Welcome to class. We're finally off and running. Let me share a few thoughts and pointers with you. Some of this information is redundant but is sufficiently important to make it worth repeating. I'd suggest you print a copy of this note and save it with the rest of the things you need for class, such as the course syllabus.

This class is usually a great deal of work for most students. We cover a lot of material very quickly, which tends to make things rather challenging. You should understand that the curriculum for this course is not set by me, by SLCC, by the state of Utah, or by the text publisher. This course follows guidelines established in conjunction with the American Chemical Society, the governing body for chemistry in the United States. These guidelines are approved by the various regulating organizations for nursing, dental hygiene, nutrition, and etc. This course is essentially the same regardless of where you take it or from whom. Students often complain, some quite loudly, about the course, and perhaps occasionally with some justification. But you should understand that I am not at liberty to change those things we cover. Were I to do so, the course would perhaps be easier, but credit for the course would not be accepted at any other school in the country, if indeed SLCC was to find it acceptable.

Students who pass this class with a C+ or better typically spend a minimum of 10-20 hours per week on this course alone. Perhaps you can get by with less time and effort. I wouldn't count on it. If your work-family-personal schedule does not permit you the time you will need to succeed in this class, you may seriously want to re-think things.

I'd suggest you begin by downloading and printing a copy of the syllabus. I rely very heavily on you as students reading, understanding, and remembering the syllabus. You need to refer to it to know how to do the writing assignments, to find due dates for the quizzes and assignments, and to find the exam dates. Don't give it a quick look-over and throw it away. You will later regret it. Read the syllabus carefully and refer to it often during the semester. As we never meet, it is your responsibility to read everything I give you. The best way to start this semester is by reading the syllabus and gaining a clear idea of where we're going in this course and how we plan to get there. If you don't like reading and are not big on paying attention to written instructions and detail, this is most definitely *not* the class for you!

You must pass the course pre-quiz before you can begin any of the quizzes. It deals exclusively with the syllabus and does not ask any chemistry questions. While it does not count toward your grade, you must pass it with a score of "35" (100%) before Vista will permit you to access the other quizzes which do count toward your grade. The pre-quiz closes in a few weeks, so get started on it *now.* As in right now, as in *today,* not tomorrow, and not this weekend. If you elect to forego the chapter quizzes or miss them inadvertently, *you* *will* *not* *pass* *this* *class.* It's as simple as that.

Hopefully you will very soon begin work on Chapter 1 as you are going to find yourself very busy with this course this semester. If you have questions about the material or the quizzes, please post them on this discussion board and do not send them to me by email unless you have personal matters that should not be addressed publicly. According to student over the years, the hardest chapters in this course are - in order - Chapter 6, 4, 5, and 7. I would *strongly* advise you to work ahead as far ahead of your quiz deadlines for Chapters 1-3 as is possible. Most students need at least 1.5-2 weeks to master Chapter 4 and 2-3 weeks to master Chapter 6. Don't procrastinate - unless you don't mind repeating this course.

There is another good reason for not waiting until the last minute to take the quizzes. As some of you may already know from sad experience, Vista can be rather cranky. If you wait until the the last minute to take a quiz and then are unable to access it because of Vista problems, you're out of luck. I make no exceptions for Vista problems.

If you have computer problems, I cannot help you. If Vista acts up, I cannot help you. You must call SLCC computer support at 801.957.5555. The only sort of help I can provide is to answer questions about the course content and the quizzes.

Do *not* use Vista mail to contact me. Please, use my lu.giddings@slcc.edu address, as per the syllabus.

Don't miss exams! Make a note of the exam dates now. You'll find them on the calendar on the last page of the syllabus. I almost never give make-up exams and I am particularly unsympathetic when it comes to work problems, family or personal drama, vacations, or if you simply forget. If you miss an exam you will receive a score of zero for that exam. This makes it very difficult to get a passing grade in class.

This note is posted on the "discussion board." This is where I expect you to post your questions about the material in the lectures, assignment deadlines, quiz problems, exam problems, and etc. This is where I will post information about the quizzes, assignments, exams, and etc. Please do not ask me questions about lectures and course material, quizzes, and exams by private mail. Ask them here so everyone can benefit from the answer. If you have a private question about your grade or would like to make an appointment to visit me, please do that by e-mail. Again, please, do not use Vista mail to contact me. Rather use my lu.giddings@slcc.edu account.

Check this discussion board at least 2-3 times weekly, if not more often. You are responsible for *every* note I post, whether to you, to another student, or to the group as a whole. This is analogous to listening to questions asked and answered in a classroom setting. This is a class requirement, just like reading the lecture notes. If you miss something important either because you aren't checking the board as often as is required or you didn't read one of my notes, you will receive neither sympathy or mercy. At risk of sounding rude, if you ask a question that I have answered in a previous posting, I will refer you to my previous note. Do *not* ever delete the notes I post. They may not seem relevant at the moment, but you may find the content useful in a few days or weeks.

You should feel free to post questions about quiz problems and the writing assignments on the Vista discussion board. I encourage you to respond to the questions of your classmates. I do read all questions and all responses posted on the discussion board and will correct any errors as gently as possible. Remember to be patient and courteous, both in asking and responding to questions. Please, do *not* give your answers when posting your question unless I ask you for further information. Please, do *not* post answers when responding to questions. Feel free to provide hints, page numbers on which to look for information, etc., but simply giving answers ultimately does not help those who ask, especially at exam time. If you ask me a question about the quiz by email, I may respond by email or, more likely, I may ask you to post your question on the discussion board.

Please remember to be polite, civil, and tolerant. I'm afraid I don't appreciate rudeness and have little patience with it.

I try to check the discussion board at least once every day during the week and also on weekends. Even still, it will not always be possible to respond to you as promptly as you might like. I am on occasion out of town and it may be a day or two before I return to internet access. Please, don't panic. I will get to you as quickly as I can.

I would encourage you to use this discussion board to help organize study groups, and, the sooner the better. Most of you will find working with your classmates to be extremely helpful for this course. It is ok with me if you get together in small groups of students to work together on the quizzes, although ultimately the work you submit must be your own. And if you prefer to work alone, rather than in groups, that's ok as well.

I hope that each of you do well, that you are able to learn a bit of chemistry, and also gain a better appreciation for the essential role chemistry plays in the daily life of each of us. Please, let me know how I can help you. Best of luck,

Lu