CHEM 142 A: General Chemistry I

CHEMISTRY 142 A & B

Download a copy of the course schedule: DOCX | PDF (updated 10-25)

• Oct 25 Version Updates: 
  • Lesson Schedule
    • Second day for L2.4 added to finish all content in person
    • Subsequent lessons all pushed back one class day 
    • Lesson 5.5, originally scheduled for Dec 3, has been cancelled
  • Related assignments
    • All ALEKS modules and DS worksheets have been updated to match the new Lesson schedule (please report and errors you find on Ed Disussion!)
    • DS in Week 8 (Nov 11/13) has been cancelled because Nov 11 is Veteran's day holiday  
    • An "Open Pie" session has been added to ALEKS during Thanksgiving week
• Original version: DOCX | PDF

Contents

General Logistics

• Where, When, and How
• DON'T COME TO CLASS SICK
• CHEM 142 A & B Teaching Team
• Course Communications

Academic and Religious Accommodations

• Access and Academic Accommodations
• Religious Accommodations

Course Materials and Structure

• Course Materials and Required Connectivity
• CHEM 142 Learning Objectives
• Format of Class Sessions
• Course Components and Grading

Academic Ethics

• Academic Ethics

Resources for Success

• Keys to Success
• Where to Get Help

General Logistics

WHERE, WHEN AND HOW

Class Sessions

Three 50 minute sessions per week led by course instructor:

• Section A: MWF 8:30-9:20 am
• Section B: MWF 9:30-10:20 am

All class sessions will be recorded and made available in the Panopto folder for this course

(NOTE: If that Panopto link doesn't work for you, try clicking the "Panopto Recordings" link in the lefthand navigation pane. This allows Canvas to authenticate your identity to the Panopto system. You should only have to authenticate to Panopto like this once; afterwards, you should be able to click on all links to Panopto content, such as the one above.)

Discussion Section (a.k.a. "Quiz Section")

One 50-minute session every week of the quarter (barring any holidays) led by subsection teaching assistant. Consult MyPlan or the UW Seattle time schedule for the exact time and place of your Discussion Section (the location listed in your course schedule as "QZ").

• Section A: Thursdays
• Section B: Tuesdays

Discussion Sections (DS) are not recorded. In person participation in DSs is part of your grade. See the Policies page for Discussion Section absence policies. 

DS Schedule Notes:

Week 1: No DS during the first week of the quarter

Week 2: Your TA will describe the purpose, structure, and grading policy of DS in detail, then you will split up into groups to complete a short warm up activity before moving on to the first weekly worksheet.

Weeks 3-9, 11: You will work in small groups on worksheet problems relevant to content covered since the previous DS. Your lowest DS score will be dropped. 

Week 10: No DS due to Thanksgiving Holiday

Laboratory

One two-hour-and-fifty-minute session during most weeks of the quarter, led by subsection teaching assistant. Consult the course schedule posted at the top of this Syllabus page for the lab activity schedule, and MyPlan or the UW Seattle time schedule for the exact time and place of your Laboratory session.

Laboratory sessions are not recorded. You must attend in person to perform the experiment in collaboration with your lab partner, and to be eligible for submitting a lab report. 

Lab 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 3-4: Labs meet in person

Week 5: No Lab this week

Week 6-7: Labs meet in person.

Week 8: Veteran's Day Holiday, No Lab this week

Week 9: Labs meet in person

Week 10: Thanksgiving Day Holiday, No Lab this week

Week 11: Labs meet in person

Week 12: Finals Week, No Lab this week.  

Registration Questions/Entry Codes

Contact Chemistry Undergraduate Services (chemugs@uw.edu).

Neither your instructor or teaching assistant have any knowledge of or power over registration issues!  

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DON'T COME TO CLASS SICK

If you're sick (with anything!) or have received a positive COVID test, do not come to DS, Lab, or 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, linked below. If you're feeling sick, please stay home and take your first opportunity to get tested.

UW Chemistry Absence Reporting Form

Consult the Policies page for policies related to absences from class, exams, DS, or lab. 

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CHEM 142 A & B 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. Andrea Carroll | ageddes@uw.edu | Office hours: email for appointment

Teaching Assistants (TAs):  

In addition to leading DS and Lab sessions, 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.

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COURSE COMMUNICATIONS

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.) you are taking. 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 (AA, BC, etc.) and your Full Name
5. Present yourself in a professional manner
   1. Use an appropriate salutation (“Dear Prof. Craig,” or “Hi Prof. Craig,” etc.) and sign-off (“Best, Polly Harvey” or “Thanks, Nicholas Cave” etc.).
   2. Write in complete sentences.
   3. 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 my 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, please let me know as soon as possible.

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Academic and Religious Accommodations

ACCESS AND ACADEMIC 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 206-543-8924 or 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 Director of Instruction (Eric Camp, Bagley 303, ericcamp@uw.edu) for the Chemistry Department 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 (CHEM 110) and General Chemistry (CHEM 142/152/162; 143/153) 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 their 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.

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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.

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Course Materials and Structure

COURSE MATERIALS AND REQUIRED CONNECTIVITY

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

Course Materials

• Chemical Principles, 8th ed., Zumdahl/Decoste; Chem 142 covers Chapters 2, 12, 13, 3, 4, & 5. The University Bookstore provides two weeks of free access to an electronic version of the text, accessible through the Day One Access Materials link on Canvas (this link is also included in the left-hand navigation pane). More information about the Day One Access Program can be found Course Materials FAQ the University Bookstore website. If you have trouble accessing the ebook, email dayoneaccess@ubookstore.com.
• UW General Chemistry 142 Laboratory Manual E-Book, Autumn 2025-Summer 2026 (Van Griner Learning; look for the VitalSource tool in the Day One Access Materials via the navigation link in the course Canvas site)
• Laboratory Notebook with numbered pages and carbonless duplicate pages. You may continue to use a notebook from a previous course if it meets the stated criteria and has at least 30 pages available. 
• 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. 
  • Only a purpose-built, dedicated calculator unit will be allowed on exams (that is, you may not use the calculator app on your cell phone, tablet, or laptop during exams).
  • 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.

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CHEM 142 LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students who successfully complete CHEM 142 will be able to

• Explain the chemical and physical behavior of matter based on the modern atomic theory, quantum mechanics, and the resulting atomic periodicity.
• Describe and predict the formation of chemical bonds and classify chemical compounds using Lewis structures, VSEPR theory, and electronegativity principles.
• Qualitatively and quantitatively describe the chemical and physical changes at both the particulate level and the macroscopic level.
• Classify and analyze reactions in aqueous solutions including dissociation reactions, precipitation reactions, acid-base reactions, and redox reactions.
• Describe and predict the behavior of gases using the ideal gas law, Dalton’s law of partial pressures, and kinetic molecular theory.
• Interpret graphical and pictorial representations of data to draw conclusions about chemical systems.
• Clearly define a problem and develop solutions for that problem including the use of central and auxiliary equations and conversion factors.
• Relate empirical observations, particularly in the laboratory portion of the course, to concepts listed above.
• Demonstrate laboratory techniques and skills including collecting, analyzing, and interpreting experimental data, scientific writing, and scientific communication.

NOTE: The Unit modules contain a more detailed list of the learning objectives for each Unit and Lesson in this course.

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FORMAT OF CLASS SESSIONS

Lesson Schedule

An approximate schedule for the content 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.

Lesson Notes and Recordings 

PDFs of the lesson notes I will present in each class are available on the Unit modules. All lessons will be recorded using the Panopto lecture capture system. Note: If a technical problem causes a scheduled recording to fail, the lesson will not be re-recorded. (NOTE: If that Panopto link doesn't work for you, try clicking the "Panopto Recordings" link in the lefthand navigation pane. This allows Canvas to authenticate your identity to the Panopto system. You should only have to authenticate to Panopto like this once; afterwards, you should be able to click on all links to Panopto content, such as the one above.)

Class Activities

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! :D During the regularly scheduled class time, I will use various learning activities to further and deepen your understanding of the material presented in 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.) Further, I have a very generous missed-class policy for the Concept Tests (described in more detail below), so missing a few Concept tests will not affect your grade.

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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 recorded via Panopto for those who cannot be present in person. 
• 1 in person discussion section per week in every week of the quarter (barring holidays)
  
• 1 in person three-hour laboratory session certain weeks of the quarter (6 labs total See the 142 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 approximately every four weeks during the regularly scheduled class sessions. Consult the course schedule linked at the top of this Syllabus page or the Canvas Calendar for information about the exact dates of the midterm exams for this course.
• ONE in-person final exam, delivered according to the official Finals Week schedule for UW Seattle. Consult MyPlan, MyUW, or the Canvas Calendar for information about the day and time of your final exam for this course.

Course Category Weights

Course Surveys (1%)

There are two types of surveys you will encounter in this course. These surveys will be bundled together into the "Course Surveys" grading category.

Research Surveys

You will be asked to complete two research surveys: one at the beginning of the quarter, and one at the end of the quarter. These Research Surveys are part of a research project on the use of math skills in general chemistry. (More details are available in the survey assignments themselves.) They are graded on completion only. The members of the Teaching Team for this course will never know how you responded to the survey questions, only whether or not you completed the surveys. You may elect to have your data and responses to the questions omitted from the research study. However, completing these two Research Surveys are a requirement of this course. Each Research Survey is worth 2 pts. If you choose not to complete a Research Survey, you will earn 0/2 points for this assignment. All Research Surveys will count towards your score. There are no make-up opportunities for missed Research Surveys.

Exam Reflection Surveys

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. 

Reading Quizzes (1%)

There will be a Reading Quiz (RQ) in advance of each class day for which you have an assigned reading. Each RQ will contain 3-6 questions, and will be worth 5 points total. The goal of the RQs to is help bring your attention to important concepts and terminology in the chapter that we will build on during class. RQs will be graded on the accuracy of your response, not merely on participation. You are encouraged to have your book open while you work on the questions, and to work with other CHEM 142 students!

All RQs for a particular Unit will open at 12:01 am on the Saturday prior to the first in-class lesson in that Unit. All RQs are due at 11:59 pm the night before the relevant class session. 

There are no make-up opportunities for missed RQs. Instead, your lowest three RQs scores will be dropped, allowing you to miss a few without penalty. 

In-Class Concept Tests (1%)

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, and as long as you log an answer for at least one poll during class, you will earn CT participation credit for that day. Each CT assignment is worth 1 pt. We will start using Poll Everywhere on the first day of class, although CT assignments will not 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 CTs and earn participation credit, you must attend class in person. The primary benefit of the CTs is to spark conversation with your colleagues, and that is impossible to do unless you are present in the room. In addition, the CTs 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. 

There are no make-up opportunities for missed CT assignments, and you will not be excused from CT participation if you miss class for any reason, or experience technical issues with Poll Everywhere. Instead, at the end of the quarter, I will drop 20% of the total number of graded CT assignments to account for occasional student absences or technical issues. This means that if you participate in 80% of the graded CT assignments, you will earn full credit in this category. 

If you experience technical issues with accessing or submitting your responses to Poll Everywhere, try... 

1. ...the troubleshooting suggestions from UW Information Technologies (IT).
2. ...switching from WiFi to cell phone data connection. 
3. ...connecting to Eduroam instead of UW WiFi. 
4. ...texting your reponses to polls using the messaging app on your phone rather than connecting through the web or phone app. 

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 (2%)

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 links to the weekly worksheets on relevant unit pages, and on the Discussion Section Worksheet Blanks and Keys 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

There are no make-up opportunities for missed DS. Instead, your lowest DS score will be dropped, allowing you to miss one without penalty. I will excuse one additional DS score if your absence is reported to the UW Chemistry Absence Reporting Form. Additional absences from DS will incur scores of 0 pts. 

ALEKS (Weekly Modules (4%) + Pie Progess (8%) = 12% total)

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 Modules portion of your ALEKS grade is weighted at 4% of your course grade, and the Pie Progress portion is weighted at 8%. This is because your growth in ALEKS over the quarter is more important to me than your ability to complete all the topics in a Module by the weekly due date. In addition, I will drop your lowest Module score during the term.

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. (Note that "significant personal challenge" does not include 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.) 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.

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 can be found on the 142 Lab Canvas page. See the Course Policies page for information about absences from Lab.

Midterm Exams (40%) and Final Exam (28%)

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. Each midterm is 45 minutes, and the final is 100 minutes.

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. You may not use your cell phone, tablet, laptop, smartwatch, etc. as a calculator on exams. 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. You are not permitted to bring your own list of notes or equations to exams.

Please do not come to class or to an exam if you are sick. Consult the policy for excused absences from exams on the Policies for Quizzes/Exams, Labs, and Discussion Sections page. 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.

If you are absent from the final exam, consult the Policies for Quizzes/Exams, Labs, and Discussion Sections page and contact your instructor as soon as possible. 

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 (~95%, 4.0) and (60%,2.0) 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. Helping others to succeed will not harm you! In fact, in will only help you learn the material more deeply, thereby increasing your grade.

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.

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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 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.

Third-Party Homework Help Website Policy

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. The instructor’s lectures and course materials, including lecture slides, study guides, useful information sheets, previous exams, previous exam keys, practice questions, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. The instructor is the exclusive owner of the copyright of the materials they create. This content is protected and may not be shared, uploaded, or distributed to any third party without express written permission of the course instructor. (Similarly, you own copyright in your original papers and exam essays. If the instructor is interested in posting your answers or papers on the course web site, they will ask for your written permission.) This prohibition applies both during the quarter that you are taking this course and any time after the course ends. 

You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own use. You may not (and you may not allow others to) reproduce or distribute lecture notes and course materials publicly, whether or not a fee is charged, without the express written consent of the instructor. Uploading copies of your self-generated course materials to third-party homework help sites provides future students the opportunity to cheat off your work. Uploading copies of your completed lab reports or other course work to third-party websites, whether the assignment is graded or not, is strictly forbidden in this course. This is a violation of the course policy, and you may be held accountable for enabling other current or future students to cheat.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy

The assignments in this course are intended to probe your understanding of the material. Typically, in this course using artificial intelligence (AI) programs to complete your assignments directly conflicts with this goal. Therefore, the use of AI sites including, but not limited to, ChatGPT to complete any part of any assignment is prohibited. AI should only be used if you are explicitly told to do so in the instructions of an assignment.

Offering to Pay Others for Their Work

I strongly encourage you to work on assignments and use your peers as a tool for helping you grow in your learning. However, you are ultimately responsible for your learning and the work you submit in the course must be your own. Offering others payment for access to their completed work (from this semester or any prior semester) is a violation of course policy. Do not offer payment for access to other’s work, even as a joke. Paying others to do your work for you is not funny, it is a serious violation of the university code of conduct, and it will be treated as such.

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!

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Resources for Success

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.

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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.

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