Syllabus

Science Prerequisites for Health Professionals

CHEM 1010: Medical General Chemistry I – Spring 2020

Credits - 4

Description

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.

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.

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 modules 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 10 laboratory assignments distributed throughout the course. The laboratory assignments are completed in the HOL Cloud website and include pre-lab questions, the experiment, evaluation exercises, post-lab quiz questions, and post-lab extension questions.

One originally written lab report turned in as a Word document or .pdf file in Blackboard, is assigned for the Stoichiometry of a Precipitation Reaction experiment. Guidelines for writing a lab report can be found in the document “How to Write Lab Notes and Lab Reports” published by Hands-on Labs

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. There are a total of three required discussion questions throughout the quarter that constitute 12% of your final grade. 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 Quizzes

All lecture quizzes are open book and open notes. You can take up to 30 minutes to complete the 10 multiple-choice lecture 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 and final lab exam.

Mid-Term and Final Lecture and Lab Exams

You must purchase the Official UNE External Webcam to take your proctored examinations. Remember to order your webcam at least three weeks prior to scheduling your first proctored exam.

For all exams, you must review the Proctored Examinations information and requirements in the Policies section of this syllabus.

The midterm and final exams are CLOSED book, CLOSED notes, timed and proctored. The only resource you are permitted to use is the PDF provided by your instructors for this specific exam. You will be required to open it in front of your proctor just before you start your exam. It must be a digital copy; no printed copies are allowed. You will also be allowed to use a UNE-authorized whiteboard (see Materials Section, above). You will be required to show your proctor that your whiteboard is clear at the beginning of your testing session, and you must erase your whiteboard in front of the proctor before disconnecting from your session. If you do not do this, your exam will not be credited.

You may also use a stand-alone scientific, non-programmable calculator.

All exams consist of 50 multiple choice questions and you are allowed up to 180 minutes to complete each exam.

The weekly lecture quizzes are graded immediately. The midterm 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 midterm and 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:

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Lab Component Grade Breakdown
10 Lab Assignments	40%
Lab Report - Stoichiometry of a Precipitation Reaction	20%
Lab Exam	40%
Lecture Component Breakdown
14 Weekly Quizzes	28%
Discussion	12%
Midterm Exam	30%
Final Exam	30%

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