CHEM 1100: Fundamental Concepts of Chemistry
Instructor: Rebekah J. Ekelund
Mailing Address: 1414 College Way; Fergus Falls, MN 56537
School Mailbox: Science Building at S249
Office Hours: Available by appointment
Email Address: rebekah.ekelund@minnesota.edu
Required Text and Materials:
Zumdahl, Steven S. and Donald J. DeCoste. Basic Chemistry. 7th ed. Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning,
2011.
OR
Online Web Learning (OWL) Passkey - If you order from MBS Books, it is bundled with the Basic
Chemistry textbook.
Late Nite Labs REACTOR PIN - You must obtain a PIN either from MBS books or direct from the
Late Nite Labs website (www.latenitelabs.com) for REACTOR by Late Nite Labs. See Laboratory
Section in the Content Area.
Office Hours:
Office hours will be held by appointment. Students should email me when they need to meet. I will
check my email at least twice a day and will reply to a students email within 24 hours. A variety of
meetings can take place; chatting (instant messaging), WebEx (online meeting), or phone
conversation. Students can set up a chat time via email, and I will be on D2L Chat at the time
requested. Students can request a WebEx online meeting via email, and I can meet multiple students at
the same time. Students can request a phone call via email, and I will call the student at the time
requested. (NOTE: Times must be confirmed by me via email.)
Course Description:
CHEM 1100 is three (3) credits and meets MNTC Goal Areas 2 and 3. Prerequisite: MATH0090 or
assessed into MATH1020 or MATH1114. This course is an introductory course designed to provide
students with a strong, basic knowledge of the fundamental concepts in chemistry. Topics to be
discussed will include substances, their structures and properties, the changes they undergo, and the
laws that govern those changes. Intended for prospective elementary teachers, non-science majors, and
those who need background for General Chemistry.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the limited duration (semester) of the laboratory accounts, the issuance of
incomplete grades will not be possible for online CHEM 1100.
Top
Course Policies and Expectations
Technology Problems:
Students are encouraged to have a general back-up plan for electrical or technological failures. All
assignments and exams are due regardless of the cause of downtime, except in extreme circumstances,
such as an area-wide power outage. In the latter, the student should contact the instructor as soon as
possible to determine the best means for completing assignments. In general, you are expected to find
an alternate means for logging onto the class and for submitting things in a timely fashion.
Sample Technology Back-up Plan: I will copy all my files to disks or CDs. Then, if my computer
fails, I can use the campus computer lab.
Study Time:
Plan to spend six to eight hours per week on assignments, both on- and off-line. You will need to be
online at least three to four times per week on different days to participate in discussions and keep up
with assignments.
Due Dates:
All assignments, laboratories, quizzes, and tests are due by midnight on the scheduled due dates which
are listed in the Course Schedule table at the end of this document, as well as on the Calendar on the
Home Page of this course. An extended due date with the instructor's approval will be given only for
special extenuating situations.
Laboratories:
We will be using a combination of "kitchen" labs performed in your kitchen and virtual online
laboratory program called REACTOR by Late Nite Labs (www.latenitelabs.com). The laboratory
report for Late Nite Labs can be saved in HTML format and submitted to my Dropbox (see
Laboratory Submission Instructions in the Content Area).
There are nine laboratories scheduled throughout the course. They are designed to go along with the
chapter being studied in a given week. They are assigned for Friday, but because they require a
significant time block, they will not be due until Tuesday, midnight. There may be a question or two
on the tests pertaining to the laboratories completed.
Quizzes and Tests:
All quizzes and tests will be taken online in the Quizzes Area.
Quizzes will be open book/open notes. You will be given two attempts to take the quiz. Make sure
for the Late Nite Lab (LNL) Prelab Quizzes that you read the Abstract, General Information,
Procedure, and Assignments before you start the laboratory. You will be shown which questions you
got wrong. Then, retake the quiz with open book/open notes. The highest score will be recorded.
There are four tests in this class. All tests will be multiple choice & open book/open notes. However,
they will be timed. So, you are strongly cautioned to keep up with the assignments as they are outlined
in the Weekly Schedules. It will be very difficult to complete the test in the allotted time if you have
not prepared. You are encouraged to use materials such as your book, notes, a calculator, and other
course handouts you deem helpful. Each test must be taken on the day indicated in the Course
Schedule in the Content Area.
Top
Grading:
The final grade for Chemistry 1100 is figured on a straight percentage calculation. This means that
your final course grade is computed by dividing the number of points you have actually earned by the
total number of possible points and multiplying this result by one hundred. The number of points you
have actually earned will include scores on assignments, laboratory reports, quizzes, and tests.
You are encouraged to do your own tally of points as this will allow you to make your own grade
calculations as you progress through the course. The following scale will be utilized to assess your
Final Grade for the course:
90.00% - 100.00% = A
80.00% - 89.99% = B
70.00% - 79.99% = C
60.00% - 69.99% = D
Below a 59.99% = F
Homework assignments, including the assignments done in OWL and worksheets, will be worth 30%
of your grade. OWL assignments will be graded in the OWL system and imported into your D2L
Grades Area. Worksheets and other assignments will be graded using 5-Point Assignment Scale
below.
5-Point Assignment Scale:
5 = on time, all correct
4.5 = on time, mostly correct
4 = late, all correct
3.5 = on time, few correct or late, mostly correct
3 = late, few correct
2 = on time or late, none correct
1 = instructor having a bad day
0 = not submitted
Laboratories will be worth 30% of your grade. For laboratory reports, you will be graded on the 10point Laboratory Scale below. You must show your work for all calculations. If you do not show
your work, you will fail the laboratory. If you do not show your work and your answer is incorrect,
the question will be wrong including all other questions that may be affected by that calculation.
SHOW YOUR WORK!
10-Point Laboratory Scale:
10 = on time, all correct, all calculation work shown
9 = on time, all correct, some calculation work shown
8 = on time, mostly correct, all calculation work shown
7 = on time, mostly correct, some calculation work shown
6 = late, mostly correct or on time, few correct, all calculation work shown
5 = late, mostly correct or on time, few correct, some calculation work shown
4 = late, few correct, and/or no calculation work shown
3 = none correct, no calculation work shown
0 = not submitted
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the limited duration (semester) of the laboratory accounts, the issuance of
incomplete grades will not be possible for online CHEM 1100.
Tests will be worth 30% of your grade.
Class participation will be worth 10% of your grade and will reflect your completion of and
participation in the class discussions including two WebEx meetings. In figuring this class discussion
grade, I will see if you completed all the Discussion Board assignments completely and on time and if
you have read all posts made to the Discussion Board. Another part of this class participation grade
with include your attendance in one Introduction WebEx meeting and at least one Lab Chat/Test
Review WebEx meeting throughout the semester.
3-Point Discussion Scale:
3 = on time; response post shows critical thinking
2 = on time, response post does not show critical thinking
1 = late
0 = not submitted
Academic Misconduct:
Academic misconduct/dishonesty includes unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes and exams,
unauthorized use of another person's materials, sabotaging another's work, forgery, and plagiarism
(misrepresenting somebody else's work as your own; submitting the same or similar papers; or
copying/pasting another’s answers from internet search engines). Academic dishonesty in any portion
of the academic work for a course shall be grounds for awarding a grade of F for the entire course.
Your grade should reflect your OWN work and nobody else's. If you suspect another student of
academic misconduct, please inform me (anonymous is fine). Let us all focus on efficient learning and
strive to make this a non issue!
Top
Course Schedule
Abbreviation Key:
Online Web Learning Portal (OWL)
Late Nite Labs (LNL)
Week
01/10-01/14
01/17-01/21
01/24-01/28
01/31-02/04
02/07-02/11
02/14-02/18
02/21-02/25
Topic(s) Covered
Algebra Review
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 5 (cont.)
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
02/28-03/04
03/07-03/11
03/21-03/25
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Due Date
01/10
Assignments/Labs/Quizzes/Tests (Location)
Information Email
Introduction Disc (D2L Discussion Board)
01/11
Introduction to OWL Assn (OWL)
01/12
ST Algebra Review Assn (D2L Content Area)
01/14
01/18
Algebra Review Assn (OWL)
Introduction Lab (LNL)
01/19
Chapters 1&2 Disc (D2L Discussion Board)
01/21
01/25
Chapter 2 Assn (OWL)
Density Kitchen Prelab Quiz (D2L Quizzes Area)
Density Kitchen Lab (D2L Content Area)
01/26
Chapter 3 Disc (D2L Discussion Board)
01/28
02/01
Chapter 3 Assn (OWL)
Separation of Mixtures Prelab Quiz (D2L Quizzes Area)
Separation of Mixtures Lab (LNL)
02/02
Chapter 4 Disc (D2L Discussion Board)
02/04
02/08
Chapter 4 Assn (OWL)
Test I covering Chapters 2-4 (D2L Quizzes Area)
02/09
Chapter 5 Disc (D2L Discussion Board)
02/11
02/15
ST Nomenclature Assn (D2L Content Area)
Nomenclature Kitchen Lab (D2L Content Area)
02/18
02/22
Chapter 5 Assn (OWL)
ST Ch6 Assn (D2L Content Area)
02/23
Chapters 6&7 Disc (D2L Discussion Board)
02/25
03/01
Chapter 6&7 Assn (OWL)
Chemical Reaction Types Prelab Quiz (D2L Quizzes Area)
Chemical Reaction Types Lab (LNL)
03/02
Test II covering Chapters 5-7 (D2L Quizzes Area)
03/04
03/08
ST Dim. Analysis Review (D2L Content Area)
Chapter 8 Disc (D2L Discussion Board)
03/09
Chapter 8 Assn (OWL)
03/11
03/22
ST Mole Assn (D2L Content Area)
Chapter 9 Disc (D2L Discussion Board)
03/28-04/01
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
03/23
Chapter 9 Assn (OWL)
03/25
ST Stoichiometry Assn (D2L Content Area)
03/29
Stoichiometry Kitchen Prelab Quiz (D2L Quizzes Area)
Stoichiometry Kitchen Lab (D2L Content Area)
04/01
04/04-04/08
04/11-04/15
04/18-04/22
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
04/05
Chapter 11 Assn (OWL)
Law of Definite Proportions Prelab Quiz (D2L Quizzes Area)
Law of Definite Proportions Lab (LNL)
04/06
Chapters 10, 11, 12 Disc (D2L Discussion Board)
04/08
04/12
Chapter 12 Assn (OWL)
Test III covering Chapters 8-12 (D2L Quizzes Area)
04/15
Chapter 13 Assn (OWL)
Molar Volume of an Ideal Gas Prelab Quiz (D2L Quizzes Area)
Molar Volume of an Ideal Gas Lab (LNL)
04/19
04/22
04/25-04/29
05/02-05/06
Top
Chapter 16
FINALS WEEK
04/26
Chapter 14&15 Assn (OWL)
Titration Tutorial Prelab Quiz (D2L Quizzes Area)
Titration Tutorial Lab (LNL)
04/27
Chapters 14, 15, 16 Disc (D2L Discussion Board)
04/29
05/02 or 05/03
05/05
Chapter 16 Assn (OWL)
Test IV covering Chapters 13-16 (D2L Quizzes Area)
GRADES CLOSE