Chem F105X
Instructor:
Office:
Email:
Class meeting
time:
Laboratory
Director:
Administrative
Assistant:
Laboratory
meeting times:
Office hours:
Textbook:
Online
homework
system:
Syllabus
General Chemistry I
Fall 2013
Prof. William R. Simpson
REIC 186 and Akasofu 335, Office: 474-7235 Lab: 474-2436
wrsimpson@alaska.edu
Tuesday and Thursday 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM, REIC 201
Emily Reiter (Office 194A REIC; Tel 474-6748; email e.reiter@alaska.edu)
Mist D’June-Gussak (Office 194 REIC; Tel 474-5510; email mist@alaska.edu )
Varies by laboratory section
After class and Monday and Wednesday 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM, and by
appointment – See below for details on making an appointment.
Chemistry, 11th Edition" by Chang and Goldsby. The ISBN for the textbook by
itself is 978-0073402680, but you will want to buy the book bundled with the
online homework system. See http://www.uaf.edu/chem/about/departmentfaq/chem-105-textbooks/ for details on the textbook and required materials.
Our online homework system is the “Connect” system from McGraw-Hill. The
link to our class’s site is available through Blackboard and the direct link is:
http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/connect/simpson_fall13_c105
Course Description (from catalog): CHEM F105X-F106X, together, constitute the standard one-year
engineering and science-major general chemistry course with laboratory. Major subjects include
measurements, calculations, atomic and molecular structure, gas laws, stoichiometry, an introduction to
organic chemistry, chemical reactions and related energy changes. Special fees apply. Prerequisites:
Placement in ENGL F111X or higher; placement in MATH F107X or higher; or a B or better in CHEM
F103X; or permission of instructor and department chair. Co-requisite: CHEM F105L. Students must
be enrolled in both CHEM F105X and CHEM F105L to receive full credit. (3+3)
Course Goal: Chemistry F105X is the first semester of a two-semester series in college-level general
chemistry for science and engineering majors. Our goal is to learn the language of chemistry, basic
principles of chemistry, and apply these principles to solve chemical problems relevant to science and
engineering disciplines such as chemistry, biology, biochemistry, geology, physics, and engineering.
Learning Outcomes: The intended learning outcomes for this course are to be able to apply the
following chemical principles to solve problems in science and engineering:
•
Language of Chemistry -- What words do those who use chemistry (e.g. Chemists,
Biochemists, Biologists, Geologists, Engineers, Physicists, etc.) use and what do they mean?
Subtopics -- Naming, classes of reactions, specific terms, endings of words
•
Quantification -- How much of some substance is in a mixture, how to measure it, accuracy
and precision of measurement. Subtopics -- Concentrations, spectroscopy, units, significant
figures, dimensional analysis
•
States of Matter -- What are the properties and underlying molecular dynamics of solids,
liquids, and gases? Subtopics -- Gases (ideal/real), solution state, concentrations, crystalline
lattice, solubility
•
Stoichiometry -- How much X is needed to react with Y and how much product is made?
Subtopics -- Balancing chemical reactions, limiting reagents, % yield
•
Thermochemistry -- How much energy is held in molecules that is released during reactions?
Subtopics -- Calorimetry, heat of reaction, heat of formation, enthalpy, bond strength
•
Periodic Trends -- How can we classify chemicals into groups that help us to understand their
reactivity, and what theory underlies periodic behavior? Subtopics -- Quantum mechanics,
atomic orbital shapes, quantum numbers, counting subatomic particles, valence electrons,
oxidation state
•
Molecular Shapes -- What shapes are molecules, and how does shape lead to which properties?
Subtopics -- Lewis electron dot structures, resonance, hybridization, single/double bonds,
isomers, organic molecules and functional groups
Required Materials: You will need three things for General Chemistry I -- the textbook, online
homework access (McGraw-Hill ConnectPlus), and an instant-response system, a clicker. The
first two (textbook and online homework system) are generally bundled together. For more details on
the options, see the page: http://www.uaf.edu/chem/chemfaq/chem105textbook/
Course structure: The course follows your textbook in the order described on the attached schedule
of topics. On each class day, I will lecture on topics and then give “clicker quizzes” to check student
understanding of the topic discussed. Depending upon the result of the clicker quiz, I may move
forward to the next topic or review. Class time will also prepare students for laboratory and reinforce
laboratory concepts. Class lectures are automatically video captured and delivered through the
Blackboard system – log into Blackboard and click on the “EchoCenter” link to view past classes.
Reading the book before the lectures will be important for following and understanding the
lectures. Some clicker quizzes will check reading and understanding of reading.
To aid students in staying on track and to give me feedback on how the class is progressing, we will
have online homework through the “Connect” system followed by a weekly quiz delivered through the
same system, which is a part of the grade. I will examine results of online quizzes to determine if
concepts need to be revisited and may adjust the week’s material in response. These weekly quizzes
are a very important part of the course as they will help you to stay current with and to understand the
material of the course.
The course also has a laboratory section to give physical examples of the concepts you learn in class.
The laboratory experiments are chosen to reinforce class learning and to enhance that integration,
students will do Small Group Learning exercises in laboratory that connect lecture and laboratory and
also provide students a chance to work on problems like examinations and the final examination.
Grading Structure (points): Your course grade will be based on the total points of the in-semester
exams, the final exam, online quiz / practice homework scores, clicker quizzes, small group learning
exercises, and laboratory (see below). Material assigned in readings, in lecture, in laboratory, or in
homework problems may appear on an exam. The maximum number of points for each is given below.
Some small number of points for extra credit may be assigned throughout the class and will be
documented on the class Blackboard site for all students.
Exercise
Pretest (for taking it)
Four in-semester exams, 100 pts each
Final exam, scaled to 100 points
Online quizzes / practice homework
In-class clicker quizzes
Laboratory with small group learning
Total
Points
25
400
100
100
50
125
800
Detail on graded elements:
•
Pretest: The pretest assists you in determining if Chem F105X is the right start for your
chemistry studies. Details on the pretest were sent to all students in the summer and are given
on the web at: http://www.uaf.edu/chem/genchempretest/. If you take the pretest by 11:59PM
on Wednesday 11 Sep, you will be given 25 points, independent of your actual score on the test.
If you take the test by 11:59PM on Friday 13 Sep, you will be given 15 points, and if you either
don’t take it or take it later than either deadline, you will be given 0 points.
•
Four exams: The exams will be given during class, and will be 50 minutes in length, taking the
first portion of selected Thursday classes (see schedule below). The exams will be followed by
new material through the end of the normal class period. You are permitted to use a nonprogrammable calculator. Scratch paper and a periodic table / constants sheet will be
provided with the examination. During in-semester and final exams programmable and/or
graphing calculators, cell phones, beepers, PDAs, and electronic translation devices are
NOT allowed on your person. Power-off any such item, and place it inside your closed
briefcase, purse, or pack at the back of the room, or on the floor.
•
Final exam: The final examination is 2 hours in length and is the American Chemical Society
(ACS) standard examination for first-semester General Chemistry. Giving this standard
examination allows us to compare our students to national norms and to check completeness of
topical coverage. The topics listed under intended learning outcomes above are all tested on the
examination. Because the examination doesn’t precisely match the topical coverage of our
book, the raw score from the examination may be adjusted in the favor of the student for entry
into the course grade calculation.
•
Online quizzes / practice homework: There will be an online quiz that tests knowledge of the
prior week’s material due on most Monday evenings (all weeks except the week following an
examination). Practice online homework problems and LearnSmart modules will also be
assigned to help students prepare for the quiz. When a student fails to get the correct answer on
an online homework problem, the system gives a tutorial instantly, assisting the student in
learning the concept on which gave them difficulties. For the practice homework, an infinite
number of attempts are available for each problem. Approximately half of the online quiz will
be taken directly from assigned online homework problem types, so there is a strong incentive
to become proficient on the homework. The online quiz is a timed activity (typically an hour),
and will have one attempt per problem. The online quiz scores will enter into directly into your
grade, but I will add 50% of your practice online homework score to your quiz score as an
incentive to either prepare for the quiz or re-learn problem areas that you have on your quiz.
However, your total for a week’s quiz/practice is capped at 100%. As an example, if you study
via the Supplemental Instruction (SI sessions) and become proficient on the material such that
you can get 100% on the quiz, then you will get 100% for this week. Another example would
be if you got 0% on your quiz and then went back and did all of the practice homework, for
which you get 50%, leading to an overall score of 50% for that week. A last example would be
if you did all the practice homework before the quiz, guaranteeing 50% of that week’s points,
and then got 75% on the quiz, your score would be capped at 100% for this week. I would still
encourage you to learn from your errors on the quiz because the quizzes are much more like the
examinations, which carry the great majority of points in the class. The online quizzes will all
be due on Monday night at 11:59PM, and the practice homework will be assigned during the
prior week and open until the Wednesday night at 11:59PM following the quiz. Your lowest
two quiz scores will be dropped as an allowance for computer problems, sickness, university or
business travel, etc. that would otherwise impact your grade. No extensions on online quiz /
practice homework due dates will be made for any reason.
•
In-class clicker quizzes: During each class, we will use clickers to determine if we have
mastered a topic or if it needs to be reviewed. On each class day, about four clicker quizzes
will be given, meaning around 100 clicker quizzes in the semester. Clicker questions are
intended to be challenging and thought provoking, so your score on this grade component will
be counted out of 60% of the questions asked, capped at 100%. For example, if we ended up
asking 100 clicker questions and you were to get 50 of those right, then your score would be 50
right / (60% * 100 questions) = 83%. This allowance will also be used to cover absence,
technology problems, battery issues, etc. It is the student’s responsibility to bring the clicker to
each class, replace it if lost, verify that it is registered correctly on the instructor’s database, and
keep it supplied with fresh batteries. Either the “LCD” version of the clicker or the smartphone
application give feedback that the response was registered and thus help students to know their
result was counted. Clicking your absent roommate’s clicker is cheating – Click only you own
clicker! Register your clicker ID on the Blackboard site. Go to “Register Clicker” on the left
hand panel. Clicker IDs must be registered through Blackboard by SUNDAY, 15 Sept.,
11:59 PM
•
Laboratory grade: Laboratory grading and small group learning activities will be discussed
during the first laboratory period. The purpose of the lab is to do hands-on investigation. We
expect you to gain skills in scientific reasoning, experimental design, and use of chemicals and
laboratory apparatus. The labs are conducted by graduate and upper division undergraduate
teaching assistants. Lab reports will be handed in each week, to be graded and returned by the
teaching assistant. Eleven experiments are scheduled for the semester. The laboratory portion of
your grade (100 points) will be based upon the average of your best 10 lab grades. You can
miss one lab with no impact on your lab grade. If you miss 2 or 3 labs, then 1 or 2 zeros
respectively will be included in the average. Do not miss 4 labs: this results in a COURSE F!
Because lecture and laboratory are complementary and integrated, all students enrolled in Chem
105 (even those who have taken the course before) must attend laboratory. Students must
hand in 8 or more reports to earn a passing grade in this course. In other words, if you hand
in only 7 (or fewer) lab reports, an F grade in the course is assigned, even if all your other
grades are passing. This stiff requirement is based on the American Chemical Society
stipulation that students must spend a certain number of hours in lab for courses such as Chem
105X (and of course you must attend lab in order to write a lab report!) There are no make-up
labs scheduled during the semester. If you have special scheduling problems or if you miss
more than one lab for an acceptable reason, please discuss alternative plans with Emily Reiter,
Laboratory Director. Laboratory reports are due one week after a lab is completed. Late reports
will be accepted, but the score will be reduced significantly. The last report of the semester
cannot be accepted late. The first lab of the semester includes a safety review. Students must
attend the safety review in order to continue in the course.
Grading Scale:
The grades will be calculated as percentages of the total with cutoffs below.
Grade Percent
Grade Percent
Grade Percent
A+
≥96%
A
<96%, ≥91%
A<91%, ≥88%
B+
<88%, ≥85%
B
<85%, ≥81%
B<81%, ≥78%
C+
<78%, ≥75%
C
<75%, ≥71%
C<71%, ≥68%
D+
<68%, ≥65%
D
<65%, ≥61%
D<61%, ≥58%
F
<58%
I may chose to lower the grade boundaries between letter grades in the favor of the student, but will not
raise them. Thus, if you get 91%, you will have an A, which is excellent!
Cheating:
Chemistry Department regulations require that any student caught cheating on graded work will be
assigned a course grade of F. Course drop forms will not be signed in these cases.
Make up exams: Make-up exams will be allowed if you have a good reason. If you anticipate an
absence (work commitments, intercollegiate sports), talk to me before the exam to make arrangements.
If the absence is unexpected (illness, family or personal difficulties), talk with me at the earliest
possible opportunity. Examinations will be given by UAF testing services.
Support Services: Students with documented disabilities who may need reasonable academic
accommodations should discuss these with me during the first two weeks of class. You will need to
provide documentation of your disability to Disability Services in the Center for Health and
Counseling, 474-7043, TTY 474-7045
Instructor-Initiated Withdrawals: Any time up to and including Friday, 1 Nov., the professor has the
right to withdraw a student from Chem F105X for any of the following reasons: (1) Exam I or II is
missed without an excused absence, or (2) two or more labs are missed, or (3) the student shows poor
class attendance, or (4) is missing a lot of online quizzes. This is our definition of “...has not
participated substantially in the course.”
Reading Assignments: I will assign the reading (on the order of 15 pages) for the next class through
the Blackboard web system within a couple hours of completion of a class. Doing this reading as
preparation for the class is critical to being able to follow the material in the class, and allows the
lecture to reinforce your reading. Following the lecture, the online homework then furthers the
learning, and the weekly quiz provides frequent checks. At most classes, I will start the class with a
clicker quiz question on the reading that you completed in preparation for the class.
Working in groups: While working on your homework and/or preparation for Friday quizzes, you
may work in groups. In fact, working in groups usually results in faster and deeper learning. Whether
you work in a group or alone, you must take the exams and quizzes alone. Copying the solution of
another student is not working in a group and will lead to a hole in your understanding that will appear
in your exam and quiz performance. My advice is to work the homework and study in groups but don’t
cheat yourself. The Chemistry Learning Center-supported Supplemental Instruction (SI) program is a
great way to get started with working in groups.
Chemistry Learning Center and other support. Help can be obtained from (1) The Chemistry
Learning Center (http://www.uaf.edu/chem/clc). (2) Your professor’s office hours, (3) any Chem
F105X TA office hours, or extra time at the end of lab, or (4) you may be eligible for free tutoring at
UAF’s Student Support Service office. Please take advantage of these free opportunities. The CLC
also essentially facilitates study groups through supplemental instruction (SI) sessions.
Meeting your professor outside office hours: I am happy to meet you at other times than the office
hours. If it is very brief (minutes), please just stop by; if it is longer, please make an appointment. In
order to make an appointment, you need to send an email to me with the following information: 1)
What topic you want to discuss, 2) Is it private or public (e.g. can others hear what is discussed or
multiple students sit in) 3) What times you (the student) can meet. In this way there is a one-emailexchange solution to scheduling the meeting.
Important dates:
Last day for 100% of tuition and fee refund ............................................................... Friday, 20 Sep
Last day for drops (course does not appear on record), ............................................... Friday, 20 Sep
Last day for withdrawals (W appears on academic record) ......................................... Friday, 1 Nov
Thanksgivings Holiday (no class) .......................................................... Thursday/Friday, 28/29 Nov
Final Exam (8:00-10:00 PM) .................................................................................... Tuesday, 17 Dec
Summary of Resources:
Faculty—Bill Simpson, Office REIC 186, 474-7235, wrsimpson@alaska.edu
Laboratory Director – Emily Reiter, Office REIC192; 474-6748; e.reiter@alaska.edu
Chemistry Learning Center – http://www.uaf.edu/chem/clc
Chem105 home page – Log into the blackboard system: http://classes.uaf.edu/ —syllabus, sample
exams and solutions, solutions to quizzes, homework solutions, email to faculty, links to other sites.
Online homework system – http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/class/simpson_fall13_c105
Schedule:
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