COLUMBIA COLLEGE
Chemistry 1A Joseph M. Ryan, PhD
General Chemistry Spring 2010
Office Location: Sugar Pine 120
Office /Message Phone: (209) 588-5151
E-mail: ryanj@yosemite.edu
Lecture - Online
Lab Room: Sugar Pine 215 6:00 to 9:05
Office Hours Live or online through blackboard IM:
Monday 8:10 to 10:40, Tuesday8:30 to 11:00
Plus anytime you see me on Blackboard IM – You can initiate a chat and I can help you. Make sure to add me to your contacts.
Blackboard discussion area best place for questions as we can all benefit from questions and answers.
Columbia College adheres to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that stipulates that no student shall be denied the benefits of an education, ‘. . . solely on the basis of disability. ‘ Disabilities covered by Section 504 and the American Disabilities Act include but are not limited to learning disabilities, hearing, sight, or mobility impairments. If you have a condition that may impact your work in this class and for which you may need accommodations, please see me by the end of the third week of class.
COURSE SYLLABUS
Chemistry 1A is a general chemistry course intended for students who have previously had an introduction to chemistry and intermediate algebra. This course will give you a good understanding of the principles of general chemistry, such as: stoichiometry, gases, thermochemistry, atomic theory, molecular bonding, solids, and solutions.
Required materials
1. Brown, LeMay, Bursten, Murphy, Chemistry, The Central Science, eleventh edition, 2009. ISBN=10: 0-13-601250-7, ISBN-13: 978-0-13-601250-4 … (Or twelfth edition)
2. Computer with internet connection.
3. Scientific Calculator
4. Composition notebook for Lab
5. Safety Goggles for Lab
Math 104 is required. Prior high school chemistry or completion of Chem 10, 12 or 20 is required.
Grading Procedures
Grades are determined on a total point basis, distributed among the following activities:
Exam 1 - Chapters 1 to 3 100 points
Midterm Exam Ch 1 to 5 150 points (In Lab Class)
Final Exam - Ch 1 to 13 200 points (In Lab Class)
ChemActivities 70 points
Leader Posts (Best 2 of 3) 30 points
Readings posts 50 points
Lecture posts 50 points
Homework 50 points
Chapter Quizzes 100 points
Laboratory Work 100 points
Formal Lab Reports 100 points
Lab Final 50 points
Presentation 100 points
Total Points Possible 1150 points
Where total points for a category (the sum of all exercises, for example) are more than those shown in the table, that total will be rescaled to the distribution given above. Points for the laboratory (lab exercises and presentation) will be determined by the lab instructor and combined with points from the lecture. The final letter grade will be assigned based on this distribution:
100 - 90% A
89.9 - 80% B
79.9 - 70% C
69.9% - 60% D
There are no make-up examinations. If you don't take the final you will earn an "F" grade for the course, regardless of your performance in other activities.
If you decide this course is more fun than you planned to have this semester, it is your responsibility to drop the course. I will not initiate or force a drop due to non-attendance. You will be carried on the course roll and be assigned a grade based on your total points.
Monday
1) Start Team Activities
2) Start Readings
3) Homework Assessment opens (3 day window)
4) Make sure to prepare for Lab
Tuesday
1) Lecture (Archived)
2) Continue Team Activities
3) Chapter Quiz opens (3 day window)
4) Lab 6 to 9:05 PM
Wednesday
1) Finish Team Activities so leader can finalize posts for TH
Thursday
1) Team Leader makes Synopsis Post
2) Homework assessment finished at 11:30 PM
3) Reading Posts are due
4) Lecture Posts are due
Friday
1) Chapter Quiz Assessment Finished at 8 PM
Sat/Sun – online materials available, exams may run over into weekend for convenience.
Grading Criteria
Team ChemActivity Posts – 5 points each (best 15 out of 16)
You must have original work which say more than “I agree” to get full credit. Take the time to add to your group’s wiki for full credit.
Reading Posts – 5 points each (Best 10)
One original post about the reading = 3 points. Two replies to colleagues posts = 2 points.
Lecture Posts – 5 points each (Best 10)
One original post about the reading = 3 points. Two replies to colleagues posts = 2 points.
Leader Synopsis Posts – 15 points (best 2)
Each team will make up a schedule the first week making sure everyone is a leader two or more times. Since there is 16 ChemActivities, you will have 2 or 3 opportunities to make a good synopsis post for credit.
Required pieces
1) Write about the process of getting to the answers not just the answer
2) Write about a special aspect of learning the group had
3) Add to the theme of the ChemActivity by a short discussion of how the experience can be used in some other area of chemistry, or the text, or your major if you wish.
Laboratory Work - 100 points (best 10)
Each lab is 10 points just for participating. The other way to earn points is through your formal lab reports and the lab final.
Lab Final – 50 points
You will have a lab final. You can use you laboratory notebook during the final. It is very easy if you take notes during the semester and have them in your notebook. It is extremely difficult if you have no notes in your notebook. The format will be similar to this:
1) When you did _____________, what did you observe … and what does that mean to you.
It is therefore very important that you keep a very detailed lab notebook every week. Make no mistake; I will be very detailed in what I ask.
Formal Lab Reports – 100 points (2 at 50 points each)
The formal lab write up will enable you to demonstrate your skills of organization, data acquisition, and data analysis. The process of organizing your work into a logical and readable format will be invaluable in your upper division science classes and in your profession of choice. Learning to make tables and graphs look nice in an electronic format will make your reports stand out among others. Really thinking about what the data means with well thought out cause and effect ideas will enable you to play an intelligent role in our society. Please include the following in your formal write-ups:
1) A title: Make this match the title I have already given the lab itself
2) A Purpose: Do not write this in future tense. You have already done the experiment. Write this as if you work for me and you are reporting on an experiment you have already done. This part needs to be specific as to the materials being used and the theories or laws that have been studied. Answer the question "Why is this lab important?" This must be written in good English style. Please note that stating, “The purpose of this lab is…” will give you no credit for the purpose section of the report. Read the paragraph above and realize it is a purpose. It is very important that you learn how to imply purpose in your writing.
3) A Body: This tells the reader what you did in detail along with the data that was collected. No calculations go in this section. This is just the hard data. Make sure you are reporting the numbers with the correct number of significant figures and with the correct units. Also, be sure to be specific as to what tools you used to acquire the data. Give brand names of equipment where appropriate. Do not just write what you where supposed to do (i.e. the procedure that I wrote for you!). This is not a "procedure" this is the body of your report. Someone who wants to know what you did and what you observed will read this section.
4) A Calculations section: This is where you show how the data was manipulated. Make sure you are reporting the numbers with the correct number of significant figures and with the correct units. In cases where you us excel or other computer programs to do multiple calculations, a copy of the formula page of excel is required with the actual numbers generated. Headings above the columns of numbers must tell the reader the units of the number (Ex: Volume/Liters).
5) A Results Section: Here you organize the final results that will most likely already be in the calculations area. Remember that doing the calculations and organizing and summarizing the results are two very different things. For emphasis, I would like you to understand that the results section is the “observation end” section of the report. Interpreting the results goes in the next section. What you want this section to do is allow the reader to see the overall results before reading the entire report.
6) A Conclusion: Here is where you do your thinking. The best conclusions tell the reader what the data and results mean. It is not necessary to make this section extremely long by restating what you did in the body. Rather, you can reference sections of the body by labeling data tables etc.
Presentations – 100 points
Part of understanding chemistry will come from reading articles about how chemistry relates to your field. This project will get you started. Your must select your topic and have an outline finished by one week prior to the midterm.
Prepare a video (wmv, mpeg, .mov) which covers one of the following … or
Prepare a power point presentation which you will deliver through CCCConfer.org live to your class.
You are to review a scientific article.