Course Information

Course Description:

This is the second of two semesters of General Chemistry, a general education college level upper-track course designed primarily for those who intend to pursue a career in teaching high school science, or who need to establish certification for teaching chemistry in high school.   The lab portion of this course must be completed at a participating TBR campus before credit is granted.

Course Objectives:

Our goals are primarily twofold: 
  1. To gain considerable factual knowledge about the terminology and language of chemistry. In other words you will learn to "speak" chemistry. It has been said, and rightly so, that there are as many new terms to learn in the first year of chemistry as there are in the first course in a foreign language. 
  2. To learn to interpret and reason using basic chemical concepts, law, and theories. Mathematical relationships will be introduced and will be used to solve problems which are commonly encountered in scientific endeavors.
By the end of the semester the student should be able to:
  • Understand the underlying molecular factors that influence the speed of a chemical reaction
  • Understand the principles of dynamic equilibria in both gases and in reactions in solution.
  • Understand the theory and properties of acids and bases 
  • Understand why some reactions occur naturally and others must be forced to occur or simply cannot occur
  • Understand the design and operation of electochemical cells
  • Understand the forces and reactions of the particles inside the nucleus of atoms   
  • Gain a glimpse of organic chemistry (optional);  
Prerequisites and Corequisites:
 
Students must have completed CHEM1110, the first semester of this sequence, or its equivalent. A general knowledge of mathematics through algebra is essential.
Course Topics:
The course is divided into ten (10) sequential units.  Each subsequent unit is dependent on the previous units. Numbering continues from the unit numbers in CHEM 1110.   These are
 
 11.  
 12.  
 13.  
 14.  
 15.  
 16.  
 17.  
 18.  
 19.  
 20. 
Specific Course Requirements:
To succeed in this course the student must be curious, self-motivated, well-organized and capable of sustained effort.  The student must be computer-literate having the abilities to access and browse the web, to use word processing software, and to send and receive attachments via email.  The ability to use spreadsheet software to create simple line graphs is a plus.
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Required Textbooks:
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com
Supplementary Materials:
OWL on-line learning will be used to do the "homework" and a pin number is sold with the text-book.
Hardware Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...
Software Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...(A list of software the student is required to purchase or download for the course, Real Player, Media Player, Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Office, etc).
Instructor Information
Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.
Assessment and Grading
Testing Procedures
Unit quizzes are required at the conclusion of each unit (module.)  They may be taken one time only during a specified time period.    Results, with feedback, will be available immediately to both student and instructor.  All but 2 of these will be counted toward the final grade; the 2 lowest will be dropped from the average.

Two (2)  proctored mid-term exams, each taken during a specified time period, complete the testing process.  The student is responsible for selecting and obtaining an acceptable proctor.  Instructions for this procedure are found at http://www.rodp.org/proctorstudentform.htm

Grading Procedure:
A student's grade is determined based on his/her numerical average achieved through completion of seven items: online homework, class participation (discussion forum usage), unit tests, mid-term and final examination, and on-campus lab component.   Levels of achievement and weighting for each of these elements is outlined below. 
Grading Scale:
 
Numerical Range Letter Grade
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
Below 60 F

Grades are assigned in conformity with a standard college grading scale listed above.  The numerical grade is computed from a weighted average of the following items with the indicted weights.  In cases where a student has demonstrated a significant level of improvement, the weight of the final exam may be increased to reflect the then-present level of mastery.

 
Item Weight (%)
Homework 10
Class Participation 5
Unit Tests (8) 25
2 Exams 35
Lab 25
Total 100
 
Assignments and Participation
Assignments and Projects:
 
The student should plan on completing one module approximately each week in the order shown on the Module link in WebCT, and according to the Calendar.  Assignments for this course will consist of a homework set for each module, 8 module on-line tests and two exams. The time at which each homework assignment and module test can be taken is shown in the course calendar.  Time windows of availability will be found by referring to the homework website or to the WebCT "Tests and Quizzes" link.
Class Participation:
Each student is expected to participate fully in the class discussion bulletin board.  This participation is of two kinds: sending and responding to pleas for help from fellow students and responding to the instructor-posted Discussion Questions.  If the instructor posts a discussion question, he will send you an email.  It is the student's responsibility to check for emails daily for announcements.  Each student is required to respond, in a thoughtful manner, to each instructor discussion question as well as to respond to the comment of at least one fellow student on that same question.  After a suitable time the discussion will be ended by the instructor and student responses noted and graded.  Every comment must observe proper netiquette.  Every comment must be labeled with the students name to permit proper evaluation.
 
Last but not least, learn to email the instructor regularly with questions.  He or she will happily answer questions.
Punctuality:
Planning your week is of vital importance.  To keep yourself on track plan to do the following each week: work through a module with its assigned lecture videos, text book reading and  homework submission.  Participate in the discussions.  End each week by taking the module quiz.    You can't do it all on Saturday afternoon.  Chemistry takes time to absorb (a chemical term.)  
Course Ground Rules

All work you submit must be your own.  However, you are encouraged to seek help from the instructor and from each other via email using the internal WebCT email tool and the class discussion forum.  Your instructor expects questions concerning course material, and the answering of conceptual questions.  If you knew it all already, you wouldn't be in the class and we would be out of a job.    Use proper netiquette in you communications.  Remember, there is a record of every word you put in an email and you don't want to have to eat any of them.  Introduce yourself to other students as early as practical.  Get started, right away.  Set regular times for your home "class" and guard this time zealously. 

If technical problems arise seek help from WebCT immediately.  You have a course calendar that includes due dates and times for all assignments.  You know when things are due.  Plan ahead and do not expect extensions except under special circumstances.  To help with circumstances that may be  beyond your control we drop one homework grade,  and two unit test grades.  

Guidelines for Communications
Email:
  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members
Discussion Groups:
  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
  • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
  • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.
Chat:
  • Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
  • Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
  • Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.
  • Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
  • Be constructive in your comments and suggestion
Web Resources:

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

Telephone Support:
 

For HELP with:

  • TECHNICAL PROBLEMS please visit the AskRODP Customer Support web page at http://help.rodp.org or call the AskRODP Help Desk at 1-866-550-RODP (1-866-550-7637)
  • REGISTRATION PROBLEMS contact your home