Chem 103 - Syllabus
| Course: | Chem 103, General Chemistry I |
| Lecture: | 12:15 pm - 1:30 pm, TRF, ENGR 103 |
General Chemistry I is designed to help the student discover and understand the principles of
elements, compounds, and mixtures; chemical reactions and stoichiometry;
atomic and molecular theories; and properties of gases, liquids, solids, and
solutions. It is a freshman college level course for science majors and requires quantitative reasoning skills and math proficiency. Students entering this class
should have had one year of high school chemistry and two years of high
school math. A typical student will need to put in about
ten hours a week outside of class and lab, studying and working practice problems, to achieve satisfactory performance.
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Dr. Renee Henry, Ph.D.
Also: The best way to receive help from me is to see me in my office. Come during office hours, make an appointment or stop by and see if I am in my office. Note: The SLC is a good resource for help for this course.
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| Materials: | Required- |
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| Optional- | Student Solutions Manual |
Chemistry
& Chemical Reactivity, 6th Ed, Vol 1;
Kotz, Treichel, & Weaver; Thomson, 2006.
Note: This
is a custom package containing only those
textbook chapters we will use this semester, and
it comes bundled with the Chem 103 Lab
Manual. It is available only through our
bookstore.
Calculators:
Programmable or graphing calculators are not allowed during quizzes and exams. You may use only non-programmable, non-graphing scientific calculators. A recommended model is the TI30XA. It is available in our bookstore. Instructions on using the TI30XA.
Clicker Questions are in-class questions which you answer with your i>clicker. Clicker Questions will be worth 3% of your grade. For each question, if you get the correct answer, you will receive 3 points. If you get an incorrect answer, you will receive 1 point. If you do not answer a question, you will receive 0 points. There will be around 400 total clicker points during the semester, but your score will be based on a percentage of that. In order to allow a student to miss a class or two without being penalized for missing the clicker questions, there will be a cap of around 360 points. Once you have accumulated that, you will have achieved 100%.
The clicker is your responsibility. Specifically:
- If you forget to bring your clicker to class, you are out of luck. I will have no loaner clickers, and I will not allow students to share clickers.
- If the batteries in your clicker die, you must replace them. The batteries should last for a couple of years or more, but it is recommended that you change them each year, or carry some spare ones with you.
- If your clicker malfunctions (and you have not knowingly damaged it in some way), you will need to get it replaced at the bookstore.
- If you lose or damage your clicker, you must buy a new one.
- If you have your clicker replaced or buy a new one, you must let me know so we can register it.
- Bringing your friend's clicker to class so you can answer in his or her absence violates the UCCS Academic Honor Code.
Here are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about the clickers.
Online Homework is worth 13% of your grade. The homework assignments are in Blackboard (formerly WebCT), and are due by the dates and times indicated there and in the Schedule. Homework submitted after the deadlines will not be accepted. You will be given five attempts at each assignment; only your highest score is counted. Be aware that some of the homework questions will appear on the quizzes and exams (but perhaps using different compounds, reactions, or values).
In addition to homework, Blackboard is where you will also do your Math Skills Assessments, Safety Quiz, and Prelab Exercises, and where you can see your Scores and Grades:
myBlackboard - links to all your Blackboard courses and safety quiz
Access to your WebCT account requires that you use your campus username.
- Your username is your first initial plus your last name, up to a maximum of eight characters. (e.g., Renee Henry = rhenry, John Doe = jdoe)
- If there is more than one jdoe on campus, then you will also have some numbers at the end of your username. You can find your username at the IT Help Desk site.
- Your default password is of the format MmmxxxxI (case sensitive!), where Mmm is your birth month, xxxx is the last four digits of your student id number, and I is the initial of your last name. You can change your password at your "My WebCT" page.
Please note: You must be in the WebCT database in order to log in to any WebCT site.
- If you registered during the normal registration process, you should be in the database and enrolled in all your WebCT courses.
- If, however, you registered late or changed courses, you may not be in the database and will have to be entered individually.
If you are having trouble logging in to a WebCT course, please email me from your campus email address, giving me your full name, Student ID, and course number and section.
Instructions for using your NT account, opening a UNIX e-mail account, connecting to campus from home, and so on, can be found at the IT HelpDesk site.
Extra Instruction (EI) Sessions:
The Science Learning Center will conduct weekly EI sessions to help students with the end-of-chapter questions assigned in the Study Guides. In addition to the times listed below, groups of students (3-4 minimum) may arrange to meet with a tutor at other times convenient to them. Contact the SLC for more details.
Note: Some of the same end-of-chapter questions done in the EI sessions will appear on the quizzes and exams (but perhaps using different compounds, reactions, or values).
TBA
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Sunday
CHIPS (Chemistry Interactive Problem Solver) is an interactive, computer-based problem solving aid for General Chemistry students. I hope you will find it useful in learning chemistry and preparing for quizzes and exams. It is installed on the computers in the SLC, or you can download chips_setup.exe and run it to install CHIPS on your own computer.
Points Approximate
Grade ScaleHomework (13 @ 10 pts) 130 90% A Clicker Questions 30 85% A- Quizzes (4 @ 35 pts)* 140 80% B+ Exams (3 @ 100 pts) 300 75% B Final Exam1 200 70% B- Laboratory2 200 65% C+ Total3 1000 60% C 50% D *The Diagnostic test is work 10 points and Quiz 1 is worth 25 points. These points will be added together and will be entered in as your first Quiz Score which is worth 35 points.
1 The Final Exam is in two parts: Part 1 (100 pts) will be over the new material from Chapters 12-14, and Part 2 (100 pts) will be comprehensive over the first three exams. Please note: If you are going on to Chem 106, the Final Exam for that course is a standardized, multiple-choice exam that is comprehensive over both semesters.
2 Pay close attention to the policies in the Laboratory syllabus. If you accumulate three scores of zero in the lab, you will receive an F for this entire course.
3 There is no extra credit available from reports, papers, projects, or presentations. Your grade is determined exclusively by your performance on homework, clicker questions, quizzes, exams, and lab (and up to 3% extra credit from EI session participation).
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make-up quizzes or exams will be given. - If you must be absent for an examination, due to illness, accident, or emergency, and I will give you a grade based on the average of your other scores, but a documented excuse (doctor's note, etc.) will be required and you must let me know before the examination that you will miss it (you can call or email). You may only use this for one quiz or exam. Absences for other reasons (family trip or vacation, for example) are not excused. Any further quizzes or exams missed or unexcused absences will result in a grade of zero.
- Any quizzes or exams missed without a documented excuse will receive a grade of zero.
- Returning quizzes and exams: Graded quizzes and exams are usually returned during the next scheduled class period. Papers not picked up will be available in a box outside the SLC. Answers to the quizzes and exams will be posted in the SLC and outside me office.
- Regrading: If you feel an error has been made in grading your exam, you may submit it for regrading within one week after it has been returned. Aside from obvious errors of omission in grading, if you are seeking partial credit or differ with the grader's interpretation of your answer. Note: I will regrade your entire exam and partial points may be added or removed for all the questions on the exam.
- Academic Honesty: CHEATING will absolutely NOT BE TOLERATED. The consequences of cheating range from a warning to a failing grade for this course, or even possibly expulsion from the University, depending on the severity of the infraction. Please read the UCCS Academic Honor Code.
- The important point is not to disrupt your classmates. Many of them are here to learn, and disruptive behavior hampers their ability to do so effectively.
- You should be in your seat and ready to begin class on time and stay the entire class period. Straggling into class late, leaving early, or packing up your belongings prior to the end of class is disruptive to others around you and to me.
- Steady conversation with neighbors while I am lecturing makes it extremely difficult for those around you to concentrate on what I am saying, and is very annoying to me as well. Individuals who continue to talk while I am lecturing will be asked to leave.
- Cell phones and other electronic communication devices must be turned off during class! Such devices may be confiscated and held until the end of the semester if they disrupt the class.
- Students who continue to disrupt a class will be asked to leave and will be referred to the Dean of Students.
The Science Learning Center provides drop-in tutoring, supplemental instruction, computer modules, WebCT access, and other academic support to students in chemistry, physics, biology, and other science classes. Students who use the SLC earn higher grades. Stop by the SLC in Science Room 145 to find out how you can become a better student.
Disability Services & Testing Center:
UCCS is committed to providing equal educational opportunity for all students who meet the academic admissions requirements. The purpose of Disability Services is to provide comprehensive support to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities.
If you need to take a quiz or exam early, fill out the Test Accommodation Form and bring it to me. You must also make an appointment with the Testing Center (MH 105, 262-3354).
If you are a military student with the potential of being called to military service or training during the course of the semester, you are encouraged to contact your UCCS course instructor no later than the first week of class to discuss the class attendance policy. Please see the Military Students website for more information.
During the second class period you will take a "Reality Check" (a 25-question diagnostic test) to help you determine if you have a sufficient background for this course. If you find that you do not do well on this diagnostic text or you are struggling in the material CHEM 103 you may want to consider the following options:
Reality Check review...
If you feel that redoing the problems in the Reality Check will help you get prepared for this course, go to the SLC and rework the problems. Please get help from the SLC staff to understand the problems that you are having difficulty.If you struggled with the math problems in the Reality Check...
You may finding that taking the following math course helpful before taking Chem 103.MATH 104-3. College Algebra. An in-depth study of algebraic equations and inequalities. Comprehension of the underlying algebraic structure will be stressed as well as appropriate algebraic skills. The study will include polynomials, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions as well as systems of equations/inequalities. Prerequisites: Score 12 or more on algebra diagnostic exam.
If you had trouble with the chemistry concepts in the Reality Check...
You may find that the following chemistry course will prepare you for Chem 103/106 series. If you wish to transfer from 103 into 115 during the current semester, you must do so within the first five weeks. (Alternatively, you can take it another semester.) Please note that this is a 4-credit class, so you will drop one credit in transferring from 103 to 115.CHEM 115-4. Preparatory Chemistry. Lecture and lab. Preparatory chemistry lecture for students who have not taken high school chemistry. Prepares students for general chemistry (CHEM 103-106). Credit is granted only if no other college chemistry credits have been earned. Does not count towards the LAS natural science area requirement. Prerequisites: One year high school algebra or concurrent enrollment or completion of MATH 104.
To make this transfer, please contact Susan Epperson, sepperso@uccs.edu, SENG B331, x3638
