CHEM 103 STUDIO Chemistry I
FALL  2007

Lecturer: Dr. Jeff Ashley
Room 304, Search Hall
(215) 951-2779
ashleyj@philau.edu

Office Hours:     Tuesdays 10 to 10:50 am

                        Wednesdays from 2:30 to 3:30 pm

                        Fridays 12:30 to 1:30 pm

Course Information:  http://faculty.philau.edu/ashleyj

Required Text: Brady & Senese’s Chemistry: Matter and Its Changes, 4^th Edition

Objectives of Lecture:          

1.      To provide you with an overview of the fundamental laws and theories of chemistry including properties of matter, chemical reactions and stoichiometry, properties of gases, energy and thermochemistry.

2.      To give you a sense of the importance and understanding of chemistry in our everyday lives.

3.      To develop your problem solving and critical thinking skills

4.      To make you appreciate and effectively utilize the scientific method and construct models to explain chemical phenomena.

Tentative Lecture Schedule

Mini-Quizzes: There will be frequent mini-quizzes during the semester.  Theses are short (1 to 3 questions) quizzes that test material introduced from the previous lecture.  Mini-quizzes count significantly to your final grade.  The only way you can do well on these is study and learn the material after each lecture.  

Quizzes: There will be three quizzes during the semester.  The quizzes will be focused on recently introduced topics and are intended to prepare students for upcoming tests. Bring a calculator and your periodic chart to each quiz.

Tests: There will be two tests.  The tests will emphasize problem-solving skills. There are examples of past tests on my website. Bring a calculator and your periodic chart to each test. 

Final Exam: The final exam will be cumulative and scheduled during exam week.  Bring a calculator and your periodic chart to the final exam.  Students who obtained a 90% or better on each of the tests and quizzes, may be exempt from the final exam. 

Homework:  There will be homework (HW) problems assigned from each chapter. It is up to you to check the HW web page for HW questions and due dates.  These homework problems will be graded.  There will occasionally be additional worksheets designed to focus on a specific topic.  Homework also counts significantly to your final grade; even if you do not get the correct answer, I often reward you for trying.

Participation and Peer Evaluation: We will be working in groups throughout the semester.  It is critical that you are a working and contributing member of your group.  This means you must do the pre-assigned readings and exercises before coming to class in order to be an active, functional, and engaged member of your group.  I will be assessing your participation based on your preparation coming to class, your productivity level within your group, and your willingness to be a functional and vital member of your group.  Your group members will be anonymously evaluating you at the end of the semester.  

Active Learning Activities and Reports:  Rather than a separate ‘lab section’, this course adopts a lecture/lab hybrid concept.  Short lectures will be followed by active learning through hands-on experiments, demonstrations and activities.  You will be graded on these activities and reports.

Grading:            Two In-class Tests (non-cumulative; 10 points each)

                        Three Quizzes (non-cumulative 5 points each)

        Final Exam (cumulative!; 20 points)

                        Mini-Quizzes (7.5 points) 

                        Assignments (7.5 points)

                        Participation and Peer-Evaluation (10 points)

                        Active Learning Activities & Reports (20 points)

Final Letter Grades:
 

Course Policies:

If you miss a test or quiz due to an excused absence, your remaining grades will be averaged for your final grade (NO MAKE-UP EXAMS ARE GIVEN).  If your absence is not excused, you will receive a grade of zero for that test or quiz. 

Assignments that are turned in late will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor.  No extra credit assignments will be made.  Therefore, to do well in this course, you must keep up with the lecture material, reading, and any assignments.  The only way to learn chemistry is to do it…and keep doing it!

Attendance is mandatory in lecture and in lab.  Missing classes will affect your grade in two ways:

1) Missed classes EQUATE             to missed material.  Time and time again, I’ve seen that this relates to a poorer understanding of key concepts (and ultimately will decrease your chance of success on quizzes and tests), and

2) Penalties for missed classes will begin on your fourth unexcused (non-medical) absence.  For every unexcused absence (beyond the three ‘grace’ classes), your grade will decrease by 2 points (that’s 2% each missed class).  For example, miss five classes, and you’ve already decreased your grade by one letter!   

Student Code of Conduct:

The Faculty of Philadelphia University takes academic integrity seriously. Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated, and students violating the University’s academic integrity policy will be subject to appropriate sanctions. Plagiarism on any written assignments will not be tolerated.  You may turn in only your own work for writing and homework assignments (unless I inform you otherwise), and any references that you use must be fully documented (using MLA format).  As well, cheating on tests, final exams or quizzes will not be tolerated.  Once again, please familiarize yourself with the Student Code of Conduct as it appears in the Student Handbook for Philadelphia University.

Academic Support Services:

Gutman Library (www.philau.edu/library)

The home page of the Gutman Library provides students with a variety of information resources, including databases and research guides. Librarians are available online and in person at the information desk to help students with research.

The Learning and Advising Center ( www.philau.edu/learning)

The Learning and Advising Center provides one-on-one tutoring assistance for writing, study strategies, test taking, and specific Philadelphia University courses*. To make a tutoring appointment, students should stop by the Learning and Advising Center in Haggar Hall or call (215) 951-2799. Academic resources, including information on citation and documentation, note taking, and study strategies are available on the Center’s website.

Technology assistance (http://www.philau.edu/OIT/)

For assistance with technology issues, students should contact the Technology Help Desk at (215) 951-4648 or send an email to helpdesk@philau.edu.  General purpose computing facilities are available in Search Hall and Gutman Library.