Course Syllabus

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CHE 3331 Spring 2022

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Your Guide

  • Prof. Daniel Romo, Schotts Professor of Chemistry               

  • BSB C.214                                                       

    e-mail:  Daniel_Romo@baylor.edu

    Research Group Homepage:   http://www.danielromogroup.com/

Course TAs

Nathanyal (Nate) Truax, Adam Youman (2 of my Ph.D. students)

"Office" Hours

Monday 4:30-5:30 pm (weekly, BSB E.201), Wednesdays 1-2 pm (by Zoom, weekly, times may vary-Access via Canvas), Fridays (weekly, 11 am-12 pm, BSB E.201)

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Reading Assignments

You MUST read the chapter pages assigned CAREFULLY (and work In Chapter Problems) before each class period and these are listed in the Tentative Class Outline provided HERE. This will be essential to maximize your learning during lecture and will dramatically improve your performance in this course. Furthermore, this will also assist your ability to answer the In-Class Squarecap Problems I pose during class (see further info below) which will count towards your grade.

In-Class SquareCap Problems (Active Learning)

We will work problems during class using the app developed by SquareCap.   This will enable you to answer questions I pose through Squarecap and we will typically go through two rounds of answering problems to ensure most if not all of you are getting to the right answer eventually. This is a great way to do self-assessment during class and throughout the course . In the 1st round, you will work problems in your notebook INDEPENDENTLY and input your answer in Squarecap (usually ~2-3 minutes to answer). Then in the 2nd round, Squarecap will set up groups for discussion of the problems and you will have an opportunity to discuss with your peers and answer again in the 2nd round (~3-4 mins). This is meant to encourage discussion with peers which can often lead to greater understanding. “If you can explain it, you probably know it!” These daily Squarecap driven In Class Problems will count towards your grade. We will typically do 6-10 problems/day and these will be worth ~6 pts total/day (normalized to 6 pts; most days total pt values you see in Square cap will vary) for both 1st and 2nd rounds (Zoom students will be able to participate in the 1st round, and only participate effectively in the 2nd round by discussing amongst yourselves through Zoom; Squarecap is unable to integrate with Zoom to set up Breakout rooms unfortunately but those online could try this if interested on their own).

You must bring your phone with the Squarecap app to class each day, fully functioning (e.g., sufficient battery life, app downloaded correctly, properly registered for the app, etc.). This is your responsibility, so if you forget your phone, or if your battery is dead, or if you don’t have the app properly downloaded and functioning, then your Squarecap score for the day will be zero.

What is the advantage of using Squarecap? Organic chemistry can be a challenging course for many students and because this course more than many others requires self-learning, what better way to assess where you stand in terms of understanding as often as possible? Also, when you aren't understanding, this provides an opportunity to learn that others may be facing the same gaps in understanding while also opening the possibility to learn from those around you who are understanding. Furthermore, when I lecture, I often will be explaining things well to <100% of the class so this is a way to immediately self-diagnose  your understanding and either learn from your colleagues or from me by asking further questions through Squarecap. So read the material for that day prior to class and then self-diagnose by actively participating in posed questions through Squarecap. In summary, this is an excellent way to get feedback on how much you are understanding daily and not only just before preparing for an exam.

Take Home Problem Sets (1 per chapter)

I will hand out Problems Sets for each chapter from End-of-Chapter problems and others I develop. These will typically consist of ~3-5 problems (1 page, 2-sided; put final answers on sheet provided only; I will make them available in Canvas so you can print out as many copies as you want) each and you will receive one for each chapter. Importantly, this is your opportunity to practice drawing organic structures which is what is required for the exams (= so called 'pencil to paper' that I mention throughout syllabus). I would suggest making a copy/take a pic of your homework before turning in so you have a record.

For additional practice, I would suggest writing out (again pencil to paper, in your spiral notebook) additional End-of-Chapter problems for those that have sub-problems e.g. 1.48 a-i, on your first pass do a-c then move on to other problems and then go back to do d-f prior to exam, and possibly g-i in prepping for final. I cannot emphasize enough the importance that:

“Working problems (pencil to paper) is the way to learn organic chemistry!”  

large enough font for emphasis? :) 

This is indeed the best way to learn the material that will be covered.  As for many subjects, it is certainly true for organic chemistry that the more problems you work, the better you will do in this course.  This means writing them out 'pencil to paper' (like you will have to do for exams), not just scanning them and thinking of the answers in your head.  As I'm sure each of you realize, simply reading the problems in the text and then the answers from the study guide will NOT allow you to develop the skills needed to perform well on the exams. Karty is set up in the ‘think-solve’ format which helps you call on previously learned basic principles and use that info to solve the problems independently.  If you are not doing as well as you would like, I will always first ask you if you are working problems and if you answer “yes”, the next question from me will be what does that mean to you i.e. working problems?  You should be able to work out each problem independently 'pencil to paper.'  Simply re-reading the text over and over will likewise contribute very little to your mastery of organic chemistry.  YOU MUST WORK PROBLEMS!  I suggest working all problems in a 5-subject spiral notebook with separate sections for In-Chapter Problems and End of Chapter Problems.  Show your reasoning and record all attempts at the problem not just the successful approach.  In the margin, write down text page numbers and other information that helped you solve each problem.  This will then become your own personal study guide.  

Bring Your Spiral Problems Notebook when you come to ask questions during office hours and appointments and review sessions.  If you have marked the problems with which you have had difficulties and jotted down questions about the problem, our time spent together during office hours or review sessions will be much more productive.

Smartworks 5 On-Line Homework Problems

The textbook has online problems (SmartWorks 5) which I will assign (see page xliii of the textbook for further description) and comes free along with an electronic version of the textbook in the bundle. If you score 80% or higher, you will receive full credit for each problem set. SmartWorks is an additional learning tool but it is not a substitute for pencil to paper problems (this will be required for your Take-Home Homework assignments). Therefore, I strongly urge you to work out Smartwork problems in your Spiral Problems Notebook to provide a record of how you arrived at your answer (your thought process) and as a way to track your understanding or problem ares (again bring to office hours). You will probably not pass this course unless you do lots of “pencil to paper homework” as elaborated below along with taking good notes (best to recopy them right after class  & note unclear ideas/principles).  In organic chemistry, it is especially true that a “picture is worth a thousand words” so you must learn how to clearly/accurately draw chemical structures as this is what you will be required to do on exams.

Special Projects & BACON

In addition to frequent class discussions of the relevance of what we are learning, there will be 2 special project assignments aimed to have you gain an appreciation for the 'why' of what you are studying in O-chem.  These will involve finding an organic compound of interest to your field of study that pertains to the topics/mechanisms under discussion.  You will then be asked to analyze the compound e.g. predicting its reactivity, predicting the products with a list of reagents, developing a synthesis of fragments/functional groups present, etc.  It is my hope that these projects will help you gain a better appreciation for the study of organic chemistry and its relevance to your field of study.

BACON: Biology and Chemistry Online Notes and Tutorials 

A portion of your course grade can be very easily earned by completing ‘BACON’ tutorials, a handy resource created by Prof. Neil Garg and his students at UCLA. BACON is an online tutorial designed to help connect the wonders of organic chemistry to medicine, other aspects of real life, and even pop culture.  To register (for free), visit: https://learnbacon.com/(COURSE PIN # VM@J34)

You will have 6 BACON tutorials to complete throughout this semester and once you registered, it should send e-mails telling you when a tutorial has opened but it is your responsibility to get them completed before the due date. The table below shows the on-line tutorials and their release date and their closing date (due date). You will usually have ~2 weeks (sometimes shorter) to complete these tutorials once released and they should take no longer than ~30 minutes to complete. Once you register you will receive e-mail reminders of the due dates for tutorials. While we are not taking a functional group approach to O-Chem, I have tried to roughly match the tutorials to our class schedule.

Each time you complete a BACON tutorial, you will also complete a brief multiple-choice post-BACON quiz (the quiz will be built into the tutorials). 

Note: Prof. Garg is a recent Cherry Award recipient at Baylor (most lucrative award given nationally, maybe internationally, for teaching!). As a result, Prof. Garg has graciously agreed to provide this for Baylor undergrads at no charge!

Tutorial Name

Release/Due(Closing) Date

Functional Groups and Reactivity Fundamentals

Jan. 20/Feb. 3

Stereochemistry & Chirality

Feb. 10/Feb. 24

Substitution Reactions

March 1/March 15

Elimination Reactions

March 16/March 30

Alkenes & Alkynes

March 31/April 14

Alcohols & Epoxides

April 15/ April 29

Class Attendance

To earn course credit in the College of Arts & Sciences, a student must attend at least 75 percent of all scheduled class meetings. In Spring 2022, this will include required in person attendance and sometimes online through Zoom only if you are ill with a doctor’s note provided to me through e-mail prior to or immediately following the missed class. I will use SquareCap to monitor attendance so you need to log in to Squarecap daily. See this link for further info: https://www.baylor.edu/artsandsciences/index.php?id=86320

Review Sessions

A review session will be scheduled before each hour exam (will be announced in class & also sent as an Announcement in Canvas).  In addition, if anytime during the semester enough student interest is generated, I can schedule additional review sessions.

At these review sessions, no new material will be presented. Come prepared to these sessions with questions to be asked and problems to be solved.  I will answer questions and solve problems pertaining to material covered in class. 

Internet Resources

Their are online problems (SmartWorks 5) associated with the Karty Textbook which I will assign (see page xi of the textbook) and comes free along with an electronic version of the textbook in the bundle. SmartWorks is an additional learning tool but it is not a substitute for a pencil to paper (this will be required for your Homework assignments)! You will probably not pass this course unless you do lots of “pencil and paper homework” as elaborated below along with taking good notes (possibly recopying them right after class).  In organic chemistry, it is especially true that a “picture is worth a thousand words” so you must learn how to clearly/accurately draw chemical structures as this is what you will be required to do on exams and is the way to convey to me what you are learning.

Exams

Exams will cover material from the lectures, homework, and the text.  Organic chemistry builds on itself, so by nature, all exams will be comprehensive.  Material covered since the previous exam will be emphasized, but you should review all previous material (most importantly basic principles as needed) for each exam.  There will be 4 in-class exams. A mandatory, comprehensive final exam  will be given during our scheduled exam time (Monday, May 9, 4:30-6:30 pm).

Questions in Class

I want to encourage each one of you to ask questions anytime during class pertaining to the material under discussion by raising your hand or using SquareCap (time permitting I will answer during or otherwise after class).  If something I said did not come across clearly, don't hesitate to ask for clarification-and you may not be alone.  This will help both of us; you to learn the material and me to teach it.  

Missed Work

Makeup exams will only be given if you can provide documentation supporting a university excused absence due to illness which could include a positive COVID test and resultant University required quarantine, or other University-sanctioned activity .  If you are unable to take an exam due to an excused absence or an active COVID infection/quarantine, please contact me by phone (leave a message if I cannot answer), email, or Morse code before the exam or at the latest by 5 pm of the exam day.  Rarely would it be impossible for you, your roommate, a friend, or parent to contact me during this time frame. You should provide me with a copy of the doctor's letter or other documentation and then we can schedule a make-up exam. 

Exam Regrading

Occasionally an exam may need to be regraded due to incorrect scoring, etc.  If you have a question about the grading of an exam, you must turn in the entire exam for complete regarding.  This is only fair since if you want credit for a question for which you were wrongly deducted points, you must also be willing to lose points on a problem for which you were given extra points.  This must be done within two class periods of the time the exam was returned to you.  After two class periods following an exam, grades are final.  Do not mark anything on an exam if you want it to be regraded.  Turn the entire exam in to me with an attached note stating the problem(s) that you want regraded.

Class Periods

I will only have time in class to cover what I deem to be the most important parts of the reading assignments for each chapter.  I will be unable to cover all material in detail. You are however, responsible for all material assigned and covered in the text and in the problems.  In particular nomenclature will NOT be covered in class (per se) but I will expect you to read the Nomenclature sections on your own and work some problems and you will learn it throughout the course indirectly since I will name things often by common names rather than by IUPAC format.  Pre-meds/Pre-dents: The MCAT/DAT writers have lessened their coverage of nomenclature on exams based on previous students experiences. However, certainly understanding nomenclature can help when reading labels on foods and drugs in everyday life!

 

Study Tips

  • Lecture periods will be extremely helpful and more productive ASSUMING you have read the Chapter pages (indicated in Class Outline) that we will be discussing that day (also reread the Chapter Summaries and Key Terms sections found at the end of each chapter). In addition, reading before class will be critical to do well on the In Class Squarecap Problems that will take place every lecture.
  • As I have tried to emphasize above, THE BEST WAY TO DO WELL IN THIS COURSE IS TO WORK MANY, MANY PROBLEMS. Generally, you should be working at least 5-10 problems/weekday to do well in this course. I would strongly urge you to purchase a 5-Subject Spiral Notebook with at least 200 pages (more pages, even better-use both sides).  This is where you will organize your ‘pencil to paper’ problem sessions and this notebook will become a useful study guide that can be brought to office hours to show me how you are thinking about problems and make our time much more productive. This spiral notebook, which becomes your personal problems notebook, can be divided into:
  1. In Chapter Problems (during your reading of the textbook before class)
  2. In Class Squarecap Problems (work out on paper then answer)
  3. Smartworks Problems (yes, work these on paper/take notes, etc as you work them)
  4. End of Chapter Problems & Reworking Any Problems As part of preparation for an exam, one suggestion is to re-work on paper (not in your head) several of the problems from the problem sets but IMPORTANTLY THIS TIME WITH TEXTBOOK, SOLUTIONS MANUAL, AND NOTES CLOSED. Only this way will you know if you have learned the material. You can then refer to your personal study guide (i.e., your problems notebook) as needed if you encounter difficulties with any problems.

 In the margin of your Spiral Problems Notebook, write down text page numbers and other information that helped you solve each problem or any problems you encountered working the problem.  This will then become your own personal study guide to rework problems and also make our office hour times more productive-bring your notebook to office hours.

  • Since exams will come from problems, lectures and the text, be sure to take notes (= practice drawing chemical structures) during class and review them. I strongly suggest rewriting your notes immediately after class (something I found very helpful as a visual learner). As you rewrite them, you may find some material which is not clear and you should star (*) these in the margin and these could be topics for discussion during office hours or review sessions. 
  • Don't get behind! Keep up with readings, class notes, and problem sets.  Remember that organic chemistry builds on itself, so you will need to grasp each chapter if you want to grasp the next. Also, keep in mind that each exam is comprehensive by nature since again O-chem builds on itself. The principles you learn in one chapter will be needed to answer questions in the subsequent chapter.
  • Make use of review sessions, office appointments and for the latter come prepared to ask questions with your annotated Problems Spiral Notebook.

 

LEARNING RESOURCES

Canvas

Canvas is the where course content, grades, and communication will reside for this course.

  • https://www.baylor.edu/canvas
    • Your username is your Baylor ID (i.e. the first part before the @ sign of your email address), and your password is your global password (the same one you use for BearWeb or the web-based Outlook mail).
  • For Canvas support, contact Canvas 24-hour Support via Chat or telephone (844-334-0228).
  • For general technology or any other computer-related technical support contact the IT Help Desk. 

GRADES

Your grade in this course will be determined based on a point system. Each assignment is assigned a point value (see below) and will be posted in Canvas.

If you see a mistake in the grade posted in Canvas, inform me immediately. You are strongly encouraged to keep duplicate copies of all of your turned in assignments (exams/homework) for your own personal records and in order to dispute any errors or inadvertently lost papers. To view your grades click the ‘Grades’ link in the side menu.

 

Course Assignments

Points in this course will be distributed as follows.

 

Final Exam                                           

15%

Hour Exams (best 3 of 4)                                

45%

Online Smartworks Prob. Sets (best 11 of 13*)

11%

Written Homework Problem Sets (best 10 of 12*)

10%

Daily Squarecap Problems (best 17 of 23*)  

10%

Special Projects (both required)                     

4%

BACON (all 6 required; +2 pts on completion)

5%

Total                                         

100%

 *You can elect to not turn in the allotted number of Written Problem Set, complete Smartworks, or not participate in InClass Problems for whatever reason but of course the best use  of this 'best of' option is to drop your low scores.

There are no extra credit assignments and the percentage of the 1000 pts total for this class is all that can be obtained.  In cases where you are borderline between two letter grades, effort put into succeeding in this course as evidenced by 1) attendance in class (75% required to pass per Baylor regulations) 2) beneficial communication with me either by contact during real or virtual (e-mail) office hours, and 3) evidence of pencil to paper problem solving beyond written homework (i.e. bring your Spiral Problems Notebook to office hours for credit) will be the determining factors in those rare decisions (borderline cases) I have to make at the end of the semester.  By beneficial communication, I mean fruitful discussion about problems and course material.

 

Grading Scheme

Final letter grades will be assigned according to the percentage of points you obtain in the course. To calculate your percentage, divide the total number of points you obtained by 1000 points (max possible). Percentages are rounded up to the nearest whole number. Use the scale below to determine your letter grade. 

A 100% to 94%
A- < 94% to 90%
B+ < 90% to 87%
B < 87% to 84%
B- < 84% to 80%
C+ < 80% to 77%
C < 77% to 74%
C- < 74% to 70%
D+ < 70% to 67%
D < 67% to 64%
D- < 64% to 61%
F < 61% to 0%

COURSE POLICIES

Canvas Notification Preferences

Please make sure your Canvas notification preferences are set so that you will receive course announcements "Notify me right away" or "Send daily summary" (click the appropriate link to set your preference).

Instructor Feedback/Communication

You can expect to receive a grade and feedback on your assignments within one week of the due date. In some cases, if you submit an assignment early it might be graded early, but only as time permits. Please do not inquire about your grade on assignments until after a grade shows in the My Grades page. All of the assignments will be graded using the rubrics provided without exception. Before you submit your assignment you should double-check that you have met the requirements outlined in the rubric.

The instructor will communicate with students weekly and as needed using the Announcements tool. Additional communication may also take place in the Discussions area of the course.

Email sent about the course will go to your Baylor email account. Baylor cannot guarantee delivery of course email, if you use an email service other than Baylor. If you fail to receive important course communication, you will not be excused or exempt. When sending email to the instructor, please use your Baylor email account and include the course ID and the course name and section in the subject line. You can expect to receive a response in 24 hours on weekdays and 48 hours on weekends unless otherwise noted.

Syllabus Changes

This syllabus is subject to change. I will notify the class regarding all changes. In the event of any discrepancy between this syllabus and content found in Canvas, the information in the syllabus WILL TAKE PRECEDENCE.

Submitting Electronic Files

All electronic files must be submitted in PDF format. Please name your file in the using the following convention: FirstinitialLastName_HmwkChX.doc.

Course Fees

There are no course fees associated with this course.

Late Work

Late work due to procrastination will not be accepted. Late work due to legitimate emergency may be accepted. The due date and time associated with each  assignment are stated clearly in Canvas or on problem sets.

 

Plagiarism

All policies are derived from the Baylor University Honor Code
https://www.baylor.edu/honorcode/index.php?id=952547

Additional plagiarism resources can be found on the Office of Academic Integrity website
https://www.baylor.edu/honorcode/index.php?id=952643


OALA Statement

Any student who needs learning accommodations should inform the professor immediately at the beginning of the semester. The student is responsible for obtaining appropriate documentation and information regarding needed accommodations from the Baylor University Office of Access and Learning Accommodation (OALA) and providing it to the professor early in the semester. The OALA phone number is (254) 710-3605 and their website is: www.baylor.edu/oala .

 

Title IX

Baylor University does not discriminate on the basis of sex or gender in any of its education or employment programs and activities, and it does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex or gender. This policy prohibits sexual and gender-based harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, stalking, intimate partner violence, and retaliation (collectively referred to as prohibited conduct). For more information on how to report, or to learn more about our policy and process, please visit www.baylor.edu/titleix. You may also contact the Title IX office directly by phone, (254) 710-8454, or email, TitleIX_Coordinator@baylor.edu.

 

Baylor Mission and Core Values

Read Baylor University's mission statement and core values for academic excellence and Christian commitment.

Watch the "Baylor University: That's How It Goes When You're On a Mission" video below to understand how your learning connects to service, purpose, and faith.

 

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Course Summary:

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