Course Syllabus for
Principles of Chemistry II
CHEM 1212k – Fall 2010
Waycross College
GENERAL
INFORMATION
Instructor: Bernard Majdi
Office: 152A
Email: bmajdi@waycross.edu
Website: http://www.waycross.edu/faculty/bmajdi/
Office Hours: 4:00 - 5:30 PM Tue &TH;
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM M, T, TH, F
Telephone: (912) 449-7574
Texts:` Chem Skill Builder Online
by James Spain and Harold Peters
Chemistry II Activities packet by Bernard Majdi
INTRODUCTION
Chemistry is the
study of the properties of matter and how properties change under different
conditions, including changes in composition.
The two course sequence, Principles of Chemistry, explores the
meaning and implications of that statement.
We will survey a set of topics and principles, and introduce a number of
operational skills that, by consensus of the professional chemistry community,
have become the standard definition of what is meant by the term ‘general
chemistry’.
The Units of
Study in this second course of the sequence are:
Unit 9: Atomic Structure
Unit 23: Nuclear Chemistry
Unit 10: Oxidation-Reduction
Unit 11: Periodic Properties
Unit 12: Polyatomic Structures
Unit 13: Covalent Bonding
Unit 14: Liquids and Solids
Unit 15: Properties of Solutions
Unit 16: Chemical Kinetics
Unit 17: Chemical Equilibria
Unit 18: Acid-Base Equilibria
Unit 19: Buffers and Hydrolysis
Unit 20: Solubility Equilibria
COURSE FORMAT
AND MATERIALS
The Principles of Chemistry course
will be taught in a nontraditional manner. The lecture and laboratory
experiences have been integrated, so the course will not be taught using a
lecture / problem‑solving format.
Instead, the majority of the problem-solving will occur outside of class
time, through the use of Chem Skill Builder electronic homework, and
students will spend most of class time completing activities that illustrate
key principles of chemistry. Each
activity will require a written student response, which will be kept in a three-ring
binder portfolio. The course grade will
result from an evaluation of the portfolio according to the point distribution
given in the next Section. All activity
worksheets and data should be collected and saved in the course portfolio,
which will be turned in for evaluation by the instructor at the completion of
the course.
ASSESSMENT AND
EVALUATION
The grade for the courses will be based on the successful completion of
the multiple learning tools employed in the course. One-fourth of the grade will be based on the
successful completion of the assigned Chem Skill Builder activities. Another fourth of the grade will result from
an evaluation of the activities contained in the student portfolio. One fourth of the grade will be determined
from the scores received on the weekly quizzes, and one fourth of the grade
will result from unit examinations and the final exam.
Activity Points
Weekly Quizzes 200
Chem Skill Builder 200
Activities 200
Exams 300
Final
Exam 100
Total 1,000
Please note that it
is much more important to be successfully completing weekly quizzes and
assignments (75% of the total grade) than to focus on exam scores (25% of the
total). This evaluation rubric has been
deliberately constructed to encourage continual, daily understanding of the
material and to discourage ‘cramming’ for exams. Also note that the final exam is worth
approximately 8% of the total grade, and therefore a student should not count
on a strong final exam score to over-compensate for a history of poor classroom
performance.
Final grades will
be based on a scale that will not more stringent than the traditional formula:
90 ‑ 100% A
80 ‑ 89 % B
70 ‑ 79% C
60 ‑ 69 % D
below 60%
F
However, the
grading scale may be adjusted to the benefit of the student, so that a higher
final grade may be assigned for a percentage score that falls below these
cut-off values.
Class etiquette: No use of cell phones, text-messaging, IPODS etc. in class or when I am lecturing. Please turn off your cell phone when you come to class. Those who disobey this rule will be asked to leave the class.
OTHER
INFORMATION
1. No student will successfully pass the course without taking the final exam.
2. I reserve the right to adjust a student's percentage on any chosen grading scale by +/‑ 3% based on attitude and behavior. If an adjustment is made, the student will be informed of the adjustment and reasons will be given for the adjustment in writing, citing specific facts and instances that justify the change.
3. Because of the nature of the instructional method, it is very important to attend class every day. It may be possible to make up missed activities, but that option is not guaranteed. That includes unit exams, whether they are administered in class or at the Academic Support Center.
4. Waycross College has a stated policy that ‘students who have missed 20% of regularly scheduled class meetings may be dropped by the instructor and assigned a grade of WF. If such excessive absences are the result of extenuating personal hardship, the withdrawal grade will be either a W or WF, depending on the student's status at the time the drop occurred.’ I will record daily attendance and I will withdraw a student with excessive absences.
5.
Much of the work
performed in class will be collaborative, however cheating on quizzes or exams
will not be tolerated. A student
caught cheating will be given a be give a grade of F
for the course.
Dropping a Course Without a Penalty:
In order to officially drop a course without a penalty, a student must obtain and fill out a drop/add form from the Registrar's Office, acquire appropriate signatures, and return the form to the Registrar's Office before the designated date published in the academic
calendar in the Waycross College Catalog (October, 14 2010).
ADA Statement:
"In compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Waycross College will honor requests for reasonable accommodations made by individuals with disabilities. Students must self disclose their documented disability to the Student Life office (Sharon Komanecky) before academic accommodations can be implemented.”
Academic Support Center (ASC):
The ASC was created to offer supplemental assistance to students enrolled in all courses at the College. The ASC offers a variety of services at all levels, ranging from personal tutoring in math, reading, and composition skills to providing handouts and supplementary materials on writing research papers and critiques, taking essay and objective tests, and developing effective study techniques. Through audiovisual, computerized, self-paced, and one-on-one tutorial work, the ASC assists students in developing strengths and eliminating deficiencies. Students may be referred by instructors or may independently seek additional help.
Many of the lab assignments given in this class require creating computer generated graphs or figures. The staff in the ASC will be very helpful in assisting you in creating these computer generated materials. I highly encourage you to visit the ASC to obtain help on these assignments.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, is prohibited. Plagiarism is defined by Webster as "the stealing and passing off of the ideas or words of another as one's own". Further, the MLA Handbook states, "Plagiarism may take the form of repeating another's sentences as your own, adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own, or even presenting someone else's line of thinking in the development of a thesis as though it were your own." In other words: do your own work. Alleged violations involving plagiarism and other academic misconduct will be handled according to the procedure outlined in the Waycross College Student Handbook.
Anyone found cheating in
this class will be given a grade of F for the course.