CHM151 Lecture Syllabus

Last Updated 8-19-10

Syllabus for CHM-151: General Chemistry I

Phoenix College (online course) (#13250 /Fall 2010)	Instructor: Mr. Ken Costello Email: chm151@chemistryland.com Phone: 480 202-2993 (cellphone #)	Office Hours: Since I only teach online, I don't have an office on campus; however, I check my email every day and throughout the day. I do make appointments to come to the campus to meet with students when needed.
TEXTBOOKS: We are in a transition period regarding the textbook. For the last few years, we used the two books on the left. This semester began the use of a new textbook shown on the right. Any of the three books below are OK to use for the course this semester.
Textbook: "Chemistry" 6th and 7th editions Authors: Zumdahl and Zumdahl The newest edition is the 8th edition, but we have used the less expensive 6th and 7th editions. Instructor will provide details on where to purchase the 6th and 7th Editions online. So even though the textbook "Chemistry: A Molecular Approach" is the one the department adopted, I'm OK with these textbooks for this semester.		Textbook: "Chemistry: A Molecular Approach" 2nd Edition Author: Nivaldo Tro This is the new book that the department is adopting. It will probably be the one used for CHM152 in the Spring. So if you plan on taking CHM152, this one might be a better one for you; however, it's the most expensive one. So you might use the least expensive 6th or 7th Edition by Zumdahl this Fall and buy this new textbook come Spring, when cheaper used books might be available. This is the textbook the bookstore is carrying.
7th Edition	6th Edition	2nd Edition

Your instruction will not just come from the textbook. Over several years I have developed tutorials that cover much of the same material that is in the textbook. So you have both sources to learn from. The advantage of my online tutorials is that I can use many more images to make learning easier.

Chemistry is a vast subject that encompasses...

The chemicals that make up the galaxies...
The makeup of the Earth...
The natural and unnatural chemicals in the environment...

The carbon-based compounds that make up living things...
And the oxygen-based compounds that make up the continents.

Chemistry is seen but not seen... It's like seeing a tree without ever seeing a cell from a leaf of a tree. Fortunately, our instruments lets us see the invisible.

In other words chemistry encompasses the world of all sizes, all shapes, and amazing behaviors.

Three areas emphasized in this class
1. Something not always covered in classes are tips that give you survival skills for the subject. Learning a difficult subject is like encountering extreme environments. You have to know the pitfalls of being in the environment. So the pitfalls of learning chemistry will be covered and emphasized along with the solutions.
2. Learn how to approach a chemistry topic as a blend of building blocks, force & energy, and mathematics. Chemistry can seem like a long list of separate concepts, but this approach ties them together. Also, dividing a chemistry topic into three areas of focus makes it easier to understand. • The building blocks focus sees chemicals coming from simpler building blocks. • Chemistry also involves force and energy. For example, attraction and repulsion of + & - charges guide the assembly of atoms and compounds. • The third part of chemistry involves mathematics. The Earth represents the Metric system which is based on Earth measurements and water. Chapters in the textbook and tutorials are always a blend of these three focus areas.
3. Chemistry uses a vast array of symbols. The characters in Da Vinci Code and National Treasure had to know the meaning of a lot of symbols in order to navigate through their adventure. Chemistry is just like that. It is an adventure equally mysterious, and you will succeed if you learn the symbols.

COURSE COMPETENCIES

The official course competencies are listed on this district Web page:
http://www.maricopa.edu/curriculum/

I will cover these competencies in the course but weave them into the topics listed on home page. I don't list them here because they are a little overwhelming to see all together. Also, a list of competencies makes chemistry seems boring, which it isn't. I have also added a few more competencies that will help you be a smarter consumer and smarter chemistry student.

MORE COURSE COMPETENCIES

In a face-to- face class you would need to have skills using a scientific calculator in order to do calculations in class. Since this is online you don't need to do calculations in a classroom. So technically you don't need a scientific calculator. However, you still need to do calculations. I actually prefer students know how to do calculations with a spreadsheet program like Microsoft's Excel or with the free OpenOffice Calc program. A spreadsheet allows you to layout the problem in a organized fashion with labels. So it reinforces good problem solving habits while doing the math for you, assuming you set up the formulas correctly. In other words, you either need competency with a scientific calculator or with spreadsheets or both.

TESTING
As you might guess, giving or taking tests in distance learning classes is always more difficult than in traditional classes. The quizzes are on the Chemistryland website, but you send your answers via email. I plan to move the quizzes to Blackboard but those may not be ready until later in the semester. There are two finals. One is online and one you have to come to the campus to take.
Frequent quizzes: Because I don't see Internet students in the classroom on a regular basis, I like to get feedback on a regular basis by testing comprehension frequently rather than waiting for a major test. Most tutorials will have a quiz that immediately follows it. Quizzes not only test what was learned but have some extra activities to test your ability to research answers and to learn more. All quizzes are done online. I consider quizzes and assignments as equals. The quizzes and assignments count for 75% of your grade. The online final is 10% and the on-campus final is 15%. More details on the on-campus final will be given towards the end of the semester.

Missed Questions: I always offer students chances to redo questions or assignments. My goal is that you learn the material. If you restudy and do problems over again, I'm happy to regrade it. Let's say you get 70% on a quiz. If you redo the 30% missed and get them all correct, I will give you 75% of your second score. So 75% of 30% is 22.5%. So your final score will now be 70%+22.5%=92.5%. The exception is if you give a far-fetched answer. In other words, an answer where you didn't seem to take time to visualize what was going on (Like calculating a volume 100 time larger than is possible). When you correct these really wrong answers, you will only get 1/2 credit when you correct that answer. For example, you miss 3 out of 10 questions and get 70%. 1 of your wrong answers was way off (like 100 times off). You redo the missed 3 and get correct answers. So you get 1/2 credit for the 1 that were originally very wrong (1/2x1=.5 and 75% of the two that were simply wrong (0.75x2=1.5). So you recovered 2.5 of the 3 missed ones. So you end with 9.5 correct out of 10, or 95%. So going from 70% to 95% is still worth redoing missed questions even if you are penalized somewhat for missing them in the first place. My goal is that you check your answers before turning them in and especially consider if they even seem reasonable.
PACING
The pacing of this class is like a high powered trencher. It digs in and keeps on going. Trenching services are paid by the foot, so they move as fast as possible, but they can't just scratch the surface. That would be a waste of time. If they hit a rock, they do what is necessary to remove it so they can keeping digging along. This is how you have to approach this class. You have to dig in and chew up the material. If you hit a rock, use the learning skills taught in the Pitfalls of Learning to get unstuck. Progress has to be steady. There's no way you or a trencher machine can start off slow and then later just zip through all the material that has to be unearthed. Your work day for digging through chemistry is about 1 1/2 hours a day, 7 days a week equaling about 10 hours a week.
Since we are on the analogy of trenching, your work in CHM130 or high school chemistry means you have already dug through quite a bit of chemistry. Hopefully, you will remember much of that so that you don't have to start back at the beginning. CHM151covers the basics, but only as a review rather than like teaching it the first time. That means we will be going pretty fast through the materials that are covered in CHM130. That gives us more time for the new material.
CHECKING PROGRESS: On the home page you will see a link to "CHECK PROGRESS". The progress page is a table (like one below) that has links to all tutorials, quizzes, and assignments. This table also shows what assignments I have received and if there's any questions that need to be redone. If I say "Rec'd 10-2" that means I received it on October 2nd, but I haven't graded it yet. If questions are missed, I will say "Redo" followed by the question numbers. After you fix the missed questions, your grade will go up. Also, instead of your name listed on the progress sheet, I will give you a code name using the name of an element. That way you can see how others are doing, but you will not know their real name nor will they know your true name.
The Progress Sheet (progress page) has all the links you need to navigate through the class.
DEADLINES VS. TARGET DATES: Even though I do not have strict due dates, I do have target dates that give you a pacing that spreads out the learning. I like the course to be flexible to accommodate unforeseen circumstances or irregular schedules. However, if you get too far behind, I will prod you to catch up. If you do not communicate with me and are far behind, I may have to drop you from the course. At the 45th day of class, I am required to drop students who are not making much progress. I will try to warn you if it looks like I have to drop you, but I can't guarantee that.
All Maricopa Community College students are expected to be familiar with the Student Guide that explains the policies, procedures, and resources for students. A link to the home page for the Student Guides is below. http://www.maricopa.edu/legal/student/conduct.php Besides student responsibilities, it has a wealth of other information, also. If you have any special learning needs let me know. The web page has information on that as well.
In summary, I think this class is challenging but also rewarding at the same time. Welcome to General Chemistry. Now, dive in and see what's there. CHM-151 Home Page Below is link to the Syllabus as a Word document, which would be better for printing if you so desire. Syllabus (Word document)