Various roundbottom flasks with liquid of different colors

Chem 121: General Chemistry 1

California State University Channel Islands

Fall 2021

This lecture section is a fully online, synchronous course

Welcome chemists!

Dear chemists,

I’m Dr. Munroe and I’ll be your instructor for this lecture section. Welcome to Chem 121, this course is the first semester of general chemistry. Here, you’ll learn about many interesting chemistry topics such as stoichiometry, properties of gasses, properties of the atom, and thermodynamics. I look forward to interacting with all of you during our synchronous class sessions and discovering the wonderful world of chemistry together!

About this course

Our course starts on Monday, August 23, 2021 and will continue for 15 instructional weeks until December 4, 2021 (The final will be during the week of December 6, 2021). This course is offered as a combined lecture and laboratory course. I’ll be covering the lecture section that you are enrolled in as a ‘flipped’ synchronous, online course. What this means is that before the start of class, you’ll be asked to watch a video(s) that cover the topics we’ll be working on during the week. We’ll meet on Zoom during our regularly scheduled class time (Monday, Wednesday, & Fridays at 8:00 – 8:50 AM) and work together in small groups on the practice problems. This provides an excellent opportunity for you to get to know and work with your classmates!

Please make sure to check the laboratory section that you are enrolled into to see if you are meeting online (Dr. Ng) or if you will be meeting in Aliso Hall for in-person labs (Dr. Crisjoe, Dr. Halim, or Dr. Khan).

Our Pact

The successful completion of this course requires a partnership between the instructor and yourself. As we journey through this course through the semester, there are expectations that you would have for me and also expectations that I would have for you. Please take a moment to read through these expectations below:

What you can expect from me:

As your facilitator, I will be actively present in your professional learning experience.
I will respond to your questions within 24-hours (weekends and holidays will take longer though) and provide individualized support in response to your needs.
I will create a positive and supportive environment where you will feel safe to learn.
I will work to keep costs for this course to a minimum. We will utilize the OpenStax Chemistry 2E text for the lecture, which is available as a free e-text.
I understand that you are busy and that you have many competing priorities. When needed, I will be flexible to support your successful completion of this course.

What I will expect from you:

You will log into our course each week no later than Monday evening to evaluate the work and due dates in the current module.
Each week, you will invest about 10 hours of time to the coursework and assignments.
You will aim to submit all assignments on time. If you identify a concern with meeting a due date, you will contact me directly early in the week to discuss your concern and come to an agreement about an extension if needed.
You will be brave and challenge yourself to lean into discomfort. This is the space where growth occurs.
You will challenge yourself to try new things, keep an open mind, and recognize that mistakes are a vital part of the learning process. We all make them and we will celebrate them together.
You will be thoughtful in your interactions with peers while taking extra care to respect diverse perspectives and support the professional growth of educators with varying years of experience.

Scientists collaboratively working in a lab

My teaching philosophy

You are not alone! You are part of a community of learners! Together, I hope we will collaboratively work together in order to learn more about the topic of chemistry. To succeed in the course, we will have to regularly participate in the course, contribute to our group activities, and have a positive attitude!

Everyone coming to this course has different viewpoints and perspectives. These diverse viewpoints are an asset! By listening to your peers different perspectives, you may learn something new that you have not considered before. Please be respectful of each other as we share these thoughts with each other.

Our overall goal for this course isn't just learning chemical 'facts'. It is actually learning how to learn! Many of the problems in chemistry can be worked through by rationally approaching the problem and considering how to apply the knowledge that you know.

You may picture an image of a lone scientist working by themselves in a lab when you think about a chemist. This actually is not the case anymore--science is a highly collaborative profession! When you're working in the lab, generally you will be part of a larger team working together for an overall goal. Therefore, it is important to know how to work with other people and understand the importance of supporting your team members. We will practice this collaborative approach with our collaborative homework sessions!

Week 1 Success Kit

Required course items:

The reading and homework assignments for this course will be from the OpenStax Chemistry 2nd Edition textbook. Good news! The e-textbook is available for free at OpenStax.

Additionally, if you prefer a physical edition, it can be purchased through the campus bookstore or through retailers such as Amazon.

OpenStax Chemistry Second Edition ISBN-10 194717262X and ISBN-13 978-1947172623

Assignments to be completed for the first week (these items can be found within the modules section for chapter 1 on our Canvas course page):

Say hi and introduce yourself to your classmates by making a discussion forum post!
The first chapter of the textbook will be covered to refresh everyone about significant figures and dimensional analysis. Please review the first chapter of the textbook and watch the short videos I have prepared on the topics. The chapter reading and watching of videos should be done prior to attending the synchronous class sessions. Pay special attention to the following sub-chapters:
- 1.5 Measurement Uncertainty, Accuracy, and Precision
- 1.6 Mathematical Treatment of Measurement Results
End of the chapter problems from chapter 1. These problems are the ones you'll work collaboratively on during the synchronous class session. In case there are remaining questions to be answered by the end of Friday's class, please finish them on your own time prior to the start of week two. Don't forget to individually submit the answers to these problems to our Canvas webpage.
- 1.2: Phases of matter: 13, 17, 23
- 1.3 physical & chemical properties: 27, 31, 33
- 1.4 measurements (SI units): 35, 37, 39
- 1.5 uncertainty: 45, 47, 49, 53, 55
- 1.6: mathematical treatment: 59, 61, 63, 71, 77, 79, 81, 87, 89, 91, 95
- Group Project Questions (these questions will be given during the synchronous class times)

Due dates:

Chapter 1 Problems: 11:59 PM Wednesday, September 1st

My advice for success

As you start this course, make a commitment to yourself not to give up. If you are feeling overwhelmed or lost, take a few moments to chat with me. I'll be here to help you.

You may also find this course easier to navigate this course by keeping a routine for how you progress through your weekly workload. I recommend the following pacing to get through a typical week in this course:

Mondays will have a reminder announcement for the week's upcoming assignments (they can also be found in the syllabus). Please read the announcement to be aware of the items we are working through for the week.
By Wednesday, please watch the short concept videos for the week's topics that I have posted in Canvas. These videos will help to explain the more difficult portions of the textbook. Once you are familiar with the concepts, re-familiarize yourself with the topics by reading through the linked textbook chapters.
By Friday, you will want to have completed the practice problems. This is so you would have time to ask any questions about the problems before the typical submission deadline of 11:59 PM on the following Wednesday. Please remember, that during weekends, my email response times will be a bit slower. That is why it's important not to wait until Wednesday afternoon to ask a question about the material.

If you find that you cannot make a due date, please let me know as soon as possible so we can discuss ways to make this course work for you!

Course Goals

The overall goal of taking a course is to learn new material! But how is this learning quantified? You may hear terms such as "student learning outcomes" or SLO's. These SLO's are statements to specify what you will know, be able to perform, or demonstrate upon completing a course. These SLO's are observable, measurable, and able to be demonstrated by the learner. Upon successfully completing this course, the student learning outcomes state that you will have mastered the following items:

Evaluate a scientific measurement and distinguish between scientific data
Describe matter and energy in terms of the units and terminology that is used by modern scientists
Identify stoichiometric relationships and balance chemical equations
Explain the structure of an atom in terms of its basic parts and properties
Explain the interaction between electrons and light quantitatively
Describe the properties of electrons and how they relate to chemical reactivity
Identify the chemical properties of elements based on their periodic trends
Explain the nature of the different types of chemical bonds in molecules
Evaluate the properties of a gas phase species
Rationalize chemical reactivity in terms of the enthalpy of reactants and products
Identify the most common crystal structures of chemicals
Calculate unknown acid or base concentrations from titration experiment data.

Support for you

Our campus has many resources to help with many different issues that may affect you or someone you know. As part of our community, there is a wealth of resources available to you. To provide a handy place to find these items, I'll place links to them here.

Canvas technical support

In case you encounter technical issues with Canvas or any computer related problem, our campus' ITS department is ready to help! A support request can be submitted here. For issues related to Canvas, please select the Teaching & Learning Support option.

Emergency Intervention and Basic Needs

If you or someone you know is dealing with catastrophic financial issues, food insecurity, or homelessness/housing insecurity, please know that you are not alone. The Dolphin Pantry in Arroyo Hall offers free food, toiletries, and basic necessities. The Dean of Students office can also help with housing assistance or immediate financial assistance.

Student Health Services

CSU Channel Islands Student Health Services (SHS) provides CI students with treatment for common injuries, illnesses, and other medical issues. They provide compassionate, accessible, and professional health care as an outpatient clinic affiliated with the Ventura County Medical System.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides short-term mental health services in a confidential setting to assist students in achieving their academic and personal pursuits. If you are having an immediate crisis or life threatening emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room or urgent care.

If it is during business hours and you would like to speak to a clinician immediately, please call CAPS at 805-437-2088 for crisis support. If you reach the CAPS voicemail or it's after business hours and you would like to speak to a clinician immediately, please call (855) 854-1747 instead.

Title IX and Inclusion

Our campus has a commitment to diversity and inclusion. If you or someone you know has experienced discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual orientation includes sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and gender based dating and domestic violence and stalking, the Title IX and inclusion office can help.

Disability Accommodations and Support Services (DASS)

The purpose of Disability Accommodations & Support Services (DASS) is to ensure that the CSUCI educational experience is accessible to all students. They strive to provide services and resources that enrich the educational experience through equity, inclusion, advocacy and support.

Tutoring Resources

The learning resource center (LRC), located in Broome Library (Room 2760) offers one-on-one peer tutoring in many subjects, including this class. Additional tutoring services for other disciplines such as biology, ESRM, computer science, and the writing center are available as well.

Communication Essentials

The best way to get a hold of me is through email (and not Canvas messages!). I do respond to all Canvas messages, but having an email with your name associated with it makes it much easier to search for! Generally I will try to respond to your email within 24 hr during weekdays (M-F). Please use your campus email address rather than Canvas messages when emailing me because if I need to forward an attachment to you, Canvas messages won’t properly handle it.