking to develop your knowledge base and skill set. Arden’s dedicated careers team give guided support on career and skill development by collaborating and guiding you with a career action plan, utilising goal setting to get the most development from your course that can then be transferable to your future career aspirations. Once you have access to iLearn, you will find links provided to internal and external development opportunities that have been sourced, with some of the exciting internal opportunities including volunteering as a lecturing assistant to develop teaching focused skills or a research assistant to develop your independent research skills which can be applied to your future development as a psychologist or your career aspirations outside of psychology!

SPARK

Demonstrating Arden values in your academic journey

Arden University has a culture of positivity and togetherness, and as part of this we have 5 values which we expect students and staff to keep in mind. These values can be easily remembered by the acronym

Stand out

At Arden we are enthusiastic about trying to be the best we can be. We are proud of the work we do and are passionate about creating innovative and game changing programmes to allow you to study in a way that suits you. A student who stands out will be willing to try new activities and make the most of the opportunities available to them. They’ll always be striving to improve and develop their skills and will have fun while doing so! There are plenty of opportunities for you to stand out during your time at Arden. Remember that you can also show your value of standing out by engaging with the content with an enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Getting actively involved in discussions and your learning will help you stand out! You’ll be able to find out more about these opportunities through the discussion boards once you’ve started your modules. Perhaps you’ll become one of our Volunteer Research Assistants who work closely with staff and external organisations on research projects with real impact! Or maybe you’d like to get involved as a Volunteer Learning Assistant helping other students out on modules you’ve completed?

Progressive

The team at Arden are committed to lifelong learning and professional development. This means we are always working to learn about the latest innovations and technology in higher education, and to stay on top of updates in our respective fields. We also attend teaching conferences to share our initiatives and learn from lecturers in other institutes too. You can show your progressive attitude throughout your studies by engaging in feedback surveys for your modules and programme. By getting involved with this, you’ll be helping your modules move forward and constantly improve. You could also display your progressive ways of thinking by having meaningful discussions with other students and showing your willingness to see things from a different perspective! Finally, you could think of ways to include new technologies in your own development and learning journey, as well as sharing these with lecturers. By becoming an Arden student, you are already showing a commitment to your own learning journey and development! You will also learn about several different technologies during your time with us, which will support you in developing the Progressive value.

Accessible

The Arden ethos is based around reducing barriers and opening education up to all. We work hard to ensure that all our students feel supported and heard. For example, our Inclusion Team work with students to provide guidance and support on disability, mental health and wellbeing, and financial support and welfare. We also keep accessibility at the heart of our teaching, allowing you to release modules when you’re ready and using a range of styles and methods to provide you with learning content and experiences. Your commitment to accessible work can be shown by being mindful of accessibility when doing group activities or building independent student support networks outside of your modules. This means you will be working to keep any groups open and inclusive to everyone, so that nobody is excluded. Additionally, you will be mindful of your input within such groups and whether what you share is helpful and kind. You can also familiarise yourself with the student support services available to you, and other networks to build up your knowledge of the support available.

Resourceful

We move with the times at Arden University, we adapt to changes in both ways of teaching and ways of working. We are a resourceful bunch, and acknowledge the strengths and expertise of our members of staff, playing to these strengths to provide the best experience to you. We regularly share instances of best practice and success stories around our team, so that we can continually learn from those around us. Your ability to be resourceful can be shown by you seeking out new opportunities for continuous growth, for example by accessing our careers and employability resources. Our Professional Development Coaches, Psychology School Employability Team, and Arden University Careers Team are here to work with you to think about the skills you’ve already got and skills you might want to develop during your time at Arden. They can also help you make the most of the opportunities you get involved with throughout your course, for example, if you decide to take part in the Volunteer Research Assistant or Volunteer Learning Assistant schemes. There are other opportunities within your courses too where you can show resourcefulness, such as working with formative feedback to enhance your work, using lecturer one to one’s effectively, and thinking of innovative ways to keep track of your notes and learning journey. A resourceful student will look out for opportunities to develop their skills, and then engage in support to help highlight those skills in future applications.

Kindness

The Arden University team are committed to being kind to each other, our students, and ourselves. We take time to raise each other up and celebrate the successes of our students and colleagues – in fact we love when we get to hear about you all doing excellent work! You can show your kindness by ensuring you are aware of the communication policies from both Arden University and the BPS (remember that as you are enrolled on a BPS accredited course, you need to ensure you abide by their policies too). These policies highlight the importance of being respectful and open-minded when talking with others, whilst also being mindful of the language being used. This stands for within email communication, posts on lesson discussion forums, and on external social media such as in WhatsApp groups or Twitter accounts. We know that it can be hard knowing how to email academic members of staff at first, so here’s a few quick tips to help you show kindness in your emails: · Many members of staff are happy to be called by their first name rather than by a title, so a simple ‘Dear [Lecturer Name]’ or ‘Hello [Lecturer Name]’ is a great way to start your email. · Try to include all of your questions or points in one email rather than sending lots of emails within a short time frame. This helps keep staff inboxes clear so that we can help you as soon as we can. · Be mindful that staff have 2 working days to get back to your email. It’s rare that an email slips through the net, but if it’s been 2 working days and you haven’t had a reply, please send a polite nudge to remind the email recipient.

How can students access Research Method Support? Students can request support for help from one of the Research Method Support Team in one of two ways. • Students can email the team using PsychSST@arden.ac.uk. • By filling in a form on the iLearn page by clicking the QR code.

When can a student access support? Students can access the support materials on the iLearn page whenever they need to. Within the Research Method Support page, they can access signposted materials, Bite-sized guides to common qualitative and quantitative analyses and help with understanding the theory behind research methods.

Research methods support

Who are the RMS? Research Methods Support Team provide informal support and guidance to students to enhance their confidence in understanding quantitative and qualitative research methods, and using research supporting software (e.g. Jamovi, SPSS and Gorilla). The scheme is currently overseen by Benjamin Tandy – the Experimental Officer in Psychology.

Research methods support cont...

What can the Research Methods Support Team help with?Research Methods Support team can help students informally with the following: • Provide answers to non-assessment-based statistical and qualitative questions. • Understanding theoretical principles of statistical testing and qualitative analyses. • Understanding the different statistical tests and forms of qualitative analyses. • Support to decide appropriate form of analyses • Assistance in interpreting statistical outcomes or qualitative methodology • Signpost to helpful resources (recorded workshops, video guides) • Signpost to Academic Staff (i.e., Module Leads, Lecturers or Assistant Lecturers where appropriate) • Provide a demonstration of statistical tests using pre-set data sets • Assist in experimental design on Gorilla • Assisting with extracting data from Gorilla

Can’t…. Work with students’ data (both Quantitative and Qualitative datasets) Help installing software where technical support is needed Provide dissertation support for specific research design questions or data collection Assist students with conducting statistical tests for assessment purposes Interpret data that has been analysed for the purposes of an assessment Creating data collection tools (e.g. Microsoft Forms) Formulating hypotheses for statistical testing on assessments

Can…. Accessing statistical and Qualitative resources Answering statistics-based questions e.g. “what is degrees of freedom?” Answering questions on qualitative analyses e.g. “what is epistemology?” Demonstrate, using pre-set data sets, how to choose, conduct, and understand statistical tests (T-test, ANOVA, MLR etc) Troubleshooting for technical difficulties with running statistical tests Demonstrating the software used in undergraduate/ postgraduate course (SPSS and Jamovi) Assist students with accessing, experimental building and requesting tokens on Gorilla Support/Signposting Gorilla support material

Research methods support cont...

What can and can’t the Research Methods Support Team help with?• It is important to note what the RMS can and cannot help a student with. Being mindful of requirements for students to be independent learners and the need for students to meet learning outcomes related to their modules. Below is a guide of what an RMS can and cannot help a student with.

We hope that this toolkit has helped you to feel more prepared to start your course at Arden University! We are thrilled to welcome you, and look forward to supporting you along your journey into becoming Psychology graduates!We really value your feedback, so if you would like to leave yours, please complete the feedback survey at the following link: All the best, Psychology School.

Summary

We hope that this resource is helpful for you and your preparations for joining us at Arden University! We can’t wait to meet you and see you putting this guidance into practice.

We hope that this toolkit has helped you to feel more prepared to start your course at Arden University! We are thrilled to welcome you, and look forward to supporting you along your journey into becoming Psychology graduates! We really value your feedback, so if you would like to leave yours, please complete the feedback survey at the following link: All the best, Psychology School

Send us your Feedback

These are just a small selection of the additional support resources that you can access thoroughout your degree.

Research Methods

Disability support

Professional development coach

Additional resources

Mini Maths Module

What's covered in the mini maths module? Working with numbers Fractions, decimals, and percentages Averages and the range Probability Basic statistics and communicating data

The Maths Mini Module

The maths mini module is designed for students who have been accepted onto a selection of our programs without proof of maths or formal qualifications in maths related subjects. All students who have entered without a formal maths qualification are strongly advised to complete this mini maths module, which will act as a foundation for later credit bearing modules that need a basic understanding of maths to fully access the course and module content. If you have a formal qualification in maths, you are still welcome to complete the mini maths module

Research Methods Support

Qualitative

Quantitative

Research Methods

What is research methods?Myth #1: Research methods are going to be big scary modules Myth #2: ‘I need to be great at maths to succeed with research methods’ Myth #3: ‘I’ll look stupid if I have questions about research methods’ Myth #4: ‘I’m going to need to memorise everything about research methods… FOREVER’ Myth #5: ‘I’m the only person who feels anxious about research methods’

What are PDC’s? You can also email the PDC email inbox. The email address is psychpts@arden.ac.uk The Arden Careers team also give fantastic support, which you can access here

Profession Development Coaches - PDC

Meet the team How do I contact the PDC’s? Is this the same as what the Careers team do? ?

Inclusion services

Student support

FAQ's I have a disability and am struggling to meet an approaching deadline; what can I do? I have reasonable adjustments in place, but I am still finding my course hard – what can I do about this? Do I need a formal diagnosis and DSA to receive support at Arden? I am a disabled parent, and my childcare grant has not yet come through. I am worried about my attendance; whom can I contact? I have a disability that sometimes makes it difficult for me to attend face-to-face classes; do I move to distance learning? I recently started university after taking a break from education. I am dyslexic and struggle with essay writing and time management; what support can I access? I am struggling with my mental health, and I'm also neurodivergent, so it can be difficult to explain how I'm feeling. In the past, people haven't really understood or dismissed my concerns; are there people I can talk to who will understand where I'm coming from?

Can I take a break from my studies if I need to?My communication style is often misinterpreted or dismissed, how can I understand and explain my communication style to staff and students? A member of staff has suggested a safeguarding referral, which has me concerned; could this be explained? Is there a quiet place in the centre where I can go when I'm feeling overwhelmed? I use Grammarly when writing essays – would this be classed as academic misconduct? I have a disability and have received an email in relation to academic misconduct. I am feeling anxious about this process; who can I approach for support and advice?

Disability Support

Reality: Yes, there is a lot to learn on these modules however you will be incredibly well supported by a team of lecturers with a wide variety of research experience. Research methods also seem less intimidating when you think about them as just the tools to help you learn more about the things you find interesting. For example, if you wanted to find out why some people enjoy reality tv and others don’t, you would use the fundamentals you’ll be learning about in your research methods modules to help you design a study to answer this question.

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Reality: This is a big misconception with research methods. Yes, by its very nature, quantitative data means working with numbers, however this doesn’t mean you’ll need to do maths. We’ll teach you how to use Jamovi (essentially just a fancy calculator!) to conduct any statistical analysis and how to interpret the output. In terms of maths, you’ll just need to consider means (averages) of data points, and whether some values are higher or lower than 0.05. It’s also important to remember that a lot of research methods isn’t about numbers or statistics. You’ll be learning about how to design an experiment to help answer a research question, how we work with participants, and how we can evaluate research. You’ll also be learning more about qualitative research which focuses on deep and rich understanding of experiences rather than numbers

• knowledge and critical understanding of the well-established principles of their area(s) of study, and of the way in which those principles have developed • ability to apply underlying concepts and principles outside the context in which they were first studied, including, where appropriate, the application of those principles in an employment context • knowledge of the main methods of enquiry in the subject(s) relevant to the named award, and ability to evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems in the field of study • an understanding of the limits of their knowledge, and how this influences analyses and interpretations based on that knowledge.

Reality: It’s actually quite common to have a little bit of anxiety or worry about research methods modules, which means you won’t be the only person feeling this way. This is likely due to it feeling like the unknown and so it’s normal to have some apprehension. Remember that you and your fellow students are all in the same metaphorical boat, so support and encourage each other along the way. We would encourage you to approach your research methods modules with an open mind and see it as an opportunity to learn a new skill, feeling safe in the knowledge that you have excellent module teams here to help you along the way. If you have any concerns, please do reach out to us to see how we can help!

Throughout any psychology course you will learn about research methods and analysis. This P-SYC section aims to introduce you to why this is an important part of psychology and bust some myths!

During an undergraduate psychology course at Arden you will have an introductory research methods module at Level 4, followed by a further two modules at Level 5 (Quantitative Research Methods and Qualitative Research Methods). If you are on a postgraduate psychology course at Arden you will have a research methods course near the beginning of the programme. These modules will cover both quantitative (meaning numerical data) and qualitative (non-numerical data) research methods and analysis. You’ll learn about some of the theoretical aspects, as well as developing practical skills with various analyses.

Module Leaders/Lecturers will be available to support you during live sessions or timetabled classes as well as via email, with each module having its own inbox through which you can contact any member of the module team. You will also be able to schedule one-to-one meetings with a Module Leader/Lecturer. One-to-one meetings are an opportunity to ask questions and discuss module-specific issues outside your live session schedule or timetabled classes. Some modules, depending on the type of assessment and nature of the module itself, may also offer Group Office Hours. Group Office Hours are regular drop-in sessions led by a Module Leader/Lecturer where students can discuss module content, ask questions, or just have a nice, informal chat! Either way – Module Leaders/Lecturers will be there to help you make the most of each module!

Level 5, 6, & 7 Psychology students who support and contribute to the development of research projects lef by partner organisations or staff at Arden University. The role includes several responsibilkities that differ depending on the specific project.

During your course, you will have the opportunity to engage with PDCs throughout. Your Professional development coaches are your first point of contact for Psychology-specific professional development. They are here to guide you in making the most of your University experience and to help you achieve your goals around professional development. Your PDC team is made up of fantastic scholars and lecturing staff here within the Psychology School at Arden University. You will also be provided with a Psychology Employability Portfolio at each level of study, which allows you to reflect on your professional development during your degree at Arden University. Your engagement with this is important for your professional development, as reflection is a necessary skill for many career paths, whether you enter a reflective-scientist practitioner role, or a non-practitioner career.

Professional development coaches

• knowledge of the underlying concepts and principles associated with their area(s) of study, and an ability to evaluate and interpret these within the context of that area of study • an ability to present, evaluate and interpret qualitative and quantitative data, in order to develop lines of argument and make sound judgements in accordance with basic theories and concepts of their subject(s) of study

Reality: Questions are good! We promise that you will never look stupid for asking questions - it’s how we all learn. We actively encourage you to reach out to your module team via lesson forums, module inboxes, or 1:1 Academic Support Meetings if you would like further clarification on any of the learning materials or topics. Remember that we are here to help you throughout your learning journey!

We hope this section has provided you with an understanding of why you’ll be learning about research methods throughout your degree and busted some pesky myths! You can reach out to your research methods module teams at their relevant module inbox

Reality: Most researchers have a stack of research methods and statistics books on their desk or bookshelf. Think about learning about research methods like any other skill, if you practise and use the skills often they’ll be at the forefront of your mind. But there will be times when you need to run a statistical test or consider a study design that you’ve not thought about in a while - it’s completely normal at this point to grab a textbook, have a look at your notes from previous research methods modules, or head to Google for a quick refresher!

Support from the SST is provided in several ways:1-2-1 sessions, 20 minutes in duration are available to students. Students can access 1-2-1 support up to 3 times per term. Open-drop in sessions (see schedule) Small group sessions (up to 5 students), either online or in centres can be requested Advertised workshops available throughout the year

Stats Support Tutors (SST’s) support students informally with the following:

Provide answers to non-assessment-based stats questions Understanding theoretical principles of statistical testing Understanding the mechanics of statistical testing Support to decide appropriate statistical tests Assistance in interpreting statistical outcomes Signpost to helpful resources (recorded workshops, video guides) Signpost to Academic Staff (i.e. Module Leads, Lecturers or Assistant Lecturers where appropriate) Provide a demonstration of statistical tests using pre-set data sets Assist in experimental design on Gorilla

• a systematic understanding of key aspects of their field of study, including acquisition of coherent and detailed knowledge, at least some of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of defined aspects of a discipline • an ability to deploy accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry within a discipline • conceptual understanding that enables the student: o to devise and sustain arguments, and/or to solve problems, using ideas and techniques, some of which are at the forefront of a discipline o to describe and comment upon particular aspects of current research, or equivalent advanced scholarship, in the discipline • an appreciation of the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge • the ability to manage their own learning, and to make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (for example, refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to the discipline).

Whatever your future trajectory, you will need advice and support to guide you on your journey at Arden. Your Psychology Personal Tutoring team is your first point of contact for Psychology-specific professional development. They are here to guide you in making the most of your University experience and to help you achieve your goals around professional development. Your PPT team is made up of fantastic scholars and lecturing staff here within the Psychology School at Arden University. You can find information about them and the scheme on the course page here: PPT page

Recruitment opportunities for these roles will be advertised on iLearn when there are vacancies available, via our Psychology course page and/or module discussion forums. Each advert will outline the recruitment process, who can apply for each role, and what each role entails in terms of the time commitment required and the tasks involved. You will also always be made aware of who to contact if you have any questions about these opportunities, so you can get all the information you need before deciding whether or not to go for it!

How to become a VLA or VRA?

· teach and guide you through relevant content · help clarify understanding and provide constructive feedback, and formative feedback · provide supporting resources and signpost you to additional support, when/if needed · encourage you to be autonomous in your learning journey This last point means that, when teaching and answering questions, Module Leaders/Lecturers may sometimes advise you on where to find and how to examine key information, stimulate critical thinking and problem solving, and suggest alternative ways to approach specific aspects or assignments, rather than offering you concrete solutions or definitive answers. This gives you the opportunity to not only complete a particular module and progress to the next one, but to also spark creativity and achieve important learning outcomes that will help you succeed independently within and beyond your degree!

Qualitative Research

• Focus on everything that isn't a number - typically and most commonly words from participants
• Most analysis are completed by "hand" through engaging with tests on PDF's or WordDocs but programs such as Nvivo can be used to assist with Qualitative analysis.
• Whats important here is that qualitative analysis is guided by research questions that are not answered by simple yes or no.

· provide support outside their working hours · provide support related to modules they do not teach or issues concerning specific student services

Quantitative Research

• Focused on statistical analysis of numbers and quantified concepts.
• Use statistical software programs like Jamovi, SPSS, Python, R-studio that do all of the "Math" for you.
• The key with learning this method is knowing what each test is for.
• Each test has its own format and write up. Learning what the important letters are and what the important numbers to look out for are, is important here.

The Psychology School has its own Twitter account, which provides key updates and interesting resources. You can follow this account by searching the handle @ArdenUniPsych We also have regular newsletters that are sent around the school. Students have an opportunity to write portions of this. If this is something that you are interested in, please contact the Academic Administrator for the Psychology School – Skye Tupholme, by emailing stupholme@arden.ac.uk