Welcome to CHE121 202L-LEC @ Ope Lab !
Dear Students:
My name is Zhaokun Wu. I am the instructor of your CHE 121-202L in the semester of Fall 2020.
The official date of starting our class is August 27 but I can’t wait to star working with you!
CHE121 is an entry chemistry course for the students who are in their first year or first semester in college. It can be tough at very beginning if you don’t have any background knowledge in chemistry. But don’t worry, I will make every bit of my effort to walk/work you through the whole learning process, step by step.
My goal is not to teach you the way just to pass the course but the ability to learn independently. I hope the skill you learn from this class will benefit you and help you in your future study. Your getting success from this class is not just your concern, it is my concern, too. So remember, whenever you have difficulties or get stuck in somewhere, don’t keep it to yourself. Yell it out, let me know, and I will help you through.
Your CHE121-202L is an online course and will run in Blackboard, including homework assignments and Exams, synchronously and asychronously. So please make sure you are able to sign into Blackboard from day one. At open lab we open up some space for extended activities of some of asynchronous assignment and project development. There are 3 synchronous contact hours for the lecture and 3 hours for the lab. For the lecture, We will meet online every Thursday from 8:00pm -10:45pm, plus asynchronous time for reading and homework assignment, you are expected to devote at least 12 hours per week for this course. You need to check your BMCC email and announcements in BLACKBOARD everyday, be updated and manage your time well.
You can reach me in the following ways:
- Email zhwu@bmcc.cuny.edu
- Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Classroom
- Zoom meeting links (TBA)
My virtual office and hours for the Fall 2020
- Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
- Thursday 2:00PM – 3:00PM
- Friday 3:00PM – 4:00PM
- Other times by appointment
Below are the descriptions of the course contents outlined in corresponding to the menu links that you can find on the left pane of the screen once you sign in the course in the Blackboard:
- Course Information
– Course Overview, Syllabus, and Schedule (Important, check them out before Day one! )
- Reading Assignments and topic video clips (ungraded)
– Chapter Lecture notes, learning checks, chapter summary, and selected video clips (cover chapters 1 – 12 of the required text )
- Discussion Board (graded for extra credits to be added to final exam score)
– Objective based topics of discussions for each chapter
- Chapter Quizzes (graded by due date 10% of final grade)
– Homework assignment, one quiz for each chapter
- Practice Tests (graded by due by date, 10% of the final grade),
– 5 self assessment prior to the term exam
- Term Exams & Final Exam.(graded 30% and 25%, respectively)
– You will find and take all your term exams and final exam here
- E-Learning and Student Resources
– This is where you find all help and support for your use of Blackboard and institutional policies, learning support services, library resources, and BMCC academic information.
Please note that a good learning habit is important in your learning and completing the course in success. Keeping in mind that your learning process include three parts: pre-class preview, in class discussion, and practice after class. So, it’s required, before attending the class, that you preview the lecture notes and have some basic understanding of the topics we are going to cover. This will prepare you well in following in class discussion and learning check practice in sync. Without preview, you may find difficult to follow the activities in class. And without practice after class you may have difficulties to score high in the five terms exams for the course.
Please feel free to post any general questions and suggestion on the discussion board mentioned above, under General Q & A. The discussion board is a open space where you not only can earn your extra credits for your final grade but also can build up your skill in participation of the academic group learning through public communication.
Useful helps and resources:
- BMCC offering online and free Tutoring service
- A Scientific Calculator is needed for this course. If you don’t know how to use a scientific calculator, check it out HERE.
- BMCC OER PubChem, and ChemSpider
Zhaokun Wu
Instructor
CHE121-202L
