Instructor: Mark M. Nelson, PhD
e-mail: nelsonm@ulv.edu
Main Campus Phone: (909) 593-3511 extension 4610
Fax Number: (909) 392-2754 Please make this, Attention: Mark Nelson and include your name and 4-digit code on each page
Mailing Address:
Mark M. Nelson, Assistant Provost
University of La Verne
1950 Third Street
La Verne, CA 91750-4401
Main Campus Office: Founders Hall 214
My objective for the on-line Introductory Chemistry Laboratory is to create a meaningful laboratory experience you can perform in your home with everyday household items and/or items easily obtained from local stores. The experiments may be simple, but they do provide insight into the concepts we are discussing in the lecture portion of this course. In addition, you will be asked to include information you find by searching on-line and finding reputable sources with information on the concepts we are covering in each lab. Lastly, you will write and submit reports discussing the lab experiments you did, the results you obtained, and the concepts explored. I am always looking for ways to improve your experiences. I encourage and would appreciate any feedback you have concerning the labs. Any suggestions or advice you may have for new experiments, experiences, or how to improve the existing experiments will be very welcome. Be careful and safe, use common sense, and at all time wear your safety glasses. If you have any questions make sure you get them answered before proceeding with any procedure you are unsure of. Enjoy doing the experiments.
Note: The laboratory is not a requirement of the course, it is optional. For your University of La Verne general education requirements, you must have either a physical science laboratory experience or a life science laboratory experience. If you already have taken a life or physical science lab, which satisfies the general education requirements, then you do not have to participate in this laboratory. However, if you have not had a lab experience, then you may use this lab to fulfill your general education requirement. And, if you have fulfilled your requirement, you can still take the lab portion of this course without any additional tuition cost to you.
Make sure you carefully read the following points and ask me if you have any questions or concerns. There are things you need to do prior to your first lab experiment, other important pieces of information, and some of the expectations I have of you and the lab reports you will submit for grading.
1) Read the University of La Verne Lab Safety Rules listed in the Lab Page on this website. This is very important! You must take the Lab Safety Quiz on this website prior to the first lab. You must continue to take the safety quiz until you get 100% correct. Once you have received a grade of 100% on the lab safety quiz, then you may proceed to the first lab experiment.
2) The directions for each laboratory experiment you are going to do are listed on the laboratory portion of the Chemistry 103 Website. Always read the lab directions for each laboratory assignment, well in advance of the day you want to actually perform the lab experiment(s). If you do this, then you will know if you have all of the items necessary to perform the lab experiment. You may need something you do not have at home. Additionally, there are some lab experiments which require you to prepare something ahead of time, well in advance of the day and time you actually do the lab. So, always make sure you read the lab directions ahead of time so you can be prepared to do the lab on the day and at the time you planned.
3) All lab experiments are meant to be done at your home, with items you have readily available to you or the items you don't have on hand can be obtained for a nominal cost at a local grocery store, hardware store, and/or grocery store.
4) Always read any and all warning labels on the products you are planning on using in any lab experiment, prior to actually using it. The experiments you will do are relatively safe, but it is always up to the individual doing the experiment to assess whether they should proceed. Ultimately, you are responsible for making sure you are performing the experiments in a safe setting, that you are keeping the other individuals in your house safe and out of harm's way. And, if you are unsure if you should do something, then you should not do the experiment until you have your questions and/or concerns addressed.
5) Always wear your safety goggles. No matter what experiment you are doing, you must wear your safety goggles. Since I am not there and with you when you are performing your experiments for this class, then your safety and the safety of those around is your responsibility, and I can't assume any liability for what you do. In the end, safety goggles may be a little uncomfortable, but it is a small price for doing your part to ensure the safety of your eyes.
6) Always use common sense. If you are unsure of or uncomfortable with any of the procedures in the lab experiments, contact me before proceeding.
7) A few lab experiments have a significant prep-time associated with them. I am not saying that they are going to take a long time to do. I am telling you there are a few labs where you may need to do something days in advance of the time and day when you want to perform the actual experiment. For example, to prepare for Laboratory #6 you need to have a container with some cloves and rubbing alcohol sit for five (5) days undisturbed before you do the rest of the lab experiment. So, if you did not read the lab directions ahead of time, then you would not have the 5 days for the cloves to sit in a container with rubbing alcohol. There are a few other experiments where you may need to make a solution or do something else, which may only takes a few minutes to prepare, but may also need sit for days. Or, I may ask you to use something in an experiment and you may not have it available at your residence. Thus, always read the lab experiments ahead of time so you can ensure you have all of the necessary items to complete the lab on time.
8) The table below gives the due dates for the laboratory reports. Your reports are due by 5:00 p.m. on the date listed, but you may always turn your laboratory report in earlier than this. However, for us to complete the laboratory portion of this course in the time allotted, and to not get behind or have things piling up, we need to make sure we keep on track. The schedule below shows you will do a lab, write your report, and turn in your report for the week. There is a total of ten (10) laboratory reports, so we will be doing one lab per week. And, for the reasons stated and to be fair to all of the other students in this class, I will not accept any late laboratory reports.
| Chemistry 103 Laboratory Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Lab Number | Due by 5:00 p.m. on the Date Listed |
| Lab #1 | 03-31-08 |
| Lab #2 | 04-07-08 |
| Lab #3 | 04-14-08 |
| Lab #4 | 04-21-08 |
| Lab #5 | 04-28-08 |
| Lab #6 | 05-05-08 |
| Lab #7 | 05-12-08 |
| Lab #8 | 05-19-08 |
| Lab #9 | 05-27-08 |
| Lab #10 | 06-01-08 |
Note: A I said in the course syllabus, due to Spring Break and other family events and work obligations, it is up to you to work the lab experiments around your schedule. You have the schedule of the lab reports above, so I leave it up to you to schedule appropriately. You may always work at a faster pace than is listed above, but not a slower pace. That is, you can always perform the lab experiments early and turn in your reports early, but not late.
9) I would appreciate it if you send me your laboratory reports as a Word, WordPerfect, and/or Adobe file attached to an e-mail message. However, if it is more convenient and easier for you to fax them to me, then do so at the number listed above. If you fax your report to me, it still needs to be typed and make sure you make it to: Attention Mark Nelson, and include your name and 4-digit code on each page. Please see the course syllabus and/or Welcome Letter I sent you on the first day of class for more information on your 4-digit code.
10) Your lab reports must contain particular items, though the format and flow of your written report is up to you and depends on your personal style. Your laboratory report must be typed and include the items described here as well as any items I ask you to address or discuss in the directions for a particular lab. In the past, it would take the writing of a few reports before the students would get the hang of it and know how to write the reports, including all of the things I am looking for. To address this and hopefully make it easier for you to understand how I want your reports to look and what I want you to include in your reports, I wrote a sample lab report for Lab #1 and one for Lab #2. The sample reports are located on the Lab Page of the Chemistry 103 Website. I wrote two samples because the first lab is quite different from the rest. So, the Sample Lab Report #2 is a good representation of the format and content needed for the reports for Labs #2 to #10. I strongly encourage you to go to the website and print both of the sample reports. Please use the Sample Report #1 as a guide when you are writing your report for Lab #1. And, use the Sample Lab Report #2 as a guide when you are writing your reports for Labs #2 to #10. With regard to your reports, I am going to go into a lot of detail below in order to make you more successful in your report writing. That is, if I can clearly state what I am expecting from you and you understand this, then it will be less likely for me to ask you to make corrections or additions to your reports, and, in the end, there will be less frustration on both sides. So, please make sure you read over the following, take a close look at the sample lab reports I have posted, and then writing your reports will be a much more efficient process.
On the sample lab reports, you will see that I include particular items and you also need to include these items on your reports. I attempted to capture those items on the following list, however each lab is a little different and your report will vary from one experiment to the next. On all of your reports you must include: The name and number of the lab experiment, who you are and your 4-digit code, your instructor, the date, the purpose of each experiment, materials used, the procedure you used, any and all observations made during each experiment, the results of the experiment, and an explanation of the results. I will go into more detail for each item below.
Name and Number of the Lab: At the top of the page, write the course, the lab number, and the experiment name. In some cases, there is more than one experiment for the lab, so you can just write the lab number at the top of the page and then after your name, 4-digit code, and date, you can write the name of the particular experiment. You will see examples of this in the sample lab reports.
Instructor, Student, and Date Information: Following the Name and Number of the Lab, on the left-hand side you will include the name of your instructor, your name, your 4-digit code, your e-mail address, and the date.
Experiment Name: If there is more than one experiment for your lab, then write the name and number of the experiment (See Sample Lab Reports).
Purpose of the Experiment: In the lab directions for each laboratory posted on the Chemistry 103 Website, I tell you what the purpose of each experiment. This is one place where you may either write your own interpretation of the purpose of the experiment or you may copy it directly from my lab directions. Other than this, you may not directly copy items from my lab directions and place them in your report. Your report should be written in your words, not mine.
Materials: The lab directions posted on the website for each experiment, tell you what items you will need for each experiment. In some cases you will have a choice of what you use, or you may improvise by using a measuring cup instead of another container, etc. So, after the purpose of the experiment, you will tell me the items you actually used when you performed the experiment. That is, I want a list and/or description of the items you used for each experiment and not the list I had in the lab directions.
Procedure: The lab directions include the procedure for each experiment. These are guidelines for you to use. What I want you to include in your report is how you actually did each experiment. That is, the way you do your experiment may vary from what I have written. You have to remember I am not there with you while you are doing each experiment. So, the only way I will know exactly what you did is by you telling me in your report. In the past, students have been so brief in their report, it has been difficult for me to understand what they did. Please make sure you take your time and tell me about each step you took in performing your experiment.
Observations: This part of the report is where, in the past, I have had to make the most comments back to the students. In general, students have been too brief with this section. Again, students forget I am not there with them looking over their shoulder and experiencing everything they are. So, they think I know what they did, what they observed, and end up not writing down very much in this part of their report. And, when I read and grade the report it is difficult for me to understand what you observed. Sometimes, this will result in me asking the student to re-write their report. Of course, we want to avoid re-writing reports whenever we can, which is why I am spending so much time on this and going into so much detail. In the end, make sure you are taking good notes on your observations before, during, and after the experiment so you can relay your observations to me in your report. Generally speaking, you cannot write too much information in your report. Thus, go ahead and include everything you observe at anytime during the experiment.
Results: Let me just say quickly, for some of you it may make more sense to have separate sections for observations and results, and for others it makes sense to combine these two into a single section called: Observations and Results. It is up to you and your writing style whether you want to write two sections or a single section. That said, this is another area of the report, which seems to give students difficulty. In the lab directions, I tell you what you should expect for results. Since I am not there while you are doing the lab experiment, I want to make sure you are comfortable and know what you are observing and the results you are obtaining are similar to what you should be getting. So, do your best in writing down the results of each experiment in your report. And, make sure you include enough detail so I can understand the results you obtained. In the past, some students wrote one or two words, or maybe a single sentence for this section. I can tell you this section will take more than a single word, or a single sentence. Don’t worry about writing too much here. It is better to give me all of the information than not enough.
Explanation of Results: In the lab directions, I give you a brief explanation for the experimental results. Again, I am not there while you are doing the experiment. So, the purpose of me explaining the results of an experiment to you in the lab directions is so you will know if you got what was expected or not. If your results were greatly different from what I expect them to be, then you should repeat the experiment and make sure you didn’t make a mistake somewhere. If you get the same results again, then do not repeat the experiment again. Use your report as a vehicle for telling me what happened in your experiment and then I can get back to you with regard to what might have happened and whether you need to repeat the experiment.
For each experiment, I tell you what to expect, you have your textbook as a source of information, and I ask you to search the Web to find additional information on the experiment you did. You can either write a separate section on the results of searching the web or you may incorporate them into this section. In the end, you need to take all of your resources and in your own words explain to me why you obtained the results for each experiment. If you include anything exactly as it appears on the source, make sure that you make it obvious to me this is a direct quote from somewhere and give me your source of information. What I am looking for is to see if you understand what you observed in the experiment after reading my explanation, after using resources on the Web, and/or after obtaining input from other sources, like your textbook.
Web Search: If you choose to write a separate section on the results of your Web search, then make sure you include the following items in this section. And, if you incorporate it in another section of your report, then you still need to include the following items. You should tell me what search engine you used, what your query was (that is, what you typed in for your search), the address or addresses of the site(s) you went to, why you believe the information on this site is reliable and credible, why you liked the site and/or why you went there and reported on it, what information did you obtain from the site, how this information assisted you in better understanding the experiment you did or the concepts discussed in the experiment, are they qualified to comment on the subject, etc.
Just because someone wrote something and posted it on a website does not make it true, accurate, or anything else. For example, if you end up on a government site, a site from a university, or a site from a national or state organization (both private and public), then more than likely the information you are obtaining is valid and correct. However, make sure you understand whether the data or information might be biased. For example, if you go to a site that is a nationally recognized organization, then the information on the site is probably valid. However, what is the agenda of the organization? Why do they exist? Would this or other factors affect the way they represent data? Would they use data to support their organization’s position?
Lastly, the lab reports must be written in your own words. Do not cut and paste answers to questions or explanations of results from the lab directions, even though I may give you some explanations and ideas of what to expect in various labs. Or, do not cut and paste information directly from other websites. Again, use your own words to explain the results of your labs, to make comments and observations, and to answer questions posed in the labs.
Questions in Lab Directions: When you are reading the directions for an experiment, you may see questions I have posed to you or items I want you to comment on. Typically, it will be pretty easy and natural to respond to the questions in the lab directions and/or address any items or issues I brought to your attention in one of the sections described above.
Length of Reports: It is difficult to say what the length of your finished report will be. There are so many factors, such as, what type of spacing you use, how you format your report, what you margins are, the type and size of your font, etc. In general, I prefer students use 1 inch margins, a font size of 12 point, and a font-type of Garamond or Times New Roman. It is not unusual for the reports to be 3 to 5 pages in length. Some of this length is due to listing the materials used and explaining what you did to perform the experiment. Sometimes they might be a little longer and sometimes a little shorter. I can tell you if your report is one page or so, then you have probably not included all of the items needed. Again, It really depends on the type of information you put in the report and they will be longer if you include digital photos of your experiment.
Digital Photos: Digital cameras are so inexpensive and prevalent, now most students include photos in their lab reports of the setup for the experiment, performing the experiment, and after the experiment is done. This is very useful and I strongly encourage you to do so if you have the ability to include photos in your written report.
I believe it is worth saying again. The most common error students make is not including enough information and details regarding the experiments and their observations in the reports. Make sure you include all of your observations, comments, thoughts, answers to the lab questions in the directions, etc. Trust me, you can't write too much information. If you do not include all of the items stated above, I will probably ask you to re-write your report and turn it into me for re-grading. I have not had very many cases where I asked a student to re-write a report. But, the ones I did ask to re-write were due to a lack of information.
11) The grade for the Laboratory portion of this Introductory Chemistry course is offered as credit/no credit only. To receive credit for the lab portion of this course; you must complete all of the scheduled labs listed above, turn the lab reports in no later than 5:00 p.m. on the due date given in the schedule above, include in your report the items listed above, and receive a grade of credit for your report. If your reports are lacking information or other items, you will receive a grade of no-credit. If you receive a grade of no-credit on a lab report, you must re-write the lab report and address the areas of concern from my feedback, submit the corrected report to me for grading, and receive a grade of credit on the corrected report.
12) According to the course syllabus, I need you to send me a 4-digit code I may use for posting your scores. I will use the same code for your lab scores and comments. Please read over the course syllabus for more info on the 4-digit code and send it to me as soon as you can.
Most of all, have fun doing the experiments and learning about chemistry.
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