CHEM 162 B: General Chemistry

CHEMISTRY 162 B/C

Download a copy of the course schedule:

• 2024-04-27 version: DOCX | PDF ... Errors in reading assignments for L3.3 and L3.4 corrected
• 2024-03-25 version: DOCX | PDF ... Errors in due dates for ALEKS Modules 2, 3, 4, and 5 corrected
• 2024-03-24 version: DOCX | PDF

Where, When, and How 

Class Sessions:

• Section B: MWF 12:30-1:20 pm in BAG 131
• Section C: MWF   2:30-3:20 pm in BAG 131
• All class sessions will be recorded and made available in the Panopto folder for this course

Course Web Site:      https://canvas.uw.edu/ 

Registration Questions/Entry Codes: Chemistry Undergraduate Services | chemugs@uw.edu 

If you are sick or qualify in other ways for an excused absence, please fill out the form below:

UW Chemistry Absence Reporting Form

TEACHING TEAM

Course Instructor:   

Prof. Colleen Craig | contact via cfcchem@uw.edu | public help sessions (office hours) in the Chemistry Study Center (BAG 330)

Private Office Hours: If you would like to discuss something personal/private, please email me to schedule a private appointment. 

Lab Instructor:

Prof. Samantha Robinson | sjconnel@uw.edu | Office hours: email for appointment

TAs in Discussion and Lab Sections:  

Consult MyPlan or the UW Time Schedule for time and location information for your Discussion and Lab Sections.

All TAs will offer Help Sessions in the Chemistry Study Center, BAG 330. You may attend any and all TA help sessions! This means that you can get MULTIPLE hours per week of live help from TAs. The TAs can help you with pre-labs, data analysis, lab write-ups, and course content.

Schedule Notes 

Discussion Section Schedule Notes

Discussion Section (DS) will be in person, at the scheduled time on Thursdays and at the location listed in your course schedule as "QZ". In person participation in DSs is part of your grade. In person DSs will not be recorded. See the Policies page for Discussion Section absence policies.  

Lab Section Schedule Notes

Week 1: No Lab this week. You do not need to attend your lab section during Week 1.

Week 2: Lab Safety Orientation. Proper attire, lab coat, and goggles are required.

Week 3-5: Labs meet in person. See the Policies page for Laboratory absence policies. 

Week 6: No Lab this week.

Week 7-9: Labs meet in person. See the Policies page for Laboratory absence policies. 

Week 10-11: No Lab this week.  

Course Communications

Watch Canvas Announcements for important updates about the course

We have limited time together in class. Therefore, I will prioritize course content and problem solving and generally will not make verbal announcements at the beginning of the session. I will direct the TAs to do the same. Any updates or changes we need to communicate will be posted via Canvas Announcements instead. Make sure you have your Canvas notifications set up appropriately so they you don't miss important updates!

General questions about the course? Use Ed Discussion.

With so many students in this class, it’s simply not feasible for me or the TAs to respond to individual emails about the course content or schedule. If you have a question along these lines, please post it to Ed Discussion rather than emailing one of us directly. That way you will be accessing the collective knowledge of literally hundreds of people, who are all thinking about the same things as you. You are likely to receive an answer much more quickly than if you only email an instructor or TA. The TAs and instructor will be actively monitoring the discussion board and will answer questions as we find them. Many of your colleagues will probably have the same question as you, so posting your question on the discussion board helps everyone in the class.

How to help me respond to your emails:

I receive a lot of emails. I will do our best to respond within 48 hours (excluding weekends) to an email you send me, but to maximize your chances of hearing back, please adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Email me about private matters, such as grades, or requests for private appointments. Questions about course content or the course schedule should be posted to Ed Discussion. If you send me an email with a non-sensitive or non-personal question, I will not respond.
2. Use your official UW email to send your message. This helps me know that I am really talking to you and not some rando with a hotmail account who wants to know about you, because you have to log in to your UW email using your UW NetID credentials. (Learn how to set up UW Gmail or Office 365 for your UW email address.)
3. Tell me which of my courses (CHEM 142, CHEM 152, CHEM 162, etc.) and section (A, B, C, etc.) you are enrolled in. Often the answer to a student's question depends on which course they are enrolled in. If you don't proactively include this information, I will have to email you back to ask for it, which will delay your answer.
4. Indicate your TA section and your Full Name
5. Present yourself in a professional manner

• Use an appropriate salutation (“Dear Prof. Craig,” or “Hi Prof. Craig,” etc.) and sign-off (“Best, Polly Harvey” or “Thanks, Nicholas Cave” etc.).
• Write in complete sentences.
• Employ proper punctuation and grammar

How to make an appointment to speak with me privately:

If you would like to schedule a time to speak with me privately, I am happy to meet with you! I schedule student meetings in 15-minute blocks. Meetings can be held either in person or on Zoom. When you contact me to set up a meeting, please follow these steps:

1. Send an email. I will not remember to put the meeting on the calendar if we only speak in person.
2. Indicate whether you want to schedule a private meeting (if you have questions about grades, DRS accommodations, etc.), or if other students may attend (if you want to discuss course content).
3. Indicate whether your prefer an in-person or Zoom meeting. If Zoom, I will send you a meeting link once we confirm a day and time. Note: Depending on the day/time, I may only be available via Zoom. 
4. Suggest two or three possible days for our meeting, and provide your detailed schedule on those days. I will email you back with a 15-minute block.
5. Confirm via email that the day and time I suggest will work for you. 
6. If you have to reschedule or cancel a meeting we’ve set, let me know as soon as possible.

DON'T COME TO CLASS SICK

If you're sick (with anything!) or have received a positive COVID test, do not come to class, even if it is on an exam day. The Chemistry Department has a generous sick leave policy. You can request an excused absence at the Chemistry Department Absence Reporting Form. If you're feeling sick, please stay home and take your first opportunity to get tested.

"What if I miss an exam due to illness?"

Consult Policies for Quizzes/Exams for information about how we will handle exams scores that are missing due to illness.

ACCESS AND ACCOMMODATIONS

Your experience in this class is important to us, and it is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. Disability Resources for Students (DRS) offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary or permanent disability that requires accommodations, you are welcome to contact DRS at uwdrs@uw.edu or visit disability.uw.edu.

Laboratory Accommodations

If you require accommodations in the laboratory (including assistants and/or interpreters), please contact the Undergraduate Services Director (Bagley 303D) in person during the first week of the quarter to discuss your accommodations. If you have accommodations related to lab report deadlines, follow the instructions on the Course Policies and Lab Info and Schedule pages of the Labs Canvas site PRIOR to your first lab for the quarter.

Exam Accommodations

For the Preparation for General Chemistry and General Chemistry courses, it is the Department of Chemistry's practice to have students with exam accommodations take their exams in the DRS Testing Center. If you have already established accommodations with DRS, the information for the Alternative Testing Contract will be submitted to DRS via their online system. Questions regarding the online submission of the alternative testing request and contract should be directed to the Disability Resources for Students Office (uwdrs@uw.edu, MGH 011).

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT EXAM ACCOMMODATIONS: 

Students with exam accommodations are solely responsible for scheduling the exams with DRS well in advance of the exam dates. Since the testing center has a limited capacity, please be sure to schedule ALL of your chemistry exams (including the final exam!) as early as possible in the quarter so that the DRS office can accommodate you.

Students who do not schedule far enough in advance to secure a testing reservation will need to take the exam in the classroom at the regular class time with the rest of the class, and will only be provided the standard time interval for completing the exam: 45 minutes for a midterm, and 100 minutes for the final.

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY 

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, can be found on the Religious Accommodations Policy page. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

COURSE MATERIALS & REQUIRED CONNECTIVITY

Except where indicated, all items are required and available from the University Bookstore.

Course Materials

• Chemical Principles, 8th ed., Zumdahl/Decoste; Chem 162 covers Chapters 14, 16, 17, 19, 21
• UW General Chemistry 162 Laboratory Manual, Autumn 2023-Summer 2024 (Van Griner)
• Laboratory Notebook with numbered pages and carbonless duplicate pages. You may continue to use a notebook from a previous quarter if it meets the stated criteria and has at least 30 pages available. The bookstore sells a version with “UW Chemistry Laboratory Notebook” information on the front, but this version is not required – it is the type of notebook that is critical).
• Lab coat and safety goggles (NO safety glasses or any other type of goggles).
• Scientific calculator or Graphing calculator. Graphing calculators (such as TI-83/84/89) will be allowed on exams as long as the memory is cleared before the exam starts. You MAY NOT use your calculator to store any information, including (but not limited to) constants, conversions, or formulas. Calculators with a full text-entry keyboard (such as TI-nspire) WILL NOT be permitted on exams. 
• ALEKS access. Consult the ALEKS module for more information. If your financial aid is delayed, contact your instructor for a temporary access code.

 Internet and Instructional Technology

• Access to a computer or tablet. You can borrow one from the Student Technology Loan Program, which is funded through Student Technology Fees.
• Daily online access to Canvas (uw.edu) and ALEKS. Weekly online access to Gradescope. All necessary links are available on the course Canvas site.
• Internet access. Students in WA State without broadband internet service: visit WA State Drive-in wifi hotpsots.
• Ability to convert a sheet of paper and/or file into a PDF to submit your Lab Reports to Gradecsope. You do NOT need a printer or separate scanner for this course, but submissions cannot be a group of individual image files. Free scanning apps are available for smartphones (such as Genius Scan and Scannable) – the Gradescope instructions page of the Labs site has more details for using these apps.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students who successfully complete CHEM 162 will be able to

• Explain the properties of chemical molecules using bonding models, including hybridization and molecular orbital theory, with the understanding of their limitations.
• At a beginning level, analyze spectroscopic results to determine the structure of molecules.
• Use isomerism (structural, geometric, and stereo) to explain variation in chemical and physical properties.
• Explain macroscopic properties based on intermolecular forces within the chemical system.
• Describe the structure and properties of the liquid and solid states, as well as phase changes, at the particulate and macroscopic levels.
• Explain the chemical, physical, and thermodynamic properties of solutions at the particulate and macroscopic level.
• Apply bonding models to the structural study of organic molecules and transition metal coordination complexes.
• Illustrate the concepts of kinetics, thermodynamics, and equilibria through application to organic and transition metal chemistry.
• Develop skill in visualizing the particulate level as related to the concepts above.
• Relate empirical observations, particularly in the laboratory portion of the course, to concepts listed above.
• Develop laboratory, data analysis, and scientific writing skills.

CLASS SESSIONS

Lesson Schedule

An approximate schedule for the chapters to be covered each week is available in the Canvas calendar for this course, and at the top of this Syllabus page. You are responsible for material covered in class AND in the textbook. In class lessons will cover only highlights of the textbook material.

Video Lesson Content

Formal lesson content will be delivered via Panopto recordings. 

A schedule for the chapters to be covered each week is available in the Canvas calendar for this course. You are responsible for material covered in the Video Lesson AND in the textbook. The Video Lessons will cover only highlights of the textbook material.

In-Person Review & Problem-Solving (R&P) Sessions 

Research shows that regular class attendance leads to better learning outcomes, which leads to improved scores on exams and grade in the course. To that end, I endeavor to make my class as enticing, intellectually stimulating, and fun as possible to encourage you to come! During the regularly scheduled class time, I will use various learning activities to further and deepen your understanding of the material presented in the Video Lessons and the textbook. These activities will help you review the content from the textbook, build your problem-solving skills, and construct a mental map of the course concepts...a crucial step towards mastering the material. I will employ Concept Tests via Poll Everywhere to encourage discussion among you and your colleagues, and so I can take the "pulse" of the class and adjust my teaching in real time as needed (note that Concept tests will only be graded on participation, not accuracy).

To extract maximum benefit from these activities and discussion opportunties, you really need to be here in person! However, I do know that occasionally, illness or other life events may keep you from attending class. All class sessions will be recorded and made available on Panopto, so you can catch up. (Note that if technical issues prevent a class from being captured, the session cannot be re-recorded.)

PDFs of the activities presented in each R&P session will be available on the Unit modules. 

COURSE COMPONENTS AND GRADING

Course Components

• 3 class sessions per week, focusing on content discussion and problem-solving. In person attendance at these sessions is strongly encouraged, but optional. Class will be livestreamed and recorded via Panopto for those who cannot be present in person. 
• 1 in person discussion section per week in Weeks 1-10
  
• 1 in person three-hour laboratory session certain weeks of the quarter (6 labs total See the Laboratory Resources page of the course website for details.) 
• Daily work in the ALEKS online learning environment
• Online prelab assignments and online submission of post-lab reports, delivered via Canvas
• TWO in person midterm exams, delivered in Weeks 5 and 9 during the regularly scheduled class sessions in BAG 131. 
• ONE in person final exam:
  • Section B: Thurs, Jun 6 at 8:30-10:20 am in BAG 131
  • Section C: Tues, Jun 4 at 2:30-4:20 pm in BAG 131

Course Category Weights and Descriptions

Active Reading Assignments (1.25%)

There will be an Active Reading (AR) Assignment in advance of each class day for which you have an assigned reading. Each AR will be worth 2 pts. The goal of these assignments is to give your brain the "big picture" of what it's about to learn, which will increase your ability to retain the information and subsequently build on it during class. Learn more about these assignments here: Active Reading. 

All ARs are due at 11:30 am the day of the relevant R&P session. Each AR opens at 12:01 am on the Saturday prior to its due date.

ARs are graded on completion only. The three lowest Active Reading scores will be dropped, allowing you to miss a few without penalty. There are no make-up opportunities for missed ARs. 

In-Class Concept Tests (1.25%)

During class sessions, I will employ the audience-response system Poll Everywhere to enable you to answer Concept Tests (CTs) related to the course content. The CT questions are intended to inspire your intellectual engagement with the course material and cultivate scholarly discussion between you and your colleagues.

CTs will be graded on participation only, not the accuracy of your answer. There will be approximately 3-6 CTs per class, each worth 1 pt. We will start using Poll Everywhere on the first day of class, although none of the CTs will be graded during the first three class meetings. This will give you time to get used to Poll Everywhere, and for me to work out any bugs in the implementation. 

In order to extract maximum benefit from the Concept Tests and earn participation credit, you must:

• Attend class in person. The primary benefit of the Concept Tests is to spark conversation with your colleagues, and that is impossible to do unless you are present in the room. In addition, the Concept Tests will only appear in the powerpoint slides that I present live in class. They will not be included in the Lesson Notes I make available in advance to aid your note-taking, nor in the Poll Everywhere polls. 
• Attend the CHEM 162 section you are enrolled in. Although both CHEM 162 B and C will be the same, you must attend the section you are officially enrolled in to earn Concept Test points. For example, if you are a CHEM 162 C student, you must submit a poll response during the 2:30-3:20 pm class period for your participation to count towards your grade. I can't prevent a student from submitting responses in the class session they are not enrolled in, but no credit will be awarded for those responses.

At the end of the quarter, I will drop 20% of the total number of graded CTs I deliver during the course to account for occasional student absences or technical issues. This means that if you participate in 80% of the graded CTs, you will earn full credit in this category. There are no make-up opportunities for missed CTs, and you will not be excused from participation if you miss class for any reason, or experience technical issues with Poll Everywhere. If you experience technical issues with accessing or submitting your responses to Poll Everywhere, try... 

1. ...the troubleshooting suggestions from UW IT.
2. ...switching from a WiFi to cell phone data connection. 
3. ...connecting to Eduroam instead of UW WiFi. 

If you continue to have issues after trying all of the above, contact UW IT directly at help@uw.edu. 

If you do not have a device that you can bring with you to class to access Poll Everywhere, you can borrow one from the Student Technology Loan Program.

Discussion Section Participation (1.25%)

Discussion Section (DS) will be conducted in person during the regularly-scheduled discussion section time (designated as "QZ" in your class schedule). The primary activities will include:

• TAs fielding your questions about lab, quizzes, course content, etc.
• you working with your colleagues on worksheet problems relevant to current course topics.

Weekly worksheet problems are intended to help you synthesize the material covered in the previous week’s lectures, therefore, they will be quite challenging. A blank version of the worksheet will be available at least a week in advance of each Discussion Section. You can find the worksheets linked to the relevant unit page. The worksheet key will be available after all of the DSs have met in a given week.

To earn your participation credit, you must arrive on time and participate in good faith during the DS, not simply be in attendance. Each DS is graded out of 3 pts:

• 1 pt for arriving on time
• 2 pts for participating in good faith

The two lowest DS scores will be dropped, allowing you to miss two without penalty. There are no make-up opportunities for missed DS.

Exam Reflection Surveys (1.25%)

These surveys will guide you through a reflection on your exam preparation strategies, and an analysis of your performance and the strategies that work best for you in learning the material for this course. Engaging with the survey questions sincerely will help you build metacognition, a mental skill that allows you to keep track of which study habits work and which don't. There will be four Exam Reflection Surveys total: two Pre-Exam Reflections, and two Post-Exam Reflections, distributed throughout the quarter. (Note that there will not be a pre- or post-exam reflection for the final exam in this course.) Each Exam Reflection Survey is worth 2 pts, and is graded on participation only. All Exam Reflection Surveys will count towards your score. There are no make-up opportunities for missed Exam Reflection Surveys.

ALEKS (15%)

This course uses the internet-based learning program ALEKS (Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces). An ALEKS Module (the name of the weekly homework assignment) contains topics relevant to the lecture discussions, and ALEKS will present you with a series of problems that explore a particular topic. The problems will have enough variability that you will only be able to get them consistently correct by understanding the core principle or skill defining the topic. Once you consistently answer the problems for a given topic correctly, ALEKS will conclude that you have learned the topic, and you will then be allowed to choose another topic to learn. 

Your first task in ALEKS will be to complete an Initial Knowledge Check. This is ALEKS’s way of assessing your current knowledge of math and chemistry, so that it can guide you appropriately. The Knowledge Check will contain 25-30 questions and shouldn’t take more than 40-60 minutes to complete. You will probably be asked a few questions that you don’t know how to answer. Don’t worry…the ALEKS system is only determining your knowledge baseline so that it can be tailored to address your specific needs. When you use ALEKS, you will complete the learning tasks you need and not those somebody else needs. After you complete the Initial Knowledge Check, ALEKS will provide one-on-one instruction intended specifically for you. ALEKS will also give you a new Knowledge Check after you complete each Module, so that it can track your evolving knowledge state as you move through the material, and continue to tailor its approach to your unique learning path.

Your ALEKS grade is constructed from your scores on the weekly assignments (known as "Modules") and the percentage of the ALEKS Pie you complete by the end of the quarter. The more of the Pie you complete, the higher your ALEKS score will be, but you do not have to complete the entire Pie to earn some credit for ALEKS. Similarly, you do not have to complete all the topics in a Module to earn some credit. Whatever percentage of topics you complete by the due date will be your score for that Module. The Module and Pie Progress portions of your ALEKS grade are weighted equally. They each represent 7.5% of your overall course grade. 

I strongly encourage you to work on your weekly ALEKS Modules in 30-60 min sessions several times per week, rather than saving the whole thing for the weekend. This will this save you considerable frustration, because ALEKS will not let you access the problems corresponding to the more advanced topics in a Module until you have mastered the basics. it will also make your learning in ALEKS more durable. Remember: ALEKS is not just a way to earn sweet, sweet course points; it is a highly sophisticated tutoring platform for chemistry, and is an excellent tool for building mastery of the course content. The more frequently you use it, the better you will learn the material.

Each ALEKS Module is available for a full week, and can be completed online from anywhere in the world. Therefore, I do not grant excused absences from ALEKS Modules except in cases of a serious illness or other significant personal challenge that lasts for all or most of the week that a given Module is active. If this applies to you, please feel free to reach out to me. However, note that I will also check your prior ALEKS usage pattern. If you typically log in to ALEKS several days during a given week for multiple short sessions, I am far more likely to excuse a Module than if you tend to complete your Modules in one or two marathon sessions right before they are due.

Note: "significant personal challenge" does not include:

• An inability to complete a Module on time because you are stuck on a topic. If you get stuck, come get help from the teaching team during our Help Sessions, or ask about it on Ed Discussion!
• An inability to complete a Module on time because of a busy schedule. If you get started on a Module early enough in the week, work steadily on it in short bursts on most days of the week, and get help when you are stuck, you will be able to complete all the topics on time.
• Unreliable internet access at your home. There is excellent internet access on UW campus, and the Washington State Department of Commerce maintains a list of free WiFi hotspots across the state. 

I never extend deadlines for ALEKS Modules, because it doesn't actually help students. Only one Module can be open at a time, so extending the deadline for Module X just reduces the amount of time you have to work on Module X+1. 

Laboratory (15%)

Your Laboratory grade is comprised of six prelab quizzes (5 pts/ea), six postlab reports (60 pts/ea), the Undergraduate Stockroom contract (5 pts), and the Safety Quiz (5 pts). All of the lab activities will count towards your score. More details about lab (including policies for excused absences) can be found on the Lab Canvas page for this course. 

Midterm Exams (40%) and Final Exam (25%)

Graphing calculators (such as TI-83/84/89) will be allowed on exams as long as the memory is cleared before the exam starts. You MAY NOT use your calculator to store any information, including (but not limited to) constants, conversions, or formulas. Calculators with a full text-entry keyboard (such as TI-nspire) WILL NOT be permitted on exams.

A list of equations, constants, and conversion factors will be provided with exams. Students will not be permitted to bring their own list of notes or equations to exams.

There are two midterm exams in this course. Each exam will focus on the most recent set of lessons, but chemistry knowledge is cumulative by nature, so the questions will often depend on knowledge from earlier chapters and prerequisite courses. Information about exam length, format, and coverage will be posted in the Exams module as each exam date nears. The dates for the exams are provided in the course schedule on Canvas. Both midterm exam scores will count towards your grade in the class.

Please do not come to class or to an exam if you are sick. If you have an excused absence from a midterm exam, your missed exam score will be replaced with a score constructed from your final exam according to the following formula:

  Replacement Midterm Score = Av g Midterm − [ ( Final Ex Score − Av g Final Exam ) S D Final Exam ] × ( S D Midterm ) ">

where Avg = average and SD = standard deviation. This formula ensures that your replacement midterm score is a similar number of standard deviations from the midterm average as your final exam score is from the final exam average, so that you are not unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged relative to your colleagues in the class.

Midterm exam keys will be available on Canvas after grading has been completed. The key for the Final Exam will not be published, and your work on the Final Exam will not be returned via hardcopy or Gradescope. Scores for the Final Exam will be posted in the Canvas gradebook. You may make an appointment with me next quarter to view your responses and grading details for the final exam.

Grade Distribution

The final mean GPA in Chemistry 1x2 generally falls within the range 2.6-2.9. It is the Chemistry Department’s policy not to make grade changes of 0.1 after final class grades are submitted to the UW Registrar.

How course grades are calculated: I will use the equation of a line between (~98%, 4.0) and (~40%, 0.7) to convert course percentages into GPs. When I do this, the average grade tends to fall in the range 2.6-2.9. I do not set the average to fall in this range. This means your grade in the course does not depend on anyone else's grade! Grades in this class are not zero sum. 

Monitor your Scores

Your scores for Participation, Lab, and Exams  will be recorded using the Canvas Gradebook. Your ALEKS scores can be monitored through the Gradebook and Reports tabs on ALEKS. Your overall ALEKS grade will be imported to the Canvas Gradebook at the end of the quarter.

ACADEMIC ETHICS

Original work performed in good faith is assumed on all assignments and course components.

The Student Conduct Code prohibits several forms of academic misconduct (see section 7: Prohibited Conduct), including:

• Cheating
• Falsification
• Plagiarism
• Unauthorized collaboration
• Engaging in behavior specifically prohibited by an instructor
• Recording and/or dissemination of instructional content without express permission of the instructor

You are required to sign and submit an honor code statement for this course, in which you will affirm your acknowledgment of what constitutes academic misconduct in this course as defined below. Failure to adhere to this code of ethics will result in referral for possible disciplinary action as described in the Student Conduct Code.

General policies for all course assignments

Your submissions for ALL assignments (including but not limited to homework assignments, lab reports, quizzes, and exams) should be your own individual work unless you are explicitly told otherwise by your instructor.

You are strictly prohibited from sharing any content from ANY assignment (including but not limited to homework assignments, lab reports, quizzes, and exams) with any website or app (including but not limited to Discord, Chegg, Course Hero, and Snapchat) or any other course content repository (virtual OR physical) that is not explicitly approved by the instructor. This prohibition applies both during the quarter that you are taking this course and any time after the course ends.

Specific policies for exams and quizzes

During exams and/or quizzes, you may not seek out or accept any input from ANY other individual, whether or not they are a classmate. Further, you may not provide assistance to other students during the availability window for an exam or quiz unless an instructor explicitly allows for that collaboration.

Specific policies for lab reports

It is presumed that the data you record and report in laboratory is your work. All data analysis and written/typed calculations and responses that you submit should be yours alone, even if you collected data with a laboratory partner. We often find examples of plagiarism in which lab reports are copied from someone else, or from an earlier quarter and examples of improper collaboration in which lab reports or portions of lab reports are posted or shared for other people to view.

We understand that it can be difficult for students to discern what constitutes good-faith collegial support on lab reports, and what constitutes plagiarism or cheating. While we often find examples of explicit plagiarism in which lab reports are directly copied from a student in the current quarter or an earlier quarter,​ we also find many cases of students “over collaborating,” resulting in reports that are essentially identical or extremely similar with only minor edits made to achieve minimal differences between the reports. This does not meet our expectation that you are submitting your own independent work. In short, if you have not done something yourself, do not attempt to pass it off as original work. If you have questions about what might cross the line, please do not hesitate to ask your lab or class instructor prior to submitting your work. You will not get in trouble for asking this type of question!

KEYS TO SUCCESS

1. Participate in ALL available sessions, pay close attention, and take notes. 
2. Learning chemistry is a sequential process. You must understand today’s material before you can understand tomorrow's. As with all courses at UW, your instructors and TAs will assume that you are studying at least two hours for each hour of lecture and one hour for every hour of lab. Find a place that allows for periods of uninterrupted study. Skim through chapter or sections to be covered in the next lecture.
3. Working in shorter, more frequent sessions in ALEKS will be more efficient than long, marathon sessions.
4. Practice! Work on suggested end-of-the-chapter problems as well as topics in ALEKS - focus on understanding the concepts and general processes, not just memorizing how to solve a specific problem.
5. Talk chemistry with fellow chemistry students. You will not only learn more, but you will probably also enjoy the course more. This is a much bigger challenge with remote learning, but also so much more important when there are not in-person sessions. Use the discussion board, chats, etc. to create study groups for talking about the course content.

WHERE TO GET HELP

1. Ask questions in person during class, discussion section, or help sessions / office hours.
2. Ask questions on course discussion board. While you are there, take a look at your classmates’ posts and see whether you can help them. Learning happens when people share experiences, knowledge, and ideas.
3. Form your own study group. Try using the course discussion board to find interested classmates. You have your own Zoom account, so you can even connect virtually to discuss the course!
4. The Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment (CLUE) offers free drop-in tutoring and exam reviews for Chemistry. See the Academic Support Programs website for more information.
5. The Instructional Center offers free drop-in tutoring, review sessions, study skills seminars, and more for students who are members of TRIO or EOP (students who are not members of TRIO or EOP may apply to access IC services on a space-available basis). For more information, visit the IC website.