Chemistry (Galvin Scholars)

Sapling Plus online homework is required and will be part of the course grade. When you purchase Sapling Plus, you also get the e-book with access for four years, so there is no need to purchase an additional text. If you want to study from a physical copy, then loose leaf, used, or old editions are perfectly OK! The e-book attached to SaplingPlus is:

Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight, 7th Ed.  by Peter Atkins, Loretta Jones, and Leroy Laverman, (W. H. Freeman, 2013).

Sapling Plus access can be purchased directly from Sapling – you must login through the Sakai course page (this is the most cost effective option!). Sapling Plus can also be purchased from the Hammes Bookstore. If you would like a printed version of the textbook in addition to the e-book, you can also purchase that bundle from the bookstore.

Log on to Sapling from the Sakai course page only. Detailed Instructions are located on the Sakai course page.

Cliché as it may sound, chemistry is everywhere: the food we eat, the medicines we take, the clothes we wear, the fuels we burn, and the objects we use every day. Chemistry influences politics and global trade. While you may not be a chemistry major (there is still time to change your mind!) having an understanding of the basic foundations of chemistry will serve you well in whatever future vocation you choose.

For this course, we will first work to develop an understanding of the physical principles that determine the properties of atoms. From there we will expand our understanding of atoms to their role in chemical bonding and molecular structure and properties. Following a discussion of molecular properties, we will cover chemical equilibrium and then applications of equilibrium by focusing on acid-base chemistry. In these areas you will learn both qualitative and quantitative routes to determine what chemical reactions occur and to what extent. Finally, we will tie together the microscopic properties of atoms and molecules with their macroscopic properties by discussing the laws of thermodynamics and how they govern chemical processes.

All exams for this section will be held in room G09 in Bond Hall:

Exam 1	Tuesday, September 17^th	8:00 - 9:15 a.m.
Exam 2	Tuesday, October 15^th	8:00 - 9:15 a.m.
Exam 3	Tuesday, November 26^th	8:00 - 9:15 a.m.
Final Exam	Friday, December 20^th	1:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Exam 3 is scheduled for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break. You will not be excused if you schedule travel (buy airline tickets, etc.) that prevents you from taking the exam.

The final exam is the Friday afternoon of finals week. You will not be excused if you schedule travel (buy airline tickets, etc.) that prevents you from taking the exam and early exam requests will not be granted.

You are in college now – miss classes at your own risk. If you wish to be successful in the course, then showing up, participating, and paying attention is a good place to start. If you must miss a class, see a classmate to obtain the lecture notes as they will not be provided by your professor.

Test dates are fixed. Make up exams are only available for students with University-approved excuses. You must notify your Professor in writing prior to missing an exam, even for University approved reasons. Emergencies, sudden illness, family emergencies, etc. need to be documented by the University’s Health Center, the Counseling Center, or your first year advisor. The same absence policy applies for Friday tutorials.

As part of your homework grade, you will meet weekly with a small section of your peers to present tutorial problems. Tutorial worksheets are released Friday mornings on Sakai and are due the following week. It is expected that you will make a serious attempt at each tutorial problem before you arrive at your session. Your tutorial TA will select students at random to present solutions to the assigned questions at the board. You will receive full credit for an honest attempt (even if that attempt is incorrect). If you are not presenting a solution, it is beneficial to ask questions to help gain a deeper understanding of the material or to clarify any misunderstandings. Your TA will help facilitate class discussion and help fill in any gaps in understanding.

Attendance will be taken at each tutorial. Failing to be present results in a score of ‘0’ for the day. At the end of the semester, your lowest tutorial score will be dropped (this essentially gives you one ‘free’ miss for a tutorial for any reason). It is not necessary to inform your instructors of this absence, but any excused absence for a University approved reason must be documented with your TA.

Homework is assigned online almost weekly and can be found using the Sapling tab on the Sakai course page for CHEM 10171. Each week’s homework assignment will be posted on Friday morning and will be due the following Thursday at 8:00 am. It is your responsibility to start your homework in a timely manner – issues involving internet connection or network errors cannot be fixed at the last second. In addition, if you are stuck on a problem, please ask for help before you are out of attempts. If you have any website or login problems, please contact Mrs. Sarah West.

Attending lecture can only get you so far in understanding chemistry. The best way to learn chemistry is by doing chemistry. This means spending time working problems – tutorial problems, homework problems, book problems, etc. The more effort you put into understanding your homework and tutorial problems, the more likely you will be successful in the course. It is recommended that you not only work on these problems with your peers (seriously, please work together) but it is also imperative that you spend time working through problems on your own – after all, the exams are not a team effort.

Some recommendations for the course:

Read the assigned text sections before coming to class. Even if you don’t understand what you are reading, hopefully lecture will clarify the material.
After class, read the text again. This time through, hopefully the material is clicking together.
Work sample problems in the text; each section has step-by-step sample problems and then gives you a scenario to try on your own. This is a great way to help learn the process of solving chemical problems.
Find a small group of your peers to work with. Come prepared to these meetings so you know what questions you have/where you are stuck before you get there.
Come to office hours. There you can work with your peers, TAs, and Professors to help gain a better understanding of the material or clear up any questions you may have.
Lastly, don’t wait until the last minute!

We recommend that you start as close to the course as you can to seek help. Quick questions can be answered by Professor Gezelter just before or after the class. Questions, comments, and suggestions may also be e-mailed directly to Professor Gezelter. Professor Gezelter, Ms. Schalk, and Mr. Waitt all have scheduled afternoon office hours:

M 3:00–5:00, 372 Nieuwland Science Hall (Professor Gezelter) W 5:00–6:30, 366 Nieuwland Science Hall (Mr. Prather) Th 5:00–6:30, 366 Nieuwland Science Hall (Ms. Schalk) You are encouraged to come to office hours, and no prior appointment is necessary. If you cannot come to office hours at these times, or need additional assistance, contact Prof. Gezelter by e-mail at gezelter@nd.edu. General CHEM 10171 office hours will also be held in the evenings by other course Teaching Assistants each week:

W 7:00–9:00, Room TBA Th 5:00–7:00, Room TBA Th 7:00–9:00, Room TBA One of the most effective ways of helping yourself in General Chemistry is to form a collaborative study group, to work together on homework and other issues in the class. Study groups work best when the group meets on a regular basis and everyone in the group is an active participant. You will get the most from the homework and tutorial problems—that is, you will be best prepared for the exams—if you put in time and effort into them before going to office hours or gathering in a study group.

CHEM 10171:

Homework (Sapling + tutorial)	10 %
Laboratory	20 %
Miderm Exams (3)	45 %
Final Exam	25 %

CHEM 13171

Weekly Worksheets (11)	80 %
Attendance	10 %
Participation in Peer-instruction	10 %
Extra Credit	5 %

Your CHEM 10171 grade will be based on a single, numerical score computed by averaging your numerical scores on exams, homework, and laboratory weighted as given above. The cutoffs for grades are shown below.

D	C-	C	C+	B-	B	B+	A-	A
50-59	59-67	67-70	70-74	74-79	79-83	83-87	87-90	90-100

There may be an upward curve applied: If the median class score falls below 80%, an upward curve will be applied to bring the median up to 80%. The scores for students who drop the course will be included in the calculation of the median (note that this helps the grades of students who remain in the class). If there is a curve, it will be calculated and applied at the end of the semester.

There will never be a downward curve: A score of 90 will always be an A, an 87 will be at least an A–, an 83 at least a B+, and so on.

Cutoffs are strict: an 89.9994 is an A–

For lecture, you are welcome to take notes any way you please; paper, tablet, laptop, stone and chisel – as long as it isn’t disruptive to your classmates. Just be aware how your technology may be distracting to others around you.

There is now significant evidence that writing notes by hand aids in recall and performance in the class. Although we won’t prohibit laptops, their use is generally discouraged.

In addition, please don’t hold conversations, even if you are whispering, during class. There are many students in the lecture room and even a few conversations can quickly become distracting and make it difficult to hear. Questions during lecture are welcomed, just pop your hand up when you have one.

Lastly, when you become sick during the semester (it will happen) bring in some tissues or cough drops.

Entering Notre Dame, you were required to study the online edition of the Academic Code of Honor, to pass a quiz on it, and to sign a pledge to abide by it. The full Code and a Student Guide to the Academic code of Honor are available at: honorcode.nd.edu. The Code of Honor will be strictly applied as described in The Academic Code of Honor Handbook. Students will not give or receive aid on exams. This includes, but is not limited to, viewing the exams of others, sharing answers with others, and making unauthorized use of books or notes while taking the exam.

Per the Sara Bea Center on Campus

“To become eligible for accommodations, a student must register with the office by providing recent documentation of their disability. Registered students are responsible for requesting accommodations each semester.

A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, or activity that enables a qualified student with a disability to obtain equal access. The accommodations provided are in response to a student’s perceived barrier to access. In other words, a student must, at a minimum, identify how their disability is preventing them from having access. Therefore, the services and accommodations provided are intended to reasonably remove a barrier.

The office does not provide treatment or teach students how to minimize the impact of their disability. Instead, reasonable modifications are made to a course, program, or facility to allow the same access as experienced by students without disabilities. An accommodation is considered reasonable only if it does not significantly alter the essential components of a course or program.”

Please inform your professor if you need accommodations and we will be happy to work with you.