FSU SealCHM1020L: Lab SyllabusChem Seal

Course:  CHM1020L, General Chemistry for Liberal Studies Lab Sections 1- 4  
Lab Times: MT 1:00-2:55 PM; 3:00-4:55PM  
Lab Locations: 3rd Floor Hoffman Teaching Laboratory, Room 312

 

The Liberal Studies Program at Florida State University has been designed to provide a perspective on the qualities, accomplishments, and aspirations of human beings, the past and present civilizations we have created, and the natural and technological world we inhabit. This course has been approved as meeting the requirements for Liberal Studies Area V, Natural Science, and in combination with your other Liberal Studies courses, provides an important foundation for your lifelong quest for knowledge.

 

Instructor:  Dr. Stephanie R. Dillon
Office: 324B DLC
Phone: (850) 644-0166
E-mail: sdillon@chem.fsu.edu 		 Office Hours: 
T 9:00-11:00 AM or by appointment
Lab TA: 
  • Sections and Contact Information 

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    Materials:  Required -  (1) Chemistry 1020L Online Laboratory Manual
    (2) A Bound Laboratory Notebook 
    (3) Safety Goggles (Provided)
    (4) Scientific Calculator

    Course Objectives

    1.  To develop scientific inquiry skills, such as hypothesis generation, observation. description, data manipulation, and evaluation of results.

    2.  To develop laboratory technical skills and provide experience using scientific instrumentation.

    3.  To provide an active-learning environment that illustrates the principles and theories presented in lecture.

    4.  To promote problem-solving skills through collaborative and individual reflection and analysis.

    5.  To improve scientific writing skills through weekly reports.

    Being a successful chemistry student involves being prepared for the laboratory, being observant, understanding what you are doing and why you are doing it, developing careful and methodical laboratory technique, interpreting results appropriately, and being able to summarize and analyze the results accordingly. 

    Typical Lab Procedure: 

    Before coming to lab... 

    • Read the entire exercise or experiment. Carefully note the procedure and prepare any questions you may have for your TA. 

    • Prepare your lab notebook (see Lab Notebook Format). Pay close attention to the questions you will need to answer in your lab report to make sure you collect all necessary data during the experiment. 

    • Login on Blackboard and complete the prelaboratory assignment and quiz.

    In lab... 

    • Perform experiment/make observations/record data. Pay attention and ask questions as needed.  

    By the end of the lab class... 

    • Write the lab report and answer any assigned questions.

    Grading: 

    		 12 Laboratory Reports 240
    12 PreLab Assignments  120
    Lab Safety Quiz  10
    Lab Notebook  30
    Total 400

    • Lab Worksheets are due at the end of the lab period. No points will be awarded for late lab reports. Every student must submit his/her own lab report - no copying! Copied lab reports will result, at the minimum, in a grade of zero. 
       

    • Working Efficiently: It is expected that you will be in lab on time and to begin working on the experiment. It is expected that you will work efficiently and be able to finish the experiment in a timely fashion.  If you find you are having difficulty organizing your time, please come talk to the lab TA or the lab instructor and we will try to help you.
       

    • Working Safely:  You must pass the safety quiz before participating in the laboratory.  The safety quiz is based on your reading of the 11 safety rules in the laboratory manual and your watching the safety video. Both the quiz and the video are available on the blackboard website.  If you do not pass the safety quiz you will not be allowed to remain in lab. 

    • Missed Lab Policy: If you must miss a lab because of illness or emergency, you DO NOT need to contact your TA. Simply acquire documentation to validate your reason for missing the lab and bring it to the next lab meeting you attend. Labs missed for an acceptable reason will be pro-rated by averaging the rest of your grades and substituting that average for the missing lab grade.   Labs missed without a reasonable excuse will receive a grade of zero. Students missing 4 or more laboratories for any reason (excused or unexcused) will recieve a failing grade for the lab. If the absences are for illness or another excusable reason, students are encouraged to withdraw from the lab. Incomplete grades will no longer be issued for excessive absences.

    • University Attendance Policy: Excused absences include documented illness, deaths in the family and other documented crises, call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities. These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not arbitrarily penalize students who have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness.
    • Reasonable Excuses (Documentation) Include: 
    • Illness (Note from Doctor or Thagard)
    • Jury Duty or Court Date (Copy of Summons)
    • Car Accident or Breakdown (Accident report or bill including time of incident)
    • Death in Family (Copy of Obituary or service Document)

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      This is not an all inclusive list but should give you a general idea of the magnitude of an acceptable excuse and the type of documentation required to substantiate it. Other problems will be dealt with on an individual basis.


    Important Campus Resources

    • Academic Honor Policy: The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University’s expectations for the integrity of students’ academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to “. . . be honest and truthful and . . . [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University.” (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at http://dof.fsu.edu/honorpolicy.htm.)

    • Americans With Disabilities Act: Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the: Student Disability Resource Center 874 Traditions Way 108 Student Services Building Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167 (850) 644-9566 (voice) (850) 644-8504 (TDD) sdrc@admin.fsu.edu http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/

    • Free Tutoring from FSU For tutoring and writing help in any course at Florida State University, visit the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) Tutoring Services’ comprehensive list of tutoring options - see http://ace.fsu.edu/tutoring or contact tutor@fsu.edu for more information. High-quality tutoring is available by appointment and on a walk-in basis. These services are offered by tutors trained to encourage the highest level of individual academic success while upholding personal academic integrity.

    • Syllabus Change Policy Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.