CH301
F22
CH301
F22
Instructor
office hours: see homepage to website
mccord301@cm.utexas.edu
Teaching Assistants
office hours: see homepage to website
alec.larson@utexas.edu
office hours: see homepage to website
greta_wisofsky@utexas.edu
gchem: A free online "textbook" (or eBook) that Dr. McCord wrote with Dr. LaBrake and Dr. Vanden Bout. It is not behind a paywall or login page - free and open. The gchem website has the chapters and sections presented in roughly the same order that we will cover them in class. Click the link and then save the bookmark in your browser.
OpenStax: Another great and free "textbook" is the OpenStax Chemistry book. I have a link to it on our website. It really is good, but it can be a bit much to navigate. Just find your topic and click in.
OpenStax has also upped thier game as far as example problems. Students always want to know where can they find more practice problems - OpenStax is the answer. YOU just have to look.
Optional: Feel free to purchase any old used General Chemistry textbook. Most titles are "Principles of Chemistry" but there are others as well like just "Chemistry". You can get really nice books for cheap if you buy an old enough edition. The chemistry hasn't changed, so grab anything you think you might actually read.
Scientific Calculator: Although a good ol' TI-30Xa is shown here, you can use any decent scientific calculator. Make sure you know how to use it - especially how to punch in and handle scientific notation, exponents, and log functions. Add, subtract, multiply, and divide are givens. You will use this calculator for both in-class work, homework, and exams.
Here is a whole page on Approved Calculators.
CH301 will cover the following subjects which will be divided into four units or modules. Each unit of coverage will have a corresponding exam to go with it. Each exam will correspond to one or two chapters from the gchem website (eBook).
1 - Chemistry Fundamentals
2 - Gases
3 - Atomic Theory
4 - Bonding (Sections 4.1-4.5)
4 - Bonding (Sections 4.4-4.10)
5 - IMFs
6 - Thermodynamics
Please know that all the "fundamentals" information in Chapter 1 is "always in play" for the rest of the exams as well.
Our classroom is equipped for Lectures Online. This means that our lectures are recorded for later viewing. These will be available on Canvas by clicking on the "Lectures Online" menu item. This is NOT a live broadcast of the lecture though. You need to be in the lecture hall for live lectures. This service allows you to review the lecture online after class is over.
To be CLEAR: this is an in person, on campus class. You are expected to attend all the lectures and participate during class. There will NOT be a Zoom live broadcast. Plan on coming to class.
Your overall grade in the course will be determined by your averages in each of four categories: Exams, Final Exam, Homework, and InstaPoll.
This will be the average of your top 3 out of the 4 regular exams. Canvas will not drop your lowest exam of the four until the end of the semester. All your exams count (in canvas anyway) until then and your average will show that. Canvas will correctly show this average with the drop at the end of the semester (after all 4 exam scores are in).
The final exam is mandatory. All students in the class will have to take the final exam. There is no dropping this score. The final exam will be a comprehensive exam that is an overview of all the material that was covered in units 1-4 (chapters 1-6 on gchem site).
This will be your average of your homework scores. There is a total of 14 homework assignments and at least two HW scores will be dropped in the average. The drop will occur at the end of the semester. Canvas will correctly show this average.
There are a lot of these LEs. Little concise assignments to guide/push you through the material on the gchem site.
Course grades will be determined according to the following scale or cut-offs:
| A | ≥ | 93.00 |
| A- | ≥ | 90.00 |
| B+ | ≥ | 87.00 |
| B | ≥ | 83.00 |
| B- | ≥ | 80.00 |
| C+ | ≥ | 77.00 |
| C | ≥ | 73.00 |
| C- | ≥ | 70.00 |
| D+ | ≥ | 67.00 |
| D | ≥ | 63.00 |
| D- | ≥ | 60.00 |
| F | < | 60.00 |
Your score is calculated to the nearest 1/100th - that's 2 places PAST the decimal.
Our four unit exams will be held in the evening (7pm - 8:30pm) on the following TUESDAYS:
Exam Rooms: You also have to go to the right room for the exam. The room is based on the first letter of your last name.
A-K to WCH 1.120
L-Z to FAC 21
The final exam is scheduled by the University and we will comply with their time. We will split the class into two rooms for the final exam. The splits are according to the first letter of your last name. Note that these are different rooms and splits from the regular exams.
If you have a documented, UT-related conflict (examples listed below) with the exam time for all or specific exam(s), it is possible that we can offer you an alternate time on the same evening or earlier in the day. To request an alternate exam time, please visit our Chemistry Student Services office in WEL 2.302. The staff there will try to help you find an alternative (earlier) time. Space is tight and you'll need to do this ASAP for any conflict. In person is best, but you can try via email (css@cm.utexas.edu) or by phone as well (512-471-1567). Their working hours are Mon-Fri 8am to 5pm.
To be very clear... NO student will take the exam after the regularly scheduled day and time. There are no make-up exams, and you can't take the exam late. If you have to miss the exam due to illness or family emergencies, etc., that exam will be your dropped exam in your average.
University related conflicts include:
In general, only UT-related conflicts are accepted reasons to reschedule an exam for another day. An exception is if the exam is in conflict with a religious holiday. If your exam is in conflict with a religious holiday you must provide notice of the conflict at least 14 days in advance.
Please reschedule ALL exams that you will have a time conflict with for the entire semester.
If you are a student registered with the Office of Disability & Access (formerly SSD) and receive special accommodations for exams, we will apply these accommodations as indicated in your accommodation letter. Please let Dr. McCord or a TA know if there are any additional modifications or adaptations you require in order to meet a disability-related need. However, our staff in the chemistry student services office are there to help with these types of issues. For that reason, in nearly all cases, all accommodations are met without the need to set up a meeting with your professor.
Also realize that as a D&A student, you know technically "have a conflict" with the regular published times for exams. I have created a web page just for information on how to receive your accommodations:
D&A Student Accommodations Web Page
The person(s) in the Office mentioned in the above link are there to help you get your documented accommodations.
Each of the first four exams will cover new material from the associated chapters. Each of the exams will be about 20 questions that are all multiple-choice questions. The number of choices will vary anywhere from 2 up to 10 choices. Each student will turn in their exam copy, scratch paper, and fill out and electronic bubblesheet with their phone before they leave the exam room. Once the exam is graded, the exam scores will be uploaded to Canvas. The exam keys and full solutions will be available here on this website (not canvas). Dr. McCord has his own hand-coded program that scrambles exam questions. Scrambled means that each student will get a unique version of the exam. Think of an exam as a deck of questions where we shuffle the deck of questions and we also shuffle the answers. Very important for each and every student to bubble in correctly the version number of the exam they have.
ALL students must take the Final Exam for this course - it is mandatory. The Final Exam is a comprehensive exam which means that it will cover all the major topics from all the material that we covered throughout the semester. Unlike the regular exams, it will be a bit longer with around 30-33 questions, but you will have 2 hours to take it. The University determines the date and time of the exam which happens to be Friday, 12/9, from 10:30am to 12:30pm. Classroom assignments for finals will be announced by the registrar two weeks before the end of classes.
"Class" time is being IN class and listening and participating when necessary. Please do not use your phones in class. Please, no texting, messaging, posting... you know what I mean. Only use your "device" when a McClicker question is active. Speaking of which...`
McClicker: In addition to the above in-class "listening" activities, Dr. McCord will have one "live" question that you will answer via McClicker which is easily accessed from our website (this website). These "in-class" questions are short and sweet. Once Dr. McCord ends the question, it is over. Many questions will be calculations and you will need to have your scientific calculator available to assist you. Your "McClicker" average will be 5% of your overall grade. There is one question (one score) per day of class. Scoring: 100 points for right answer, 75 points for wrong answer, 0 points for no answer (no submission).
There are 2 Major Things you will do outside of class.
Canvas Policy on HW All HW assignments will be allowed three attempts max on canvas. Once the due date and time arrives, the assignment will close permanently and not reopen. If you do happen to get locked out of the HW after the due date, then study off the HW pdfs that I (Dr. McCord) post on our website - or another students canvas version. We will not reopen assignments for those that didn't at least open and attempt a submission. Remember, HW counts 5% - seems small but it is really important so don't blow it off. It is also the best way to get ready for the exams. We will drop at least two HW scores for your overall average. Canvas will not show this drop until the end of the semester.
CheatingDon't cheat! We are doing everything we can to help you be successful in this course. There is no reason to cheat and doing so diminishes the entire learning experience. I'd go on but won't (for now). You're welcome.
The last day to drop the course is Tuesday, October 25, 2022. It is also the last day that you can change the grading status for the course to pass/fail. You should be able to do all of this online.
Please notify me of any modification/adaptation you may require to accommodate a disability-related need. You will be requested to provide documentation to the Dean of Students' Office, in order that the most appropriate accommodations can be determined. Specialized services are available on campus through the Disability & Access Services Office. The official wording is this: The University of Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY or Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Disablility & Access, 512-471-6259, https://diversity.utexas.edu/disability/
Religious holy days sometimes conflict with class and examination schedules. It is the policy of The University of Texas at Austin that the student must notify each instructor at least fourteen days prior to the classes scheduled on dates he or she will be absent to observe a religious holy day. For religious holidays that fall within the first two weeks of the semester, the notice should be given on the first day of the semester. The student may not be penalized for these excused absences but the instructor may appropriately respond if the student fails to complete satisfactorily the missed assignment or examination within a reasonable time after the excused absence.
This course carries the Quantitative Reasoning flag. Quantitative Reasoning courses are designed to equip you with skills that are necessary for understanding the types of quantitative arguments you will regularly encounter in your adult and professional life. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your use of quantitative skills to analyze real-world problems.
The following learning objectives were developed by the faculty committee that oversees the Quantitative Reasoning Flag. Although it is not required that every Quantitative Reasoning course meets every objective, the committee hopes that many Quantitative Reasoning courses will strive to do so.
Students should be taught to do the following to make sense of and gain a deeper understanding of the real world:
Sharing of Course Materials is Prohibited:No materials used in this class, including, but not limited to, lecture hand-outs, videos, assessments (quizzes, exams, papers, projects, homework assignments), in-class materials, review sheets, and additional problem sets, may be shared online or with anyone outside of the class unless you have my explicit, written permission. Unauthorized sharing of materials promotes cheating. It is a violation of the University’s Student Honor Code and an act of academic dishonesty. I am well aware of the sites used for sharing materials, and any materials found online that are associated with you, or any suspected unauthorized sharing of materials, will be reported to Student Conduct and Academic Integrity in the Office of the Dean of Students. These reports can result in sanctions, including failure in the course and expulsion from the University.
This course may be used to fulfill three hours of the Natural Science and Technology Part I component of the university core curriculum and addresses the following four core objectives established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:
CH301 · 50920 Principles of Chemistry I
© 2022 · mccord