Course Syllabus

CHEM 12AL:

First Semester Organic Chemistry Laboratory

 Zerubba Levi, Chemistry Professor

E-mail: zerubba.levi@cabrillo.edu

Phone: (831) 477-3230

 

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:

CHEM 12AL is the laboratory portion of the first semester of the year-long organic chemistry course intended for chemistry majors and pre-professional medical and biology majors. This course features an introduction to common microscale laboratory and instrumental techniques covering isolation, purification, synthesis and identification of many classes of organic compounds. As an online laboratory course, a particular focus will be placed on 1. experimental theory, 2. data analysis, and 3. scientific writing. 

ZOOM Discussions and Office Hours:

• Tuesdays & Thursdays 2:30-4:00 pm: During these times, we will meet via Zoom to discuss the theory and practice of organic chemistry lab concepts. These group discussions are recorded and posted day by day to the lab schedule below. 
• Office hours will be held at the following times:
  • Mondays & Wednesdays 4:00-5:00 pm
  • Tuesdays & Thursdays 4:00-4:30 pm
  • Fridays 11:00 am-Noon
• If the times above don't work for your schedule, please use this CALENDLY link to set up an appointment to meet with me one on one. 

 

PREREQUISITES:

• CHEM 1B with a grade of "C" or better
• Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Chem 12A lecture.

 

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS: 

• Book grant applications will open the second week of school and funds (cards) will be awarded the third week of school. Please encourage students to apply for the $75 grant towards books and supplies. The application link can be found at the Welcome Center  Links to an external site.and Student Senate Links to an external site. webpages.

Materials and supplies can be purchased from the Cabrillo Bookstore (see website) or through an online supplier where available. 

• Lab Manual: The lab manual is now in it's 6th edition, available at the bookstore for an insane price tag. As a much cheaper alternative, you could easily pick up a copy of the 5th edition, 4th edition, or even 3rd edition; the experiments we will be performing have not changed since those earlier additions. We also have a copies of the older edition manual available for reference in lab, but they can't be checked out for extended use.
  • Pavia, D.; et. al. A Microscale Approach to Organic Laboratory Techniques, Fifth Edition; Brooks Cole: Belmont, CA, 2013. (ISBN 978-1-133-10652-4)

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. Create and maintain a proper laboratory notebook that meets the specifications of a legal document with emphasis on simple single experiment content.
2. Utilize standard organic laboratory techniques to conduct simple synthesis and isolation experiments while demonstrating proper safety in all aspects of handling common organic and inorganic chemicals.
3. Perform, analyze, and generate reports on a variety of physical, chemical, and spectroscopic tests to confirm the structure of known chemical substances and determine the structure of unknown chemical substances.

 

ASSESSMENT & GRADING:

Course grades will be calculated as follows:

THEORY Questions	25.%
DATA ANALYSIS Questions	25.%
ABSTRACTS	10.%
EXAMS	40.%

Letter grades will be assigned according to the STRICT cutoffs below:

THEORY ASSIGNMENTS: For each experiment, students will answer questions on the theoretical principles that form the basis for experimental work. The content of these theory assignments will be delivered in the form of textbook readings, learning pages and recorded group discussions. These assignments will consist primarily of computer graded multiple choice and questions requiring a numerical answer. Students will have 5 attempts to answer the questions correctly, and the system will record the highest score of all attempts. The two lowest assignments will be dropped and the remaining total will be summed and normalized to 250. points (25.% of the course grade). 

DATA ANALYSIS QUESTIONS: After discussing the theory for an experiment, student will be given experimental data collected from a previous semester. Students will then respond to questions to analyze and interpret the data to reach conclusions. Similar to the THEORY assignments, this data analysis will consist primarily of computer graded multiple choice and questions requiring a numerical answer. Students will have 5 attempts to answer the questions correctly, and the system will record the highest score of all attempts. The two lowest assignments will be dropped and the remaining total will be summed and normalized to 250. points (25.% of the course grade). 

ABSTRACTS: There are three experiments that will require abstracts. These written components will be assessed based on the Guidelines for Writing Abstracts Download Guidelines for Writing Abstracts

. The scores for each abstract are summed and the total normalized to 10.% of the total grade.

EXAMS: There will be ONE midterm exam worth 150 points (15.% of the course grade) and a comprehensive final exam worth 250 points (25.% of the course grade). The exams will cover concepts closely related to the THEORY & DATA ANALYSIS questions, but presented in different contexts. The exams will be timed (1 hr 30 minutes) and computer graded on Canvas; students will only have one attempt to complete the exams. Exams are open book & open notes (as long as you use your own materials), but students are NOT allowed to consult other people (including Chegg.com or similar online services) on the exams. 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: It is the responsibility of each student to understand and follow the Cabrillo College Academic Integrity Policy Links to an external site.. The first violation of this policy (including cheating, plagiarizing, or helping another student cheat or plagiarize) will result in the following actions:

1. Students will receive a zero for the assignment in question,
2. The student's final course grade will be dropped one full letter grade (an A would be dropped to a B, a B would be dropped to a C, etc.),
3. A report documenting the evidence will be filed with the College.

A second violation of the academic integrity policy will result in an F for the course. THESE POLICIES WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.

 

SCHEDULE & IMPORTANT DATES:

CHEM 12AL is a 16 week course (including the week of Final Examinations). The complete listing of topics covered, lab manual readings, assignments and due dates can be found on the course homepage. This schedule is subject to change. It may be changed as the class progresses to allow for the extension or abbreviation of certain material. Please see the course calendar for an up-to-date listing of exam times and assignment deadlines. Students are also responsible for all announcements made exclusively in lecture or lab. Please be advised that it is your responsibility to ensure your schedule is open during exam times. It is also your responsibility to submit to the Admissions Office the necessary paperwork for adding and dropping a course; failure to do so can result in you not being officially enrolled or having an "F" grade appear on your permanent record.

Important Course Dates 

• To drop without a "W", withdraw by: 09/07/21
• Last day to drop without a letter grade: 11/09/21

 

SUPPORT SERVICES: Cabrillo College has many programs and services designed to help you during your academic journey. You can visit the website at http://www.cabrillo.edu/services/studserv/index.html Links to an external site. for a complete listing of support services. These services are provided free of charge while you are a student. Please take advantage of them. 

FINANCIAL AID: Cabrillo College provides several financial aid opportunities for students. For tuition and/or book assistance information, go to https://www.cabrillo.edu/services/finaid/ Links to an external site.

FOOD & HOUSING RESOURCES: 22% of students reported being homeless in the last year. 40% of students report facing food insecurity. You don't have to work through this alone. We have a lot of resources both on and off campus to help. Check out this compilation of Santa Cruz country resources for more information.

FOR ASC ACCOMMODATIONS: As required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accommodations are provided to insure equal opportunity for students with verified disabilities. Students needing accommodations should contact the instructor as soon as possible with documentation from the Learning Skills or ASC offices.  For more information, please contact Accessibility Student Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., Room 1073, phone: (831) 479-6379, or the Learning Skills Program (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., Room 1073, phone: (831) 479-6220.

 

 CONDUCT & ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: If you are late to lecture or need to leave early, please be courteous enough to do so quietly. Any unauthorized use of cell phones and computers (including emailing, texting, surfing the web, and playing games) during lecture or lab is considered disrespectful towards the instructor and other students. If phone or computer use becomes distracting to other students or to me, I will ask you to leave the classroom. 

It is the responsibility of each student to understand and follow the Cabrillo College Academic Integrity Policy (Links to an external site.). Any violation of this policy (including cheating or plagiarizing, or helping another student cheat or plagiarize) will be reported to the College and students will receive an F (0 points) for the assignment or assessment in question. Students will receive an F for the course with their second violation of the Cabrillo College Academic Integrity Policy.

 

NONDISCRIMINATION and ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE:  The District is committed to equal opportunity in educational programs, employment, and all access to institutional programs and activities.  The District, and each individual who represents the District, shall provide access to its services, classes, and programs without regard to national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race or ethnicity, color, medical condition, genetic information, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, or military and veteran status, or because  he/she is perceived to have one or more of the foregoing characteristics, or based on association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

 

Links to an external site.

STUDENT RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES: You are expected to contribute to a positive learning environment. Your responsibilities as a student include:

• Respect for your fellow students, staff, and faculty
• Actively participating in the learning environment
• Taking responsibility for learning and progressing in your course
• Requesting assistance from the instructor when needed
• Adhere to all academic integrity principles
• Reading and understanding the Cabrillo Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. (the student grievance procedure is outlined beginning on pg. 18 of the handbook).
• Following all school policies and procedures (All policies and procedures can be found at http://www.cabrillo.edu/associations/governingboard/BoardPolicies.html Links to an external site.).

SAFETY: Cabrillo College is committed to providing a safe and secure campus environment. The college will not tolerate acts of harassment or violence. For campus safety and security information, go to https://www.cabrillo.edu/services/sheriff/ Links to an external site.

This syllabus is subject to change. Any changes after the start of the semester will be documented in writing to all students.