Welcome back to Reed. We have an exciting organic chemistry curriculum planned for the 2019-20 editions of Chem 201 and 202, and we will get off to a flying start so here goes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reed’s first week of classes is short because Monday is Labor Day. This means that two Chem 201 sessions, the Monday afternoon lecture and the Monday evening lab lecture, cannot meet. And because the course schedule ties the Monday and Tuesday lectures together, the Tuesday, Sept. 3, morning lecture is cancelled too. Our first days (Day 1<\/strong>) of lecture will be Wednesday, Sept. 4, and Thursday, Sept. 5. Your attendance at your scheduled lecture section on Day 1 is absolutely required.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Labor Day holiday does not impact the lab schedule. Our first (Week 1<\/strong>) lab sessions will meet Tuesday-Friday, Sept. 3-6. Check the schedule for your lab day (Tu\/W sections meet 1:10-5 pm, Th\/F sections meet 12:30-4:20 pm) and show up in Rm. 209 at the scheduled time or maybe a few minutes earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What will you be doing in lecture and lab? What do you need to do before<\/em> class and lab so that you are prepared? These are excellent questions and the following instructions will guide you. Note: the following instructions have already been sent to all registered 201 students by email. Read, review, act as your situation requires.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n Greetings,<\/p>\n\n\n\n And welcome back to Reed and to organic chemistry (Chem 201). We will be\n \nsending you 4 emails this holiday weekend and we would like you to read all of them before \nTuesday. These emails will tell you just about everything you need to know \nso that you can be ready for lab this week (meets Tu-F) and lecture. 4 emails may sound like a lot of information (it is) so let us break \nit down a bit. The emails that follow this one (emails #2-#4) will be \nsent out as soon as we can put them together. They will focus on \npreparation for lecture: syllabus, teaching methods & expectations, \nclickers, and \nSapling homework. Highlights from these yet-to-be-written emails: This email<\/em> (#1) focuses on the Chem 201 lab. Lab will meet every day this week, Tu-F, so read carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lab lectures<\/strong> Lab sessions<\/strong> For the first lab<\/strong>, \ncome directly to the o chem lab, Rm. 209, on your lab day (attend the \nsection you registered for). Starting times are 1:10 PM Tu\/W and 12:30 PM Th\/F. Expect to put in a full \nafternoon so maybe equip yourself with a snack to get you through a long\n lab session. Whew!<\/em> That should cover things for lab this week. If you have questions, \ndon\u2019t hesitate to contact us. Thank you for taking the time to read this\n email and to start work.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now on to email #2\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alan Shusterman and Alicia McGhee #2<\/strong> Prepare for the first lecture<\/strong> (W 2:30, Th 10:30, E314). Note: the lecture on Tu, Sept 3 has been cancelled.<\/b><\/p>\n (Reading note: This is email #3 in the Day 0 series. Email #1 was sent to you on 8\/31 and described our lab meetings for this week and lab policies. Email #2 regarding our syllabus and classroom operations was sent earlier this morning. Please look for these emails and read them first.)<\/i><\/p>\n The new business in this email concerns electronic polling devices or “clickers”. I expect you to bring a clicker to every lecture<\/em> this semester. They are not needed for lab or lab lecture.<\/p>\n The accuracy of your clicker responses will not be graded, but your participation (the number of responses you provide) will have impact your grade (in a relatively small way). I rely on clickers to give me accurate, real-time ideas about how a class<\/i> thinks about the material we are covering. I do not look at individual<\/i> answers. So please provide the best quality answers that you can manage for each question. Right or wrong, your best guess is useful to me. After I count the first round of clicks, I will often give the class a chance to discuss answers and click again. More info about grades and clickers can be found here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n QT2 devices only.<\/strong> Chem 201\/202 will use the Turning Technology QT2 clickers. These devices have a complete A-Z, 0-9 keypad and LCD display, and they are powered by 2 easily replaceable AAA batteries. If you have some other kind of clicker, or used a mobile device in place of clicker last year in Chem 101\/102, you will need to purchase a new QT2 clicker from the Reed College bookstore. You will also need to purchase a one-year subscription and create a student account at the Turning Technologies web site in order to use your clicker (and receive course credit for your clicks).<\/p>\n Cost.<\/strong> A new QT2 clicker + 1-year subscription costs $58 at the bookstore. If you already have a QT2, you can just purchase a 1-year subscription for $25.99. (Note: these are 2018 prices and they may have changed.)<\/p>\n Clicker Returns.<\/strong> If you decide at any time that you no longer need your clicker, you can return yours to the Reed bookstore for some kind of refund. In the past, the bookstore has told me that students \u201chave the first 2 weeks of classes to return the clickers with the receipt for a full refund. The only difference is the subscription code scratch-off must be fully intact.<\/b> If it has been scratched off we are unable to refund it. After the first 2 weeks it is a 60% refund through November.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Mobile device app subscription warning:<\/strong> Chem 101\/2 students who used their mobile devices as clickers had to download a Turning Technologies app and were able to buy a subscription through the app. This will NOT work for the QT2 clicker. See the instructions provided by the bookstore or the instructions in the attached file<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Where to go next.<\/strong> After you obtain a clicker, open the attached file<\/strong><\/a> and set up your student account and start your subscription<\/b>. It is not enough to just bring a clicker to class. You need an account and a subscription. Otherwise, I won’t be able to give you credit for your responses.<\/p>\n If you are hesitating because you are wavering in your commitment to Chem 201 and the cost of the clicker\/subscription are high, that is fine. Hesitate. My grading policy forgives 20% of your clicker responses, that is, you only need to respond to 80% of my clicker questions over the course of the semester to earn full clicker credit. You can hold off on clicking for a few days and suffer no penalties at all.<\/p>\n Clicker advice:<\/strong> 2. How you solve an organic chemistry problem matters, even clicker problems. I will be singing the following song all semester long: Organic chemistry is learned and practiced through your fingers<\/em>, that is, you need to draw<\/i> structural formulas before you give an answer. The alternative, constructing formulas in your head, is not nearly as effective, and often doesn\u2019t work at all. My recommendation is this: Have your pencil or pen <\/i>handy when faced with a clicker question. Before you click in your answer, draw the answer(s) you are considering, and look at them. Don\u2019t just stare at the screen and click.<\/p>\n On to email #4\u2026<\/p>\n Alan<\/p>\n PS Reminders: Prices and technologies are constantly shifting. The information I have provided here may be out of date. Please let me know if you encounter errors in either prices or set-up instructions, and I will post corrections online. Thank you. Sapling provides homework problems that are tailored to specific course topics so you will be seeing assignments for each day that match the topics covered on that day.<\/p>\n Please go to Sapling Learning<\/strong><\/a> on the Chem 201 web site to learn about:<\/p>\n The homework assignment schedule has not been posted yet, but you will be able to find it on the Homework<\/strong><\/a> page next week (I will announce this by email).<\/p>\nEmail #1, sent to all 201 students on Aug. 31, 11:07 pm<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Chem 201 instructional staff<\/p>\n\n\n
\nEmail #2, sent to all 201 students on Sept. 2, 8:00 am<\/h2>\n
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\nEmail #3, sent to all 201 students on Sept. 2, 10:48 am<\/h2>\n
1. Most lectures will pose a clicker question within the first few minutes of class. When you arrive at class, get your device out!<\/em> Don\u2019t drop it into the bottom of your backpack under your laptop, lunch, raincoat, where it can’t be reached.<\/p>\n
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\nEmail #4, sent to all 201 students on Sept. 2, 4:55 pm<\/h2>\n
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