Course Syllabus

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Class meets 2:30-3:50pm Wednesdays in SCI 159

Instructor: Machelle Hartman         

Email: hartmam@whitman.edu         

Phone: 509.524.2011          Cell: 509.529.3747

Course Description

This course is designed to help support you develop the skills and strategies for solving the types of quantitative problems found in general chemistry. Students will learn to parse information given-and not given-in word problems, identify the information content of equations, and develop strategies to apply algebraic manipulation to solve problems of a range of complexity. Corequisite: Chemistry 125. Credit: 1 pass/fail.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Calculation: Students will solve problems using algebra and basic mathematics, including dimensional analysis and stoichiometry
  • Application & Analysis: Students will make judgments and draw conclusions based on the quantitative analysis of data (numerical or non-numerical)
  • Interpretation: Students will explain quantitative information presented in multiple forms (equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, words)
  • Representation: Students will convert quantitative information into multiple forms (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, words)
  • Communication: Students will express quantitative evidence in support of a conclusion or recommendation including formatting and presenting

Course Overview

Chem 111 is 1 credit pass/fail. The course is designed to reinforce the content in Chem 125 and 135 and provide some just-in-time teaching of the underlying quantitative skills, without adding much extra work beyond participation – the workshops themselves are practice for assignments you will see in 125/135. Students who take advantage of the extra help and resources

To pass you must earn a minimum of 80% of the points of points possible from the following:

  • Attendance & participation 50 pts each (600pts total)
  • Work Plans 5-10 pts each (100 pts)
  • Assignments 50 pts each (300 pts total)

(See the Schedule and Course Structure sections below for details)

General Class Plan

Prior to/outside of class time:

  1. Create a Work Plan and Submit it on Canvas. Starting week 2, the work plan surveys are due by 8am Wednesday—the day of class. The instructor will review the submitted work plans and plan accordingly for class so that students who have similar work plans are grouped together for activities. Submitting the work plan will only take a couple minutes. Look at your CHEM 125 schedule and our CHEM 111 schedule as you think about the work plan.
  2. Complete and submit assignments There are 6 assignments throughout the semester that must be completed by 11:59pm on the days due (Fridays).

During Class:

  1. Brief Check-in: I will address general information / questions to the whole class. Sometimes this will involve a short lecture presentation or an example problem.
  2. Group Problem-Solving: I will divide you working groups depending on your Work Plan. You will work in these groups on a Workshop that relates to what you are covering in your Chem 125/135 classes. We will have an in-class TA who will rotate with me through the groups to address questions that you have.
  3. *Presentation and/or Discussion of Work: groups may present their work to the whole class and/or professor for one (or more) problem(s). This may be followed by an all class discussion about the problem set or any specific questions, as needed.
  4. * Whole Class Q and A (last 15-20 minutes) –Open-ended Q and A about Chem 125/135 questions.

*These class activities will not be part of every class meeting and will only happen if time permits.

Textbook

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!
Chemistry 2e (Atoms First) from OpenStax, ISBN 978-1-947172-64-7.

You have several options to obtain this book:

You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device.

Materials needed during each class

  • Laptop Computer (recommended/not required)
  • Pencil
  • Notebook with paper
  • Workshop Problem Set, Aktiv Practice Assignment, etc. (digital access or physical copy)
  • Scientific Calculator

Important Notes & Class Policies

Attendance: Absence & Tardy Policies (restated from above):

  • Arriving late to class will result in a grade of 45/50 for the day. Arriving 15+ minutes late will automatically count as an absence.
  • Excused absences are absences due to emergencies, illness, and college sponsored travel (debate teams, athletic teams, etc.). Excused absences must be documented (letter from coach, health center, etc.). Missing class for reasons outside of documented illness or travel will result in 0/50 pts for the missed class.
  • If an absence is excused, the 50pts can be earned by submitting the fully completed workshop for that day. The submission should be on paper with all work shown for the problems (unless it is a workshop that requires Excel or another computer program/software).

 

Health & Safety: We follow Whitman’s COVID protocols and policies (which are subject to change as the pandemic circumstances evolve). The Chemistry Department may require additional safety protocols beyond Whitman’s baseline, including wearing a department-provided KN95 masks in lab or classroom spaces.

Academic Honesty: For this class, each assignment must be completed by individuals—but you may work in groups while doing your own work.

  • Students are bound by Whitman’s Academic Honesty Policy. Original work performed in good faith is assumed on all assignments and course components.
  • The Student Handbook prohibits several forms of academic misconduct (see Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism), including: “Falsification of data, misrepresentation of another’s work as one’s own (such as cheating on examinations, reports or quizzes, purchasing material from the web), plagiarism from the work of others, or the presentation of substantially similar work for different courses (unless authorized to do so), is academic dishonesty and is a serious offense. Knowingly helping other students cheat or plagiarize will also be considered academic dishonesty.”
  • This policy also prohibits the sharing of content from any assignments, quizzes, exams, etc. with third party websites and apps as well as any other course content repositories not explicitly approved by the instructor. Failure to adhere to this code of ethics will result in referral for possible disciplinary action as described in the Student Conduct Code.
  • All written materials for this course are copyrighted—by a publisher or Machelle Hartman or Nate Boland. Students enrolled in the class may share them only with other students enrolled in the course. No student may otherwise reproduce, share, distribute, or display any of these materials without the express written consent of the copyright holder. Any infringement with the sale or not-for-fee sharing of any course materials is a violation of copyright law and Whitman College’s academic honesty policy. Your acceptance of this policy is understood by your enrollment in the course. Withdrawing or dropping the course does not absolve you from this responsibility.

Learning Accommodations: If you have a disability that requires learning accommodations, please meet with Antonia Keithahn, Associate Director of Academic Resources (509.527.5767, keithaam@whitman.edu).  We will provide reasonable accommodations.

Religious Accommodations: In accordance with the College’s Religious Accommodations Policy (https://www.whitman.edu/campus-life/diversity/intercultural-center/religious-and-spiritual-life/religious-accomodations), we will provide reasonable accommodations for all students who, because of religious observances, may have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments, or required attendance in class. Please review the course schedule at the beginning of the semester to determine any such potential conflicts and let your lab professor know by the end of the second week of class about your need for religious accommodations.  You may also contact your academic advisor or Adam Kirtley, Whitman’s Interfaith Chaplain, for support in making this request. If you believe that we have failed to abide by this policy, here is a link to the Grievance Policy: https://www.whitman.edu/human-resources/grievance-policy where you can pursue this matter.”

Resources & Support

Gen Chem Office Hours:

The Gen Chem Instructors hold office hours throughout the week. View the times on your CHEM 125 and/or CHEM 135 Canvas sites.

CHEM 111 Office Hours with Professor Hartman: Mon & Wed 1pm-2:20pm. Other times available by appointment.

During these hours, you don’t need an appointment – just drop by my office, the gen chem lab or email me and ask for a Zoom meeting (call my cell phone if I don’t reply within a few minutes).  You can ask me for help with Gen Chem content and assignments, or you just chat with me about college, careers or whatever. Do not feel you need a so-called “good” question – you can even just say “hello”! If you can’t make these times or want to meet privately – just email me to make an appointment.

Chemistry Tutoring:

The ARC and/or Chem department schedules group/drop-in chemistry tutoring in the STEM Hub.

 

The ARC also  assigns one-on-one tutors to students with demonstrated academic need. If you think this is you, contact the ARC.

Groupwork:
Learning to study/ collaborate/ work with others will help you complete the assignments in this course and help you be better prepared for exams—get to know your classmates and arrange a time to meet in person or online  via Zoom or Google Meet!

Course Summary:

Date Details Due