Page 1 SPRING CHEMISTRY 101 2011 SECTION 502: Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:35-10:50am SECTION 503: Tuesdays & Thursdays 12:45-2pm Dr. Wendy L. Keeney-Kennicutt ([email protected]) Office: Room 116 HELD (in the back) Phone: 845-3256 (work) and 690-1252 (home) E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] (Try to put AM/502 or PM/503 in the subject line so I know which class you are in) public webpage: www.chem.tamu.edu/class/fyp/wkk-chem.html elearning webpages for grades, turnitin, registering clickers and special projects: elearning.tamu.edu Office Hours: M 3-7pm, R 3-6pm, by appointment and whenever you can catch me. . Welcome to CHEM 101! As the science that describes matter, chemistry is vital to our understanding many of the problems facing our world today from global warming to feeding the world to fighting cancer. Rapid new developments in all of these areas virtually guarantee that chemistry will become even more important in the years to come. Knowledge of chemistry is thus an important ingredient in a liberal arts education, and an essential foundation for a technical education. The ability to communicate that knowledge is also critical in this day and age. So writing about chemistry and topics related to this class will be an integral part of our class. We will also use clickers and have a special semester project – more later. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Page 1 Introduction and Teaching Philosophy Page 2 General Policies and Information, Course Policies and Procedures: Materials Page 3 Homework (Bonus Opportunity Problems and OWL Info), Calibrated Peer Review (CPR™), Page 4 Quizzes, Exam Info, Web Page 5 Grade Calculation, Review Info, Miscellaneous Pages 6-7 Tentative Calendar Pages 2,8-9 Clicker Information I will strive to make this course a meaningful and enjoyable experience for you. Please feel free to call upon me whenever I can be of help. I am giving weekly review sessions on lecture material and our SI leader will be giving weekly sessions. I will be available in Room 116 HELD (in the back) during office hours to answer both laboratory and lecture questions. Finally, it is important to check your official TAMU email regularly. I will be sending messages to you regularly. Sincerely, Dr. Wendy L. Keeney-Kennicutt Associate Director, First Year Chemistry Program Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence & Piper Professor of 2010 MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY My teaching philosophy is straightforward: I will be teaching you the way I would want to be taught - with enthusiasm, and with a passion for the subject combined with respect and understanding. My aim is to give each of you every opportunity to do your best in learning chemistry despite our large classroom setting. Chemistry is a subject that I have studied, practiced, taught and enjoyed since I was 17 years old – over 40 years. On my part, effective teaching involves time, dedication, patience, understanding, firmness, and a sense of humor. On your part, effective learning involves your participation inside and outside the classroom. My job is to encourage you and give you every opportunity to be successful in this class and leave the class knowing some Chemistry. All of the sciences require more work and studying than most of you are used to, and Chemistry is no exception. I have specifically designed this course so that you can do well, even if you bomb an exam, providing you do all the work I assign, both during class and on your own time. The student evaluations on Pick-A-Prof are valid; I do assign a great deal of work: 2 kinds of homework, 3 optional writing assignments using Calibrated Peer Review and Turnitin, and in-class quizzes. However, this is not busy work, made to make your life miserable, but it provides you an opportunity to practice your chemistry skills and earn a good grade aside from the 3 exams and comprehensive final that we will have. This additional work (writing, in-class quizzes and homework) can make up 30% of your grade. So you can be a poor test taker and still do reasonably well, if you do the work and come to class. I am also allowing you some leeway in what work you will do for the class. I know that I'm asking that you do a great deal of work. So, I have incorporated several things to make your life more agreeable. (1) I do think that you are much better off taking our exams at the scheduled time. My regular exams are about 80% multiple choice and 20% free response and have a review session. However, I know that you are very busy and circumstances can just crop up. To that end, my exam makeup policy is rather lenient. To take my makeup exam, you must send me an email giving me the reason (I expect the truth) for why you want to take the makeup, instead of the regularly scheduled exam. Reasons include the regularly approved university excuses (illness, a school-related trip, etc.), but also having to go to your sister's wedding, staying up all night with a sick roommate, or having your alarm not go off or another decent reason for not being prepared. The slightly more difficult makeups are usually 10 days later, at 4pm on a Friday afternoon and are all free response exams, with no multiple choice. (2) I am giving you an opportunity to counteract lower test grades. I am assigning 3 writing assignments using Calibrated Peer Review throughout the semester. I will take the best 3 scores out of your 3 writing assignments and your 3 class-time exams and that will become a 4th "exam grade." (3) The on-line homework (OWL) can count either 20% or 100% of an exam grade. I will calculate your grade both ways and give you the better final average. (3) I give weekly review sessions every Sunday afternoon. I know that Chemistry is probably not your favorite subject. However, with a little help and support, you may surprise yourself as to how well you can do. (4) Besides my regularly scheduled office hours in my office, I have an open door policy to answer all kinds of questions about the course, homework, lab or anything else. I am a TAMU Mentor and an Ally. I also do pretty well at answering my emails in a timely way. I hope you'll have a good semester and also learn a little chemistry. Dr. K :)Page 2 GENERAL POLICIES and INFORMATION I. Plagiarism: Students are expected to be the sole source for any work submitted in their name. The utilization or submission of
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