CHEM 131 Syllabus (Lohse)
CHEM 131: General Chemistry I Lecture
Colorado Mesa University
Fall 2014, 4 credits
Class times: MTWF 8-8:50 AM (Lecture), Wubben Science Rm 131
Instructor: Sam Lohse, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Wubben Science 230 A
Office Phone: 970-248-1993
e-mail: slohse@coloradomesa.edu
Office Hours: M (9-10 AM, 2-4 pm), Th (9-11 AM), or by appointment.
Also, whenever the door is open and I’m not otherwise busy.
Required Textbooks and Materials:
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McMurray and Fay, General Chemistry: Atoms First, Prentice Hall (Lecture)
Sapling Learning Account (www.saplinglearning.com)
Purpose of the General Chemistry Course:
The General Chemistry course is designed to give students a solid grounding in the
fundamental theories of atomic structure, molecular reactivity, and chemical reaction kinetics. In
addition, the course will emphasize an introduction in how to interpret chemistry data, and critical
thinking skills that focus on using observations and evidence to support or reject hypotheses.
While the focus of the course is on acquiring the knowledge and skills related to fundamental
chemistry, we will also take the time to discuss key examples of how the application of
fundamental chemistry knowledge impacts society, and a brief history of important chemistry
discoveries.
Course Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, you will:
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Possess a solid knowledge of basic chemistry vocabulary
Be able to describe and illustrate both atomic and molecular structure
Be able to describe in detail, using balanced chemical equations, a variety of chemical
reactions, including reactions in the gas phase and aqueous reactions (acid-base
chemistry, precipitation reactions, and redox reactions)
Describe how heat and energy changes are related to chemical reactions
Be able to interpret basic chemistry data, and critically evaluate how these data support
relevant scientific claims
Conduct in Class
Please remember that a classroom is a voluntary and collegial collaboration between
students and instructors, which should function as an informative and supporting learning
environment. During the class period, please observe a few guidelines which will hopefully help
make everyone’s time in class as useful as possible.
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Please keep your cell phones on silent, and do not answer calls or texts, except in
genuine emergency situations.
Please keep any conversations not related to chemistry to a minimum.
I don’t mind if you bring a tablet, laptop, or netbook to class to assist in your note taking.
However, please keep the laptop muted, and any unnecessary programs closed so that
you don’t distract anyone else.
Chemistry Program Learning Objectives:
A student who completes the Bachelor’s program in Chemistry will be able to:
 Demonstrate fluency in the concepts from the major fields of chemistry (inorganic,
organic, physical, and analytical...)
 Utilize mathematics to solve chemical problems.
 Employ proper experimental techniques.
 Interpret chemical information from peer-reviewed publications.
 Communicate chemical topics effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Student Assessment:
Attendance Policy: I will take attendance in class for the first two weeks of class. If you miss
three or more class sessions in the first two weeks, you will be disenrolled from the course to
make room for students who may be on the waiting list to get in. After that, attending class is
strongly recommended, but not required. Please note that CMU is required by law to verify the
attendance/enrollment of students who participate in Federal Title IV student aid programs. In
addition, the instructor may legitimately be asked to provide feedback on student attendance to
other CMU departments or programs. For example, I may be asked to give feedback on the inclass attendance of student athletes to their respective programs.
Final Grades: Final course grades will be assigned as a weighted average of each of the following
component parts:
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Homework (25%)
Quizzes (15%)
Exams (40%)
Final Exam (20%)*
* I reserve the right to weight the final exam more heavily for students who perform exceptionally
well on the final exam, relative to their average on the mid-term exams.
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Grading Scale:
At the end of the term, letter grades will be assigned according to the following percentage
scale:
A
B
C
D
F
> 88%
87% - 78%
77% - 68%
67% - 59%
<58%
Depending on the overall class performance, I reserve the right to alter this grading
scale. However, I will only change the scale so that the average grade goes up, I will not
change the scale in such a way that it will be to the detriment of any student.
Homework: There will be an online homework assignment due every two or three weeks.
Generally, the homework will consist of problem sets between 20 and 30 problems in length.
Homework assignments will be assigned and turned in online through the Sapling Learning
environment. Homework sets are due by 6 pm on the due date. Please see the sign up instructions
for Sapling Learning on the last page of the syllabus.
Homework is primarily graded primarily on whether you complete the assignment and try
every problem, although you will lose 5% of the points available on any given problem every time
you submit an incorrect answer (since Sapling allows three tries for you to get the correct answer,
you can lose up to 15% of the points available on an individual problem if cannot get the correct
answer). Sapling provides hints, tips, and problem explanations as you go through the problems.
However, I am also happy to answer any questions you have about the problem sets. Even though
you get most of the points simply for completing the homework, it is important to give the
homework your full attention. It is not uncommon for one test question (per exam) to come directly
from the homework. If for any reason, you are going to have real problems turning in an
assignment on time, please get a hold of me beforehand (phone or e-mail), and I’ll make
accommodations for you, if possible.
You may always work together on homework assignments, but direct copying from your
partners is not allowed, or particularly useful. Sapling randomizes the content of the homework
questions, and uses multiple questions on certain problems, so you may be answering a slightly
different question from your friends. Otherwise, you may use any resources you wish to complete
the homework assignments, except for online unit conversion calculators, which are not allowed.
Quizzes: There will be six quizzes given throughout the term (during the class period, no more
than 15 min.). The dates of five of the quizzes are scheduled already, and are listed on the course
calendar (below and online). This means that one quiz during the term will be a “pop” quiz which
will appear suddenly and without warning, whenever I feel like it. The pop quiz will not be given
in the same week as an exam. Quizzes are closed book, closed note, and you must work alone;
you are only allowed a scientific calculator at your desk. No other materials are allowed, unless I
say otherwise for a specific quiz. If you must miss a class period in which we a having a quiz,
please let me know as soon as possible, and we will make alternate arrangements for you,
whenever possible.
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Exams: There will be three mid-term exams given during the course of the semester. Each will
be weighted equally. Each exam will be given on Wednesdays, during the class period. Each
exam is designed to take 40 min to finish, but you will have the whole class period. The exams
are described in detail below. Exams are closed book, closed notes, and you must work alone.
You may use a standard scientific calculator and an unaltered periodic table on each exam. If
you know in advance that you will miss an exam, let me know as soon as possible, and we
will make alternate arrangements for you. One week (or more) notice of your absence will
be required, unless it is an emergency situation (illness, family emergency, etc.). If you
miss an exam due to an unexcused absence, you will receive a score of 0 for that exam.
After the Exams: Exams will be graded and returned to you within a week (unless legitimate
mitigating circumstances get in the way). Exams will be returned in class, and on the day the
exams are returned, we will go over class performance in detail (i.e. you will get to see the average
score, and I will let you know if I have curved the exam grades at all). Detailed answer keys will
be posted as soon as everyone has taken the exam. I will only curve exam grades so that the
average score goes up, I will never curve exam grades down.
Final Exam: The final exam will be given on Dec. 8, 2014 at 8 am. The exam will be given in
Wubben 131. You will have one hour and fifty minutes to complete the exam. I will notify you as
soon as possible both in class and online if any changes to the final exam schedule occur.
General Student Services:
Educational Access Services. Colorado Mesa University strives to construct open and
productive learning environments for students of all backgrounds. In coordination with Educational
Access Services, reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified students with
disabilities. Students must register with the EAS office to receive assistance. Please meet with
the instructor the first week of class for information and/or contact Dana VandeBurgt, the
Coordinator of Educational Access Services, directly by phone at 248-1801, or in person in
Houston Hall, Suite 108.
https://www.coloradomesa.edu/eas/index.html
Tutorial Learning Center. The TLC is a FREE academic service for all Colorado Mesa University
students. Tutors are available on a walk-in basis for many courses. Do you have a quick question?
Do you need homework clarification or feedback on a paper? Are you reviewing for a test? Help
is available at the TLC!
At the main campus, come to Houston Hall 113 to meet with one of our friendly peer tutors. We
are open on Monday through Thursday from 8am-6pm, and Fridays from 8am-5pm. We are also
open Sundays from 1pm-6pm! Tutoring at branch campuses and distance tutoring is also
available. Check out the website for schedules and locations at www.coloradomesa.edu/tutoring
or call 248-1392 with any questions.
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Student Services. The Office of Student Services works to support CMU students in all aspects
of college life, both inside and outside the classroom. The goal of Student Services is to make
every student’s time at CMU as engaging and exciting as possible. Student Services works
collaboratively with faculty, students, and staff to create a campus community that fosters the
growth of students as strong individuals and informed citizens.
www.coloradomesa.edu/studentservices
Dropping or Withdrawing the Course: The last day to drop the course is September 2. The last
day to withdraw from the course (and receive a grade of ‘W’) is October 15.
Academic Dishonesty: Any instances of cheating or plagiarism by students in this class will be
dealt with on a case by case basis in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Colorado
Mesa University student handbook (The Maverick Guide, p. 15-21).
http://www.coloradomesa.edu/studentservices/conduct.html
Important Dates:
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August 18, 2014- Classes begin
September 2, 2014- Last Day to Add/Drop a Class
October 15, 2014- Last Day to Withdraw from a Class
November 24-28- Thanksgiving Break
December 5- Last Day of Classes
December 8-11- Final Exam Week
Keys to Success: General Chemistry is a demanding course, but ultimately, I hope it will be a
rewarding one for you. Ideally, it is a course that will open new doors in your future scientific work,
and help you to see the world around you in a new way. In order to achieve success in the class,
it is essential that students study often, and stay on top of the lecture material presented that day.
The following tips may be particularly useful to you.
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Attend class! While I will post all class materials and lectures online, there’s no substitute
for actually coming to class and participating.
Plan to study at least 2 hours for every hour you spend in lecture (this includes reading
the chapter thoroughly, homework, and studying for quizzes or exams).
If possible, read the current Chapter before you come to class, and try some of the
example problems that will be relevant to the lecture that day.
Ask questions! There is no better preparation than being an active participant in class; we
humans tend to learn much faster through conversations, rather than just getting lectured
at. Many of the topics that we will cover may be unfamiliar to you, or seem complex the
first time we go through them. Asking questions draws everyone into the discussion, and
we all learn better as a result.
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Similarly, try to find a way to spend some of your study time studying in groups. Typically,
you will learn the material more effectively if you actually discuss the concepts and
problems with your peers, rather than just trying to memorize it out of the book.
Spend the time to thoroughly learn the vocabulary of chemistry, and memorize important
physical constants or equations. Learning chemistry requires you to learn what is
essentially a brand new language and set of skills. While critical thinking about science is
our ultimate goal, a certain amount of memorization is required so that you can be precise
with your language, and access certain information reflexively.
Take advantage of office hours. I’m always happy to help with whatever difficulties you
might come across. If none of my office hour times work for you, I’ll gladly arrange to meet
with you at other times.
Sapling Learning Sign-up Instructions:
Students:
1. Go to http://saplinglearning.com and click on your country at the top right.
2a. If you already have a Sapling Learning account, log in and skip to step 3.
2b. If you have a Facebook account, you can use it to quickly create a Sapling Learning account.
Click “Create an Account”, then “Create my account through Facebook”. You will be prompted to
log into Facebook if you aren't already. Choose a username and password, then click “Link
Account”. You can then skip to step 3.
2c. Otherwise, click "Create an Account". Supply the requested information and click "Create My
Account". Check your email (and spam filter) for a message from Sapling Learning and click on
the link provided in that email.
3. Find your course in the list (you may need to expand the subject and term categories) and click
the link.
4. Select a payment option and following the remaining instructions.
Once you have registered and enrolled, you can log in at any time to complete or review your
homework assignments. During sign up or throughout the term, if you have any technical
problems or grading issues, send an email to support@saplinglearning.com explaining the issue.
The Sapling Learning support team is almost always faster and better able to resolve issues than
your instructor.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you have any other concerns or questions about the course or course materials, or you
find anything unclear, please don’t hesitate to contact me for any reason.
“It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin barefoot irreverence to their
studies; they are not here to worship what is known but to question it…”
— Jacob Bronowski
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