Required texts

Required Text book: Brown, Lemay, Bursten, Murphy, Woodward, Langford, Sagatys, George.  Chemistry: The Central Science. Third Australian Edition, Pearson (ISBN 9781442554603).

The hard copy can be purchased at the UC Shop or through , there may also be some second-hand copies. Hard copies will be available for temporary loan from the ÎåÔÂÌìÊÓƵ Library. The e-text version of the text is a customised edition (ISBN 9781488624384), a compilation of the above hard copy Australian edition and the global edition of the same text to provide the best of both editions, specifically for Chemistry 1A and 1B here at UC. It can be purchased from  at a much lower price compared to the hardcopy version. There are some functions in the e-text that allow note taking, etc allowing you to personalise your e-text.

Required Workbook: Chemistry 1B Laboratory Workbook, 2021 edition.

The electronic version will be available in part, on the Chemistry 1B Canvas site under each week's activities, Students are required to bring a printed copy of this workbook to all laboratory sessions. 

Recommended 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 Chem1B. This text is available, for purchase at the UC Shop or through  and for temporary loan from the ÎåÔÂÌìÊÓƵ Library. An electronic version of the textbook is also available for purchase; see www.wileyplus.com for more details.

Recommended 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 purchase at the UC Shop or through  and for temporary loan from the ÎåÔÂÌìÊÓƵ Library.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

The above late submission and extension policy only applies to the Revision Assignments only. It does not apply for in-class Laboratory Submissions. When assessment is required to be submitted in class (eg laboratory submissions) it is the student's responsibility to ensure the assessment is received by the respective demonstrator. If you are unable to attend the in-class assessment and have supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate), you should provide this to your demonstrator in the next class. Missing lab submission will be recorded as Zero in Canvas Grades. Medical/supporting documents can only make exemption from the lab attendance requirement (75%). For prolonged absences, contact the unit convener as soon as possible via Chem1B@canberra.edu.au.

Deferred Written Tests

Provisions will be made for students who are unable to sit the Mid Semester Test and produce appropriate medical certificates or other documentation. In the event a student misses this 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  must be followed.

Special assessment requirements

Final grades are allocated according to the aggregation of marks achieved in all assessment items. The final mark is out of a possible 100 marks. 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 FTF laboratory sessions is a compulsory condition of this unit. A student must participate in a minimum of 75 % in FTF laboratory sessions to pass the unit (6 out of 8 lab sessions).  Absence for more than 25% (two lab sessions), even with supporting documentation, is a failure to meet the assessment requirements of the unit.

2. Students must achieve at least 40% on weighted average for the written tests (ie 24/60 for the combined Mid Semester Test and Final Exam)

3. Students must attempt all assessment items.

As such, in order to pass the unit, students must participate in a minimum of 75% of FTF laboratory classes from Week 4 onwards (ie only 2 absences will be allowed for the eight lab sessions). Absences for more than 25%, 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 session and in hardcopy by their demonstrator at the end of 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) if a spot is availlable. Students are advised to check information posted on Canvas to determine if there is likely to be space available in your desired ‘makeup' laboratory. 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. 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 Chem1B@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.

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 4;
• having successfully completed the corresponding weekly prelab quiz on Canvas by midnight Sunday (see 5a - Laboratory Submission 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 FTF laboratory session. This could mean forfeiting in class assessment marks (see Section 5a - Laboratory Submissions for details) and 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 Chem1B@canberra.edu.au, to make alternate arrangements (if attending another class is possible) or to grant exemption 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 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 ÎåÔÂÌìÊÓƵ (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

The mid semester test is worth 20 % and should therefore account for around 14 hours of preparation, the end of semester test is worth 40% and should account for 28-30 hours preparation whilst each laboratory submission has an equal weighting (2.5 % each) and should also account for ~2 hours preparation per week on top of actual contact hours. This unit is designed with a 150 hour workload in mind and it is thus reasonable to assume that 150 hours will be needed to pass the unit. 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 laboratory sessions is a compulsory condition of this unit. A student must participate in a minimum of 75 % of the FTF laboratory sessions (6 out of 8) to pass the unit (see section 5a and 5b for details).

In all cases of absence, sickness or personal problems the onus is on the student to ensure that the Unit Convener is informed, including where a reasonable adjustment plan is to be applied. 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 1B 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.

Engagement with the activity in virtual tutorials and online activities will assist your preparation for the assessment tasks. The final assessment in the form of an examination will draw upon the activities completed during classes and online.

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. Furthermore, this unit also involves online meetings in real time using the Virtual Room in your UCLearn teaching site. The Virtual Room allows you to communicate in real time with your lecturer and other students. To participate verbally, rather than just typing, you will need a microphone. For best audio quality we recommend a microphone and speaker headset.

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 1B Laboratory Workbook which is available on Canvas. You are required to bring a printed copy of this workbook/lab session handout to all FTF laboratory sessions. 

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

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. The Canvas discussion forums will be checked by staff on a regular basis.

Communication between staff and students

The University Email policy states "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 acessing their university email account.

Student Consultation

The Unit Convener for this unit is AProf Dr Ashraf Ghanem (Room 3C42, Phone 02 6201 2089, Email: ashraf.ghanem@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 Chem1B@canberra.edu.au. The First Year Science Student Coordinator can also be consulted by arrangement, however other demonstrators/tutors will only be available during their allocated laboratory and tutorial sessions.

Feedback on Student Performance

Students are able to monitor their performance in this unit by their responses to the regular laboratory, tutorial, and lecture activities, 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.

Caveat

Unforeseen circumstances beyond the unit convenor's control could result in changes in the mode of delivery of lectures, tutorials/practicals (where applicable) and assessments. Students will be advised if this occurs and appropriate alternatives will be arranged.

• Semester 2, 2021, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (202214)
• Semester 2, 2020, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (195675)
• Semester 2, 2019, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (185440)
• Semester 2, 2018, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (181483)