Chemistry 111 – Course Syllabus
Fall 2009   Section 3

Instructor:    Professor Michael J. Knapp
Office:    512 Lederle Grad. Tower

Office Hours: Thursdays 1-3 in ISB Room 325 (the CRC), and by appointment in LGRT 512

Prerequisites/Co-requisites
Good knowledge of algebra: Math Placement Exam score > 19

Required Materials
Chemistry & Chemical Reactivity 7th Edition.  Kotz, Treichel, and Townsend.  Electronic and/or hard copy
PRS transmitter
Calculator, 2 pencils with erasers (for exams)
American Optical Safety Glasses #484A (can buy from the Chem Club), Student Lab Notebook
Recommended: 3-Ring Notebook, hole punch and notebook paper

Other Resource Material
Course blog: https://websites.umass.edu/chem111-mjknapp/
Check the blog often for all course information.  Your comments are needed.
Kotz website: http://www.brookscole.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=9780495387039&discipline_number=12

The Chemistry Resource Center  (CRC) – ISB Room 325
Staffed by Chemistry faculty and graduate teaching assistants.  It’s a great place to bring your books, study chemistry, and get help with coursework.  Printing: is available.  The CRC is open with extensive hours.   https://people.chem.umass.edu/wiki/index.php?title=Chemistry_Resource_Center

Laboratory
Meets weekly.  Labs begin Monday, September 14th.  See the lab schedule linked to the General Chemistry Website for more information. Write-ups for each laboratory experiment should be printed from the General Chemistry Website.  OWL homework for lab will be assigned.

OWL

Electronic Homework System (A great way to study for exams!)  http://owl.oit.umass.edu/
1.  Assignments due on Thur or Sun night.  24-hour grace period.  Bring questions to class.  If you miss the deadline do the work anyway!
2.  User name = 8-digit student number, Password = last name. Use “Login Help” if you have trouble.
3.  Repeat each assignment as often as desired.  You will get new questions each time.
4.  Use the message system to ask for help.  Bring questions to class if you get stuck.
5.  The best score, completed before the deadline, counts.
6. Approximately 10% of the modules will be dropped.
NO Extensions beyond this will be granted.
7.  Be sure that you are in the correct OWL section and that you use your UMass email address.

Grading
Exam 1    100 pts    Monday, Oct 5
Exam 2    100 pts    Friday, Nov 6
Exam 3    100 pts    Monday, Dec 7
Final    120 pts    To be scheduled
OWL Homework    60 pts    10 % of the grade
PRS    20 pts    3% of the grade
Lab    100 pts    17 % of the grade
Total    600 pts
Approximate Grade cutoffs:  A 90%, B 80%, C 70%, D 60%

Things you should take to heart:
1.    Come to class.
Learning chemistry is like learning a language.  Hearing it spoken and learning to speak it yourself are just as important as learning to read and write it.  In the classroom you will hear the language of chemistry spoken and you will get a chance to speak it yourself.

2.    Be courteous to your classmates.
Please be on time for class and please keep in-class, personal discussions to a minimum.
Please wait until the end of the class period before packing up to leave.  Turn cell phones off.

3.    Do the homework assignments.
Use OWL, and text homework, as an opportunity to learn concepts.  OWL helps to lay the foundation for the concepts in Chem 111.  It can fill in gaps you may have from high school and is the starting point for class discussion.  Some problems will be taken directly from OWL but in general, questions on exams will go a step beyond this.  The text homework will be more challenging.

4.    Read the text.
Before class: skim the assigned reading noting definitions and figures.
After class: read the text critically with pencil in hand and a pad of paper beside you.  Look carefully at graphs and tables, particularly those discussed in class.  Summarize the main concepts and trends, as if you were preparing to teach them to another person.

5.    Recopy your notes and bring questions to class.
Recopy your notes as soon as possible after class.  This will help you to organize, in your own words, the ideas covered.  I suggest you use a 3-ring binder for this, as there will be lots of handouts.  Bring questions to the next class about any concept that was unclear.

6.    Work hard, and ask for help.
University courses assume about 3 hours of weekly homework for each credit.  This means that you will need to work hard this semester in order to master the material covered in this course.  A very reasonable expectation is that you’ll need 9 hours weekly to a) read the text actively (see #4); b) recopy your lecture notes; c) complete OWL assignments; d) complete problems from the text.  I am happy to help you master this material.

7.    Lab Information
You must complete all of the laboratory experiments to pass the course.  If you fail the course, you will have to retake the lab.  Report lab conflicts and problems to your TA or lab supervisor.

8.    Lecture sections
Each lecture section has its own syllabus, homework assignments, and exam schedule.  If you are enrolled in a section, you must attend that section and do the work required for that section.  All sections share the same textbook and laboratory assignments.

9.    In the event of an illness or family emergency:
Please contact me any way possible, e-mail is best, so I have your name and written information.

10. Academic Honesty
I expect that you will abide by the academic honesty policy of the campus.  I expect you to do your own work on exams and labs.  You must flush all calculator memories of any information before coming into an exam.  You may bring ONLY your brain, a pencil, and a calculator (not pda or cell phone) to exams.  I take honesty very seriously.  If you have to cheat to pass this course, you do not belong in it and should drop it now.