Course Essentials

Required equipment (aside from a computer with internet access)

1. Introductory Chemistry, Tro, 6th edition, Prentice Hall

***It is absolutely required for you to have a textbook for my class. Brand new or used, it doesn't matter to me. I work out of the 6th edition and that is my current version, so I reference page number and problems out of this version, but you may find a previous version (5th, 4th, etc) for much cheaper and that will suit you just fine. My only recommendation is that you do not use an e-version of the textbook. They can sometimes be cheaper, but students have expressed to me many times that there is something much better about learning this material out of a physical textbook and makes learning more efficient. Students who have done an e-version of the textbook for this class regretted it and ended up getting a hard copy of the textbook later on.


2. Introductory Chemistry: Concepts and Critical Thinking, Lab Manual, Corwin, 7th edition, Prentice Hall

***It is absolutely required for you to have this lab manual for this class. Brand new or used, it doesn't matter to me, but the used versions will be somewhat of a headache because the lab manual has pages that you complete and turn in for credit and so a used version may be missing many of the required pages you need. For this textbook, you can not get a previous/older edition (because they changed the content a lot from the 6th edition), but you can get an e-version (and it is my understanding the e-version is much cheaper, $29.99, than the hard version, ~$120 brand new). You could also rent this lab manual, but to adhere to the rental agreement, you would have to make photocopies of the pages you were going to write on. For the e-book, you'd need access to a printer (or use a PDF editor to type everything out, which might be frustrating and tedious).

IMPORTANT: It is your responsibility to get a lab manual and all of the required pages.


3. "Napoleon’s CHEM 101 Packet"

This is a packet that is available at the bookstore for ~$12. There are over 200+pages. This packet included many class handouts, my class notes for you to follow along with, and some of the additional lab activities that we will complete that aren't in our lab manual. You do not have to buy this from the bookstore, because the file is available on Canvas for your own printing, but it is my understanding that buying the packet from the bookstore is the cheapest option, as printing 200+ pages can be expensive, even if you have your own printer. Again: if you do not have a printer or can not afford/have a way to print multipage documents easily, you should definitely buy this from the SBCC bookstore. There are other packets available for other classes, even chem 101 classes, so make sure you see "NAPOLEON" on the front cover before purchasing. If you aren't going to purchase this packet or print it from the class Canvas page, you will need to at least print up parts of it, as it contains some class activities and assignments. As such, a printer would be necessary.


4. Scientific Calculator

You must have a calculator that adds, subtracts, multiplies, divides, and can handle exponents, parenthesis, and logs. A scientific calculator can usually be found for $10. If you have a "graphing calculator" already, please do use that. Or if you are continuing on in the sciences, now is a great time to invest in one. Brand new, they can be pricey ($120+), but oftentimes you can find them used for a bargain. You could also get a scientific calculator app on your phone (or your phone may already have one), but please know that I find that I'm prone to mistakes whenever I use my phone for multi step calculation problems like we'll be doing in this class, so getting a stand alone calculator is ideal. If you are continuing on in any science classes, you'll need a calculator for those anyways, so get one now to learn on, it will serve you well.


5. Introductory Chemistry Students Solutions Manual that accompanies our textbook

This is something that you could get away with not purchasing at all and not using at all, but I do strongly encourage you to purchase this and/or have access to it (which is why I do consider it "required). The student solutions manual provides step by step examples of all of the problems that I assign you throughout the semester. Because our class is completely online, you all will be studying on your own, after school hours, late at night, etc. and will have a question and not have me or anyone else for an immediate answer. This manual could provide you with an explanation and help you in many ways. That being said, for some of you, money is tight and I get that, so this is a luxury. If you can find a used copy online or just share with a friend/room mate, that would be great. Or perhaps an e-version. There's lots of options for this (and the other materials), so find something that works for you.


Access to Course Content

Browsers

Not all internet browsers are created equal. Some work better with Canvas, and some may encounter problems.

Mobile Devices and Apps

You can use tablet computers and smartphones for viewing Canvas pages and submitting assignments. However, taking quizzes on smart phones is NOT recommended.

Although Canvas says they support quiz on mobile devices, students have often run into frustrating problems. I recommend taking quizzes on a desktop or

laptop computer.

  • Do not take quizzes or exams on a smartphone. If possible, use a full desktop or laptop computer with stable Internet connection.

  • Tablet computers such as iPad and Android Tablets: Accessing Canvas using a mobile browser is possible, but it is NOT recommended as certain functions are

NOT fully supported. For more ensured access, use Canvas Student App for Android/Google Play and iOS. No app is available for Amazon Fire and

other platforms yet.

  • Smartphones: Using Canvas App, you may view pages and submit assignments. Taking a quiz or exam is NOT recommended.


Submitting Work

All of your written work (i.e. your lab reports and post-lab assignments) will be submitted through Canvas as PDFs. There are a number of easy ways to make PDF files out of "hard copy" documents. Most smartphone have free apps (or can do it without an app) to turn documents into PDFs. Another option is to take photos of all pages of your assignment and put the images into a Google Doc (all SBCC students have access to Google Docs) and then save the images as a single PDF file. After you have created the PDF file of your work, you will upload the document in Canvas. All of your written assignments must be turned into PDFs for submission. If your assignment is multiple pages, make sure that all pages are contained in one PDF file.