CHM 1020 Concepts in Chemistry
Fall 2018
Course Information





Course Name: Concepts in Chemistry
Course ID & Section: CHM 1020, 0W61
Credit Hours: 3
Semester/Year: Fall 2018
Location: Online using Webcourses@UCF
Instructor Contact






Instructor: Matthew Rex
Office: CHEM 208, 2nd floor Chemistry Building
Campus Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10:00-11:00am
Virtual Office Hours (via Skype): Tuesday 11:00am-12:00pm Wednesday 10:00-11:00am
Phone: 407-823-1260
E-mail: matthew.rex@ucf.edu
Course Description
Concepts in Chemistry, CHM 1020, is 3 credit hours intended to fulfill requirements in general
education that partially satisfies the 6 credit hours science requirement. Emphasis will be placed
on basic concepts of state of matter, atomic structure, chemical bonding chemical compounds,
and chemical reactions. High school algebra is prerequisite for this course.
Course Objectives











Define and explain basic technical terms used in chemistry.
Analyze and interpret simple scientific information and data.
Recognize and differentiate physical and chemical changes, mixtures, compounds molecules,
atoms and ions.
Recognize and differentiate common atomic components and particles.
Write names and formulas for simple chemical compounds and differentiate between ionic
and molecular compounds.
Balance simple chemical equations.
Solve simple stoichiometry problems.
Use conversion factors to solve chemistry problems.
Explain the reason for the change in the ozone layer and health consequences.
Identify the cause of indoor and outdoor air pollution, greenhouse gases, water pollution, and
resulting health and environmental consequences.
Discuss the efforts to solve local and global pollution, nutrition, and medicine issues and the
consequences on economies, living standard, and societies.
Required Materials






Chemistry in Context, 9th ed., American Chemical Society
ConnectPlus
Computer with Microsoft software
Internet access
Functional Webcam
Basic scientific calculator
Course Requirements







Complete online readings, assignments and activities.
Complete study quizzes.
Complete online LearnSmart and Connect assignments.
Complete discussion topics.
Complete online quizzes.
Complete monthly exams.
Complete the final exam.
Missed Assignments/Make-Ups



No makeup for missed deadline assignment or activity. To accommodate some missed
assignments, one Study Quiz, one Quiz, one Discussion, one LearnSmart, and one Connect
assignments will be dropped.
If you miss one scheduled exam, your final exam grade will be used for that exam. (This
replacement will only apply for one exam score)
Missing the final exam will lead to an F grade in the course.
Evaluation and Grading
Your final letter grade will be computed using the following data:
Assignment
Points Percentage
4 Monthly Exams (75 points each)
300
40%
Final exam (cumulative and mandatory)
150
20%
Quizzes (10pts each, the lowest will be dropped)
60
8%
LearnSmart (10pts each, the lowest will be dropped)
60
8%
Connect (10pts each, the lowest will be dropped)
60
8%
Syllabus Quiz
15
2%
Discussion (15pts each, the lowest will be dropped)
45
6%
Study Quizzes (5 pts each, Two lowest will be dropped)
60
8%
Total
750
100%
(The lowest will be replaced by the % of the final exam, if higher)
I will adopt the following grading scale:
Letter grade % of the total grade
A
90.0 - 100
A88.0 – 89.9
B+
86.0 – 87.9
B
80.0 – 85.9
B78.0 – 79.9
C+
76.0 – 77.9
C
70.0 – 75.9
D
60.0 – 69.9
F
Below 60.0
Course Expectations
Additional information to assist you in successfully completing this course is located in Course
Expectations.
Attendance Policy
Active participation in this course is the key to fulfill the academic objectives of the course. You
are responsible for knowing when assignments are due, remembering exam dates and other
important dates for this class. You should log in at least three times per week. You will find
the class easier if you perform the activities and do the assignments according to the schedule. It
is preferable to log in several times during the week. Your participation will be based on
assignments completion and discussion posting and comments.
Federal Financial Aid Regulation
As of Fall 2014, all faculty members are required to document students' academic activity at the
beginning of each course. In order to document that you began this course, please complete the
following academic activity by the end of the first week of classes, or as soon as possible after
adding the course, but no later than August 24th. Failure to do so will result in a delay in the
disbursement of your financial aid.
1. Survey
2. Syllabus Quiz
Withdrawal
If you wish to withdraw from the course you must do so by Friday, October 26th 2018, 11:59
p.m. to receive W. In case you did not withdraw from the course and did not do your, you will
receive an F grade in the course.
Tutorial
The Chemistry Department offers free tutoring for all students enrolled in CHM 1020. The
tutoring sessions are held in the Chemistry Tutoring Center located in Chem. Bldg. CHEM 321.
The sessions are held Monday-Friday from 9:30am to 3:30 pm and are led by experienced
Graduate Students. I strongly encourage you to participate in these sessions. The tutoring
schedule will be posted on webcourses@UCF.
Hardware/Software Requirements
The following hardware and software technologies might be needed to complete assignments:




Microsoft Office, preferably 2007+
Webcam for ProctorHub
Adobe Acrobat Reader
o Free Adobe Acrobat Reader: http://www.adobe.com/go/getreader/Links to an external
site.
Adobe Flash player
o Free Adobe Flash Player: http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashLinks to an external site.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism and cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will result at least in
an "F" for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an "F" for the
entire course) and may be subject to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for
further action. If you are unsure of what counts as plagiarism see the UCF Golden Rule for
further information. I will assume for this course that you will adhere to the academic creed of
this University and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. In other words,
don't cheat by giving answers to others or taking them from anyone else. I will also adhere to the
highest standards of academic integrity, so please do not ask me to change (or expect me to
change) your grade illegitimately or to bend or break rules for one person that will not apply to
everyone.
Accessibility Statement
The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all
persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Students
with disabilities who need accommodations in this course must contact the professor at the
beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be
provided until the student has met with the professor to request accommodations. Students who
need accommodations must be registered with Student Accessibility Services, Ferrell Commons,
7F, Room 185, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting
accommodations from the professor.
Copyright
This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text
materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to
enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these
items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and
your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.
Third-Party Software and FERPA
During this course you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software
applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these
could be required assignments, you need not make any personally identifying information on a
public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates.
Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted
publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to
disclose any personally identity-sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this,
please contact your instructor.
Proctored Tests
Exams will be taken online using an online video monitoring system called ProctorHub. You
will need access to a webcam on your computer (Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux) in order to use
this program.
ProctorHub is a UCF test monitoring system that utilizes a webcam to monitor test taking
activity during online testing. Videos are only accessible to your instructor, and are stored in a
secure environment. If you do not have a webcam, there are computers with webcams in the
UCF library, or you can visit the LibTech desk at the library to sign out one. Lib tech can also
direct you to a computer in the library with a webcam. Please note that these computers cannot
be reserved ahead of time. It is your responsibility to ensure that you will have access to a
computer with a webcam and know how to log into and use ProctorHub, prior to the time that
the tests start. Please note that ProctorHub is not yet compatible with Apple iOS (iPhone, iPod
Touch, iPad) or Android smartphones.
Please be advised that no exam will be accepted without using the ProctorHub.
Extra Credit Assignments
Extra credit opportunities will be provided throughout the semester. I will make
announcements and send out emails as they become available to ensure that everyone
is aware of these.
Tentative Schedule
Date/Week
Test
Assignment
8/20 - 8/24 W1
Module 1 (Chapter 1)
8/27 - 8/31 W2
Module 1 (Chapter 1)
9/4 - 9/7 W3
Module 2 (Chapter 2)
9/10 - 9/14 W4
Module 2 (Chapter 2)
9/18
Exam 1
10:00am to 10:00pm (Module 1 + Module 2)
9/17 - 9/21 W5
Module 3 (Chapter 3)
9/24 - 9/28 W6
Module 3 (Chapter 3) + Module 4 (Chapter 4)
10/1 - 10/5 W7
Module 4 (Chapter 4)
10/9
Exam 2
10:00am to 10:00pm (Module 3 + Module 4)
10/8 - 10/13 W8
Module 5 (Chapter 5)
10/15 - 10/20 W9
Module 5 (Chapter 5)
10/22-10/27
Module 6 (Chapter 6)
10/23
Exam 3
10:00am to 10:00pm (Module 5)
10/29 -11/2 W10
Module 6 (Chapter 6)
11/5 -11/9 W11
Module 6 (Chapter 6)
11/13 - 11/16 W12
Module 7 (Chapter 8)
11/19 – 1/21 W13
Module 7 (Chapter 8)
11/27
11/26 – 11/30 W14
12/04/2018
Exam 4
10:00am to 10:00pm (Module 6 + Module 7)
Review for Final, Finish Any Extra Credit
Final Exam 10:00am to 10:00pm (Module 1 to Module 7)
Assignment Explanations
 Survey
The survey quiz is NOT graded, it is not part of your graded assignments, it is simply there to
test your chemistry knowledge before and after the class. Please take the survey quiz without
having read any of the book or completing any assignments yet. This is to get the best
evaluation of your chemistry knowledge before the class and then to compare it to the survey
quiz after you have completed the class. The survey quiz will also be used as your proof of
academic activity for financial aid disbursement the first week of class.
 LearnSmart
LearnSmart assignments are done online. They are accessible via McGraw Hill’s online Connect
website. This site can also be accessed via webcourses from the McGraw Hill link. This
assignment involves reviewing the text with the important portions being highlighted. That is
then followed by a selection of questions designed to not only test your knowledge but your
evaluation of how well you think you know or don’t know the material.

Connect Homework
Homework assignments are done online. They are accessible via McGraw Hill’s online Connect
website. This site can also be accessed via webcourses from the McGraw Hill link. The
Homework assignment consists of 20 questions taken from the chapter of interest. Multiple
attempts are allowed to answer each question.

Study Quiz
Study Quizzes are found on webcourses, either under the assignment tab or the quizzes tab. The
study quiz is meant to prepare you for the chapter quiz. As such you are allowed two attempts
on the study quiz.

Chapter Quiz
Chapter quizzes are found on webcourses, either under the assignment tab or the quizzes tab.
The chapter quiz covers only the chapter of interest. Each chapter quiz is worth ten points and
only one attempt is allowed. The chapter quiz should be attempted after reading the chapter and
completing the LearnSmart assignment, Homework, and Study Quiz.
 Group Discussion
Group Discussions are performed online in webcourses. While we are covering seven chapters
in the book we will only do four discussion posts on chapters two, three, five, and six.
You will need to make three types of posts in the online group discussion.
Initial posting: post your contribution to this discussion topic in your group discussion. Keep
your initial post between 200 and 300 words. This posting should be done at least two days
before the due date of the group discussion to give other group members enough time to reply to
your initial posting.
Reply to other postings: First, you cannot reply and comment on other group member posting
before posting your initial post. Reply to at least three postings of your group members showing
your agreement or disagreement with the ideas of the author. Your comments should be
appropriate to the posting and supported by some evidence. Comments and replies like "I agree
with John" or "excellent job" are not accepted. This posting should be done at least one day
before the due date to allow other members to reply or comment on your comments.
Reply to reply: Reply to at least two of the comments of the group members on your initial
posting before the due date. No more than four replies are allowed to an initial posting. Any new
replies (not counting the Original Posters reply to replies) after the first four will not receive
credit for those replies. If there are already four replies then you must go to another initial post
and reply to that. If the assignment is still far from the due date you may need to wait a day or
two for another new initial post.
 Exams
Regular exams (Exams 1-4, NOT the final) are scheduled on Tuesdays. They consist of 25
questions covering the modules (chapters) listed in the schedule. They are open from 10am until
10pm. You have 50 minutes to complete the exam once you begin and are allowed only one
attempt at the exam. You must use ProctorHub. When you first activate your webcam via
ProctorHub look at the camera and show your UCF photo ID. Then begin the exam. You are
allowed a pencil, clean scratch paper, a non-programmable calculator and a periodic table when
you take the exam.

Final Exam
The final exam will be on Tuesday December 4th and will consist of material from the seven
chapters covered during this class (chapters 1-6 and chapter 8). It will be 50 questions and you
will have two hours to complete it. It is worth 150 points and will also replace your lowest exam
score if you did better on the final exam.