Blue Mountain Community College

Chemistry 221 Fall Quarter Syllabus

Instructor: Chandra Kunapareddy Ph. D.

 Table of Contents

Part I – Course, instructor, textbooks, and requirements.

Part II – Learning outcomes, and methods of assessments.

Part III- Lecture, lab and assignment schedule.

Part IV – Grading rubric and letter grade assignment.

Part V – Course policies, and other information.

 

Note: This syllabus is not a contract between the instructor and the student. This syllabus represents an ideal case scenario. Certain circumstances my require changes to this syllabus. If changes are necessary, you will be informed as soon as possible.

Part I

Course Information

Course Title: CH 221 General Chemistry I

Credits: 5 (lecture 4, lab 1)

Lecture Hours: T Th 12:00 pm - 1:50 pm in room ST- 206

Lab Hours: CHEM 221 Section 02 meets on M 12:00 pm- 2: 30 pm in room ST- 219

                    CHEM 221 Section 01 meets on M 02:30 pm- 5: 00 pm in room ST- 219

Instructor Information        

Instructor: Dr. Chandra S. Kunapareddy,

Office: ST-209
Office Hours: MTWR 10:00 am – 12:00 am
Office Telephone: 541-278-5768^*
*Must use canvas inbox email service to contact instructor.

Course Description

Chemistry 221 is the first course in the three-quarter general chemistry sequence. It is designed to give students a fundamental understanding of chemistry and may be used to transfer course for students pursuing 4-year and advanced degrees in engineering, physical, biological, and health science. The topics covered in Chemistry 221 include: units and dimensional analysis; atomic structure; nuclear chemistry; the electronic structure of atoms and periodic properties; bonding and molecular structure; stoichiometry; and reactions in aqueous solution.

In addition to you gaining an understanding of the topics listed, it is a major goal of this course to develop your problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. You will be given the opportunity to work through problems starting from first principles and challenged to fully understand the meaning of your results. Accomplishing these objectives will require a significant time commitment. You should spend approximately three hours outside of lecture for every hour in lecture working on the material for this course. The bulk of this time should be spent working on problems, including: completing on-line Mastering Chemistry homework assignments, reviewing problems presented in lecture or online, and working extra problems suggested from your textbook. Working on problems does not mean that you should read a problem and then immediately look at the solution. This approach will not help you succeed on exams. You should look at the solution to a problem only after you have spent a significant amount of time (15 – 20 minutes) attempting to complete the problem on your own.

This course credit may be applied to Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, and Associate of General Studies.

Prerequisite

• MTH 111.
• Recommended: One year high school or more terms of college level chemistry.

Textbook & Course Materials

Required Text

 

• Chemistry: Structure and Properties W/Mastering Chemistry Access Card. First Edition. by Nivaldo Tro. ISBN-10 ISBN-10: 0321834682.
• Student is required to create an online account using the Mastering Chemistry access code at www.com. Refer the handout for the instructions to register for Mastering Chemistry website.
• The book can be purchased at BMCC Bookstore or on the internet. You can also opt to buy just Mastering Access card with e-text book for lesser price. Must buy the book with same ISBN.
• Non-graphing calculator for use on exams,classroom and laboratory. Suggested models include:
  • TI-30X family of calculators
  • CASIO fx-260solar or CASIO fx-250HC

Lab Manual

• No lab manual is required to purchase by the student.
• An e-copy of lab manual for every experiment will be posted in Canvas.
• The student is responsible for printing and bringing a hard copy of lab manual to the lab.

 Recommended Texts & Other Readings

• Tro, N. J.; Shaginaw, K. T.; Kramer, M. B., Solutions Manual for Chemistry: Structure and Properties, Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2010. ISBN 978-0321965295
• Information regarding any recommended readings/books will be posted in Canvas throughout the semester.

Course Requirements

• Internet connection, Access to BMCC email, Canvas account, and Connect homework account.
• A calculator for scientific notation as well as logarithm calculations.
• The college provides a lab coat and safety google. The student must return them in good condition at the end of the semester/year.

Part II

Student Learning Information

Core Course Focus

• Critical thinking skills: to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information.
• Communication Skills: to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication.
• Empirical and Quantitative Skills: to include the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions.
• Teamwork: to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to

• Communicate effectively in writing using the correct terminology, nomenclature, and formats associated with the field of chemistry.
• Apply algebraic techniques to correctly solve quantitative chemical problems including the application of critical thinking, metric system, conversion of units, scientific notation, and proper setup.
• Apply chemical principles and techniques to qualitative chemical problem solving including the application of current chemical theories and models to explain the structure and commonly observed properties of matter.
• The measure, analyze and interpret data from a variety of scientific sources with reasonable accuracy and precision.
• Report laboratory data using proper terminology and formats associated with the field of chemistry.
• Operate safely within the laboratory environment.

Methods of Assessment

• Lecture Outcomes assessed by homework assignments, quizzes, exams, classroom participation, and activities participation.
• Lab outcomes evaluated by the safe handling of lab equipment and chemicals. Effective record of results, formal lab report, lab quizzes, post lab questions and/or homework assignments.

 

Part III

Lecture and Assignment Schedule

Week	Lecture Topic	Quiz (Due by Saturday Midnight)	Homework
1	Chapters 1	Yes	Chapter 1 and 2 available before lecture. Due by 10/08.
2	Chapters 2	Yes
3	T: 10/11 - Exam I Th: Chapter 3	Yes	Chapter 3, 4 and 5 available before lecture. Due by 10/29.
4	Chapter 4	Yes
5	Chapter 5	Yes
6	T: 11/01 - Exam II Th: Chapter 6	Yes	Chapter 6, 7 and 8 available before lecture. Due by 11/19.
7	Chapters 6-7	Yes
8	Chapter 7-8	Yes
9	T: 11/22 - Exam III Th: Thanksgiving day Break	No Quiz	Chapter 9 available before lecture. Due by 12/03.
10	Chapter 9	Yes
11	T/Th: 12/06 Final Exam	No Quiz	No Homework

 

 

Week	Lab Activity/Experiment
1	Safety Activity, Syllabus, and Math review
2	Exp 1 Measurements and conversions
3	Exp 2 Density and Specific gravity
4	Exp 3 TBD
5	Exp 4  TBD
6	Exp 5 TBD
7	Exp 6 TBD
8	Exp 7 TBD
9	Exp 8 TBD
10	Exp 9 TBD
11	No Lab

 

Laboratory Schedule

 

Part IV

Grading Rubric

This course is divided into the following sections (Failure to complete any one of these could result in a failing grade.)

 

Assignment/ Task	Percent	Points
10 Labs X 20 points each	20%	200
10 Homework assignments X points each	10%	100
12 Quiz (9 online & 3 in class), best of 10 quizzes X 10 points each	10%	100
Classroom activities/ Participation	5%	50
Three mid-term exams X 130 points each	39%	390
Cumulative final exam X 160 points each	16%	160
TOTAL	100%	1000

 

Additional Course Information

 

• Lab reports are due before the start of next week lab.
• The student must show up at the start of the lab for a short lecture and safety discussions by Professor; a late show student may not be allowed to complete the experiment and given zero points.
• Missed laboratory experiments cannot be made up, except under special circumstances.
• Homework assignments are completion grade based.
• No late homework/Quizzes offered regardless of the excuse.
• In class quizzes are unannounced, and no make-up quizzes offered.
• Classroom activities are either pre-scheduled or unannounced
• PLEASE NOTE:  You must notify the instructor in advance if illness or other unavoidable circumstances will prevent you from taking an examination at the scheduled time.  THERE WILL BE NO MAKEUP EXAMS!  Except in unusual circumstances, grades will be prorated based on your performance on the other exams.

Letter Grade Assignment

 

Letter Grade	Percent	Points
A	90-100%	900-1000
B	80-89%	800-899
C	77-79%	700-799
D	60-69%	600-699
F	0-59%	0-599

 

How to Succeed in Course

 

• Read Often and Practice End of the Chapter Problems: This course is an introduction into chemical concepts and principles. Traditionally, chemistry courses can be very challenging. It is important to regularly read the course material and work problems at the end of each chapter in your textbook. Working as many problems as possible will ensure that you gain a full understanding of the material. More importantly, quiz and test questions may be very similar to those in the text. I will provide you with a set of recommended practice problems. When working through these practice exercises, you are not required to complete all of the suggested problems but you should do as many as possible to ensure you have a thorough understanding of the material.
• Help Resources: Office hours will be offered weekly in addition to the in-lab discussion sessions to help you review the material. Please do not wait until the last minute to get help!  Come in with questions during office hours or discussion sessions and see the instructor when a concept or problem gives you difficulty. Students who wish additional help are encouraged to go to free tutoring services offered by college. The final exam percentile can be used to replace one of the lowest mid-term exam percentiles.
• More Practice: If you feel that you need more practice, it is to your advantage to work through more problems in your book or from other sources. The internet is an excellent place to find tutorials and practice worksheets. You can find these through sites like Google or YouTube by searching either topic titles (i.e. balancing equation tutorial) or simply “chemistry tutorial”. I will provide a list of sites that I find to be particularly useful.
• Build rapport: If you find that you have any trouble keeping up with assignments or other aspects of the course, make sure you let your instructor know as early as possible. As you will find, building rapport and effective relationships are key to becoming an effective professional. Make sure that you are proactive in informing your instructor when difficulties arise during the semester so that they can help you find a solution.

 

• Complete Assignments: Homework and quiz assignments for this course will be submitted electronically through Canvas and Connect otherwise instructed. The given deadline must submit assignments or special permission must be requested from the instructor before the due date. Extensions will not be given beyond the next assignment except under extreme circumstances.

 

• Participate: Participation worth 5% of the total grade. Students should arrive on time and remain in class until the full class period has expired. Students are required to engage the class by participating in classroom activities, class discussions and asking appropriate questions.

Part V

Course Policies

Dress Code Dress appropriately for the lectures and labs. Open toed shoes, sandals, fillip-flops and any similar style shoes are not permitted in lab. Please be sure to wear footwear to cover your feet and secure long hair in order to prevent hair from falling on the face. Long pants and long sleeved top is mandatory for safety reasons during the lab sessions. Wearing safety goggles while doing an experiment is mandatory.

Student Discipline Adult and responsible behavior is expected. Disruptive behavior/ activities which interfere with teaching and/or learning will not be tolerated. Expectations for classroom behavior are outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. Student Conduct Report form will be completed by the instructor after one warning and may result in dismissal from class and administrative withdrawal without refund. Attendance Students are expected to attend all class lecture sessions as listed on the course calendar. Missing class sessions will affect the understanding of the follow-up material. The instructor takes the attendance to keep track of the student attendance. An absent in a class may not result losing a set number of points, but the student may miss points from the in classroom assignments, activities, and participation.

Understand When You May Drop This Course

It is the student’s responsibility to understand when they need to consider dis enrolling from a course.

• Drop by September 30th 2016, to receive 100 % refund.
• Last day to withdraw from course November 20th 2016.

 

Incomplete Policy

Under emergency/special circumstances, students may petition for an incomplete grade. An incomplete grade will be assigned according Blue Mountain Community College academic policy.

Special Services and Student Accommodations

Blue Mountain Community College is committed to providing inclusive learning environments. Please notify us if there is aspects of the course that result in disability-related barriers to your participation. For assistance with disability accommodations, please contact the Health and Wellness Resource Center at 541-278-5965, Oregon Relay (711) for hearing assistance, or email

 disabilityservices@bluecc.edu

NOTICE: Please inform your instructor of your required testing accommodations at least 72 hours before each individual test becomes available to students. This includes all tests and quizzes (lab or class).

Academic Integrity

As a student in this course (and at Blue Mountain Community College), you are expected to maintain high degrees of professionalism, commitment to active learning and participation in this class and also integrity in your behavior in and out of the classroom. The incidence of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in the minimum penalty of a zero on the assignment, quiz, or exam. The maximum penalty will be an F in the course. Additionally, a report will be sent to the Office of Instruction. This report follows you throughout your academic career. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to sharing answers on quizzes, exams and verbatim copying of lab exercise and assignment answers. Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, cheating, fabrication and/or falsification, abuse of academic materials, aiding and abetting, grade tampering and facilitating academic dishonesty.   Plagiarism is defined as an action that occurs when you fail (unintentionally or intentionally) to give credit for information, ideas, or words that are not originally yours.

      TurnItIn.com statement:  

To ensure the integrity of the academic process, BMCC faculty members may now use a tool called TurnItIn to compare a student’s work with multiple sources. It then reports a percentage of similarity and provides links to those specific sources. The tool itself does not determine whether or not a paper has been plagiarized. Instead, the faculty member makes this judgment. Because TurnItIn may be used, please do not turn in assignments from previous or concurrent classes.

  Important Contacts

If you have issues with Canvas, please contact Bruce Kauss at bkauss@bluecc.edu or Karen Willis at kwillis@bluecc.edu