CHEM 135: General Chemistry II 5 credit hours Satisfies: Goal 3 Natural Sciences (GE3N), Lab and Field Experiences (LFE), Natural Sciences (N)

Fall 2018 TuTh 11:00 A.M. - 12:15 P.M. ISB1/CDS1 room 1146/1150

Who What Where How When (& Where again)

Dr. Drew Vartia Course Instructor 2152-C ISB1 chem135c@ku.edu

TW 4-5 in-office or appointment

MR 4-5, Anschutz 439, roaming

Dr. Roderick Black Laboratory Coordinator 2142-D ISB1 rsblack@ku.edu by appointment only

__________________ Lab Teaching Assistant _______________________________________________

Stuff: Chemistry: Atoms First by Burdge & Overby ISBN-13: 978-1259638138 ISBN-10: 1259638138

Connect Homework System Access i-Clicker 2 Colored Pencils Non-programmable Calculator

Lab Notebook Lab Goggles

For most people (including me), learning is tough. By learning, I don’t mean just remembering information,

although that’s a necessary part of learning. By learning, I mean encountering new information, committing key

pieces of it to memory, connecting the new information to what you already know, and then using the information

in new ways. That’s tough.

Moreover, learning is effortful; it doesn’t just happen. I will put in this course things that will help you (or

sometimes force you) to learn. Some of what I put in the course is simple, like examples or practice problems to

work on with neighbors. Some of it will be more complicated, like presenting a topic differently than your book,

because I think it will help you down the road. Some of what I put in this course you will like and some of it you will

not like. If you aren’t sure why I’m doing something a particular way, please ask; there’s usually a good reason.

Remember that ALL of it, though, is designed to help you learn.

You aren’t in it alone. I’m here to help you learn, too. There’s a small army of teaching assistants who will

help you learn. And, of course, your classmates will be valuable resources, too. There is help, if you want it.

I’m also here, learning. As odd as it sounds, teaching a chemistry course is a great way for me to understand

chemistry in new and deeper ways, too. Some of my best learning results from your questions. You and I are

navigating CHEM 135 together.

Last thing about this business of learning: If there is something big getting in the way of your learning, please

send me a message, stop me after class, or come to my office. It may be an injustice, feelings of isolation, etc.

Whatever it is, I’ll try to help. Recognize that I come with my own set of privileges and hindrances, so I may not have

experience with what you’re going through. I’ll still listen and will try to provide help if you want it. In some cases, I

may find and point you to someone who can help you better than I can. You deserve the best help you can get.

OK, let’s learn some chemistry.

CHEM 135 Big Picture

You, me, and learning in CHEM 135

Nuts and Bolts of CHEM 135

We’ll meet twice times each week, unless announced otherwise. Here’s what to expect:

Announcements: Each class period, I’ll let you know what you should be getting out of the class session

(our learning goals.) I’ll also make announcements about exams, quizzes, homework, reading, or other activities.

Lecturing: Generally, I’ll also provide some information by lecturing. Some lectures may be brief (five

minutes); others may last much longer. TAKE NOTES on this material!

Work: You’ll work in class. You might be answering questions by yourself. Other times, you might be

working with people at your table. Occasionally, I’ll even have you leave the tables and do things elsewhere in the

room. Often, I will collect your work as evidence of effort in the course. Scoring is based on effort and counts

toward your class participation. In-class work will not be graded not accuracy (correct answers.)

Voting: We’ll use clickers in CHEM 135. Sometimes, this will be used to answer questions related to course

material, like you might encounter on a quiz or exam. Sometimes I’ll use them to ask you about other things, like

your opinion of something, your level of confusion or confidence, etc. They’ll count toward your participation.

Quizzes: Every now and again we’ll have a quiz.

These will generally be announced, but

I reserve the right to administer pop quizzes.

Class Sessions

Phones should be in your backpack or at home. If you need them for a class activity, I’ll let

you know. I’m sure you “don’t have a problem,” but there’s solid research to indicate that

your use of a phone heavily distracts those around you—people who also paid to be here

and learn! I reserve the right to confiscate phones at any time. If you truly can’t help yourself,

we’ll work out an arrangement so as not to disrupt those around you.

Cheating: Don’t do it. It is part of my job as the instructor to turn you in. Consequences range

from an F on the assignment or exam to expulsion from the University. Based on past

experiences, it becomes nasty business for us both. Plagiarism is also cheating. Don’t cheat.

Talking will frequently be encouraged. However, if I’m talking to the class as a whole, you

should not be talking. If you truly can’t hold it in, please practice the dying art of whispering.

Final thought: I enjoy working with you all, but ultimately CHEM 150 is my charge. If the course

format leads to pervasive behaviors that strongly disrupt learning, I reserve the right to restore order

as I see fit. You won’t like it.

CHEM 135 Conduct

Your Course Grade

Help Along the Way

Dr. Vartia: M 4-5, Anschutz; T 4-5, ISB1 rm 2152-C; W 4-5, ISB1 rm 2152-C; R 4-5, Anschutz

You can also ask questions by e-mail or make an appointment if necessary. E-mail chem135c@ku.edu

Chemistry Help Room ISB1 rm 2170; most business hours (8-5); schedule is posted on Blackboard

Lab TA: _________________________________________________________________________________

1000 pts

D C B A F Don’t panic!

This is standard stuff.

It looks worse than it is.

End-of-semester letter grades:

Exams: ≈33% and Cumulative

Exams plus the megaquiz in this course are worth 32.5% of your grade. All exams including the final

are cumulative. This helps me see that you really know your stuff—that your good grade wasn’t the result

of one night of cramming, but that you actually learned something. (Grades should be earned based off

your effort and learning, no?) Generally, exams will be composed of about 2/3 new material and about

1/3 older material. The older material will generally be focused on material that the class, as a whole,

didn’t do well with on prior exams. The exception is the first exam, which is all new material.

How will you know what to study? The questions for exams (and quizzes, too) will be labeled with

the skill or topic that I hope you master. For each topic or skill, I can crunch the numbers after the exam

to see what the class understood or didn’t. I’ll share these data with you in class after each exam (and

quiz). The items that have the lowest collective scores are those that are likely candidates to appear on

future exams.

If you need to miss and reschedule an exam, you must provide a minimum 24 hours’ notice.

No exceptions. Notifying me as soon as possible is your best bet.

Quizzes: ≈13% to Stay Current Quizzes are worth 12.5% of your grade. In general, these will be announced prior to their

administration. See your course schedule. There will be about 5 quizzes, but there may be more if I need

to keep you on track. Quizzes also make excellent practice for exams. Each quiz will be worth 25 points.

The lab counts for 30% of your final grade in the course. Because this is a laboratory science course,

you must pass the laboratory portion of the class to pass the course as a whole. Some of the material in

the course will be introduced in the lab, and I will assume during class sessions that you are familiar with

it. Take the lab seriously! The material in lab is fair game for exam questions.

Labs meet once a week, unless noted otherwise. Your lab day and time will be shown on your

academic schedule. You will get more information about lab at your first lab session. Labs start the second

week of classes.

The lab will have its own assignments, including quizzes, practicals (where you show you can

perform some laboratory task), pre-lab assignments, in-lab worksheets, and lab reports. Your lab TA

(teaching assistant) will administer and grade these materials. Grading issues in the lab should be taken

up first with your lab TA.

Lab: 30% and Hands-on

Homework is worth 15% of your grade. It is accessible through Blackboard or through the McGraw

Hill website. There will be a two short assignments on either side of a class period—one is due before

class, the other is due after. The pre-class homework (due an hour before class starts) lets me see that

you understand the basics from the reading and where you might have struggled. The post-class

homework (due an hour before the next class period starts) is a chance for you to practice and lets me see

if you “got it.” The post-class homework will be particularly helpful for you, as it will give you a sense of

what I hope you learn. Each assignment will be worth about 3 points. Late work will not be accepted.

Non-homework: To give you a better sense of my expectations, I’ll open many class sessions with

example questions. I’ll also post short optional—but recommended—problem sets online. While these

problems are not due and do not count toward your course grade, they will be pointed to as additional

practice. Our in-class problems will also help you understand what I expect on exams.

Homework: 15% to Stay Current

Working participation in the course is worth 10% of your grade. Participation in class will be gauged

using short activities that I will collect, and you’ll need to show good faith effort. The activities are

anonymous in the sense that you will use your clicker or your Student ID number. These will NOT be graded

for accuracy (right or wrong answers.) I will only scan your answers for a general sense of how the class is

processing information. Each day will be worth about 5 points in the course. If, at the end of the semester,

you have at least 80% of the participation points, you will receive full participation credit.

Participation: 10% for Working

SOME KEY POLICIES OF THE UNIVERSITY

LECTURE RECORDING: The audio portion of each lecture, together with the associated PowerPoint slides,

will be captured using a technology called Echo360, and made available the same day on the course

Blackboard site. This should obviate the need to make your own recordings. If you do intend to make your

own audio recordings, you must first obtain my permission.

TLDR: We’ll provide recordings of class, so don’t spend energy on that unless a condition necessitates it.

COMMERCIAL NOTE-TAKING: Pursuant to the University of Kansas’ Policy on Commercial Note-Taking

Ventures, commercial note-taking is not permitted in this course. Lecture notes and course materials may

be taken for personal use, for the purpose of mastering the course material, and may not be sold to any

person or entity in any form. Any student engaged in or contributing to the commercial exchange of notes

or course materials will be subject to discipline, including academic misconduct charges, in accordance

with University policy. Please note: note-taking provided by a student volunteer for a student with a

disability, as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA, is not the same as commercial note-taking and

is not covered under this policy.

TLDR: Making money off my course (my intellectual property) is a BIG no-no.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS: The Academic Achievement & Access Center (AAAC) coordinates

accommodations and services for all KU students who are eligible. If you have a disability for which you

wish to request accommodations and have not contacted the AAAC, please do so as soon as possible.

Their office is located in 22 Strong Hall; their phone number is 785-864-4064 (V/TTY). Information about

their services can be found at https://achievement.ku.edu/. Please also feel free to contact me privately

in regard to your needs in this course.

TLDR: If you need some help, there’s help available! Ask. See above for details.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: Cheating, or the appearance thereof, including giving or receiving help on a

laboratory report, looking at another student’s paper while taking an exam, falsifying laboratory reports

or data, using unauthorized materials, notes, crib sheets, or the equivalent, will not be tolerated and will

be dealt with in accordance with University regulations (see

http://www2.ku.edu/~unigov/usrr.html#art2sect6). The Chemistry Department reserves the right to

make and keep copies of individual examination papers.

TLDR: Conduct yourself with integrity while you’re at KU (and in general, please!)

DIVERSITY, INCLUSIVITY, AND CIVILITY: Civility and respect for the opinions of others are very important

in an academic environment. It is likely you may not agree with everything that is said or discussed in the

classroom. Courteous behavior and responses are expected at all times. When you disagree with

someone, be sure that you make a distinction between criticizing an idea and criticizing the person.

Expressions or actions that disparage a person’s race, ethnicity, nationality, culture, gender, gender

identity / expression, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, or marital, parental, or veteran status are

contrary to the mission of this course and will not be tolerated.

TLDR: There’s a lot of growth value in disagreement, but show respect to the person you disagree with.

CONCEALED CARRY: Individuals who choose to carry concealed handguns are solely responsible to do so

in a safe and secure manner in strict conformity with state and federal laws and KU weapons policy.

Safety measures outlined in the KU weapons policy specify that a concealed handgun:

Must be under the constant control of the carrier.

Must be out of view, concealed either on the body of the carrier, or backpack, purse, or bag that

remains under the carrier’s custody and control.

Must be in a holster that covers the trigger area and secures any external hammer in an

uncocked position.

Must have the safety on, and have no round in the chamber.

This course takes place in spaces that will require students to leave belongings such as backpacks

and purses away and unattended for the duration of class time. Students who choose to carry a concealed

handgun in a purse, backpack, or bag must review and plan each day accordingly, and are responsible for

making alternate arrangements as necessary. The university does not provide appropriate secured

storage for concealed handguns. Individuals who violate the KU weapons policy may be asked to leave

campus with the weapon and may face disciplinary action under the appropriate university code of

conduct.