Chemistry 1A G (6479.5)

Required texts

• Brown, Lemay, Bursten, Murphy, Woodward, Langford, Sagatys, George;  Chemistry: The Central Science. Third Australian Edition, Pearson (ISBN 9781442554603).
  The hard copy is available for temporary loan in the University of Canberra Library. It can be purchased at School Locker in the UC Shop, there may also be some second-hand copies obtainable. Alternatively, an e-Text option is accessible from the publisher which is significantly cheaper than the hard copy (specific details regarding access will be available on the Units Canvas site).
• Chemistry 1A/Chemistry 1AG Laboratory Workbook, 2020 Edition.
  This workbook contains the material required for the laboratory sessions throughout the semester and will be available for purchase from the UC Shop. You are required to bring a printed copy of this workbook to all laboratory sessions. It should be purchased prior to the first laboratory session in Week 2 as it will be required for the Safety orientation session in Week 2. The electronic version is also available on the Chemistry 1A Canvas site if you prefer to print it yourself.
• 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 you may find useful depending on your background in mathematics. The text is available for temporary loan in the University of Canberra Library. It can be purchased at School Locker in the UC Shop, there may also be some second-hand copies obtainable.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

The above extension policy only applies to the following assessments in the unit; Laboratory Assignments, Revision Assignments, Portfolio Assignments and Chemistry in Context Assignment. It does not apply for participation requirements.

Deferred Examinations

Provisions will be made for students who are unable to sit either the Practical Skills Assessment or the Mid Semester Test and produce appropriate medical certificates or other documentation. In the event a student misses these assessment items due to illness or other exceptional circumstances, they must submit a School of Science Deferred Application (available on Canvas unit site), along with appropriate documentation, within 3 working days. If the request is approved, students will be allowed to sit a deferred assessment at a later date (as chosen by the Unit Convener).

In the event a student misses the end of semester final examination due to illness or other exceptional circumstances, the procedures outlined on http://www.canberra.edu.au/current-students/canberra-students/examinations-and-results/alternative-exams must be followed.

Special assessment requirements

Students must achieve an overall mark of 50 % or higher to pass this unit. The following criteria must also be satisfied to pass this unit:

1. Participation in laboratory and tutorial sessions is a compulsory condition of this unit. A student must participate in a minimum of 80% of laboratory and 60% of tutorial sessions in order to pass the unit.  Absence greater than this, even with supporting documentation, is a failure to meet the assessment requirements of the unit.

2. Students must achieve at least 50% on weighted average for the written tests (ie 25/50 for MST and Final Exam) and at least 50% on weighted average for the laboratory assessment (ie.10/20 for Laboratory Assignments and Practical Skills Assessment)

3. Students must attempt all assessment items.

As such, in order to pass the unit students must participate in a minimum of 80% of laboratory and 60% of tutorial classes from Week 3 onwards. For lab classes, this means only 2 absences are allowed for the 10 lab sessions in weeks 3-13. For tutorial classes, only 2 absences are allowed for the 5 tutorial sessions in weeks 3-13. Absences greater than this, even with supporting documentation, will lead to failing the unit. It is the student's responsibility to ensure their attendance and engagement is recorded correctly, both electronically on entry to the laboratory and tutorial class and in hardcopy by their demonstrator or tutor during the session. It should also be noted that laboratory and tutorial classes will not be repeated outside of the scheduled times (See section 3 for details).

For whatever reason, if students cannot attend their normal session for a particular week, they may be allowed to attend another session for that week at the discretion of the Unit Convener (or delegated teaching staff). Students are advised to check information in Allocate and posted on Canvas, to determine if there is likely to be space available in your desired ‘makeup' laboratory or tutorial. However, be aware that this does not guarantee a place in a particular session as limits do apply to each session. Students not able to attend any session for a particular week will need to submit a medical certificate or other appropriate documentation to their demonstrator/tutor. These records will aid the unit convener to apply discretion where appropriate, however, in most circumstances, the minimum participation requirement must still be met regardless of supporting documentation.

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 Chem1A@canberra.edu.au to make alternate 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.

Academic integrity

Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.

To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.

Use of Text-Matching Software

The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.

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) and enclosed shoes that completely cover the foot;
• having successfully completed the Safety Quiz on Canvas by midnight Monday of Week 3 (see Week 2 laboratory for details);
• having successfully completed the corresponding weekly prelab quiz on Canvas by midnight Monday (see 5a – Laboratory Assessment 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. 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 Chem1A@canberra.edu.au to make alternate arrangements if possible (given constraints of timetabled classes) and only if deemed appropriate.

Learner engagement

The contact hours for each student consist of 24 hours of lectures, 10 hours of workshops, 12 hours of tutorials and 22 hours of laboratory work, totalling 68 hours. The remaining workload should be distributed across self-directed study to prepare for lectures/tutorials/laboratories (at least 3 hrs per week or 36 hours) and the remaining ~46 hours to be allocated for assessment items. Depending on your prior knowledge, learning skill level and learning style, you may need to commit extra hours to your studies.

Inclusion and engagement

Inclusion and Engagement students should contact the unit convener regarding the implementation of their Reasonable Adjustment Plans to ensure assistance is provided in a timely manner where possible. Participation is an integral part of this unit and all students should be aware of the requirements in order to pass the unit (see Section 6c below).

Participation requirements

Participation in all lectures and workshops is highly recommended and forms part of your assessment, however alternatives are provided where this is not possible (see section 5a for further details). Regular attendance and active participation will enhance your understanding of the unit content and therefore the quality of your assessment responses. Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items.

Participation in laboratory and tutorial sessions is a compulsory condition of this unit, and attendance will be recorded. A student must participate in a minimum of 80% of laboratory and 60% of tutorial sessions in order to pass the unit (see section 5a and 5b for details).

In all cases of absence, sickness or personal problems the onus is on students to ensure that the Unit Convener is informed. If you feel that any problems are interfering with your studies, please let the Unit Convener know. We will do our best to help you get the most out of Chemistry 1A and University life in general. Furthermore, the University has extensive counselling services that are available free of charge to all students. These are found in the Medical and Counselling Centre (Building 1, Level B, phone: 6201 2351). The Centre offers help and advice in areas such as relaxation, financial and personal problems. Study Skills (located on Level B of the Library (Building 8), phone: 6201 2205) offers help, advice and extra courses on effective study skills and general course guidance.

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.

In-unit costs

There are relatively minor costs associated with this unit in the provision of appropriate protective safety equipment (laboratory coat and safety glasses), which are 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).

Students also require the Chemistry 1A/Chemistry 1A G Laboratory Workbook which is available for purchase from the UC shop. You are required to bring a printed copy of this workbook to all laboratory sessions. It should be purchased prior to the first laboratory session in Week 2 as it will be required for the Safety orientation session in Week 2. The electronic version is also available on the Chemistry 1A Canvas site if you prefer to print it yourself.

A scientific calculator is also required in this unit and should be bought to all lectures, workshops, tutorials and laboratory session. A scientific calculator is permitted in all assessment tasks, but a graphics programmable calculator is prohibited.

Work placement, internships or practicums

Not applicable to this unit.

Additional information

Foundations of this unit
The learning and assessment modes associated with this unit are designed to develop the fundamental chemical skills of the students undertaking the unit.

Provision of information to the group
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 workshops, lectures and laboratory sessions 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 Canvas discussion forums will be checked by staff on a regular basis, however the Canvas Chat tool will not be used for official communication. If you wish to message the Unit Convener, please email chem1A@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.

Student Consultation
The Unit Convener for this unit is Dr Karen Altamore (Room 3C44, Phone 6206 8525, Email: Karen.Altamore@canberra.edu.au). The convener will be running some of the laboratory and tutorial classes and will be available for consultation during these classes. To arrange a consultation at another time, please email Chem1A@canberra.edu.au. The First Year Science Student Co-ordinator can also be consulted by arrangement via this email. All other teaching staff will only be available during their allocated laboratory and tutorial classes.

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

Student Resource Centre (SRC)
The Student Resource Centre (SRC) is a facility dedicated to enhancing the learning and university experience for students with particular emphasis on first year students. The SRC provides students with a place where they can study in a comfortable and welcoming environment. The centre provides areas for group and individual study, including the main lounge, group study rooms, a dedicated quiet study room, a general use computer lab, and tutorial rooms used for the Peer Assisted Learning Sessions (PALS). The SRC also has kitchen facilities (hot and cold water, sandwich presses, microwaves and a fridge). There are a number of learning resources available for student use, including a small textbook library and anatomical models for use in the anatomy PALS sessions. Location: Building 6, Level B East Wing.

• Semester 1, 2020, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (193622)
• Semester 1, 2019, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (185223)
• Semester 1, 2018, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (181684)