Syllabus

CHEMISTRY 1151: SURVEY OF CHEMISTRY I A Course in the General Education Program

Program Description: The General Education Program at KSU offers a common academic experience for all its students. In a series of interrelated courses in the liberal arts and sciences, it provides the opportunity for them to acquire the intellectual skills and knowledge characteristic of educated persons. Thus, it lays the foundation for success in their academic, professional, and personal lives. Whereas the major program contributes to a college education depth in a designated specialization, the General Education Program provides breadth by introducing and connecting a variety of disciplines.

Program Goals: The General Education Program at KSU has five goals. During the course of the program, students should achieve the following:

z develop productive habits of mind

z develop effective communication skills

z expand knowledge and understanding

z expand creative capabilities

z exhibit understanding of the impact of ethical and aesthetic values.

Course Description: Chemistry 1151 is a study of general principles of atomic structure, bonding, reaction, solutions, equilibria as required for a basic understanding of physiological applications. A brief introduction to organic compounds which are of particular importance in pharmacological applications.

COURSE INFORMATION

Syllabus Fall, 2004

I. Course CHEM 1151,Survey of Chemistry I (http://SurveyChemistry1.kennesaw.edu)

Some general "fatherly" advice: "W" grades on your transcript are a negative factor in evaluating your academic performance. Some professional schools go through a transcript, substitute "F" for every "W", and recalculate the GPA. For all students, and especially for anyone serious about a professional school of any kind, we would recommend that your transcript should show no more than four "W" grades. Even if you have only four "W's" when you graduate, you should have an excellent reason for each one of them (sickness, death in the family, etc.). Please take your academic experience very seriously, and have a frank discussion with an advisor about your strengths and weaknesses so that you do not waste time in an area where you are not likely to be successful. Your teachers will do what they can to help all students succeed, but each student has to do their part in the learning process.

II. Professor

        Dr. Nancy Bryson
        Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from University of South Carolina
        Assistant Professor Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
        Office: 418, Science Building
        E-mail: nbryson@kennesaw.edu

Office Hours: Please use the class bulletin board or send me e-mail as well as coming to see me. My office hours are by appointment.

III. Electronic Class This is a course that is offered totally on-line. As an on-line class member, you will need a computer with a modem and at least a 486 CPU, an internet service provider (ISP), and an e-mail account. The web site is optimized for the Netscape browser, but it should work fine with the Microsoft browser. This class has a home page at Survey of Chemistry. Go to that page and you will see information about the course. For on-line students, the homework may either be mailed to me, personally taken to me, faxed to me, or scanned and sent to me as an e-mail attachment. The tests must be taken on-campus or offered through a suitable proctor at an off-campus site. I must approve the off-campus proctor. All tests must be taken on the dates stated. You are allowed 60 minutes for each test. Feel free to e-mail me at any time with questions, comments, or suggestions. I will answer your e-mail as soon as possible.

IV. Class Meetings There will be an unofficial meeting once a week on Thursdays at 2:00 PM in CL 2010. This would not be a "normal" lecture class, but where you can come and get help from students on working problems or on concepts that are giving you trouble. Further information to follow.

V. Text "General, Organic, & Biochemistry" by Bettelheim and March, seventh edition, which is published by Saunders College Publishing.

VI. Course Description Fundamental Laws and principles of chemistry as related to the structure of the atom and molecules, the nature of the chemical bond, thermochemistry, changes in states of matter and stoichiometry.

VII. Purpose At the conclusion of this course you should have a firm background in the essentials of a portion of general chemistry and prepared to enter the second course, which will be a survey of organic chemistry and pharmacology. All science is a building block sequence. You master one level and then move on to the next level. This course will present some fundamental details of chemistry so that you can understand more advanced topics in chemistry or other areas of science needing the building block of general chemistry.

VIII. Test Schedule Check the web site for the test dates.

IX. Academic Integrity Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the University's policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials, misrepresentation/falsification of University records or academic work, malicious removal, retention, or destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an "informal" resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the Code of Conduct's minimum one semester suspension requirement.

X. Tentative Class Schedule The schedule of when homework is due and the dates of the tests should provide you with plenty of guidance regarding the scheduling of your time studying this material. The on-line students have no formal classes, so they will have to discipline themselves to cover the material in a timely fashion.

XI. Grading Scheme The final exam will count as one test and can substitute for your lowest test if the test score is lower than the final exam score. There are no make-up exams but for excused absences the final exam may substitute for the missed test. The final exam will consist of questions relating to chapter 11 (about 1/3 of the total questions) and the remainder of the final will be cumulative. Your final score will be determined by one of the following formula:

y = .08*on-line test average + .84*(all test average where, all test average = (test 1 + test 2 + test 3 + test 4 + test 5 + test 6 + test 7 + *final exam))/8 + .04*HW Grade + 0.04*online participation.

The on-line tests are the tests that are made available to you on WebCT.

Letter grades will be based upon following scale:

Grade	Final Numerical Average
A	100-90
B	89-76
C	75-62
D	61-50
F	<50

Grades of I
"I" grades are awarded only when the student has done satisfactory work up to the last two weeks of the semester, but for non-academic reasons beyond his/her control is unable to meet the full requirements of the course. (page 40 of KSU catalog)

XII. Studying Read ahead in the text. Study the web site for the course and do all of the suggested exercises. Take the quizzes on the web site to help you understand your level of understanding -- they are not part of your grade. Work assigned homework problems and all example problems in each chapter with your book closed to first determine what you don't understand. Take the online test on WebCT. Get a good night's sleep before each test. A very helpful CD is available with the text.

XIII. Other Taking the course online you will have to be very conscientious about scheduling daily study time for the course. Statistically there is a huge dropout rate for younger people (<25) who try online courses. The dropout rate decreases with age, probably because the older people are usually more disciplined in their habits and more serious about the courses. An on-line course helps you better establish yourself as a lifetime learner. After leaving college all people have to learn on their own so this will help prepare you for such learning. Learning on your own with the "teacher" as a mentor rather than an in-class teacher also is excellent experience for you. If you have any questions please contact me at lcombs@kennesaw.edu. I hope that this is an excellent experience for you and that everyone makes an "A".

XIV. Homework and Test Schedule See the web site for the homework assignments and the test schedule.

IMPORTANT:

Now go to the Acknowledgment Form, fill out the form as your agreement in the space indicated, and submit the form to me. I must receive your form for you to proceed in the course.