Principles of Chemistry - McCord
#51170, #51175, #51180

Spring 2012

Instructor: Dr. Paul McCord
Office: WEL 5.239
Hours: MWF 11-11:50 am
email: mccord302@cm.utexas.edu
website: http://mccord.cm.utexas.edu/courses/spring2012/ch302

Textbook: Chemical Principles 6th Edition, Steven S. Zumdahl, Houghton Mifflin (2008).

One way to get a New Textbook (eBook)

(1) Go to the University Coop Bookstore located at 2246 Guadalupe St. or to their website at: http://www.universitycoop.com/ You'll have to navigate through the Textbooks menu to our class on their website. The Coop will sell you the eBook as well although they will already have the loose-leaf hardcopy for you to take. You'll also receive an access code to gain access to the online eBook.

(2) I don't know how to get the eBook in other ways. In theory, you can go directly to cengagebrain.com and "find" our book. Check cost though - best bet is used market for a REAL book.

Chapters to be Covered: Chapters 17, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 15 with some sections from Chapters 16, 10, 20, and 21 breaking down roughly in the following ways..
Exam 1 : Chapter 16 (sections 10-11), Chapter 17 (sections 1-7), Chapter 6 (sections 1-3), and Chapter 10.10-11.
Exam 2 : Chapter 6 (sections 4-9), Chapter 7, and Chapter 8 (sections 1-7).
Exam 3 : Chapter 8 (sections8-10), and Chapter 11
Exam 4 : All of Chapter 15, maybe parts of Chapters 20 and 21.
Final Exam : Comprehensive - all covered chapters
Please also note that you are responsible for all the material and topics covered in Chapters 1-4 of this book plus all topics from CH301.

iClicker2: All students must have an iClicker2. Only an iClicker2 will work and no other types or brands! We have officially switched to the iclicker2 (not the original iclicker) - see picture to the left. The Co-op has these listed for $46.65 new. That is the ONLY cost. There is no registration fee. You can use ANY iClicker2 for this class. You will need to register the iClicker2 serial number via the web (www.iclicker.com) and then you are good to go. You'll also need to set the frequency to "CD" for class.

sci-calc nographing Calculator: All students must have a SCIENTIFIC CALCULATOR and no more than that for exams. If you don't already have one, I'd suggest getting a TI-30xa or something like it (picture shown at the left, very simple to use and cheap). You cannot use any type of graphing calculator for our exams. You just need a simple scientific calculator. Also, know HOW to use your calculator.

Overall Scoring for the Course

Your overall score will be determined from your Homework Average, iclicker Average, Exam Average, and a FINAL EXAM. Your overall score (and letter grade) in the course will be calculated by two methods. The HIGHEST score of these two methods will be the one that counts. Your score is calculated to the nearest 1/100th - that's 2 places PAST the decimal.

Method 1

Method 2

Note a: The 20% is officially = 10% Homework and 10% iClicker. The Learning Modules part was discontinued too early in order to count is as any part of your grade.
Note b: The 3-exam average is your best 3 out of 4 exams averaged (1 dropped exam).
Note c: The 4-exam average is all 4 exams averaged with no drops.

Grade Breaks

Course grades will be determined according to the following scale or cut-offs:

Your score is calculated to the nearest 1/100th - that's 2 places PAST the decimal. So the only digit that is rounded "up" is the 1/1000th's digit.

If you have an Exam Conflict...

Only UT-related conflicts are excepted reasons to reschedule an exam. Here are most of the accepted conflicts:

Reschedule your Exam(s) at WEL 2.212

The Undergraduate Chemistry Office is where you need to go to reschedule the exam conflict.

Exam Schedule

The class exams will be held in various rooms around campus. ALWAYS check our website to find out WHERE you go for your exam.

All regular Exams are on Tuesday evenings from 7-9 PM

Final Exam

Homework

You are expected to work the homework problems and complete the assigned readings throughout the semester. Homework is administered via the web (Quest, see below) and will count between 8 and 10% of your overall grade. Three of your lowest homework scores will be dropped in computing your overall homework average.

Your performance on the exams will depend heavily on how well you understand and can fully work the homework problems that are assigned. You should also really try working ALL the problems at the end of each relevant chapter in the book.

Quest (cost: $22)

This course makes use of the web-based Quest content delivery and homework server system maintained by the College of Natural Sciences. This homework service will require a $22 charge per student for its use, which goes toward the maintenance and operation of the resource. Please go to http://quest.cns.utexas.edu to log in to the Quest system for this class (there is also a link provided on the menu bar on our course website).

After the 12th day of class, when you log into Quest you will be asked to pay via credit card on a secure payment site. You have the option to wait up to 30 days to pay while still continuing to use Quest for your assignments. If you are taking more than one course using Quest, you will not be charged more than $50/semester. Quest provides mandatory instructional material for this course, just as is your textbook, iclicker, etc. For payment questions, send an email to: quest.fees@cns.utexas.edu

iClicker Quizzes

Quizzes will be given in class via the iClicker2 remote. There WILL be questions that the older iclicker version-1 will NOT work on, so you MUST purchase an iClicker2 remote. Quizzes will count 8% of your overall grade in the class. You MUST bring your iclicker2 to class everyday. If you don't have an iclicker you will receive a zero for that day's quiz (no exceptions to this rule!). You should also watch your battery level on the iclicker2. Running out of power is no excuse. You can only have ONE clicker in class. Do NOT try to operate 2 iclickers for class - this is considered cheating (see further down). You MUST also register your iclicker2 on iclicker.com. You might have to register the iclicker number in some other places as well for your other courses - like on Quest for chemistry labs. We will drop 7 iclicker quizzes in the overall average for iclicker.

Learning Modules

Learning Modules will be administered through Quest and will have a total value of 4% or 0% of your grade. There will be lots of these modules throughout the semester (actually 14 total). This means that several will be dropped in the averaging of this score (exactly 4 scores dropped in the average). Learning Modules are posted and due in a SHORT time frame. They are also very short in the number of questions in them.

Exams

The four exams will be given in the evenings from 7-9 PM on the scheduled days. The class(es) will be split between two or three rooms.These rooms will be posted soon after the first class day and at least a week before the exams. You must go to the correct room for your specific section of CH302 or you will receive a zero on the exam.

Be sure and bring your (non-graphing, non-programmable) scientific calculator to the exam. We do NOT provide calculators. You CANNOT use your phone or any other "smart" as your calculator. All electronics MUST be stored completely away and turned off.

You CANNOT make-up a missed exam for ANY REASON WHATSOEVER. If you have a University approved conflict that requires rescheduling an exam, you must notify the instructor within the first 2 weeks of the course (go to WEL 2.212 and schedule your earlier exam time). You get to drop one exam score from your overall average, so for whatever reason you miss, that particular exam score (a zero) will be your dropped exam.

Each student will receive a unique exam copy with a specific version number on it. There is a different exam version for every student in the class, no two students can have the same version number (it's impossible). We will keep ALL exam materials after the exam is over. You MUST turn in your exam, a bubblesheet, and all scratch paper when you complete your exam. Make sure you sign each part of your exam.

Final Exam

The final exam for CH302 WILL be comprehensive and a mandatory part of your overall grade in the course. This means that all the material covered during the course will be on the exam. The final exam will be counted as 20% of your overall grade. If you keep up with the material for the semester, the final will not be any more difficult than the four exams. It will be extremely difficult if you try to cram for it one day ahead. Keep up and make the grade. You cannot reschedule or drop the final exam grade - it is a mandatory part of the course. The time for the final is published when the course schedule is made and there are NO conflicts by design. You certainly could have chosen NOT to take this section of the course. Since you did decide to TAKE the course, you will TAKE the final at the time designated by the University.

Cheating

If you get caught cheating in any way whatsoever you will have to discuss the situation with me. If you plead no contest, I will usually offer a reasonable solution. However, if the student denies the allegation, I will proceed by presenting the evidence to the Office of the Dean of Students as is the policy. A hearing will ultimately result. It is possible to be expelled from the University on such matters. Yes, read the General Information Catalog about scholastic dishonesty (i.e. cheating). If found "guilty" the University can go so far as to bar you from enrollment for life. Take home lesson, don't cheat.

Students with Disabilities

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 Services for Students with Disabilities. 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.

Drop Date

The last day to drop the course for academic reasons is Monday, April 2, 2012. This will require you to go to your college and get a drop form. You then must bring the form to me and get my approval and signature. After this deadline, students must go to the Dean's office, WCH 2.112, to begin the appeal for substantiated non-academic reasons.

Observance of Religious Holidays

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.