http://www.dmacc.edu
Campus Name: Urban Campus
Course Title: Intro. to General Chemistry
Course Number: CHM 122
Section Number & CRN: UBM 10129
Instructor Information
Name / Ms. Sally Kessler
E-mail Address /
Phone Number / Contact via email.
Mastering Chemistry Codes / The class is CHM 122 UBM 10129
The code is FALL2013MORNING
Office Location / 2-207 unless otherwise noted
Office Hours / MF 11:40-12:40, or by appointment; students are encouraged to contact the instructor to set up meeting times.
Online Information / @sally_kessler (Twitter)
http://mysite.dmacc.edu/personal/smkessler/instructor (Website)
Course Information
Semester & Year / Fall 2013
Date Syllabus Created and/or Revised / August 8, 2013
Days & Time & Location / MW 8:30-10:00 a.m., Urban Campus Building 2, Room 202; F 8:00-10:00 a.m. Urban Campus Building 2, Room 209
Course Description & Credits / http://www.dmacc.edu/courses/crsrod.asp
This four credit course is the first semester in a sequence of two that provides an overview of chemistry and laboratory techniques. The class also provides support for students in health-related fields professionally and academically. Students will learn the fundamentals of general chemistry, lab techniques, research skills, and problem-solving using the scientific method. Students can expect much of the content to be math-intensive.
Prerequisites / 1 year H.S. Algebra or MAT 063
Course Competencies / https://go.dmacc.edu/competencies/Documents/CHM122.pdf
Academic Skills Guide / http://www.dmacc.edu/skillsguide/a-libarts.asp
All students will be held to the high academic standards established by the Liberal Arts Academic Skills Guide, regardless of major.
Study Tips / The best way to learn the material is by doing extra problems in study groups. Form study groups early on in the semester! Do not assume you understand the material without doing extra practice problems from every section in Chapters 1-11.
Be sure to read the textbook chapters, laboratory procedures, and any relevant appendices before and after they are covered in class (read each chapter and lab at least twice). Actively read all of the material twice.
Overall, you are expected to study (actively read, do Mastering Chemistry problems, work on the labs, answer practice problems in the book, etc.) for at least two hours per every hour we spend together in room 209. You may have to study for much longer periods of time, especially at the beginning of the semester. Be sure you are actively studying, in a quiet environment without distractions.
Use ALL of the resources at your disposal, including (but not limited to!): your fellow classmates, the Academic Achievement Center in Study Skills (Building 1, Room 204) or in Science (Building 1, Room 206), free Peer Tutoring (Building 1, Room 207), the instructor, Academic Advising (Building 1, Room 101), Tech Support (515-965-7300, , DMACC Counselors (Building 1, Room 101), Career Services (Ankeny, Building 1)…
If you miss any class periods, it is your responsibility to obtain the missed notes and class news from a classmate as soon as possible. Be sure to get in touch with me, however, to go over the questions you have.
Get a three-ring binder in which you safe all the material you get in this class, including: returned lab reports, exams, hand-outs, quizzes. You will have access to the material on Blackboard ONLY during this semester; if you like any of the links, bookmark them now.
Textbooks & Materials
Required Textbooks & ISBN / Timberlake, K. General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 4th ed., ISBN-10: 0-321-75089-6 or ISBN-13: 978-0-0321-75089-1; Pearson Education, Inc.: Boston, 2013.
Either a hardcover version of the book or the e-text (available through http://www.masteringchemistry.com) are acceptable.
Vanderlinden, D. Laboratory Experiments for CHM 122: Introduction to General Chemistry; DMACC—Urban Campus: Des Moines, 2012. Both texts are available in the bookstore. You must purchase the lab manual at the Urban campus bookstore.
Required Materials / Scientific calculator with LOG and scientific notation functions.
You may NOT use your phones as calculators on exams.
Optional or Recommended Books/Materials / Personal pair of ANSI Z87 goggles, available in the bookstore.
Free apps for your device: “Complete Periodic Table,” “Universal Unit Converter,” “Chemistry Cheat Sheet”
Software Applications / Pearson’s Mastering Chemistry—Instant Access—for General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 4th ed. Comes automatically with the textbook if purchased at the bookstore; available online at: http://masteringchemistry.com/site/register/new-students.html
Students who purchase their Mastering Chemistry software late will not be exempted from the homework that they miss.
Students who purchase the incorrect edition of the Mastering Chemistry software will not be able to do the assigned homework and will miss a significant amount of points.
Software Notice / “All the software used in this class is copyrighted; therefore, it is not for distribution, copying, or personal use. This software is the property of Des Moines Area Community College.”
Course Policies
Attendance / Students can expect to perform much better by attending and actively participating in the class. Missing one class period is missing roughly half of a chapter in our text.
Students are expected to attend every scheduled class period throughout the entire scheduled class time. Students who do not attend the majority of class periods, from start to finish, can expect to be dropped from the course.
Students must inform the instructor at least 24 full hours in advance if they expect to have an extenuating circumstance that would cause them to be absent, arrive late, or have to leave early from any scheduled class period. Absences and/or missed portions of classes may be excused on a case-by-case basis, according to the instructor’s discretion.
Grading Criteria / Assignments / Point Breakdown: Passing Grades
Exams (2): 200 points / 940-1000 pt. A
Presentation: 100 points / 939-900 pt. A-
Labs (11): 275 points / 870-899 pt. B+
Cumulative Final: 125 points / 869-840 pt. B
Blogs (10): 100 / 839-800 pt. B-
Mini-Presentations/Quizzes (10): 100 / 799-770 pt. C+
Homework (all of the Mastering Chemistry problems weighted): 100 / 769-740 pt. C
Total: 1000 / 739-700 pt. C-
·  Exams will be closed-notes and closed-book and will cover all new information since the previous assessment. All exams will include a copy of the periodic table. Students may use a 3.5” x 5” index card of notes, double sided, on the exam.
·  Mini-Presentations/Quizzes: You will have mini-presentations on some Wednesdays on an assigned topic, with which you may work in small groups. You will have a description of what you will have to present (and a warning that you will have a presentation) at least one class day in advance.
You will have unannounced pop quizzes throughout the term.
·  The presentations will explore a topic from this class in-depth, in pairs or alone.
·  Lab grades will include lab effort and safety techniques, a reflective paragraph, and a report for each experiment. Students may make revisions on labs.
·  The final exam will be cumulative and is scheduled for F, 12/6 from 8-10 am in room 209.
·  Blogs bridge the gap between at-home study and in-class work. Blog assignments will be discussed in class and will not be available online. Students will comment on their assigned topic and will comment on a blog given by another student the previous week. Students may make revisions on their blogs.
·  Homework is assigned on Mastering Chemistry only and will be regularly due by 5:00 p.m. on the due date listed in the syllabus.
Classroom Conduct / https://go.dmacc.edu/handbook
Students are expected to arrive on time, stay the entire class period, and treat everyone in this class with respect in class and online.
Students can expect their instructor to treat everyone with respect, return graded work within a week, and to post current grades via Secret Codes every Friday. Students can also expect their instructor to respond to emails sent by 5 pm in a timely fashion.
Missed Exams / Make-up exams will only be considered on a case-by-case basis and only if the instructor is informed of the situation at least 24 hours ahead of the scheduled exam. The instructor has the final say on whether an exam can be made up or not. Exam make-ups will take place in the Testing Center (Building 1, Room 207; M-R, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
Late Assignments / Late work will be marked down, starting the minute after the assignments are due. You will still have your lab work marked late if you yourself are late to lab (and therefore unable to submit your work right at the beginning of class). If you know you are going to be absent when a lab write-up is due, submit the work early in class or submit the work to Student Services (Building 1, Room 101) to be delivered to the instructor.
If the work is to be completed online, it must still be submitted on time and on the assigned date to avoid late penalties, regardless of if the student is in class or not.
Weather Policy / “Individual circumstances such as health, childcare, rural roads, distance from the College, etc. can vary greatly among students and staff. It is always DMACC’s goal to provide safe learning conditions, as well as provide the opportunity for students to attend classes when the vast majority is able to safely attend. The final decision to come to College can only be made by the individual student based on their specific extenuating circumstances that may make it unsafe for them to travel. During adverse weather, DMACC faculty is considerate of students who are unable to attend classes due to unique extenuating circumstances. It is the responsibility of each faculty member to notify their students (in addition to their dean or provost) through some predetermined means if they are must postpone or cancel a specific class due to weather or illness.”
Class Cancellation Procedure / If class needs to be cancelled for any other reason (such as instructor illness), you will be notified ASAP via your DMACC e-mail address.
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism / Professionalism is highly important in the chemical community. Progress in science could not be made without original ideas. All students should strive to maintain a high level of academic integrity, ethics, and creativity; make the chemistry your own. The American Chemical Society (ACS)’s website explains the established professional standard in ethics: http://pubs.acs.org/userimages/ContentEditor/1218054468605/ethics.pdf
It is important for you to be familiar with and follow DMACC’s Academic Misconduct policy. Students are encouraged to review DMACC’s Academic Misconduct Policy on-line at https://go.dmacc.edu/handbook/polprocedures/pages/academicmisconduct.aspx or in the DMACC Student Handbook.
DMACC’s Academic Misconduct Policy (ES 4670) prohibits: plagiarism (using another person’s writing or copying any work without proper citation), falsification, unauthorized collaboration during a test or on an exam, course or test. If your classmates significantly help you in your work, you must cite your fellow students. You must cite all of the resources that you consult for lab write- ups, blogs, and your presentation (See: Quick Guide: ACS Citation Style).
Students who are found responsible for a violation of the Academic Misconduct Policy or who appear to be in violation of the Misconduct Policy will receive a failing grade for the first offense—for any assignment. This may include:
·  submitting lab work in another person’s handwriting
·  providing identical answers to a classmate’s in any assignment.
·  failing to put quotation marks around a phrase or sentence you are quoting word-for-word
·  failing to appropriately cite an outside source
Students have the right to appeal and may do so by following the procedures described in the Academic Misconduct policy.
Course Specific (lab) Safety Procedures / Bring your textbook, notes, and lab manual to scheduled lab periods.
You will be marked down for displaying unsafe behavior, failing to follow safety instructions listed in your manual or by your instructor, or otherwise not abiding by the safety standards established by the ACS: http://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/about/governance/committees/chemicalsafety/publications/safety-in-academic-chemistry-laboratories-students.pdf
You must also wear appropriate lab attire on Fridays; this includes wearing: goggles, closed-toed shoes, and clothing that goes down to your ankles; pulling back hair and clothing; avoid having food or drink in lab areas while conducting experiments; and abiding by all safety expectations covered by the instructor or the lab manual.
If any accident or safety issue should occur, notify the instructor immediately.
DMACC Information
Add/Drop Dates / https://go.dmacc.edu/registration/pages/add_drop.aspx
Last Day to Add Classes: W, 8/28
Last Day to Drop Classes: F, 11/1
See Also: https://go.dmacc.edu/students/pages/academiccalendar.aspx
Refund Policy / https://go.dmacc.edu/registration/Pages/refund.aspx
Support Services
Services for Students with Disabilities / https://go.dmacc.edu/student_services/disabilities
Any student with a documented disability who requires reasonable accommodation should contact the Disability Services Coordinator at 515-964-6850V or or the counseling & advising office on any campus to apply for services.
Course Syllabus
Disclaimer: “This syllabus is representative of materials that will be covered in this class; it is not a contract between the student and the institution. It is subject to change without notice. Any potential exceptions to stated policies and requirements will be addressed on an individual basis, and only for reasons that meet specific requirements. If you have any problems related to this class, please feel free to discuss them with me.”
Nondiscrimination Policy: Des Moines Area Community College shall not engage in or allow discrimination covered by law. This includes harassment based on race, color, national origin, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability. Veteran status in educational programs, activities, employment practices, or admission procedures is also included to the extent covered by law. Individuals who believe they have been discriminated against may file a complaint through the College Discrimination Complaint Procedures. Complaint forms may be obtained from the DMACC Web site, the Ombudsperson, Judicial Officer, Human Resources Department, the campus Provost's Offices, and Academic Deans’ Offices.
Students who wish additional information or assistance may contact the Executive Dean, Student Services, Laurie Wolf, Bldg.1 on the Ankeny Campus, 515-964-6437 or the Judicial Officer, Debbie McKittrick, Bldg.1 on the Ankeny Campus, 515-964-6574 or they may refer to Student Services procedure ES 4645 located at https://go.dmacc.edu/student_services/int. Click Policies & Procedures.
Employees and applicants who wish additional information or assistance may contact the EEO/AA Officer, Dr. Sandy Tryon, Human Resources, Bldg.1 on Ankeny Campus, 515-964-6301 or refer to HR Procedures 3000, 3005, 3010, 3015, and 3020 at http://www.dmacc.edu/hr/hrpp.asp