CH 104: Introductory Chemistry

Welcome to this home page for Clackamas Community College's Introductory Chemistry I course. This site is the only "textbook" required for CH 104 at CCC. Other textbooks may be used as a supplement if you desire, but this site contains all the information required to successfully complete the course. 

Start-of-Term Checklist

If you are accessing this site for the first time, it is almost certainly because you are beginning a CH 104 course at CCC. If so, you should complete the following steps immediately to get your experience off on the right foot.

1. Log into Moodle and locate the page for your course. There, you should be able to find the course syllabus, contact information for your instructor, and other useful information.

2. Consult the Tutorial Lab Schedule below and find a time when you are able to make your first visit to the Tutorial Lab. You have work which must be completed in the lab starting the very first week of the quarter. Set aside at least two hours for your first visit. During this time, you will learn important safety information about the lab and sign a lab safety contract, obtain your Lab Workbook for the course, and complete the first lab exercise. 

3. Sign up for the course's Achieve Homework by following the link in Moodle. 

4. Begin reading the textbook on this site. If you are taking an in-person CH 104 course, start attending your class meetings as scheduled. If you are taking a hybrid course, your learning will be more self-guided, with digital help from your instructor and in-person help from the Tutorial Lab. Either way, you should begin the reading and practice work in Lesson 1 of this textbook as soon as possible.

The Chemistry Tutorial Lab

The CT lab is a unique feature of the Introductory Chemistry sequence at CCC. It serves a number of functions, and is an important resource that will be critical to your success in CH 104. The lab is open and staffed by CCC Chemistry Faculty throughout most of the week on a drop-in basis.

• First and foremost, the CT lab offers you the ability to complete the lab portion of CH 104 on your own schedule, in a safe and supervised way. There are no assigned lab times for the course; simply come to CT lab when you have a block of time (at least two hours) free and you can complete the lab under an instructor's supervision.

• In addition, CT lab instructors are there to answer your questions about all aspects of the course, including practice questions, homework problems, lab assignments, etc. The lab is equipped with computers so you can access this textbook and the online homework. For students taking CH 104 in hybrid format, the CT lab essentially replaces the seminar portion of the course that in-person students take.

• Finally, the CT lab is a great place to collaborate with CH 104 classmates and form study groups, especially for students taking a hybrid course.

You can find the current schedule of open CT lab hours at the bottom of this page.

Course Structure and Graded Work

This course has several different components that will be used to help you achieve the learning outcomes for the course, and to help your instructor evaluate your learning.

Achieve Homework

This is designed to be a low-stakes way to develop and apply your chemistry skills. Each week, including Week 1, you will have an Achieve assignment consisting of a number of questions. For each question, you will get immediate feedback on whether your answer is correct or not, and you have unlimited opportunities to keep trying different answers until you get the right one, though each additional attempt comes with a small penalty. 

Labs and Prelabs

Each weekly Lesson has an associated Lab exercise, which can be found in your Lab Workbook. You should complete the following steps each week, starting Week 1:

• Read thoroughly through the lab packet for the week so that you understand the lab procedure and the skills you need to know for that week's assignment 

• Using your notes from class, the textbook, and the lab packet, complete the Prelab for the week. These are usually a mix of questions: 1) to show you have read and understand the lab procedure, and 2) to show you are keeping up with the skills needed to complete it.

• When you are ready to complete the lab, turn in the Prelab on Moodle. When you come to the lab, the instructor on duty will confirm your submission before you get started. If you need help completing the Prelab, you can bring it with you to lab, work on it with the help of the instructor, and turn it in there.

• Either in lab or at home, answer the questions in the packet, and turn in the Data and Questions pages to Moodle.

• You will be graded each week on your Prelab and Lab assignments.

Weekly Quizzes

Over the ten weeks of the academic quarter, you will take seven short quizzes. There is no Quiz in Week 1, and there is no Quiz during Exam weeks (see below). Quizzes are taken in the Tutorial Lab. 

Exams

There will be two exams, one in Week 5 and one in Week 10. Exams are taken in the Tutorial Lab. 

Tutorial Lab Schedule

Wednesday: 9 am - 4 pm

Thursday: 9 am - 8 pm

Friday: 9 am - 4 pm