Chemical Concepts (11724.1)

Required texts

Required text book: 

Brown, LeMay, Bursten, Murphy, Woodward, Stoltzfus, Langford, George.  Chemistry: The Central Science. Expanded Edition, Fifteenth Global Edition in SI Units, Pearson (ISBN 9781292408767) or Third Australian Edition, Pearson (ISBN 9781442554603). A custom e-text version is also available for purchase (ISBN 9781488624384) Please note, an e-copy of this text will be accessible for free through Canvas during the semester. 

Hard copies will be available for temporary loan from the University of Canberra Library.

Required printing: 

Chemical Concepts Laboratory Manual, 2024 edition. The electronic version will be available in part, on the Chemical Concepts Canvas site under each week's activities, Students are required to bring a printed copy of this workbook to all laboratory sessions. 

Optional text book:

Organic Chemistry Support Text: David Klein, Organic Chemistry, John Wiley & Sons.This is a support textbook which students may find useful to gain a deeper understanding of the organic content in Chemical Concepts. This text is available for temporary loan from the University of Canberra Library. An electronic version of the textbook is also available for purchase; see www.wileyplus.com for more details.

Maths Support Text: Monk and Munro (2010), Maths for Chemistry – A Chemist's toolkit of calculations, Second edition, Oxford University Press, New York, USA (ISBN 9780199541294). This is a support textbook which students may find useful depending on their background in mathematics. This text is available for temporary loan from the University of Canberra Library. A one-year e-Text rental is also available for purchase (ISBN 9780191035586R365).

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

The above extension policy only applies to the following assessments in the unit: Content Engagement Quizzes, Mastering Chemistry Revision Assignments and the theory component of the Laboratory Assessment. These are the assessments which are not conducted under invigilated or laboratory conditions and for which you gain marks that contribute to your final grade. The extension policy does not apply for participation requirements (i.e. laboratory attendance) nor for safety features (such as completing pre-lab quizzes to gain entry to the labs). If you miss the deadline for completion of a pre-lab quiz or for attending a lab, extensions are not possible and you will have an absence recorded.

Deferred Assessments (Weeks 1 - 13)

Provisions will be made for students who are unable to sit either the Mid-semester Test or the Laboratory Assessment on the day and produce appropriate dated medical certificates or other dated documentation. In the event a student misses these assessment items due to illness or other exceptional circumstances, they must submit a Deferred Application (available on the unit's Canvas unit site), along with appropriate documentation, no later than 3 working days after the scheduled assessment. If the request is approved, students will be allowed to sit a deferred assessment at a later date (as chosen by the Unit Convener). 

Special assessment requirements

In order to pass this unit, a student must:

1. Attend 8/10 laboratory sessions*. This attendance requirement is upheld regardless of supporting documentation.

(*Note: "laboratory session" counts as the labs run in Weeks 2 – 6, 9 – 13.)

2. Attempt all assessment items (See Assessment Item Details)
3. Achieve a final aggregated unit mark of at least 50%

It is not permissable to use artificial intelligence while undertaking any assessment task in this unit. The unit convener reserves the right to question students on any of their submitted work for moderation and academic integrity purposes, which may result in adjustment to the marks awarded for a specific task.

Supplementary assessment

According to policy, supplementary assessment will only be offered to students who fail this unit in the final semester of their course with a final mark between 45–49%, and have passed all other units in the teaching period.

Additional Laboratory Assessment Requirements

Laboratory sessions require strict adherence to safety protocols. As such, students are required to arrive at laboratory classes:

• wearing personal protective equipment (a laboratory coat and safety glasses) hair tied back and enclosed shoes that completely cover the foot;
• having successfully completed the Safety Quiz on Canvas by midnight Sunday of Week 2 (see Week 2 laboratory for details);
• having successfully completed the corresponding weekly prelab quiz on Canvas by midnight Sunday (see Laboratory Assignment for details).
• on time and enter the laboratory prior to the start of the safety briefing.

Students who do not meet these requirements will be denied access to the laboratory session as a matter of safety (including if you arrive late). This will contribute to total absences resulting in difficulties meeting special assessment requirements of the unit regarding laboratory attendance. Where exceptional circumstances have occurred, supporting documentation must be supplied to the Unit Convener in a timely manner via ChemConcepts@canberra.edu.au to make alternative arrangements if possible (given constraints of timetabled classes) and only if deemed appropriate.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

The Chemical Concepts contact hours for each student consist of ~24 hours of recorded Concept Videos (including content explanations, worked examples and helpful study activities), 11 hours of workshops, 12 hours of tutorials and 20 hours of laboratory work, totalling 67 hours. The remaining workload should be distributed across self-directed study to prepare for and review these sessions (at least 4 hrs per week or 48 hours) and the remaining ~35 hours to be allocated for assessment items. There are also weekly drop-in hours to help structure your independent study (if this is valuable to you). Being consistent with weekly, self-directed study will significantly reduce the number of hours spent on assessment items.

Participation requirements

Whilst the viewing of Concept Videos is not actively monitored and there is no attendance requirement for tutorials, workshops or drop-in hours, students should note that lack of engagement or attendance may impact their ability to satisfactorily pass assessment items. Due to time constraints, convener availability out of teaching and drop-in hours is limited and cannot always be guaranteed. Students should make full use of in-timetable support (e.g. by attending tutorials or drop-in hours) before requesting out-of-timetable support. (There is plenty of support available if you use the scheduled hours.)

Participation in laboratory sessions is a compulsory condition of this unit, and attendance will be recorded. A student must participate in a minimum of 8/10 laboratory sessions in order to pass the unit.

It is each student's responsibility to ensure their attendance is recorded electronically by ID scan on entry to the laboratory. It should also be noted that laboratory classes cannot be repeated outside of the scheduled times and students must attend the sessions they have chosen to allocate into. A student missing a class both records an absence and misses the opportunity to practise the skills taught in that session.

In the event that you cannot attend your assigned lab due to illness or unavoidable commitments, contact the unit convener as soon as possible for consideration of an alternative lab class that week (if available). This decision is at the discretion of the convener and cannot be guaranteed. You will need to provide relevant documentation (e.g. medical certificate) for approval to attend an alternative session. 

Required IT skills

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that they have basic computer keyboard skills and access to a personal computer and the internet. This is required to access online assessments, the unit Canvas site and regularly check university email accounts for important announcements relating to this unit. If a student does not have their own computer they can use the PC laboratories on the Bruce UC campus.

Students must also become familiar with the use of the provided e-resource Mastering Chemistry in order to complete assessment tasks. Students will be introduced to this and provided training in the Week 1 tutorial. (As with all tutorials, this will be recorded if students cannot attend.) 

In-unit costs

There are relatively minor costs associated with this unit in the provision of appropriate protective safety equipment (lab coat and safety glasses) and laboratory manual printing which are all mandatory for all chemical laboratory classes. Laboratory coats and safety glasses are typically available on campus (UC Shop) and/or work wear stores (such as Bunnings or Officeworks).

A scientific calculator is also required in this unit and should be accessible in all teaching sessions and assessments. A scientific calculator is permitted in all assessment tasks, but a graphics programmable calculator or phone calculators are prohibited.

Work placement, internships or practicums

N/A

Additional information

Provision of information to the cohort

Most information relevant to the unit will be posted on the unit Canvas site. Resources will be updated frequently throughout the semester. Announcements made at timetabled tutorial, workshop and laboratory sessions and/or through the unit's Canvas site "Announcements" are deemed to be made to the whole group. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they check for Announcements on the Unit's Canvas site and their student emails daily.

Communication between staff and students

The best form of communication is via email to the unit inbox: ChemConcepts@canberra.edu.au. If you wish to contact the Unit Convener directly please visit during consultation hours. If that is not possible, please email hilary.coleman@canberra.edu.au. 

The University Email policy states that "students wishing to contact the University via email regarding administrative or academic matters need to send the email from the University account for identity verification purposes". Therefore, all unit enquiries should be emailed using a student university email account. Students should contact servicedesk@canberra.edu.au if they have any issues accessing their university email account. 

The Canvas Discussion forums will be checked by staff on a regular basis. Messages sent to staff through Canvas cannot be actioned. 

Student Consultation
The Unit Convener is Dr. Hilary Coleman (Room 3C43). The convener will be present in most laboratories, tutorials and workshops and also runs a weekly drop-in on Mondays, 10:30-11:30am (9A1). 

Feedback on Student Performance
Students are able to monitor their performance in this unit by their responses to the regular quiz, laboratory, tutorial and revision assessment tasks, as well as additional self-assessment tools (available via the unit's Canvas site and Mastering Chemisty). Feedback will be provided with assessment marks and can be sought at any stage by contacting the convener.

Caveat

Unforeseen circumstances beyond the unit convener's control could result in changes to the mode of delivery of lectures, tutorials and practicals (where applicable) and assessments. Students will be advised if this occurs and appropriate alternatives will be arranged.

• Semester 2, 2024, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (219502)
• Semester 2, 2023, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (214957)
• Semester 2, 2022, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (209098)