Chemical Concepts (11724.1)

Required texts

Required text book: 

• Open Education Resource: Brown et. al.; Chemistry - The Central Science. Please note, this is an open education online textbook that follows the same scope and sequence as the Pearson published textbook of the same name (details in the next dotpoint). This OER is available free of charge and accessible at the above link at your convenience. OR
• The equivalent textbook available for purchase: Brown Lemay, Bursten, Murphy, Woodward, Langford, Sagatys, George;  Chemistry: The Central Science. Fifteenth Global Edition in SI Units, Pearson (ISBN 9781292408767). Alternatively, an e-Text option (ISBN 9781292408774) is accessible from the publisher which is significantly cheaper than the hard copy. Copies are also available for temporary online access from the University of Canberra Library.

Whichever your textbook choice (free OER/purchased textbook/online text access through the Library), our Canvas site will reference the sections relevant to each week's study.

Required printing: 

Chemical Concepts Laboratory Manual, 2026 edition. The electronic version will be available 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 Weekly Checkpoints, Mastering Chemistry Revision Assignments and may apply to 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 documentation (e.g. medical certificate). 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 and fully participate in 8/10 laboratory sessions*. This participation requirement is upheld regardless of supporting documentation.

(*Note: "laboratory session" counts as the labs run in Weeks 2 – 6, 8, 10 – 13. Weeks 7 and 9 do not contain labs so do not contribute to the tally.)

Acquisition of physical laboratory skills is necessary in order to demonstrate Unit Learning Outcomes #1 and #4 (…develop effective and safe laboratory working practices and conduct effective experiments) and in order to meet WIL requirements. Laboratory skills gained during this unit include these 10 skills: appropriate selection of glassware, correct preparation of glassware and instruments, correct technique using glassware and instruments, correct acknowledgement of the resolution and uncertainty introduced by glassware and instruments, correct use of volumetric flasks, volumetric pipettes and burettes, correct preparation of standard solutions (via mass or dilution), correct use of Safety Data Sheets and risk assessment, correct waste procedures, correct collection and recording of experimentally-derived data and observations and calculations and analysis using experimentally-derived data. In order to meet WIL requirements and demonstrate ULOs #1 and #4, students must gain a minimum of 8/10 of these skills which can be achieved by fully participating in a minimum of 8/10 laboratory sessions throughout semester including the Week 13 Laboratory Assessment lab session. Full participation involves attending and personally completing the required tasks. 

       2. To pass this unit, students must achieve a minimum of 50% of the total weighted marks allocated to invigilated assessments. The invigilated assessments comprise the Mid-Semester Test (20%) and the End-of-Semester Examination (30%), for a combined weighting of 50%. Accordingly, students must obtain at least 25 percentage points out of the 50 available across these two assessments, irrespective of performance in other assessment components.

        3.  Achieve a final aggregated unit mark of at least 50%

It is not permissible to use artificial intelligence for any assessment in this unit. The unit convenor reserves the right to question students on any of their submitted work for moderation and academic integrity purposes.

Separately, in order to participate in labs and demonstrate professional readiness, a student needs to:

          1. Complete a once-off laboratory safety quiz on Canvas with a minimum score of 80%

          2. Complete a short, pre-lab quiz prior to each specific lab with a minimum score of 80%

These quizzes will not contribute to a student's grade, the answers are provided in each week's lab materials and the quizzes can be attempted as many times as desired before the deadline.

Please note: fulfilling these requirements is the way to demonstrate students have the knowledge and skills associated with this unit. The Unit Learning Outcomes cannot be said to be met if any of these requirements aren't fulfilled. Therefore, if students encounter any exceptional circumstances that prevent them from meeting these special requirements they should contact the Unit Convener as soon as possible via ChemConcepts@canberra.edu.au to discuss alternative arrangements if deemed appropriate.

Supplementary assessment

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:

• bringing and 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 participation. 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 participation 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.

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). However, if you will have difficulty covering the cost of these, please discuss with your unit convener.

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

None

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). 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.

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