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CHEM 110 Spring
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Instructor Contact Information Chem Undergrad Office: 210 Whitmore (814) 865-9391 Course goals & philosophy: Chemistry 110 is the first in a two-course sequence in General Chemistry. Chemistry impacts every area in our lives: from how our bodies work, to the environment, to new materials, to how we live and work. Our goals for this course are for you to recognize that what happens at the molecular level profoundly affects our macroscopic world, and how fun chemistry is. By the end of Chem 110, you will understand conceptually (1) how atoms combine to form molecules; (2) how molecules interact and react with each; and (3) how the molecular-level structure affects the macroscopic properties. Throughout the semester, you will learn problem-solving skills by applying simple mathematical equations and through interpretation of graphs to these physical phenomena.
Course website: http://courses.chem.psu.edu/chem110/Spring Please check this site regularly for updates and announcements. This website also contains important information about Chem 110 policies and procedures.
Approach: Our goal in Chem 110 is to conceptually understand how the structure and energy of atoms and molecules at the nanoscale affect the properties we can observe in the macroscopic world. We will progress from an understanding of atoms to how atoms combine to form compounds. We will then discuss how molecules interact with each other, which ultimately leads us to reactions between molecules. Throughout the semester, we will emphasize the relationship between energy and atomic and molecular structure.
Lectures: MWF, There are three lectures each week. You should attend every lecture even if you think you already know the material. You are responsible for all course material and administrative announcements, including problem assignments, syllabus changes, and exam locations. We will also have fun demonstrations of chemical principles during the lecture. You can expect exam questions about the concepts presented in these demonstrations. You will only see the demonstrations if you attend lecture. Copies of the lecture notes are available prior to class at http://courses.chem.psu.edu/chem110/spring/class/Lectures.html . Please print and bring them with you to class. Recitation: Wednesday or Thursday, depending on your section; see the course website for time and location for your specific section. These are small classes led by a teaching assistant. The purpose of recitation is to give you an opportunity to participate actively in class work and to ask questions about the current material. A quiz will be given during the class in most weeks (see syllabus) to help you assess your mastery of the course material. Each quiz will consist of two parts: (1) a problem selected from the homework assignment; and (2) a new question similar to the assigned material. You should bring your textbook, the Spring 2008 Chem 110 Student Packet, and a calculator to each recitation class.
Prerequisites: Previous chemistry and algebra experience, with knowledge of logarithms. Please follow the Profile of Academic Abilities Chemistry and Math placement recommendations. During the first week you will have the opportunity to take a pre-quiz in line to help you enroll in the appropriate chemistry course. This pre-quiz will NOT count toward your Chem 110 grade; it is only to ensure that you are placed in the appropriate chemistry course. We want all students to succeed in chemistry, and this starts with proper placement in courses. Please see your instructor as soon as possible if you have any questions or concerns about your preparation for Chem 110. See the Expected Background link on the course Web page for details concerning the assumed background including sections in the textbook you can use to review and sample problems corresponding to our expectations of your prior chemistry knowledge. Note that Chem 111, General Chemistry Laboratory, is a separate course and is NOT required for Chem 110. However, it is required if Chem 110 is to count as a General Education (GN) course. Please refer to http://courses.chem.psu.edu/chem111 for more information about the lab.
Required text & other materials: 1. T.L. Brown, H.E. LeMay, and B.E. Bursten, Chemistry, The Central Science, 10th Edition, Prentice-Hall, 2005, which will frequently be referred to (affectionately) as BLB. 2. The Spring 2008 Chemistry 110 Required Packet of Materials. This packet has the complete syllabus, course policies, supplemental homework problems and practice exams from previous semesters. 3. A suitable scientific calculator (one that handles numbers in scientific notation and provides log/antilog functions) is essential. Programmable calculators with text-storage capabilities (such as the TI-81 used in Math 140) are NOT permitted for use on exams and quizzes. 4. Optional Materials: Wilson, Bursten & LeMay, Solutions to Black Exercises and Hill, Student’s Guide to Brown, LeMay & Bursten are optional; they are available in the bookstores if you wish to use them.
Resources for Chem 110 help: · The Chemistry Resource Room (211 Whitmore) is a free source of Chem 110 help, which is open throughout the week (hours posted on the course website). · Supplemental Instruction (SI), a free service offered by the University, provides several sessions during the week. SI hours will be posted on the Chem 110 website once it begins for the semester. · The Chem 110 website also has online resources for your use, and your textbook also provides online resources. You are encouraged to take advantage of these resources to answer questions throughout the semester. Homework: Homework assignments are given in the syllabus. The homework is designed to help you understand and apply your understanding of concepts presented in class and in the readings. Two randomly selected problems will be collected during each recitation and graded by the TAs. To get credit for the homework assignment, you must show all of your work, your name must be prominently at the top of each page, and the TA’s name and section number must be at the top of each page. No credit will be given for no attempt or for an answer only. No late homework will be accepted. There will be no opportunities to make up for missed assignments because you have the opportunity to earn more homework points than you need (see below). Skill Check Tests: Skill Check Tests are online quizzes to test your understanding of basic skills that are essential to success in Chemistry courses. Directions about how to access these tests through ANGEL (http://cms.psu.edu) and instructions about how to take these tests are found in more detail on the Chem 110 website. To pass a Skill Check Test, you must get all items correct, but you will have nearly unlimited opportunities to take the quiz. Due dates for the tests are given in the instructions and posted on the course website. Extra credit (see below) is available for passing Skill Check Test before the Bonus Deadline (posted on the course website). The final deadline to take and pass the Skill Check Tests is April 28, 2008. Examinations: There will be three evening examinations during the semester and a comprehensive final examination during the final exam period. The dates and times for the mid-semester exams are given below. These dates and times are fixed; you must work out any conflicts that arise. Locations for all exams will be announced in class and posted on the course website. We will make provisions for conflicts between these evening exams and other scheduled University activities; however, you must register for such conflicts in class during the sign-up period prior to each exam. The final exam will be given at the time and place set by the University in its final exam schedule. Do NOT make plans to leave the University before you know the final exam date for Chem 110. Make-up exam: A student having a legitimate excuse for missing any of the three scheduled tests will be provided with a single make-up opportunity near the end of the semester. This cumulative make-up test will cover the material from all three exams. It is your responsibility to obtain permission from your lecturer to take this exam and to respond to the in-class request to sign up for this exam; this request will be made shortly after the third exam. Make-up exams will be provided only to students with valid excuses (family emergency, illness, etc.). Grading: Your course grade will be completely determined by your three mid-semester exam grades, your final exam grade, your quiz and homework grades, and online skill check tests. These will be weighted as follows:
* The final examination will be scheduled by the Registrar’s Office in late January or early February. Please do NOT make plans to leave town until this exam is scheduled. † There will be a total of 14 quizzes, each worth 10 points. If you accumulate a total quiz score of 100 or more, you will earn the full 16 course points. A total quiz score of 80 would give you 80/100 of 16 course points, or 12.8 course points. There will be no make-up quizzes due to the built-in excess of quiz points, except under rare special circumstances. ‡ Two homework problems will be collected during each recitation during the 14 recitations. Each homework set will be worth 10 points. If you accumulate a total homework score of 100 or more, you will earn the full 16 course points. A total homework score of 75 would give you 75/100 of 16 course points, or 12 course points. There will be no make-up homework due to the built-in excess of homework points, except under rare special circumstances. ° Eight online skill check tests will be assigned periodically within ANGEL (http://cms.psu.edu) to reinforce material that is essential to success in Chemistry. Each skill check test is worth 1.25 course points for a total of 10 course points. The skill check instructions are described on the course website. Unlike the quizzes and homework, there are no extra points available for these online skill check tests, however, you will be able to take them any time during the semester until April 28, 2008 (the final deadline). To obtain credit for a Skill Check Test, you must get all items correct, but you will have nearly unlimited opportunities (until the final deadline) to take the quiz. Due dates for the tests are given in the instructions, which is found in your course packet, and posted on the course website. As an incentive to pass the skill check tests as we cover the material in class, extra credit is available for passing a Skill Check Test before the Bonus Deadline (posted on the course website). Each Basic Skills Test completed by the Bonus Deadline will receive 0.25 course points for a possible total extra credit of 1% or 2 course points. Grading (Continued) The exact course point requirements for each letter grade will be decided at the end of the course. A typical distribution for this course is as follows:
There is no assurance that this distribution will be the same this semester; however, you may assume that it will not be greatly different. There is no predetermined grade distribution for this course; if, at the end of the course everyone has a final point grade in the A range, then everyone will earn an A!
Academic dishonesty: All Penn State policies (www.psu.edu/ufs/policies) regarding ethics and honorable behavior apply to this course. Instructors are asked (Senate Rule 49-20 [www.psu.edu/ufs/policies]) to provide at the beginning of a course a statement to “clarify the application of academic integrity criteria to that course”. The Senate Rule includes the following:
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabrication of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Specific instances of academic dishonesty in this course would include (but are not limited to) copying or helping someone else copy during an examination, using unauthorized materials during an examination, stealing or destroying course materials or another student's examination paper, altering answers or grades on graded examinations, having someone take an examination for you, and attempting to do any of the above. Such infractions are considered cause, at the least, for awarding a grade of “0” on the exam in question (and not allowing the student to drop the class). |
