Chem 260 Syllabus

The Big Picture

What Will I Learn?

Chem 260 provides an introduction to several core concepts in the areas of physical chemistry and analytical chemistry. Because these areas, even at an introductory level, are too broad to cover in a single semester, our content-specific goals are relatively modest. By the end of the course you will be able to...

• predict the favorability of a reaction and how temperature affects that favorability

• describe the composition of a reaction mixture—the concentrations of reactants and products—when it is at equilibrium

• evaluate how a reaction progresses as a function of time and elucidate a possible pathway by which it occurs

• design and carry out experiments to solve an analytical problem

In addition to these content-specific goals, we also have several growth-oriented goals that are important to your development as a student in STEM and as an informed citizen; these are to...

• identify and solve well-defined and ill-defined problems both collaboratively and individually, and apply these skills to problems facing humanity

• demonstrate competency with varied forms of data analysis including organizing, interpreting, and drawing conclusions from quantitative and qualitative information

• love learning and exude a commitment to continued learning throughout your life

• become more comfortable working in the laboratory, particularly as part of a collaborative team, and to communicate better the results of your work in lab

Together, these content-specific goals and growth-oriented goals will aid you in meeting one of the department's learning goals for its majors: the ability to develop and execute actionable, quantitative approaches to problems and projects of a chemical or biochemical nature, drawing both from fundamental content knowledge and an understanding of how science is done.

How Can I Be Successful in Chem 260?

Whatever your background in chemistry and biochemistry, specifically, and in STEM disciplines, more generally, and in addition to your usual academic commitments—attending class and lab, completing assignments, and preparing for exams, to name a few items—commit yourself to...

• focusing on our growth-oriented goals as much as you focus on our content-specific goals by identifying the new skills you are developing and the existing skills you are strengthening

• participating during class and lab by being physically present and by being an active, engaged learner

• collaborating with your classmates in class, in lab, and outside of class and lab; this class is not a competition and you have much to learn from each other and to teach each other

• reflecting every day, even if for just a few minutes, on your most recent class or lab looking for connections between what you learn in class and what you do in lab; between a new topic and topics covered earlier in the semester; or between this course and other courses you are taking or have completed

• asking questions: in-class and out-of-class...of yourself, of me, and of each other...to clarify uncertainty or to satisfy curiosity

The Nitty-Gritty Details

What Resources Do I Need?

The textbook for this course is the second edition of Chemistry: Atoms First, a free textbook available from OpenStax. You may choose to access the textbook through a browser, but you may also download it as a pdf file, download it to a Kindle, download it as an app, or order a print version (for a fee). Visit the textbook's website to explore your options. If you download the app, there is an option to purchase access to a set of videos; as the cost is not trivial (≈$15/mo) and as none of these videos are assigned, you may wish to decline this option.

No textbook is a perfect match for a course. You will find that our textbook explores some topics at a greater depth than will we and that it explores other topics more superficially than will we.  As needed, we will supplement the textbook with additional resources, which are available through the daily class schedule. 

How Will I Be Evaluated?

Your work is evaluated in four ways: three unit exams (45%); frequent take-home assignments (15%); a cumulative final exam (15%), and lab work (25%). See the lab schedule for information on lab reports.

Letter grades are assigned using the following scale:

• A (≥ 93.0); A- (90.0 – 92.9)

• B+ (87.0 – 89.9); B (83.0 – 86.9); B- (80.0 – 82.9)

• C+ (77.0 – 79.9); C (73.0 – 76.9); C- (70.0 – 72.9)

• D+ (67.0 – 69.9); D (63.0 – 66.9); D- (60.0 – 62.9)

• F (< 60.0)

The final exam will consist of three parts, one for each of the course's three units. If your score on the final exam for any unit is greater than your score on the corresponding unit exam, then your final exam score for that unit will replace your score on the unit exam.

Final averages are not rounded; to earn a grade of B instead of a grade of B-, for example, you need a final average that is greater than or equal to 83.0. These ranges are fixed with the following caveat: to pass the course, you must have a combined average of at least 60% on the three unit exams or a score of at least 60% on the final exam, and you must complete all laboratory work.

This section of Chem 260 is designated as a Q-course. A significant portion of our time in class and in lab is spent solving quantitative problems and using other forms of quantitative reasoning. A course grade of C or better is required to receive Q-certification.

What If I Need To Miss Class or Lab?

A textbook is a poor substitute for the active learning that takes place in a classroom, which is why attendance and participation in class—even if not required—is important. If you need to miss class for any reason, be sure to check with a classmate to review what we covered and/or drop by during office hours with questions.

You are required to attend all lab sessions, arriving on time and ready to work. If you need to miss lab for a reason beyond your control, please be in touch with me and with your partners before lab begins so that we can find an alternative time when you can make appropriate contributions to your group's lab work. 

Why Are We Working Collaboratively In Groups?

Our approach to studying thermodynamics, equilibria, and kinetics—both in class and in lab—relies on collaboration. In class you will work in small groups to complete worksheets that cover topics central to the course, and in lab you will work in small groups to design experiments and to analyze data.

Working with other students as part of a small collaborative group can be a rewarding experience. There is an abundance of evidence in the educational literature that the process of discussing a problem or an experiment with peers leads to a deeper understanding of the problem or the experiment. In addition, working as part of a group is a valuable skill that is of increasing importance to employers, to graduate research programs, and to health professionals. Indeed, you will spend most of your professional career working closely with others. 

Medical schools (and other health-related professional schools and programs), graduate programs in chemistry and biochemistry, and employers increasingly are interested in much more than your GPA and your scores on the MCAT, DAT, or GRE exam. Increasingly, these programs are interested in your "soft" skills. As you complete your work in this course, you may find it useful to consider the following questions and ranking categories posed to those writing recommendations for medical schools.

Describe how the applicant has, or has not, demonstrated any of the following competencies that are necessary for success in medical school.

• Service Orientation: Demonstrates a desire to help others...

• Social Skills: Demonstrates an awareness of others’ needs, goals, feelings, and the ways that social and behavioral cues affects peoples’ interactions and behaviors... 

• Cultural Competence: ...shows an appreciation and respect for multiple dimensions of diversity...

• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals; shares information and knowledge with others...; puts team goals ahead of individual goals. 

• Oral Communication: ...listens effectively...

• Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others: Behaves in an honest and ethical manner; cultivates personal and academic integrity...

• Reliability and Dependability: Consistently fulfills obligations in a timely and satisfactory manner; takes responsibility for personal actions and performance. 

• Resilience and Adaptability: Demonstrates tolerance of stressful or changing environments or situations and adapts effectively to them; is persistent, even under difficult situations; recovers from setbacks.

• Capacity for Improvement: Sets goals for continuous improvement and for learning new concepts and ideas; engages in reflective practice for improvement...

[Adapted From "Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Evaluation for a Medical School Applicant".]

When I write a letter of recommendation for any program—an internship, an off–campus study program, a  summer research opportunity, or an application for medical school, graduate school, etc.—I draw upon these competencies. More specifically, I describe examples of how your participation in our shared work, both in class and in lab, contributed to creating an effective, positive, and supportive learning environment that was of benefit to all of us.

How Do I Submit Work For Evaluation?

We will be mostly paper-free this semester. With the exception of the unit exams and the final exam, the materials you need to complete the course are available through shared folders on a Google Drive that you can link to from the course website. I will share a few items by email.

With the exception of the unit exams and the final exam, you will submit work for evaluation by email as a PDF file with a defined file name that allows me to keep track of your work in Goodnotes, the app I use to respond to work. Files must be in PDF format to ensure that your content is not lost when I bring your work into Goodnotes. You can prepare these files in a number of ways:

• If you have a tablet or other device that allows you to mark up the PDF documents I share with you, then you will already have the document in the correct file type.

• If you prepare your work using Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, or a Google Doc, you can save it as a PDF file. Do not send your file as a link to a shared Google Doc as these files are difficult to open in Goodnotes.

• If you choose to work with paper and pen or pencil, then you can take a photo of your work and use a program such as Apple's Preview to convert it to a PDF file. You can also use a scanner app to scan and save a document as a PDF file. I use Scanner Pro, which is available for free, but there are many other options. You can also use campus copy machines to scan ocuments to a PDF file and then email them from the machine.  Do not send image files, such as those with .png, .jpg, .hrec or other types of extensions, as these can be too large to work with and are difficult to annotate.

Regardless of how you prepare your work, each assignment will specify exactly how you are to name your PDF file. Assignments turned in using other formats or using an incorrect file name will be returned to you with a request to resubmit using the appropriate format and/or file name. If you find that you cannot convert files into a PDF format, please let me know and we will identify a solution that will work for you. Technology should not be the limiting factor in successfully completing this course.

What If I Need Additional Time For An Assignment?

Because I value thoughtful, well-written, and well-reasoned work more than absolute deadlines, the due dates for most assignments allow for some flexibility. Unless otherwise specified, there is no penalty for turning in an individual assignment within 24 hours of its deadline. In addition, for up to three additional individual assignments you may request an additional extension of 48 hours (for a total extension of 72 hours); you must inform me that you are using one of your additional 48-hour extensions in advance of the assignment's original due date.

Weekends and vacation days do not count toward these limits. Here is an example. Suppose an individual assignment has a due date of the beginning of class on a Wednesday. You may turn the assignment in on Thursday (the automatic 24-hour extension) or on Monday (the additional 48-hour extension includes Friday and Monday, and does not include the weekend days of Saturday or Sunday).

Getting Help During the Semester

When Can I Stop By With Questions?

Office hours provide time and space for asking questions about topics we have covered in class or lab, or assignments on which you are working. Feel free to stop by my office (Julian 364) at any of the following times, either individually or with others; no appointment needed! 

• Mondays from 10:00am to 11:00am, and from 2:00pm to 3:00pm

• Tuesdays from 9:00am to 11:00am (in Julian 362)

• Wednesdays from 10:00am to 11:00am and from  2:00pm to 3:00 pm

• Thursdays from  1:00pm to 3:00pm (in Julian 362)

• Fridays from  10:00am to 11:00am and from 2:00pm to 3:00pm

If you wish to schedule an appointment at another time, please catch me before or after class or lab, send me an email, or just drop by my office and see if I am free. If you wish to meet virtually, send me an email with some times when you are free.

Can I Ask Questions By eMail?

I check my email regularly between 8am and 8pm and try to respond to all emails received during this time. Be sure to check your email at least once per day as email is my primary means of sharing information with you.

Is There A STEM Guide?

DePauw’s STEM Guide program is a student-focused tutoring program that provides you with additional support for you work both in class and in lab. More details on STEM Guides will be shared later.

Can I Get Help Through The Learning Commons?

Yes! The Learning Commons houses three peer consulting services: Writing, Speaking, and Quantitative Reasoning. Located in Roy O. West Library 101, tutors offer assistance and encouragement on assignments such as essays, presentations, and problem sets. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are encouraged and can be made at https://depauw.mywconline.com/.

Selected DePauw University Policies

Academic Integrity

Although you may make frequent use of external resources when completing an assignment, it is important that the work you submit represents your understanding of the assignment. A failure to do so is unethical and a serious breach of academic integrity. Be sure to review DePauw's guidelines for academic integrity, which are included in the Student Handbook; in particular, review the examples of plagiarism. Although often unintentional, plagiarism nevertheless is a serious violation and may result in a significant reduction in your grade for an assignment or for the course. Be sure to consult with me if you are unsure about any issue concerning academic integrity.

Student Accessibility Services

It is the policy and practice of DePauw University to provide reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. Written notification from Student Accessibility Services is required. If you are eligible to receive an accommodation and would like to request it for this course, please contact Student Accessibility Services. Allow one-weeks advance notice to ensure enough time for reasonable accommodations to be made. Otherwise, it is not guaranteed that the accommodation can be provided on a timely basis. Accommodations are not retroactive. Students who have questions about Student Accessibility Services or who have, or think they may have, a disability (psychiatric, attentional, learning, vision, hearing, physical, medical, etc.) are invited to contact Student Accessibility Services for a confidential discussion. Student Accessibility Services is located in Union Building Suite 208 and can be reached by phone at 765-658-6267. Please feel free to reach out to me privately and confidentially if you have questions about the nature of our course assignments.

Religious Accommodations

DePauw accommodates students who are adherents of a religious tradition and wish to fulfill obligations of that religious tradition on holy days. Students are expected to notify their instructors of their intent to fulfill the obligations of their religious tradition well in advance of these days. For the sake of this policy, “holy days” are defined as periods of time in which either activities required by normal class participation are prohibited by a religious tradition, or a special worship obligation is required by a religious tradition.

Student Title IX Policy  

DePauw University affirms its commitment to fairness and equity in all aspects of the educational experience. Harassment and discrimination based on gender or sexuality—including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and Title IX retaliation—prevent students from accessing an equal education and violate university policy as well as the law. Find full information at www.depauw.edu/titleix. If you or someone you know experience behavior that is coercive, discriminatory, harassing, or sexually violent, you are encouraged to contact our Title IX Administrators, Rhyan Smith, JD or Dionne Jackson, Ed.D. at titleixcoordinator@depauw.edu or 765-658-4155.

Use of Internet Tools and Resources

You are welcome to make use of the many tools and resources available through the internet to augment your textbook and our class materials. Wikipedia is, for the most part, a reliable resource for topics covered in Chem 260, although its articles are often more technical than you need. AI engines generally provide responses to prompts that are less technical and, therefore, often easier to digest. In general, when used to provide quantitative information, AI engines make frequent mistakes, and they often fail to carefully define terms and assumptions in their calculations. It is highly unlikely that an AI engine, for example, can make sense of the raw data you collect in lab without your organizing the data in tables and providing explicit instructions on how to analyze the data (but, then, what's the point?).