Chemistry 103 Fundamentals of Chemistry I
Instructors:
Lecture and Prelab: Prof. Jeff Byers, BH 551; Phone: x5207
Laboratory and Prelab: Ms. Kathy Jewett BH 512 or BH 563: x5455
Schedule:
Lectures : MWF 10:10-11:00 BIH 216
Prelabs : M 1:45-2:35 or M 2:50-3:40 or T 8:25-9:15 BIH 216
Labs: T or W or Th or F 1:30-4:15, BIH 563
Office hours: Jeff Byers - officially scheduled, MWF 11 am-12 noon (after class)
I'm almost always around M-F "normal working hours", Feel free to drop in any time except immediately prior to class - I need this time to wake up and think about my lecture! Also available by appointment, occasional evening hours around test times.
Kathy Jewett ( BH 512) See Lab Schedule
Chem 103 drop-in tutor: Magda Bokiej, Sun evenings. Precise time and place tba
Grading:
Mid-term exams (2): 15% each 30% total
Wed., Oct. 4 7 pm (BiHall 216) and Tues, Nov 7 at 7 pm. (BiHall 216)
Graded problems @1% each 10% total
quizzes @1% each 10% total
Laboratory 25% total
Final Exam 25% total
Time and place to be announced
Grading scale: 97-100% = A+, 93-96% = A, 90-92% = A-
87-89% = B+, 83-86% = B, 80-82% = B-
77-79% = C+, 73-77% = C, 70-72% = C-
60-69% = D
<59% = F
Grades rounded off to nearest integer (or, in the CH 103 lingo-to 2 sig figs!)
Required Texts: “Chemistry, the Central Science” by Brown, Lemay, and Curtis, 10th edition
Laboratory: Chemistry 103 Laboratory Manual, available at bookstore
Available, Recommended: Study guide for course text, a spare copy will be kept on reserve in the science center library
Other resources:
Important Organizational Messages will be sent via class email, rather than announced in class. I do this to maximize time spend on chemistry!
Web Site: http://f06.middlebury.edu/chem0103a contains all course handouts.
Server: Classes\Vol1\Fall06\chem0103a\handouts contains all handouts, as well as old exams for practice tests.
Answers are not included. If you cannot read the format in which they are saved, please let me know.
Armstrong Library, Bicentennial Hall Circulation Desk: Answers to all graded work “Answers” folder, and old practice exams, answers included “Old Exams” folder.
“Rules of the Road”
Mid-term exams will be designed to take about 1-1/2 hour, but you will be allowed up to 2 hours to complete them. Postponement of exams for individuals will usually be allowed for the following reasons; serious personal illness, death in the family, or direct time conflict with other academic requirements, such as exams, required movies and performances, etc. If you need to reschedule an exam due to conflict with your participation in intercollegiate athletics, or some other comparably committed extracurricular, I will allow for you to take the exam early. Please give me a week’s notice so that we can schedule an earlier time to take the test. I will never grant postponements if you have other exams or papers due on the same day at a different time - so don't even ask! I am letting you know when exams are far enough in advance that it will be your responsibility to plan accordingly. The final exam will be cumulative in nature, and designed to take 3 hours. Only a Dean's excuse will be acceptable for rescheduling.
There will be two types of problem sets. A large number of problems will be assigned from the text. I will not collect or grade these problems. The problems which are "assigned" for each unit from the text comprise a "minimum set" in which I've gone through and culled out those which I think are either overly repetitive or dumb. A copy of the answer guide to the text is on reserve in the Science Center Library - Use it conservatively. If you're having a hard time, I recommend that you do more problems than assigned. On each exam, 10% will be taken directly from previously assigned problems.
During every Wednesday class, I will assign a problem, or small set of problems. These will be due in class the following Wednesday. These will be graded, and will be designed to be particularly diagnostic for you to use in self assessment. PROBLEM SETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE END OF CLASS ON WEDNESDAY WITHOUT ONE OF THE EXCUSES OUTLINED ABOVE. These problem sets will not be made available on the web or the server - only in class. Please note that if you miss class due to illness, you are still required to hand in the problem set, but it will be accepted late (within reason) for full credit. It is your responsibility to let me know if this is the case.
Brief quizzes, usually involving multiple choice or short answer questions will be given at the end of every Friday lecture. These quizzes serve several purposes: They will give you regular feedback on your progress, and force you to keep up with the material on a regular basis, thus facilitating your studying for the longer, more important exams. Finally, while I am not a big fan of multiple choice tests, for most of the people in the class, the only way your knowledge of chemistry will ever be assessed is through standardized tests such as MCAT's and GRE's. Thus, this will provide at least a little idea of what these tests are like. In fact, many of the questions I use come directly from standardized exams. Quizzes cannot be made up due to absence. If you miss class for some reason other than those outlined above, you will receive a zero for the missed quiz.If you miss a friday class due to illness it is your responsibility to let me know so that a zero does not get averaged into your grade.
Class participation will not be factored into your grade. From time to time, I am sure the temptation to miss class will exist. Anything less than 100% class attendance (excepting the above reasons for missing exams) will be considered poor attendance, and will be reported to commons deans as such if you are performing at the D or F level at the mid-semester point, or semester’s end. Part of the reason why I have regularly scheduled brief assignments due in class is to help you to resist the temptation! In my experience, those students who miss class regularly are almost inevitably those who do poorly on examinations. If you do your best to get yourself here, I'll do my best to make you glad you did. I would rather have you come to class late (sneaking in the back of the room) than not at all. While showing up for class late is better than not showing up at all, stragglers tend to be disruptive. Show your fellow students proper respect and be here on time! Please set your watch (and alarm clock) to the clock on the classroom wall in BiHall 216.
Academic Honesty Policy
While I encourage you to work together on problem sets, graded or otherwise, the work which you hand in must be your own. Collaborative work on take-home assignments and laboratories is encouraged, but copying someone else's results will be considered an honor code violation. Obviously, all examinations will be taken independently, and honor code violations (which are surprisingly easy to pick out when grading exams) will be dealt with severely.
HINT FOR A GOOD GRADE: Getting an A or high B in lab and on the problem sets is very straightforward. Many students will thus get an excellent grade in this large chunk of the course, making up for difficulties which are more commonly encountered on the exams.
Policy on Personal Electronic Devices for CHEM 103:
A decent, simple scientific calculator is required for all exams and quizzes. If you forget your calculator, you will not be allowed to borrow another student’s calculator during the test. You are not allowed to preload any constants, unit conversions, or programs involving chemical logic into your calculator. Other personal electronic devices such as cell phones, Blackberries, PDA’s, IPOD’s, and Walkmans are not allowed on your person during an examination. If you have one of these on your person during an exam, it will be considered an honor code violation.
There has been a recent surge in cell phones going off in classes here at Middlebury College. This is not acceptable for obvious reasons. If I hear your cell phone signal during class or lab, 10 points will deducted from your next major exam.