Teaching and assessment
You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
Teaching format
During your first two years, you'll be taught mainly through lectures, seminars, practicals and group work under the direction of members of academic staff. As the course progresses there are ever greater opportunities for independence and, in your third year, the emphasis is on choice, specialization and independent study, all supported by supervisors, who will guide you and prepare you for the challenges of the wider world beyond university.
Lectures
Lecture theatres are equipped with multiple screens for presentations, audio amplification and lecture recording facilities. Interactive lectures that let you instantaneously respond to questions and have your say using your smartphone, are a standard feature of our teaching. Lecture slides are typically available before each lecture and are usually recorded for future revision.
Seminars
The modules you study in your first and second years include seminars where you will focus on an appropriate task in a small group, led by a member of the Department. Once you are in your third and final year, seminars are the predominant method of teaching. Seminars are a great setting to get more actively involved in learning. You'll be expected to contribute by joining in discussion, asking and answering questions and making presentations.
Practicals
Our Research Methods in Psychology module will give you a great deal of experience of carrying out psychological experiments and we have a dedicated computer laboratory. At the core of of this process is the collection and analysis of data from human behaviour - a vital set of skills for many employers. All aspects of research are covered, from designing and carrying out experiments to analysing, critically evaluating and interpreting results. This experience will equip you with valuable skills that you will apply empirical project in your third year.
Project Work
In your third year you will be asked to undertake a project and have the option to do a literature survey. Projects involve carrying out experiments and are personally supervised by a member of academic staff. Findings form a project report, which is a key component of your degree assessment. Our students rate this part of the course particularly highly - indeed, projects are sometimes published in peer-reviewed journals. There is also the option to complete a literature survey closely supervised by a member of staff for your literature survey. Here you will choose a psychological topic and critically evaluate it using the most recent empirical evidence. Again, this portion of the course is highly rated by our students and forms a particularly valuable aspect of our degree programme, demonstrating to future employers your capacity to complete a significant piece of analysis and writing.
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
You will have access to all our teaching materials via our VLE, in which everything from lecture slides and recordings of lectures themselves through to practical demonstrations and external supporting materials are stored. The VLE also features forums where you and your fellow students can ask questions and discuss ideas.
Timetabled activities
In your first year, you can expect:
| Lectures |
8-10 hours per week |
| Tutorials |
1-2 hours per week |
| Practicals |
4-5 hours per semester |
These figures are representative of a typical week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.
Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.
In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.
Facilities
Our Department is purpose-built with superb teaching facilities mainly under one roof. We are also proud of our York Neuroimaging Centre (YNiC). Equipped with a fMRI scanners and an MEG scanner it allows us to look inside the brain and investigate its activity as we see, hear, feel, think and act.
As well as YNiC, we have other first-class research facilities available to you for your final year research projects including our multimodal Action Perception Laboratory, as well as facilities for testing children and measuring eye movements and other aspects of perceptual and cognitive function. New additions to our research facilities include an EEG lab, TMS Lab and Sleep Lab and several Virtual Reality labs.
Teaching location
The Department of Psychology is located on Campus West.
Most tutorials, seminars, practical work, staff offices and laboratories are in our purpose-built psychology building.
About our campus
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.
Assessment and feedback
Year 1 marks do not contribute to your final degree class. However, you must pass the modules in Year 1 to progress to Year 2 and supervisors may refer to marks gained in Year 1 when writing references. Exams are usually multiple choice format. Assessed coursework, in the form of essays, practicals and related tasks, provides valuable feedback towards optimal performance in Year 2 and beyond.
Year 2 contributes 40 per cent to your final degree class, through exams (mainly multiple choice) held at the end of each module, and assessed coursework in the form of essays and practical reports.
Year 3 contributes 60 per cent to your final degree class. Advanced modules are assessed through a combination of exams and coursework. You can undertake a Literature Survey, reviewing the available theories and relevant evidence in a research area of your choice. In your final year project, you will carry out and write up an original research project under supervision of a member of staff.
