CHEM&100 (3253) Chemical Explorations

Course Description:

Learning Outcomes:

After completing this class, students should be able to:

• Define chemistry and describe the key elements of the scientific method.

• Describe the general structure of the atom and extract information about an atom of an element using the periodic table, including element symbol, atomic number, atomic mass, and number of protons and electrons.

• Identify the role of chemical reactions in daily life using examples such as acid rain, photosynthesis, cooking, industrial synthesis, and pharmaceuticals.

• Describe the differences between molecular, ionic, and metallic substances, including acids, bases, organic molecules, and polymers.

• Describe the characteristics of a solid, liquid, and gas in terms of visible properties and the kinetic-molecular theory of matter, and compare pure substances to mixtures.

• Synthesize course information and apply it to practical, everyday issues such as acid rain, air and water pollution, limited resources on Planet Earth, pharmaceuticals, nutrition and materials.

• Identify and use reliable reference material in libraries and on the internet to research and report on a topic related to chemistry.

Class won’t meet on 10/19, 11/11, 11/25-11/26

Course Points:

Dates for Exams & Final Project:

Work Involved:

There is reading, doing, thinking, and responding in this course! You should plan to spend an average of 1-2 hours a day on this class to keep up with readings, assignments, and your project. Taking an online course often requires more work than a traditional course. You should be taking this course because you need the flexibility it offers, not because you expect it to be easy or less demanding than an on-campus course! 

Online Access is Required!

TYPES OF ASSIGNMENTS:

About half way through the course, we will have finished covering most of the concepts in this class and you will have a better grasp of the science behind preparing a dish.

You will choose a project topic based on the learning outcomes in this course. You will write a 500-1000 word essay on this topic. There is a page on canvas about your project. Please read that page, chose your topic, and follow the instructions.

date listed on the calendar.

Late Policy: I know everyone has busy lives and sometimes hardships and challenges occur. I will accept assignments 3 days past the deadline - No penalty and no questions asked! After 3 days however, I will deduct up to 20% within a week past the due date, and up to 50% if more than a week has passed. There are exceptions to this if you have hardships - please contact me if you have a situation that prevents you from turning in multiple assignments on time.

COMMUNICATION:

Due to the online course format, student-student interactions are encouraged by discussion boards. Please follow general “netiquette” guidelines – be polite, respectful and professional in your interactions with me and others.

Please try to post any general questions you have on the "Questions about this course" discussion board. It’s really helpful when we share our questions and answers as a class. If you need individual attention or have issues of a personal nature, please contact me by email orphone or visit my office. Feel free to contact me anytime to set up time for a phone/onlinemeeting.

What you can expect from me: I will send out announcements frequently (at least once or twice a week) to check in with the class and remind you of what you should be working on. I will try to get assignments graded within a week of the deadline. I will check email at least once a day Monday through Friday. If you do not receive a reply within 24 hours, please follow up with me! I will check email at least once during the weekend; non-urgent matters will be replied to the following week.

*If you have an urgent matter which requires attention, please try my voicemail and leave a call back number. If I’m not at my desk, it will forward to my email and cell phone. I will call you back!

Students are expected to behave honestly. It’s ok if you want to work with other people to discuss the ideas but the writing should be your own. One suggestion I have is that when you work with others, you do not write anything down. Just discuss ideas but do not write down the same thing or exchange/share documents. If I find files which look very similar to each other (and I usually do at least once every quarter), I will be suspicious of the integrity of your work and will give you a warning. If the files are extremely similar, you may receive a zero the first time. Please do not use someone else’s work as your own! I pay attention when I am grading and have unfortunately seen this happen many times.

Cheating includes, but is not limited to, copying answers on exams or assignments, swapping papers, PLAGIARIZING, and illicitly giving or receiving help on assignments. PLAGIARIZING includes copying classmates' homework, from this quarter or previous quarters, or coordinating with anyone else to gain an unfair advantage in the course. Everyone is expected to his or her own work, both in class and on the homework.

Consequences of Cheating: 1) You will receive a 0 on the assignment where the cheating occurred. 2) I will send a report of the incident to the Dean of Students who may place it on your permanent record or may decide on suspension or expulsion from school.