Level 2

Level 2 aims to expand the treatment of Psychology provided by the introductory courses at Level 1 to give a broad but critical understanding of the subject.

Introductory Meetings

In week 1 of the first semester there will be an Introduction Meeting.  In this meeting you will be given a full introduction to the administrative arrangements applying to Level 2.  This meeting is compulsory for Level 2 students.  

There will also be an information session about level 3 module choice that will take place midway through semester 2.

Students will be notified of the times and venues of these meetings nearer to the time.

 Academic Tutors You should be assigned to the same Academic Tutor (AT) that you had at Level 1 (subject to staff availability). The first contact with your Academic Tutor each semester will be a face-to-face meeting at a prearranged time, whereas the second will be made by e-mail.  Details and reminders will be circulated by email.

Teaching at Level 2

Lectures.  Lectures will take place around the campus; see the timetable for details.  Students will be informed of any changes in timetabling via email.

PSY2005 Tutorials.  Tutorials at Level 2 consist of a small group of students discussing assigned work, research design and implementation, and relevant literature relating to carrying out an independent group research project.  Each tutor group will be assigned two academic tutors - one for each semester.

Attendance at tutorials is a School requirement.  A great deal of importance is given to this form of teaching and it has two main aims. First, tutorial work provides an opportunity to develop the skills that are crucial for a critical appreciation of the psychological literature, effective study, and for optimising your examination performance. To emphasise this aspect of the tutorial system, the work assigned is linked to the PSY2005 module. Second, tutorials provide the opportunity for closer intellectual and social contact between staff and students than other forms of teaching.  One important consequence of this is that students are known personally by at least two members of staff by the end of their second year (students often ask former tutors to be referees when they are applying for jobs). 

 Workshops.  Each student will be assigned to one session.  Attendance at workshops is a School requirement.  It is essential that you come on your allocated session - both equipment and seating space are severely limited.  If, for some essential reason, you need to change your workshop day/time you will need to email the level 2 Student Support Officer (liz.carl@sheffield.ac.uk) in advance of attending a different group.  Changes to groups on a permanent basis must be requested by email and  you may be required to provide evidence to support your request.

Examinations

Assessment methods will contain a mix of coursework and examinations.   Examinations will be held at the end of each semester (in January/February and May/June). Students who fail an examination at Level 2 are allowed one further attempt to pass the failed module either in August or the following year.  Failure to pass a core module at the second attempt will result in a student being withdrawn from their degree programme.  Overall module grades will be capped if one or more of the assessments were attempted twice..  NB. Students may fail up to 20 credits of unrestricted modules, but as students are only permitted to fail up to 30 credits across levels 2 and 3 it is important to try and pass at the resit if possible.

Preparing for Level 3 Projects

Level 2 students select their preferred research project areas during Semester 2.  The process usually begins before Easter (but please note that the timing of the Easter vacation moves each year).  There will be an introductory talk accompanied by information about the research project process.  For more information about research projects, see the section on Project work under Level 3. 

Preparation for Level 3 

If you would like to prepare ahead for Level 3, we recommend that you read some of the Level 3 recommended texts as an introduction to the modules in Psychology.  Core texts and/or recommended reading are listed here. Equally however, make sure you find time over the summer to relax, so that you return to your final year refreshed and enthusiastic about the year ahead. 

PSYCHOLOGY STUDY BUDDY SCHEME

At the start of each semester, all Psychology students are invited to join the Study Buddy Scheme, in which you are matched with one other student in your year or a group of students in your year (depending on your preference).  

How it works:

1. 1.  You sign up using a 2-minute form indicating some preferences for your study buddy match. The form will be emailed to you at the start of each semester. 

   2.  We match you up with a study buddy or study buddy group and email you to announce the match.

   3.  You and your buddy arrange your own meetings.

You might decide to meet up and attend lectures together, or to improve your revision (e.g., share lecture notes, summarise key points from readings,
discuss lecture content, or keep each other accountable during a weekly library session), or meet up for moral support and coffee. It’s completely up to you – hopefully you’ll find something that’s beneficial for both of you.
If you prefer, there will also be an option to be matched with other students in a small group.

Over 450 students have been matched since we started this scheme in 2022, and feedback suggested that 19 of 21 study buddies would recommend the scheme to other students.

If you have any questions about this, please reach out to Alicia Forsberg (a.forsberg@sheffield.ac.uk)