Chem 201A Syllabus, Dr. Lara Baxley Page 1 of 5 Syllabus Syllabus: Chemistry 201A: : General Chemistry I Instructor Dr. Lara Baxley email: lbaxley@cuesta.edu Website: http://academic.cuesta.edu/lbaxley/ Phone: 546-3100 x2659 Office: 2318 Office Hours In room 2104 Mon. 2-3; In my office Tues. 11:30-12:30, Wed. 1-3, Fri. 8:30-9:30 General Course Information Prerequisites: MATH 127, MATH 127SI or its equivalent with a grade of C or better and CHEM 210, High School Chemistry or equivalent with a grade of C or better. Course Description: Presents the first semester of a one-year course in the fundamental principles of chemistry. Topics covered include kinetic-molecular treatment of gases, atomic structure and the periodic law, thermochemistry, chemical bonding, correlation of structure with properties, quantitative relationships in chemical reactions, chemical formulas and equations. Laboratory work includes a study of precision and accuracy, standard methods of gravimetric and volumetric analysis, and some computer acquisition and analysis of data. Student Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, a student should be able to: 1. Describe the chemical and physical properties of a chemical substance based on the atomic and molecular structure including orbital theory, the type of chemical bond, and the shape of the molecule. 2. Evaluate and interpret numerical and chemical scientific information. 3. Solve stoichiometry problems, including mass/mass, mass/volume, and volume/volume relationships. 4. Communicate chemical concepts through the use of molecular formulas, structural formulas, and names of compounds 5. Perform laboratory experiments based on gravimetric, volumetric, qualitative and instrumental analysis techniques and effectively utilize the appropriate experimental apparatus. Required Materials Textbook: Chemistry: A Molecular Approach 2 nd Edition, by N. Tro, Prentice Hall (2011). An access code for the online homework system Mastering Chemistry is required and is included with a new textbook, or may be purchased from the Cuesta Bookstore. Lab Manual: Chemistry 201A Lab Manual. Available at the Cuesta Bookstore Piazza forum: All students must enroll in and use the Piazza discussion forum. To enroll, go to https://piazza.com/cuesta/spring2013/chem201a/home and use your my.cuesta email address Scientific calculator (required by the 1 st Friday of classes). Programmable calculators may not be used for quizzes and exams. Sharing of calculators will not be allowed. Chemical Splash Goggles. Goggles must completely enclose the area around the eyes, without perforations or holes and must be designed for use in the chemistry laboratory. The goggles available at the Cuesta Bookstore are a good choice.
Chem 201A Syllabus, Dr. Lara Baxley Page 2 of 5 Grading Online Homework Chemistry is best learned by regularly practicing problems. Homework assignments will be completed through the online homework system, Mastering Chemistry. The assigned problems should be considered the bare minimum; more practice problems are available (see below). Late assignments lose 1% per minute. Worksheets and Textbook Problems Chemistry is best learned by regularly practicing problems. Additional practice problems are available on worksheets in the Lab Manual, and worksheets and textbook problems posted on the course website. These problems will not be collected or graded, but you are expected to complete all worksheets in order to succeed in this course. Answers to all questions are given, so you can correct your own work. If you cannot do them on your own (no textbook or notes),, you are not ready for the test! Keep practicing. Homework/Worksheet Quizzes Homework/Worksheet Quizzes will be given regularly (see schedule). The quizzes will consist of 3-6 questions from the assigned homework and worksheets (only numbers and substances will be changed). To accommodate possible absences during the semester, the lowest quiz score will be dropped. See the next page for make-up policies. Lab Most experiments include prelab assignments that must be completed before the start of lab. Incomplete prelabs may result in dismissal from that lab (zero credit for the lab report). Lab reports are due at the beginning of the lab following the day the experiment is performed. Late lab reports may receive a deduction in points. Your lab instructor may have slightly different requirements. You must attend your designated lab. See the next page for make-up policies. Exams Four exams will be given on the dates specified on the class schedule. The format of the exams will include multiple choice and free response questions. Exams are limited to 80 min. each. See the next page for make-up policies. Final Exam The final exam is comprehensive. The final exam must be taken at the scheduled time. Item Pts Each Pt Total 90.0%+ A-/A Exams (4) 100 (4) 400 80.0-89.9% B-/B/B+ Quizzes (8 of 9) 20 (8) 160 71.0-79.9% C/C+ Thermochem Assign. 20 20 64.0-70.9% D Online Homework varies 120 <64.0% F Lab Reports (12 of 13) 25 300 +/- grades are awarded for the highest and lowest 2% of each Final Exam 300 300 grade level, when applicable. Total 1300 The total points listed here is an approximation. More assignments or pop quizzes may be added, or adjustments may be made on the possible points on individual items.
Chem 201A Syllabus, Dr. Lara Baxley Page 3 of 5 Success This class is a heavy load, and constitutes a part time job, so schedule your time appropriately. Many successful students report that they commit 7-10 hours out of class for Chem 201A alone. You may be overwhelmed if you have 16 units and work 15 or more hours a week. Attendance To be successful in this course, you must attend all class and lab periods. If you miss class, you are responsible for any missed material. I am unable to repeat my lecture to you during office hours and I will not provide you with lecture notes. Get notes from a classmate and read the textbook. Excessive absences (missing 6 lectures, 2 labs, 2 quizzes, or 2 exams), tardiness (chronic lateness), or neglect of coursework (below 50% in the 8 th week, or missing 5 assignments) may result in a drop. Missing 3 or more lab experiments will result in a non-passing grade. Make-ups No make-up quizzes or make-up labs will be given, unless you must miss class (with validation) for mandatory Cuesta team or course events. To accommodate unavoidable absences, the lowest quiz score and lowest lab score will be dropped. Make up exams will only be considered for absences with prior approval. At the instructor s discretion, the make-up midterm may be administered during finals week. Accommodations If you have any special concerns or disabilities that could affect your learning, please see me or contact DSPS at 546 3148 as soon as possible. DSPS testing forms must be submitted at least 2 days prior to testing. Academic Integrity Any form of falsely claiming work to be your own when it was not (copying off another quiz or lab report etc.), or sharing your work with others is considered cheating. If you violate the academic honesty policy, you may receive a 0 for the assignment AND an equivalent assignment, or an F for the course. Be sure to give proper citations when quoting or paraphrasing sources of information. See the Cuesta College schedule for official student conduct policies. It is allowed and expected that students will work together on lab reports and other assignments. It is also expected that each student will do their own work, and write their answers in their own words. A good way to work together is to talk about a question, discuss an answer, and then each person writes an answer in their own words. NEVER write the result of another student s calculation. Always perform all calculations yourself. Classroom Etiquette Please be considerate of your other classmates. Some students are easily distracted, so I ask that you arrive on time, ready to learn, and do not depart early. Students who disrupt the class will be asked to leave. No talking, and turn off your phone while in class. No texting during class. Audio or video recording is prohibited unless you submit a permission form. Problem Solving Supplemental Course: : Chem 201X Chem 201X is a separate, optional course which all Chem 201A students are encouraged to take. In this credit/no credit course will help students solve chemistry problems related to the material in Chem 201A. Chem 201X is like an extra office hour each week and is a terrific way for struggling students to get help. Please see the Cuesta schedule of classes for class times.
Chem 201A Syllabus, Dr. Lara Baxley Page 4 of 5 Tips for Succeeding in General Chemistry You are responsible for your education. This is a fast-paced and rigorous course. Plan to spend a minimum of 8-10 hours a week outside of class. Use that time wisely. I find that many students do not know how to study chemistry effectively. Here are some pointers. Keep up with the material. Do not get behind, as it can be nearly impossible to catch up. A good way to do this is to follow this schedule: 1. Before each lecture: quickly read the material that you expect I will cover in class. Write down the definitions of all words in bold. Look at all of the figures and try to figure out what they are showing. Try to solve each sample problem without looking at the solution, and then check your work by viewing the solution. 2. During each lecture: Come to class, with the lecture notes outline for the correct chapter, and your scientific calculator. Be an active participant during class. Take good notes. Attempt to work the example problems given in class before I show you the solution. Ask questions. 3. After each lecture, and before the next one, a. Review your notes. Rewrite relevant sections and do the example problems on your own while covering up the solution from class. If there is anything that you don t understand, look in your textbook or ask a friend, tutor, or your teacher. b. Reread any sections of the book that are not clear to you. c. Do a few worksheet problems, until you reach a problem that has not been covered in class. Check your answers with the back of the worksheet. If you can t figure out how to solve the problem, look for a similar problem in your notes and/or textbook, and then ask a friend, tutor, or your teacher. Think about the process of solving the problem, don t just memorize the steps. d. Log into Mastering Chemistry and answer some of the appropriate homework assignment. You may complete part of the assignment and save it to return later. It is advisable that you complete the assignments in several sessions, rather than all at once. Pace yourself so that you will finish by the deadline without struggling at the end. 4. Before the next class, start this process over again by reading the material for the next lecture. Do all of the assigned homework problems and worksheet problems. If you don t do well on them, do more problems. When you do the problems, if you cannot do them on your own (if you look at your notes, the example in the book, or someone else helps you) this should tell you that you do not understand the material well enough yet. Keep doing problems until you can do them completely on your own, just like you will have to do on exams and quizzes. Study groups are great, but should be a supplement to independent work, not take its place. Finally, if you re having problems, please come and see me as soon as possible. Please do not wait until it is too late.
Chem 201A Syllabus, Dr. Lara Baxley Page 5 of 5 Approximate Schedule S (pace may be slower or faster, but exam dates will not change) Week Dates 1 1/21-1/25 2 1/28-2/1 3 2/4-2/8 4 2/11-2/15 5 2/18-2/22 6 2/25-3/1 7 3/4-3/8 8 3/11-3/15 Tuesday Ch 1: Matter and Problem Solving Ch 2: Atoms and Elements 3/3 Deadline to Add or Drop without a W Ch 3: Types of Compounds Ch 4: Stoichiometry and Chemical Reactions Ch 4 cont ph (reading on website) Thursday Ch 1 cont Ch 2 cont Quiz 1 Ch 3 cont Quiz 2 Exam 1 (Chs 1,2,3) Ch 4 cont Quiz 3 Ch 6: Thermochemistry Quiz 4 Ch 6 cont Exam 2 (Ch4, ph, part of Ch6) Ch 6 cont Ch 7: Electronic Structure of Atoms Lab *Safety Exp 1: The Coin Experiment *Check in, Exp 2: Density Exp 3: Hydrates Exp 4A: Purple Goopy A Exp 4B: Purple Goopy B Exp 5: Chemical Reactions Exp 6: Acids & Bases Exp 7: Heat of Solution 9 3/18-3/22 10 3/25-3/29 11 4/1-4/5 12 4/8-4/12 13 4/15-4/19 14 4/22-4/26 15 4/29-5/3 16 5/6-5/10 17 5/13-5/17 Thermochem Assignment Due Ch 7 cont Ch 8 cont Ch 9 cont 4/14 Deadline to drop w/ a W Ch 10: Molecular Shapes and Advanced Bonding Theories Ch 5: Gases Ch 11: States of Matter and Intermolecular Forces Ch 8: Periodic Properties Quiz 5 Ch 9: Ionic & Covalent Bonding, Lewis Structures Quiz 6 Exam 3 (Chs 6,7,8,9) Ch 10 cont Quiz 7 Ch 5 cont Quiz 8 Ch 11 cont Quiz 9 Ch 11 cont Exam 4 (Chs 10, 5, 11) Exp 8: Heat of Combustion of Magnesium Exp 9: Electronic Spectroscopy Exp 10: Acetic Acid Exp 11: Molecular Models Exp 12: Computer Models Exp 13: Gas Laws *Exp 14: Solubility, Check out Ch 12: Solutions Ch 12 cont *Final review in lab session 18 5/20-5/24 Final Exam: Tuesday May 21, 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. *Attendance is required on these dates