Welcome to CHEM 201A, General College Chemistry I  30687

Dr. Greg Baxley        Office  # 2306        546-3100  ext. 2669   gbaxley@cuesta.edu

Welcome to Chemistry 201A! I hope that students will find that the information presented in class is interesting, thought-provoking, and leads to an improved knowledge of the chemistry all around us. We can work together to ensure your success and to observe your scientific and mathematical skills improve throughout the semester. Unleash your inner chemist!

This class is a blended class, meaning that there are weekly meetings for lab and problem solving in addition to a three hour time commitment per week for learning material online in place of lecture. The three hours is in addition to the time (at least 8-10 hours) that will be necessary for reading, completing homework, and answering lab questions. Check to see if you are suited for online learning by taking a readiness survey at  http://www.cuesta.edu/student/aboutacad/distance/survey.htmLinks to an external site. and reading the results. Are you a disciplined, self-motivated, and online-savvy student? If so, this class may be for you!

The course is designed for students who have been successful in previous chemistry courses, and requires diligent study habits, good attendance, self-motivation, and a positive attitude.

This class is a heavy load and is similar to a part time job, so schedule your time appropriately.  Most successful students report that they commit 7 hours in class plus at least 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.

The mandatory class meeting times are Tuesdays 1:00-4:50 pm starting in 2606, along with 3 hours of online participation each week, plus additional time for homework and reading.

Is Blended/Distance Learning for You?  Before you enroll in a distance learning class, students need to make an honest assessment of their level of personal discipline and ability for independent learning style that an online course requires.  While there are mandatory class meetings with lecture and group work, much of the time you will be working on your own and teaching yourself with the help of computer software, internet forum discussion questions, tutorials, and videos. You have to be proficient with and enjoy working with computers. Please take the following exploratory self assessment surveyLinks to an external site. and judge for yourself.

Necessary Computer Equipment/Skills.  You will need to purchase a Mastering Chemistry access code and to activate a student Canvas* account (free). You must have a computer, either a PC with a recent version of Windows, or a Mac, as well as internet access and you’re my.cuesta.edu e-mail account. Specific requirements are at   http://www.cuesta.edu/student/aboutacad/distance/faqs_technical.htmlLinks to an external site.. You will need an internet connection to complete the online lessons and access the class web page. Computer skills required are downloading and printing documents, using your Cuesta email account, accessing your Canvas account, posting discussion questions, watching videos, and using Mastering Chemistry. Additional Mastering Chemistry computer software requirements can be found at the Mastering Chemistry siteLinks to an external site., and essential technology in general is at the Cuesta College technology siteLinks to an external site.. The course Canvas site will be available starting the week prior to the first day of class.

*Canvas: this is a learning management system like Moodle or Blackboard, and is the soon to be adopted standard at Cuesta College and most other community colleges in CA. I’m just learning Canvas, so I beg for your patience!

Attendance and Participation. Students must attend the first class meeting on Tuesday January 16. In addition, students must activate their Canvas and Mastering Chemistry accounts to complete assignments that will be due on Monday, January 22.

Each weekly meeting will consist of a 2 hour 50 minute lab experiment and a 50 minute classroom meeting that will consist of problem solving, quizzes, exams, or mini-lectures.

Contact:                         Email (gbaxley@cuesta.edu) is a good way to contact me, but Canvas forum posts are the best way to ask questions related to HW or course material. Canvas posts are usually answered within 12 hours, usually much less.

Office Hours:                both online or in person  TBA

Prerequisites:              Math 27 or intermediate algebra,   AND  Chem 210FL (grade of “C” or better) 

Required Supplies:      Mastering Chemistry Online HW, $68 through Canvas

                                        Chemistry, A Molecular Approach, N. Tro  Prentice Hall, 2014  4^th ed. or 3^rd edition OK, or e-text in Canvas.

                                        Chemistry 201A Lab Manual and Course Packet      available in Cuesta bookstore

                                        Canvas account (free)  https://cuesta.instructure.com/  

scientific calculator   non-programmable  for exam and quizzes with Exponential notation (EE or EXP on most calculators,) and logs (LOG and LN).  No TI-8X series calculators for exams or quizzes.

Course Description:  Presents the first semester of a one-year course intended primarily for science and engineering majors 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, laboratory activities, and chemical formulas and equations.

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.

Assistance: I am here to help you learn and enjoy the course material.  If you are having trouble, please contact me early, and often.  If you cannot come to office hours, please use Canvas forums, or call or email with your questions.  I encourage relevant questions during in-class periods. 

Free tutoring is available in the student success center. See this link for the schedule of free chemistry tutoring.   https://goo.gl/J1UPtyLinks to an external site.

Withdrawal:  If you discontinue the course for any reason, you are responsible for making an official withdrawal. 

Evaluation:

Homework Quizzes:  Chemistry is best learned by regularly practicing problems.  Short quizzes with problems very similar to HW problems are designed to motivate you to keep up with the reading and to complete the homework to the level of understanding.  Your lowest quiz score will be dropped.  There are no early or make up quizzes unless you must miss class for mandatory Cuesta team or course events, or for legally required absences (like jury duty).

Homework:  Assignments of required and suggested problems will be provided on the course website for each chapter and will be assigned via Mastering Chemistry.  MC assignments can always be completed after the due date for up to 30% credit. The required problems represent the bare minimum; you are strongly encouraged to answer the suggested problems for extra practice.  Practice until you always get them right.   

Exams: There will be three exams throughout the term (see schedule) and a comprehensive final exam.

Labs:  Most labs have a prelab assignment that must be completed before the lab starts, plus data and report sheets.  Incomplete prelabs may result in dismissal from that lab.  Students who miss 3 or more labs will be ineligible to earn a passing grade in the class (C or above) per department policy.                                                

Assessment	Approximate % weighting	Percent in class	Letter Grades
Quizzes	15	90.00-100%	A
HW	10	80.00-89.99%	B
Midterm Exams	25	72.00-79.99%	C
Lab assignments	25	65.00-71.99%	D
Final exam	25	Below 65%	F

Plus/Minus grades:   Cuesta College allows for +/- grading, which will be used in borderline cases, usually based on the final exam score (state law does not allow grades of “C-” at CA Community Colleges). Plus/minus grades will earned for totals of approximately 78-82% and 88-92%.

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 may be asked to leave.  Each student has a different pace and style of solving problems.  Since a portion of the class will consist of group problem solving, it is important to be kind, patient, and supportive of your classmates.  I will try to model appropriate behavior.  Please don’t talk or chat during lecture.  If you have questions, please ask!  No texting during class.  Audio recording is acceptable with a permission form.

Academic Integrity:  Cheating on an assignment is usually a sign of desperation which can be avoided with preparation.  Academic dishonesty in any form, including copying (or allowing copying) of work, falsifying lab data, or unauthorized aids on exams, is not tolerated.  Students who violate the academic honesty policy may receive a “0” for the 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 says, calculates, or writes an answer in their own words.  An unacceptable way to work together is for one person to say, calculate, or write an answer, and then for another person to write the same answer.  For calculation problems, always enter the values in your calculator on your own, don’t write the result of another student’s calculation.

Regular and Effective Instructor Contact will be met through the weekly class meetings, threaded discussion forums; announcements to students; and office hours

Authenticating Student Identity will be conducted through the use of the Learning Management System, Canvas and Mastering Chemistry, each of which requires students to log into the program using a secure login and password to access. You must use your official Cuesta College email address for Mastering Chemistry (like marie_curie@my.cuesta.edu)

Netiquette and Online Course Participation

Use respectful and professional language in your forum discussions. Respect the learning progress of your peers.

Please do not use texting language, lol.

Emoticons are acceptable ways to show emotion.

Avoid ALL CAPS as they come across like YOU'RE SCREAMING.

You are expected to read all forum posts.

You are to make at least of 10 posts or responses with specific details in the Canvas discussion forum (called Piazza) this term. Do not provide exact answers in your posts.

All messages are public, so be professional and courteous when you post.

Make your posts and replies specific to a particular problem or issue.

Complete sentences and thoughts are mandatory for forum posts.

You must log into Canvas and Mastering Chemistry at least once per week.

Technical Issues?  For issues related to accessing Cuesta's Canvas Site email:support@my.cuesta.edu. Mastering Chemistry technical issues are best resolved by clicking the appropriate links in the MC system. 

Attendance/Drop/Withdraw Policy.  Students will be dropped if more than two class periods are missed, or if their MC or Canvas accounts are not activated or not used for any period longer than 14 consecutive days. Students cannot earn a C or higher if 3 or more labs are missed. If you decide to withdraw, you must do so according to Cuesta’s drop policy.  http://www.cuesta.edu/student/aboutacad/acad_policies/dropcourse.htmlLinks to an external site.

Missed classes:  To accommodate unavoidable absences, the lowest quiz score and lowest lab score will be dropped.  I am usually unable to give make-up quizzes, except in the case of Cuesta team or course events or for legally required absences (like jury duty).  I can only accommodate make-up labs under certain circumstances and at specific times.  Please contact me as soon as possible if you wish to make up a lab.  Missing 3 or more labs will result in a non-passing grade.

If you must miss an exam, please contact me as soon as possible (prior to the exam, if possible).  I can only accommodate make up exams can for certain circumstances and may administer them during finals week.

Special Note: 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 should be submitted at least 2 days prior to the test. Exams and quizzes taken with accommodations must be taken at the DSPS and must start or end at the same time as the class.  To help minimize possible hazards to assistance animals, please see me before bringing your assistance animal to lab.    

 

Spring 2018 Blended Schedule.  The schedule in Canvas will be the most current.

week	Chapter and topic	Lab experiment	notes
1  (1/17)	Ch 1, science and stuff	Safety, Check in, Exp #1	Work assigned this week!
2  (1/23)	Ch 2 what is stuff made of?	Exp 2:  Density
3 (1/30)	Ch 3 measuring reactions	Exp 3:  Hydrates	1/28 Sunday:   Drop w/o W
4 (2/6)	Ch 4 chemical reactions	Exp 4:  Precipitates, part 1
5 (2/13)	Ch 4 chemical reactions	Exp 4:  Precipitates, part 2
6 (2/20)	Ch 4 and Acids/bases	Exp 5:  Chemical Reactions	Exam 1 Tuesday 2/20
7 (2/27)	Ch 6  thermo 1	Exp 6:  Acids and Bases
8 (3/6)	Ch 6  Thermo 2	Exp 7:  Heat of Reaction
9 (3/13)	Ch 7  electrons and light	Exp 8:  Hess’s Law
10 (3/20)	Ch 8  periodic properties	Exp 9:  Titration of Acetic Acid
11 (3/27)	Ch 9  chemical bonding I	Exp 10:  Electronic Spectroscopy	Exam 2 Tuesday 3-27
12 (4-3)	Spring Break  4-2 to 4-6
13 (4/10)	Ch 10 chemical bonding	Exp 11:  Molecular Models	11/12 Deadline drop w/ W
14 (4/17)	Ch 5 gases	Exp 12:  Computer Models
15 (4/24)	Ch 11  solids and liquids	Exp 13:  Gas Laws
16 (5/1)	Ch 12  solutions	Exp 14:  Solubility, Check out	Exam 3 Tuesday 5-1
17 (5/8)	Review	final review in lab session
18 (5/15)	Final Exam  the final is cumulative Tuesday,  May 15     2:15 – 4:15 pm         Please don’t ask for a different final exam time
This schedule is subject to change.  Changes will be announced in class and posted to Canvas.

 No Questions Asked (NQA) coupons will be earned in class (up to 2)

The NQA coupon allows you to turn in an assignment late, it does not excuse you from doing the assignment.

Staple coupon to front of the assignment when you turn it in. 

Max of two coupons per student per semester.  I keep track, so don’t bother making more coupons. 

For Mastering Chemistry assignments, I will add about 48 hours to your due date.  You can do the MC work at any time, meaning you can enter answers into MC the day after the assignment is due, and give me the NQA coupon the next week or simply send an email.

For labs, the lab would be due at the beginning of the next lab period (one to two weeks after the original due date).

Any other assignment is due one week after the original due date.

Give the NQA and assignment directly to instructor.  Do not put it in a stack with other papers or it could easily get misplaced.

You must turn in the missed assignment one class period after it is due, along with the coupon.

Not accepted for Prelab assignments.