CHEMISTRY 108 / Fall 2020: SYLLABUS
[Translate and/or listen to Syllabus, or any Web page] Choice of over 50 languages.

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Class Zoom Meetings * Texts & Materials * Topics * Homework * Grading & Code of Conduct * Submissions & Absences * Lab * Safety * Internet

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Dr. Ron Rusay  Office: PS 235, tel. (925) 969-4216; Office Hours: MW 10:00-11:00, (On-line) zoom video/phone conferencing Meeting #: 949-7176-8617, password sent in a separate e-mail; TTh 11:00-12:00 (On-line) zoom video/phone conferencing Meeting #: 913-9688-0946, password sent in a separate e-mail.
Other contact times: daily via e-mail, replies made within 24 hours. Personal meetings: on request by appointment; Requests must be made by e-mail 24 hours in advance.
E-mail: rrusay@dvc.edu

Course Homepage: http://chemconnections.org/general/chem108/

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CHEM-108 Introductory Chemistry, Sections 2341 & 2343

This course is an introduction to the experimental science of chemistry. Using mathematical word problems and chemical terms, the student will have an overview of inorganic chemistry. This course is appropriate for those that have no high school chemistry experience.

Units:	4.00
Grade Code:	Student choice
Repeatability:	0




Prerequisite: Placement into MATH-121; or MATH-085 or MATH 085SP; or MATH-090 or MATH-090E or MATH-090SP or assessment process
Recommended: Eligibility for ENGL 122 or equivalent

Access to the internet and a computer with audio and video capability are required. Smartphones, Android, or i-phones will work, but NOT well. Smart phones are NOT recommended.

PLEASE CONSIDER CAREFULLY: The teaching style of these Chem 108 sections are based upon current research. It supports many different individual learning styles that provides a sound basis and opportunities for each of you to develop an interest & foundational literacy (“knowledge, skills, and fluency”) in chemistry and science, while preparing you for success in subsequent follow-on chemistry courses and ultimately in any career path. It incorporates many innovations in guided teaching methods & practices, instructional technologies, and pedagogical applications, which depart from, but are built upon traditional textbook-lecture centered undergraduate courses. The organization and approach are likely to be quite different from other courses that you are experienced in and comfortable with. The material will not be treated linearly as simple page turning in relation to a required course textbook. You will be challenged to develop and use vocabulary, access a variety of information, to appraise its value, and to use it constructively in different contexts, to answer guided questions, to solve practical problems, to understand how you learn, and to build knowledge.

You will have various digital assets and tools available to you that go well beyond a textbook and class notes. You will need to be disciplined and develop reading, viewing and reporting skills & habits that must be used very frequently (daily is recommended or every 2-3 days at least) in which you decide how to use these resources to effectively answer questions, communicate and meet challenges. Everyone will not have the same approach, which is expected and normal. We are all quite different in our learning, and yet, as you will see, we are very much alike, genetically >99% of our natural DNA makeup is the same! You will need to develop your own personal learning plan according to your own skills, goals and challenges. Not all knowledge will be provided to you to repeat back accurately for a grade as you are accustomed to in most courses. Your learning plan will most likely be different in one or more aspects than anyone else's. Without a plan that you can use productively and adjust as the course progresses, you will likely not meet your personal objectives. This metacognitive approach to teaching-learning will translate to any of your other courses and more importantly empower you to effectively address any topic in any discipline at anytime in your careers.

If you do not have experience with an on-line course, please refer to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5g1anmx2us&feature=youtu.be

Certain student performance standards are uncompromising and unconditional. You are required to attend 4 zoom on-line streaming meetings: 24-Aug, 28-Sep, 2-Nov, and 9-Dec. You are expected to be punctual for each of these meetings beginning at 11:10AM: Zoom meeting #: 949-7176-8617, password has been sent to you in a separate e-mail. (Joining the first meeting is required to be enrolled in the class. If absent from or late for the 24-Aug 11:10AM meeting and without having contacted Dr. R. prior to this first zoom class meeting, you will be dropped from the roster. The last 3 meeting dates are exams.) You are expected to be prepared every week of the 16 week semester by reading and reviewing the on-line presentation materials that are linked from the course calendars prior to the live 11:10-12:35 streaming Monday & Wednesday class zoom meetings, which will be recorded, and then you are to submit answers to the Guiding Questions (GQ), and the Discussion Questions, which are embedded in the presentations. The zoom meetings will be live presentations followed by a Question & Answer period that are recorded and archived, which can be viewed asynchronously via links from the assignments calendar. The live presentations will include answers to the embedded Discussion Questions, which are found in the reading materials without answers. You are not required to login to these live zoom meetings, but highly encouraged to do so. Recordings of the zoom presentations will be accessible through the course assignments calendar. You are expected to view all zoom presentations either live and/or recorded, and to develop an understanding of each class topic, each laboratory activity & simulation, and to also be practiced in the vocabulary, skills, and concepts of previous classes & labs. You are expected to be informed, attentive, polite and respectful to everyone you interact with throughout the course. 

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A. Class Meetings: LIVE: MW 11:10-12:35, (On-line) zoom video/phone conferencing Meeting #: 949-7176-8617, password sent in a separate e-mail; RECORDED Proceedings: individual archived meeting links to .mp4 movie files found in assignments calendar.

Weekly Labs (Asynchronous) for both registration sections, Sec. 2341, (Monday) and registration Sec. 2343, (Wednesday); Refer to weekly schedule (see assignments calendar). Same weekly assignment & due dates for both registration sections.

All meetings and materials can be accessed over the open internet through the course homepage. The DVC college learning management system CANVAS will NOT be used directly.

Timely submission of both lecture and laboratory assignments are required. Deadlines are posted and strictly adhered to. Late submissions are not accepted nor graded. NOTE: College policy calls for dropping students from a course if 2 weeks of class or lab assignments are missed cumulatively (in total).

Classes begin: 8/24; Joining this first meeting is required to be enrolled in the class.
If absent from the 24-Aug 11:10AM meeting and without having contacted Dr. R. prior to this first zoom class meeting, you will be dropped from the roster.
Holidays: 9/7, 9-25, 11-9, 11-26, 11-27
On-line Exam dates: 9/28, 11/2, 12/9


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B. References and Equipment (minimized costs):


1: Principal Resources:

Webassign (REQUIRED/MUST HAVE): The following Webassign link and class key must be used to self-enroll on-line in Chem 108 2341-2343 using your name and DVC id number. There is to be a 14 day grace period. After that time, a $41.00 payment on-line, which includes access to the electronic textbook, An Introduction to Chemistry, Atoms First, Mark Bishop, 12th Edition, which the organization of the course is based on.

https://www.webassign.net/v4cgi/selfenroll/classkey.html
The following Class Key must be used to enroll.
dvc 2938 8431

You can obtain an access code to complete the process by providing an on-line payment of $41.00 at this time, or you can wait until a 14 day grace period ends. If you do not enroll on or before the end of the 14 day grace period, you will loose all credit for 15% of your overall end-of-course maximum possible grade. There will be no exceptions. Webassign enrollment provides access to all of the Webassign resources through your account, which includes An Introduction to Chemistry e-book with associated questions and a broad collection of supporting resources ($41.00).

Detailed instructions .pdf
Follow the paragraph after using the Class Key: " I do not have an access code."
1. Log in to WebAssign. 2. Select purchase access online and click Continue. 3. Select items to purchase, confirm any license agreements, and click Enter payment information. 4. Provide your payment and contact information and click Continue. 5. Review your order and click Complete purchase. 6. Close your receipt and start working in WebAssign."

If you are having difficulty with any part of this process, please contact me immediately by e-mail and provide details.

(Hard copies of An Introduction to Chemistry, Atoms First ISBN978-0-9778105 can be purchased @ $74.45.) http://preparatorychemistry.com/Bishop_Payment_text_atoms.htm
Two copies are on 3-hour reserve at the DVC Library.

REQUIRED ($41.00)_

Textbook purchase is Not Required; Only Webassign ($41.00)_

2: Access to the internet with a computer having audio & video and a recent version of a browser (examples below). (REQUIRED/MUST HAVE)




3: A personal e-mail account. (REQUIRED/MUST HAVE)

4: Flash Drive (Recommended)

5: Chem 108 Notebook: (Recommended)

C. Course Outline/ Objectives / Topics:

Student Learning Objectives (SLOs): The overarching Chem 108 course objective is to provide a learning environment that encourages and enables each student to devleop a personal foundational literacy, “knowledge, skills, and fluency”, within the chemistry domain as outlined in the National Academy of Sciences publication, Science Literacy: Concepts, Contexts, and Consequences (2016). https://doi.org/10.17226/23595
More specifically, students will be able to:

Lecture

1. Define introductory chemical terms and give examples of how they are used.
2. Apply the chemical knowledge gained by solving mathematical word problems pertaining to a variety of chemical situations.
3. Distinguish between various states of matter, elements, ions, and molecules by physical and chemical properties.
4. Construct chemical equations, balance them, and calculate product yields utilizing chemical stoichiometry and other knowledge gained in the course.
5. Calculate solution concentrations, assess the chemical species present in solutions, and evaluate the physical properties of gases, liquids, solids, and solutions
   

Laboratory

1. Perform a variety of chemical experiments and techniques.
2. Record data and observations.
3. Apply lecture objectives using data to analyze laboratory results.
   

Content:

Lecture

1. Introduction to experimental science of chemistry
1. The Scientific Method
2. Metric system, unit conversions, density and temperature
3. Significant figures and scientific notation
2. The composition of matter
1. Physical properties of solids, liquids, and gases
2. Atoms, molecules, and ionic compounds
3. Chemical formulas and nomenclature
3. Atomic theory and the Periodic Table
4. Chemical reactions and stoichiometry
1. Prediction of products and balancing equations
2. Moles, molar mass, percent composition, chemical yields
3. Types of chemical reactions
4. Chemical equilibrium and Le Chatelier's Principle
5. Gas laws
6. Solutions
1. Solubility rules
2. Expressions of concentration i.e. molarity and percent composition
7. Acid and base theory
1. Strong versus weak acids and bases
2. pH scale
3. Titrations
4. Buffers
8. Nuclear chemistry
1. Radioactivity and radioisotopes
2. Half-lives and radioactive decay pathways
3. Uses of radioactivity: medical applications and power generation

Laboratory

1. Observe chemical reactions and write balanced equations
2. Record data and perform calculations with appropriate significant figures
3. Develop laboratory skills such as pipetting, titrations, measuring volume and mass, and qualitative analysis of an unknown
4. Draw conclusions by applying lecture topics and vocabulary

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D. Class Preparation & Homework: Staying current: developing, practicing, and applying vocabulary, course content & cognitive skills on a frequent / daily basis are essential for your success in this course and recommended for all of your courses of study. The amount of preparation, practice and time required will differ for each of you. In order to score well, the questions to ask yourself while going through this experience are, Do I know and understand the meaning of the vocabulary? Do I understand the question? Do I understand the concepts? Can I effectively communicate and explain the question, concepts relating to the question, and an approach to solving the problem to someone else? And, can I recognize and correctly answer questions that are similar to the ones contained in the Webassign Homework, the embedded Discussion Questions, the lab worksheets, the homework problems, the class/lab activities and the Exams' "Practice Questions"?. Correlating the time related to your answer to these questions will provide an estimate of what you will likely need to invest. Exams will be designed to test content & concepts based on these materials.

Suggested weekly preparation and implementation: 1) (Refer to the course assignments calendar frequently) Read & print the on-line Class Presentation Slides that are linked from the assignment calendar. View embedded links & questions in the presentations & consider possible answers for the embedded discussion questions before each class. (The slides are the main resource to guide and focus your attention to the course topics.) Take notes on the printed slides. Record answers to the embedded discussion questions and then compare them to the correct answers in the zoom presentation. 2) Submit answers to the related Discussion Questions & Guiding Questions before the assignment's due deadline. 3) Complete all lab assignments, individual & collaborative.(Consulting with classmates is encouraged). 4) Individually complete the Webassign Homework assignments working on them as frequently as posible. Submit all assignments on time before the scheduled due dates. (In most cases the assignments will lock out submissions after the deadline and record a zero for the assignment. Late assignments will not be accepted. If there are problems, they MUST be brought to Dr. R's attention BEFORE the assignment is due: NOT after the deadline.) 5) Forming study groups is highly encouraged. It is an opportunity to test your understanding and to provide and get mutual assistance in developing a level of mastery of the in-class topics, lab activities and relaed problems. Refering frequently to the assignment calendar and its linked information is an unconditional course requirement. If this is not done prior to bringing questions forward, those questions most very likely CANNOT be adequately addressed.

On-line student tutors are available on a scheduled basis.

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E.  Grading:
Active Participation: answers to Discussion Questions + answers to Guiding Questions + answers to simulations/quizzes are valued at 15% of the TOTAL grade; Webassign & Inspark homework, lessons & tutorials are valued at 15% of the TOTAL grade; Laboratory activities & related assignments are valued at 25% of the TOTAL grade; 3 "Cumulative" Exams, which include cumulative topics from the beginning of the course, are each valued at 15% (45% of the TOTAL course grade).

Exam dates: 9/28, 11/2, 12/9


Final letter grades will be assigned based on the following normalized final averages: 87-100% A/A-; 75-86% B/B-; 60-75% C/C-; 50-59% D; <50% F;
A= Distinguished Performance/ Exceeds Expectations; B= Very Good Performance/ Meets Most Expectations; C= Basic Performance / Satisfactorily Meets Minimal Expectations; D= Poor Performance/ Meets Less than Acceptable Expectations; F= Unacceptable Performance/ Does Not Meet Expectations.

What is normalized grading versus "curving"?

NOTE: The DVC Code of Conduct will be strictly enforced. Cheating and plagiarism are unacceptable and will unconditionally result in a failing grade. SEE: DVC Academic College Policies

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F.  Submissions & Absences:
Active participation and timely course submisssions are unconditionally expected. If you are to miss any deadline due to illness or other legitimate reason, you must advise Dr. R. prior to, or on the day that it is scheduled. If you do not do so, there will be no possibility of being accommodated. Send an e-mail to rrusay@dvc.edu. If you miss a cumulative total of 8 laboratory assignment due dates and/or class submissions regardless of the reasons, you may be dropped from the course. [College policy provides for a student being dropped from a course if a student misses a cumulative total equivalent of two weeks of class/lab meetings.]

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G.  Laboratory:
The laboratory component of the course is digitally based. It is essential to the overall course and is the integral link between chemical concepts and tangible, on-line lab activities & exercises. A failing grade in the lab portion will result in a failing grade for the course. The laboratory curriculum will consist of simulations, experiments, models, and virtual activities relating to the class topics. The lab grade constitutes 25% of the final grade.

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H. Safety:
Laboratory safety and good lab practices are of the utmost importance to experimentation, science and chemistry. The well being of anyone who works or studies in a lab is of the highest importance, and everyone must be aware of and have knowledge of how to employ good lab practices in order to insure their own personal safety and the safety of their lab mates whenever they may be in a lab environment. Although in the on-line environment of this course, the Chem 108 labs are simulated and virtual, it is important to recognize hazards, understand risks, and respect the importance of minimizing chemical exposure, which are critical lessons. General good lab practices require that no one works in a lab without another person being present, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn at all times, bare feet, food, drink, eating, and conduct which places anyone at risk are unacceptable, and all wastes must be disposed of properly. Violation of good lab practices and safety standards can result in accidents, serious injuries, and have grave consequences for anyone working in any lab, whether in a teaching lab or in one of employment. Understanding the principles of lab safety will be a part of the Chem 108 lab curriculum.