Psychology 288: Exam 2 (Take-Home)

Requirements

For this take-home open-notes exam, you are to demonstrate what you have learned regarding how to motivate people in the workplace.  Beyond this, though, you are to demonstrate your ability to think beyond what we explicitly discussed in class and instead develop new insights and ideas regarding the topics.

Here are some points to consider when writing your answers:

• Answer each of the following questions with a minimum of two pages each (double-spaced).  There is nothing in particular that I am looking for (so no worries about figuring out the "right" answer) - I have some ideas as to how I would answer them, but I am more interested in seeing your critical thinking, evaluation, and synthesis skills.  Be creative, base your thoughts off of evidence (not opinion), and think deeply about the questions.  I look forward to what you have to say!
• Be sure to explain your ideas in depth.  You don’t need to include *everything* you could say to answer each question.  Think of what the big themes and important ideas are that should be included.  You could write dozens of pages on each question; just carve out a small piece of what to talk about.  In general, great depth and a little breadth are much better than trying to cover a lot of breadth without much depth.
• You are not required to cite outside research when answering your questions (i.e., no need to look up new articles or citations).  Instead, you should be synthesizing ideas from our readings into your answers.  When you cite ideas from our class readings, mention the articles (no need to use APA citation style as I haven’t taught that to you).  However, if you do include outside research (which you may if you like), be sure to cite that.  Failure to cite your sources will be considered academic dishonesty and may result in a zero on the assignment and/or failing the course (please see the academic honesty discussion in the syllabus).
• Because this is a take-home exam, you are of course encouraged to use your notes and the articles but please do not consult with each other.  Talking to others about your answers will be considered academic dishonesty and may result in a zero on the assignment and/or failing the course (please see the academic honesty discussion in the syllabus).

The Questions (15 points each)

For each of the following questions, please consider the job of a college professor.  You can think about a college professor at any level (e.g., a college professor that teaches undergraduate or graduate students).  Also, you can think about a college professor in any subject (e.g., a college professor that teaches I-O psychology or any other topic).  You have many years of interacting with college professors, so think about your experiences and what you’ve seen.

• The job characteristics model suggests that there are five job characteristics that can be changed in order to motivate employees. Pick one of the specific characteristics.  How could you change this aspect of a college professor’s job in order to motivate them?  Give one specific example and discuss it in-depth.  Also, be sure to explain why it will motivate the college professor (according to our reading).
• Gamification theory also suggests you can motivate employees by adding game elements to their job. How can you do this with college professors?  Give one well-developed and specific example of a how you can gamify one aspect of a college professor’s job in order to motivate them.  Also, be sure to explain why it will motivate the college professor (according to our reading).
• Finally, job crafting is another way you can motivate employees. Give one specific example of how job crafting could be incorporated into a college professor’s job in order to motivate them.  Be sure to explain why it will motivate the college professor (according to our reading).

Please note: for all these questions, you are motivating the college professor, not motivating the students they are teaching!

Submission Deadline

Type up your answers into a Word document, print it out, and hand in the paper in class on May 4 (note: there is no Blackboard link for this).  If you submit later than this, you’ll automatically lose a letter grade for each day it’s late.