CHEM 211: General Chemistry I, Fall 2021

• Instructor: Brandon Johnson

• Department: Chemistry
• Email: brandon.johnson@wichita.edu
• Preferred Method of Contact: Email
• CRN: 10070
• Office Hours: F 1 – 3 PM or by appointment
• Classroom Day/Time: McKinley Hall 324 TR 5:15 - 6:30 PM
• Prerequisites: a college-level chemistry course such as CHEM 110, 101 or 103,
or high school chemistry or physics
• Teaching Assistants:
Ammar Abdelgawad amabdelgawad@shockers.wichita.edu
Asha Arachchige asrankotharachchige@shockers.wichita.edu
Craig Cropek cmcropek@shockers.wichita.edu
Kenita Dahal kxdahal1@shockers.wichita.edu
Maya Eldani mmeldani@shockers.wichita.edu
Wyel Halimeh wxhalimeh@shockers.wichita.edu
Rachel Klausmeyer raklausmeyer@shockers.wichita.edu
John Kromer jrkromer@shockers.wichita.edu
Mahrokh Moradi mxmoradi@shockers.wichita.edu
Mitali Thole mxthole@shockers.wichita.edu
Zhengyang Ye zxye3@shockers.wichita.edu

How to use this syllabus

This syllabus provides you with information specific to this course, and it also provides
information about important university policies. This document should be viewed as a
course overview; it is not a contract and is subject to change as the semester evolves.
Any changes to this syllabus or due dates will be announced on BlackBoard.

Academic Integrity
Students at Wichita State University are expected to uphold high academic standards.
WSU will not tolerate a lack of academic integrity. Students are responsible for knowing
and following the Student Code of Conduct http://webs.wichita.edu/inaudit/ch8_05.htm
and the Student Academic Honesty policy http://webs.wichita.edu/inaudit/ch2_17.htm.
When the faculty member determines sanctions are warranted for violations of academic
integrity, regardless of severity, the faculty member must report the infraction to the
Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. If you need more information
about the process or wish to appeal a decision, please visit
https://www.wichita.edu/about/student_conduct/ai.php

Cheating or other forms of academic dishonesty may result in assignment of an

“F” grade for the specific assignment or for the entire course.
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Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with a disability, or believe you might have a disability, which
requires accommodations, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS)
www.wichita.edu/ods to discuss reasonable and appropriate accommodations and
eligibility requirements. It is the University’s goal that learning experiences be as
accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers
based on disability ODS will review your concerns and determine, with you, what
academic accommodations are necessary and appropriate for you. For example,
adaptions of teaching methods, class materials or testing may be made on a case by
case basis if warranted, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All
information and documentation of your disability is confidential and will not be released
by ODS without your written permission.

Respect for Diversity

Wichita State University is committed to being an inclusive campus that reflects the
evolving diversity of society. To further that goal, Wichita State University does not
discriminate in its employment practices, educational programs, or activities on the
basis of age (40 years or older), ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender expression,
gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, political affiliation,
pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a veteran. Retaliation
against an individual filing or cooperating in a complaint process is also prohibited.
Students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives are welcome in this Course
and the diversity that students bring to this course should be viewed as a resource,
strength, and benefit. All materials and activities are presented with the intent to be
respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status,
ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please
let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for
other students or student groups. In addition, if any of our class meetings conflict with
your religious events, please let me know so that we can make arrangements for you.

Course Description
3 Classroom hours; 4 Lab hours. Lab fee. General education math and natural
sciences course. Introduces general concepts of chemistry. Includes chemical
stoichiometry, atomic and molecular structure, bonding, gas laws, states of matter and
chemical periodicity. CHEM 211-212 meets the needs of students who may wish to
take more than one course in chemistry. Credit is allowed in only one of the following:
CHEM 211 or 110. Prerequisite(s): a college-level chemistry course such as CHEM
110, 101 or 103, or high school chemistry or physics. Corequisite(s): CHEM 211L,
MATH 111 or two units of high school algebra or MATH 011.

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
• Describe the composition of atoms including Bohr’s model and electron configurations.
• Explain the difference between ionic and covalent compounds and how to name them.

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 • Calculate molecular/formula weights of compounds.
• Draw Lewis structures of compounds and determine formal charges of atoms.
• Describe the basic geometry of a molecule.
• Balance chemical reactions, determine limiting reactants, and calculate a reaction’s yield.
• Complete basic thermochemical calculations.
• Explain properties of gases using the gas laws.

Required Texts/Readings Textbook

• “Chemistry: Atoms First 4th Edition” by Burdge. Older editions are acceptable,
but the section numbers might be different. Also note that the lectures for our class
are based on the 3rd edition of the textbook.
• “Chemistry 212 General Chemistry II Lab Manual” by English, Steinert, and
Halimeh.
Both of these books are available at the Shocker Store. The first book is for lecture;
the second book is for lab.

Other Readings
Any additional readings will be made available on BlackBoard.

Other Equipment/Materials
I recommend you bring a notebook and some pens or pencils to class as we will work
on problems in class.

Although class will meet in person until further notice, office hours will be
held online via Zoom. Furthermore, lecture recordings and slides will be pre-
recorded and uploaded for you to view and take notes on before class. Finally,
ALEKS, the optional homework system, is online. Thus, you will want to have a
computer with internet access for this course.

Class Protocol
This class will utilize a flipped classroom format. Lecture recordings will be provided
before class for you to watch on your own time. Class meetings will focus on clarifying
concepts and applying that knowledge to solving problems like those you will be tested
on. Additional problems can be found in the textbook or on ALEKS.

I will not be taking attendance for this course, but you are responsible for learning the
content covered in the pre-recorded lectures. If you have questions about the content,
class time is the best time to have them answered. When attending class, please be
on time and limit distractions as much as possible—at least put your phone in vibrate
mode so it does not ring during class.

For the time being, we will meet in-person. I believe I can make the class more
engaging and helpful for your learning if we meet in person. Due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic, university policy requires that we all wear masks inside of

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the classrooms and lab rooms, so please make sure to bring one.

It is possible that we will have to switch back to a virtual approach to class later in the
semester. I hope this does not occur, but if it does, we will meet via Zoom for class in
addition to office hours.

Contact Policy
I prefer to answer questions about class content in class. There are two reasons for
this: 1) other students will probably have the same question, and 2) it is easier to
explain these concepts in class than it is through email. If you wish, you may send me
these questions via email before class so I can answer them in class. Questions about
the class that are not related to content (e.g. grading policy, due dates, etc.) are best
asked through email. Please follow the guidelines below when emailing me:
• Always use the course name in the subject line of the email
• Remember to sign your name.
• Always email me from your WSU email address. Email sent from personal
email servers like Gmail, Yahoo, etc., have a tendency to end up in my spam
folder, and I never see them. You may also email me through Blackboard via
the Email My Instructor tab.
• You should NOT contact me for tech support.
o Any technical problems involving your computer, or issues regarding file
uploading or sharing, should go through the OneStop. You can contact
them at 316-978-3909. You can also fill out a request for help form at
their website.
o However, if you have a problem with access or uploading assignments,
you should let me know before your assignment is due. You will also
have to accompany this notification with the file in question, so I can
verify that it is completed by the due date/time.

Grading Scale
WSU uses a +/- grading scale for final grades and to calculate grade point averages.
In this class, grades are assigned according to the following chart.

Percentage Letter Grade Interpretation

Grade Points
85-100% A 4.00 A range denotes excellent
performance
75-84.9% B 3.00 B range denotes good
performance
65-74.9% C 2.00 C range denotes satisfactory
performance
55-64.9% D 1.00 D range denotes unsatisfactory
performance
<55% F 0.00

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Assignments
Grades will be calculated according to the two grade distributions shown below. If you
decide you do not want to do ALEKS, I will use the grading scale on the left; if you use
ALEKS, I will use whichever grading scale gives you the best grade. Note that ALEKS
is adaptive meaning that it adjusts to your knowledge level: you will get easier
problems if you are struggling and more difficult problems as you improve. ALEKS also
has a pie chart feature that lets you see which concepts you have mastered and which
ones you still need to work on. I highly recommend ALEKS if these features are
appealing to you.

3 Exams (best 3 of 4) 60% 3 Exams (best 3 of 4) 50%

Final Exam 20% Final Exam 20%
Lab Grade 20% Lab Grade 20%
ALEKS 10%

When it comes to ALEKS, I am generally flexible about due dates except at the end of
the semester when I need to finalize grades. The due dates are set to help you keep
on track in the course, but if you need an extension on ALEKS, let me know.

I treat the ALEKS grade as an all-or-nothing participation grade, so you either

get the points or you do not get the points. To get points for ALEKS, you need to
master at least 50% of the topics. ALEKS will keep track of the number of topics you
have mastered.

I understand that issues come up and sometimes students need to reschedule exams.
I am happy to do this, but I need to know in advance if this is the case. Therefore, I
ask that you let me know as soon as possible if you need to reschedule an
exam, preferably at least a day before the exam. Rescheduled exams are
administered by the Testing Center and will cost you $10 unless you are registered
with the Office of Disability Services (see ʺStudents with Disabilitiesʺ section above.)

Syllabus Policies and Student Resources

All students should familiarize themselves with the course-related policies and student
resources that can be found at: www.wichita.edu/syllabuspolicies
These include, but may not be limited to:

• COVID-19 Conditions
• Important Academic Dates
• Academic Integrity
• Definition of a credit hour
• Video and Audio recording
• Shocker Alert System
• Intellectual Property
• CARE Team
• Counseling and Prevention Services
• Student Health Services

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 • Heskett Center and Campus Recreation
• Inclusive Excellence and Respect for Diversity
• First Generation Students
• Names and Pronouns
• Disability Services
• Title IX
• Concealed Carry Policy

Tentative Schedule
Week Dates (T, R) Topics
1 8/17, 8/19 Syllabus questions; Chapter 1
2 8/24, 8/26 Chapters 1 and 2
3 8/31, 9/2 Chapters 2 and 3
4 9/7, 9/9 Chapter 3
5 9/14, 9/16 EXAM 1 and Chapter 4
6 9/21, 9/23 Chapters 4 and 5
7 9/28, 9/30 Chapters 5 and 6
8 10/5, 10/7 Chapters 6 and 7
9 NC, 10/14 NO CLASS TUESDAY (FALL BREAK); Chapter 7
10 10/19, 10/21 EXAM 2 and Chapter 8
11 10/26, 10/28 Chapters 8 and 9
12 11/2, 11/4 Chapter 9 and EXAM 3
13 11/9, 11/11 Chapter 10
14 11/16, 11/18 Chapter 11
15 11/23, NC EXAM 4; NO CLASS THURSDAY (THANKSGIVING BREAK)
16 11/30, 12/2 Final Review
Final 12/7 ACS Final at 5:40 – 7:30 pm
NC means no class.
This schedule is subject to change. The tentative in-class exam dates are
September 14, October 19, November 4, and November 23. The final is December
7.

Other Important Dates

• August 27 is the last day to switch from “credit” to “audit” for a
course.
• August 27 is the last day for a 100% refund for a dropped course.
• October 26 is the last day to withdraw from a course with a “W”.
• December 2 is the last day of class for the semester.

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