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How many hours should I spend on Chemistry to know the material?
Most students will require between 2-3 hours of home study for each hour of lecture. Do not get behind.
We strongly suggest reading the material in the textbook and attempting some of the end of the chapter problems before the lecture. This study method will greatly aid in your understanding of the lecture. After the lecture, review your notes and practice problems on a nightly basis.
This was the most difficult Gen Ed course I have ever taken. What happened?
Chem 105aLg was not designed to be a General Education course (for non-science majors), even though it does give GE credit. It is designed for science and engineering majors, and also comes with GE Category III credit so that they don’t also have to take a separate Scientific Principles course. Non-science majors should discuss this with their academic advisor and/or Dr. Erickson before taking this course.
Do you have any suggestions that may help in problem solving?
Write words that say what you are doing.
An important objective in this class is that you gain experience in both problem solving and critical thinking. Both of these skills are crucial not only to this class but also for success in the "real world".
We suggest that you practice practice practice! Keep the solution manual closed and use study groups and office hours instead. Do all of the suggested problems and find similar questions at the end of the chapter to try as well.
How should I study for an exam?
- Carefully read the book and lecture notes to be sure that you understand the logic.
- Do the homework problems in the chapter, covering the solution so you don't see it. Work the problem completely by yourself to get the final answer. Compare with the solutions. If your answer differs from the solution, find out what you did wrong and why. Follow the same procedure for assigned Homework problems.
- Test yourself with web quizzes, but keep in mind that they do not represent all the types of problems you will get on the exams.
- If you don’t understand something, ask!
- Practice on old exams from the Chem 105b website, remembering that chapter orders may differ each year.
- Attend the professor's review sessions (usually held in the late afternoon the day before the exam).
What can I expect to be asked on an exam?
The material will be similar to examples done in class, the assigned homework sets, and the questions on the old exams, but the problem might be turned around or inverted, or additional pieces of data might be supplied which are not needed to solve the problem. One exam problem might require two concepts or steps.
The exams will be written to test your understanding of the material covered in the lecture. While exam questions may be similar to questions seen in the lecture, homework, or quizzes, they will also differ enough to make sure we are testing you on your critical thinking and problem solving skills rather than your memory. (You will need to memorize some material (e.g., nomenclature) that will be made clear in lecture.) If you can successfully do the quizzes and the suggested problems without any help from the solution manual, you will likely do well on the exams.
There may be questions on material covered in the lectures that are not in the textbook, so make sure not to miss too many classes!
I think I should have gotten more partial credit on the problem! Why didn’t I?
Partial credit is at the discretion of the instructor and the grader. Typically, partial credit is given if you have set up the problem correctly but made a calculation error or didn’t have time to complete the problem. Therefore, it is important to show all your work on the exams in a clear and logical manner. Partial credit is not given for seemingly random or incorrect attempts. We insist that the graders are consistent so everyone is treated the same.
For analytical problems (i.e., questions involving calculations), students are expected to show some work. Usually, just a straight numerical answer without any logic will result in very little credit.
I am used to doing problems in pencil, so I get nervous when I have to write my exams in pen. What can I do?
Do your homework in pen so that you get used to working your problems without being able to erase them. (Erasable pens are not allowed on exams either.) Exams written in pencil will be graded at the discretion of the course professor but will NOT be considered for regrading.
My score on every exam was above the average. When you gave us the letter grade in class for each exam score I thought I had a B, but I got a C+ for the course. What happened?
The final letter grade takes into consideration web quizzes, lab quizzes, and the laboratory scores in addition to exams. The grade breaks given in class indicate only approximate exam grade ranges (without plusses and minuses) and are intended only to give you a rough idea where you stand. For both reasons, these approximations can be too lenient or too severe. You want to be well above a grade break given for an individual exam to ensure that grade in the course.
The class average is a C/C+. Probably your scores were only slightly above the class average. To earn a B or B-, the scores must be more than “just slightly” above the class average.
With a great deal of effort on my part, I was able to increase my exam grade from a C to an A and yet I received only a B as the overall grade. I heard that scores that show improvement count more than those that remain constant. Why wasn't my improvement taken into consideration?
Individual exam letter grades are assigned only to give a rough measure of your standing within the class, and should not be used to calculate the final letter grade. i.e., A+A+B+B will not always equal an “A” overall. Your improvement (C+C+A+A) was taken into consideration. That is why you received a grade of B and not C, and you were just too far away from an A.
I just remembered that I had a crisis [my dog died] the morning of exam #2 and I didn't do so well on that exam. I think it unfairly affected my performance and caused me not to get an A in the course. Can I get this exam dropped and have my total score recalculated?
All special circumstances (personal, religious, and medical) should have already been brought to the attention of the course professor at the time of their occurrence by the affected student and were considered at the time of overall course grade assignment. There is a statute of limitations on any changes.
If I have a low grade, can I take a make up exam or do special assignments?
NO! There are no make up exams and no special work. All you can do is to do better next time.
What happens if I miss an exam?
If you miss one exam and you have a written excuse (verified, of course), we will put a score in that place by using an approved formula. There are no make up exams. You cannot miss more than one exam.
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