Syllabus

Science Prerequisites for Health Professionals

CHEM 1010: Medical General Chemistry I Spring 2016

Credits - 4

Description

Overview

This is a one-semester course with a laboratory designed for individuals with a baccalaureate degree who need first semester general chemistry as a prerequisite to apply for admission to health professions’ programs. These may include graduate programs in medicine, veterinary medicine, dental medicine, nursing, physical therapy and physician assistant.

Instructor and Support Contact Information

Check the course welcome page in Blackboard for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.

Further Assistance
Your student support specialist, listed on the course welcome page, monitors course progression and provides assistance or guidance when needed. They can assist questions regarding ordering course materials, University policies, billing, navigating the course in Blackboard, and more.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Course Objectives

To give the student interested in the health professions an introduction to general chemistry emphasizing the concepts that will be important for and provide the basis for the subjects the student will encounter in his/her future studies. These subjects include components of matter, atomic theory, stoichiometry, chemical reactions and bonding, thermochemistry, gases, quantum theory, electron configuration, models of bonding, theories of covalent bonding and shapes of molecules.

SELF PACED DESIGN

On the course start date, students will have access to orientation. This must be completed to be able to gain access to the first module in the course. Students must complete the first module to gain access to the next one. We recommend that students spend about 15 hours per week to complete a course in 16 weeks. When trying to complete the course in less than 16 weeks, we typically see students do this successfully within 12-14 weeks. Instructors will be timely in grading and feedback, but it will not be instant.

Assignments

Lectures and Laboratories

Course Details

“Learning general chemistry is similar to learning to play a sport or a musical instrument. The more you practice, the more proficient you will become.”

R. Rowe, 2006

Online Medical General Chemistry I is divided up into 16 weeks that follow the first 11 chapters of the textbook. Each week contains a reading assignment, a slide presentation with audio, homework assignment and lecture quiz. Most of the weeks will also contain a laboratory assignment and a laboratory quiz.

Assigned Homework Problems

Each week contains assigned homework problems taken from the end of the chapter problems. Detailed solutions to all assigned homework problems can be found in the solution manual within each weekly folder. The homework problems will not be collected nor graded. It is strongly suggested that you work as many of the assigned problems as necessary for you to have a solid understanding of the concepts presented in the weekly lecture. The best way to prepare for a quiz or an exam in chemistry is to work and rework end of the chapter problems. You may work more problems than are assigned if you feel you need more work in a specific area.

Laboratory Assignments

Most of the weekly folders include a laboratory assignment. The laboratory assignments for each week are in each weekly folder as well as in Lecture/Lab schedule at the end of this syllabus. You will perform all laboratory assignments in a non-laboratory setting, such as your kitchen. There will be eleven laboratory assignments distributed throughout the course. Once you have completed the experiment, take the laboratory quiz before moving on to the next week.  NOTE: Once you have received your LabPaq, you will need to provide your instructor with a photo of the label containing the LabPaq order number on the side of the box of your LabPaq for proof of purchase. This number begins with LP-. Upon receipt of this photo, your instructor will provide you with a link to access your lab manual. 

Discussion Board Posts

Discussion questions cover interesting current events or materials that contribute to a deeper understanding of key concepts and allow you to interact with your classmates and the instructor. Most of the discussion questions are designed to accompany particular chapters (see specific discussion questions for more information). Each question will require you to conduct internet research, read additional materials (a short journal or magazine article), visit a specific webpage, OR view a short video. Then you will write a response following the guidelines in the assignment.

To earn full credit: you will need to post a response, respond to the original posts of at least two other students, and then contribute to an ongoing discussion. For special cases where one or two students are accelerating faster through the course, the instructor will participate in the discussion so that everyone has the opportunity to interact.

Discussion Question Guidelines

1. Read the assignment carefully so that you are familiar with the materials that you need to cover and how to craft your post.
2. Respect each other’s ideas, feelings, and experience. Some of the questions involve areas of disagreement. Expect your classmates to have different opinions.
3. Use proper writing style. Correct spelling and sentence structure are expected just as if you were writing a regular paper. Use spell check and grammar check before you submit.
4. Write your posting in a word document! That way you can save a copy and use spell check and grammar check.
5. Cite the sources that you use to write your response. Follow the AMA guidelines.
6. Avoid posting large blocks of text. Break your writing into paragraphs and use a space between paragraphs to make your posting easier to read online.
7. Subscribe to the discussion so that you get email updates when there is activity.
8. Use the “reply” button rather than the “compose” button when responding to someone else’s post.
9. When responding to a classmate, address them by name.
10. Do not use postings such as “I agree,” “I don’t know either,” or “ditto.” They do not add to the discussion, take up space on the Discussions, and will not be counted.
11. Everyone benefits from an active discussion. Check back in frequently to see what others are saying.
12. Plan your time carefully. You will need to give your classmates time to respond to your postings. This is an asynchronous class where students will be in different points of the class.

Examination and Grading Information

Module & Lab Quizzes

All lecture & lab quizzes are open book and open notes. You can take up to 30 minutes to complete the 10 multiple-choice lecture or lab quiz. Although the quizzes are open book and open notes, you need to study the material and work the problems in order to do well on the quizzes. The quizzes will be taken online through the course Blackboard site. Doing well on the quizzes will help prepare you for the timed-proctored mid-term, final lecture and final lab exam.

Mid-Term and Final Lecture and Lab Exams

All exams are timed and proctored. All exams are open book and open notes. Any material you use on the exams, you must be able to hold in your hands. Your notes may be hand written or typed. You will not have access to any material saved on your or any other computer. No access to the Internet or other communication devices is allowed during the final. All exams consist of 50 multiple choice questions and you can have up to three  hours to complete the exams.

Grading Scale

You will receive a letter grade for each enrolled course (One grade for lecture and one grade for lab). Your final grade will be calculated from the following:

Lab Component Grade Breakdown

Quizzes	60%, 10 module lab quizzes, each worth 10 points
Lab Exam	40%, 1 final lab exam worth 50 point

Lecture Component Grade Breakdown

Quizzes	28%, 14 weekly quizzes, each worth 10 points
Discussion	12%
Midterm	30%, 1 mid-term exam worth 50 points
Final Exam	30%, 1 final exam worth 50 points

The weekly lecture and lab quizzes are graded immediately. The mid term exam should be taken after you have completed the assessments for week 7. The final lecture and lab exams should not be taken until all the other assignments are completed. You do not need to take the final lecture and lab exam on the same day, but you can if you like.  Final exams taken online with Proctor U will be graded immediately. While you will see your final exam score, you will not have access to your exams once you have submitted it for a grade.  No exams will be released to the students.

The letter grades translate to the following numerical grades:

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00