General Chemistry Lecture & Lab Syllabus

Fall, 2008 – Professor Boulter

 

 

Contact info:

e-mail: boulteje@uwec.edu or office phone: 836-4175

websites: http://www.uwec.edu/boulteje/chem103.htm (for coursework)

AND https://uwec.courses.wisconsin.edu/ (for grades only)

Lecture:         D0D

Tuesday & Thursday:  9:00 – 10:15   AM      Phillips 117

Laboratory:   D01

                        D02

                        D03

Wednesday                 8:00 – 11:50   AM      Phillips 469 ‡

Monday                       8:00 – 11:50   AM                ″

Thursday                     1:00 – 14:50   PM               ″

Office hours:

(or by appointment)

Monday:                       3:30 –  5:00    PM     In my office: Phillips 450

Tuesday:                       1:30 –  3:00    PM                                    ″

Friday:                          9:30 – 11:00   AM                                     ″

 

I strongly encourage you to come to my office hours regularly – remember that this kind of access to your professors is your most valuable source of academic help and is also one of the biggest advantages of being at a school like UWEC!

 

Course Purpose & Goals:

 

Description:  “Introduction to principles of chemistry, including atomic structure, periodic properties of elements, chemical bonding, molecular structure, physical properties of compounds, chemical reactions, and stoichiometry.”

 

Why would we ever want to know these things? Chemistry is the most central discipline to the study of physical, biological and earth sciences and humankind’s relationship to those systems – both how we are affected by and impact the world around us. We can ONLY understand this through the development of a fundamental, in-depth description of the nature of matter which comprises the universe and the ways in which this matter interacts together.

 

Relevant Goals of the Baccalaureate:  “UW-Eau Claire students will demonstrate a breadth of knowledge… about the natural world, [and] …will develop critical thinking skills… that include creative approaches to problem solving, [and] …will write, read, speak, and listen effectively in… discipline-specific contexts.”

 

Lab Purpose & Goals:

 

      The purpose of the lab is twofold: one, it is designed to support your understanding of material from lecture and your personal studying. Two, it is intended to give you experience working with laboratory chemicals and equipment; handling samples; generating, evaluating and working with data; and give you a sense of “doing science.”

      Remember that the laboratory portion of the course is vital to your grade: it contributes almost 1/3 of the total points for the class. With so much of the remaining points coming from exams, the lab provides a unique opportunity for you to gain some control over your overall grade! Although some of these labs may be challenging or even frustrating at times, I hope that you’ll find that the overall experience is also enjoyable.

Expectations & Policies:

 

      Your success in Chemistry 103 will depend on your own consistent, diligent effort to develop the needed skills and understanding. It is assumed that you each have had high school chemistry and possess an adequate level of mathematical and problem solving skills. Remember, it is your responsibility to seek help with appropriate skills or course content. As the semester progresses, please find me during my office hours or schedule time with me to discuss strategies or changes in your study habits which can help you to succeed in this class. 

 

Attendance:

      Attendance is required at all lectures. Consistent with the university policy on attendance, I’ll have you sign in at each class and lab session. I don’t give points to reward attendance; instead, I just expect you to be there.  However, be assured that your attendance and attention will affect your success in this class (and my perception of your effort level)!

      Obviously, the laboratory portion of the class is a critical part of the class (1/3 of your grade!) and you must attend all lab sessions. You need to speak with me in advance or immediately afterward if you are unable to attend a lab so that we can try to schedule other arrangements – if available, these may require some flexibility in your schedule.

 

Required materials:

 

Assigned work:

      Ungraded homework assignments will be regularly assigned from the textbook – you should consider the assigned problems to be the minimum necessary work – additional practice problems are available in the textbook. These are for you to gain practice in solving chemistry problems – a vital skill in this class. I may give out other problem assignments or “study sheets” (which I have written) to provide you with additional practice prior to the exam. 

      Lab reports will be assigned every 2-3 weeks on average, and will cover several lab experiments of a similar nature. These are also graded and will be collected by me or your TA at the beginning of lab as specified by me or the TA. Late work will be penalized. Finally, some of the points in lab are assigned as lab practicals, which will assess your lab abilities and understanding acquired during the lab period; these will sometimes be completed in pairs, but eventually, you’ll be on your own as the semester ends with a comprehensive lab practical!

 

Exams & Quizzes:

      You must bring a pencil, eraser, and your own non-graphing calculator to each quiz and exam! Three mid-term exams will be given during on Thursdays on dates shown below in the course schedule.  Content will be based on lectures, assigned readings, textbook problems, other assigned problems, and some lab concepts. It may sound obvious, but do not miss these – make-up exams will only be granted with outstanding, written documentation from university or medical personnel.  Speak with me in advance if you encounter a schedule conflict; the 3 mid-terms are scheduled for Thursday, September 25th, October 30th, and December 4th during lecture. The comprehensive final exam will be scheduled according to UWEC final exam policies during finals week. The date has been set for Friday December 19th, from 9:00 to 10:50 AM, in P117.

      Brief lab quizzes will be given each week at the beginning of lab, and will be assess your understanding of the current week’s lab and/or the previous weeks’ lab results, if related. The more substantial lecture quizzes are not yet scheduled; instead, their date and content will be announced one lecture session before. I intend to have one extra of each (lab & lecture quiz) to drop from your final grade. There are NO make-up quizzes; if you miss one, you may drop it.

 

Grading Scheme:

It is your responsibility to keep up-to-date with your own grades; you may access the class D2L web page or speak with me. I do not assign grades on a curve; instead see the cutoffs listed below. Your final grade will (more or less – totals may change slightly) look like this:

 

                                                          80                quizzes (5 – 1 drop × 20 points)

      A ≥ 85%                                   240                mid-term exams (3 × 80 points)

      B ≥ 75%                                   120                final exam

      C ≥ 65%                                     40                final lab practical

      D ≥ 55%                                     40                pre-lab quizzes (9 – 1 drop × 5 points)

      F ≤ 55%                                     20                in-lab points (mini-practicals & other)

                                                        110                post-lab reports (5 × 10 - 25 points)   

                                                        650                TOTAL POINTS

Other key issues: