Week-To-Week Expectations

Each lab activity is presented with a table that has a link to the complete lab, in both Word and PDF formats. Word documents were written with Microsoft Word and may be viewed and edited with versions of Word97 and above. OpenOffice is a freeware application available for all common operating systems, including Linux, Mac, and Windows, that may be used to view, edit, and save Word documents. OpenOffice may be downloaded at www.openoffice.org. Most computers are already configured to view PDF documents. In the event yours is not, the latest version of Adobe Reader may be downloaded for free at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Introduction Videos Each lab activity also has an introduction video that you are required to view. The introduction video highlights portions of the procedure in which students typically have questions or experience difficulty, as well as the safety, equipment, and set up specific to each lab activity. Each video lasts between 3-20 minutes, with videos earlier in the course usually longer. The introduction videos were rendered in Flash format, which is compatible with all common operating systems and browsers. Most computers are already configured to view Flash media. In the event yours is not, the latest version of Adobe Flash Player may be downloaded for free at www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer.

Material Safety Data Sheets Links to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are provided for all chemicals used in the lab activities and may be found in the same location in which you download each lab activity. Read through the MSDS information to learn of the physical and chemical properties of each chemical, as well as potential health and physical hazards.

Prelab Assignments Finally, every lab activity, except this first one, has a prelaboratory assignment that should be completed after reading through the lab activity, viewing the introduction video, and reading the associated MSDS information. The prelab assignment must be completed BEFORE beginning the lab activity.

Please note that prelab questions must be submitted as a part of the laboratory report, but they may not all be graded. It is your responsibility to ensure that the prelab questions have been answered accurately BEFORE you begin each lab activity. Prelab questions may be discussed with your peers and/or the professor. Lab Reports Upon completion of each lab activity, you will either submit your lab report for evaluation or take a quiz on D2L related to the lab activity. Lab reports may not be required if there is a D2L quiz on the lab activity. Lab reports will ordinarily consist of the following, in this order:

1. Prelab questions – give the question and your answer.

2. All data sections.

3. Postlab questions – give the question and your answer.

4. Graphs or other attachments. Graphs generated by a different application, such as Vernier LoggerPro may be copied and pasted into a Word document. Excel spreadsheets may also be embedded directly into Word. Digital photos of graphs also work, as long as the title and axes labels may be read.

5. A completed Lab Report Submission Checklist.

Work on the procedure, data, and postlab questions will be considered independent work. The professor will provide some guidance and clarification on these parts, but will not provide answers. The professor reserves the right to look for and question suspicious results and answers that appear to be shared, copied, or faked. Obvious copying, sharing, or faking of work by current, former, or nonenrolled students may result in a failing grade on the assignment or in the course.

Lab Reports Formats Laboratory reports may be completed in one of the following manners:

1. Typed entries into the documents provided in Microsoft Word. Your entries should be in a different (but readable) font and/or color. If OpenOffice is used to edit lab reports, please be sure to save the documents in a format compatible with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel or PowerPoint). Reports may be submitted via the D2L dropbox.

2. Use a tablet PC to complete the documents provided in Microsoft Word. Reports may be submitted via the D2L dropbox.

3. Handwritten entries into the documents provided in PDF or Microsoft Word format. The lab report may then be scanned (with photos in color), saved, and submitted in PDF format. Reports may be submitted via the D2L dropbox.

4. Handwritten entries into the documents provided in PDF or Microsoft Word format. The lab report may then be mailed by United States Postal Service to the professor. Providing Proof of Completion You MUST provide some sort of proof that each lab activity was completed by you, the student. Methods of proof include one of the following:

1. Digital photos (in color) of different parts of the procedure.

 At least one photo must include your face or an official identification card (driver’s license or student ID) propped next to your lab materials. For security, you may choose to blur or cover your student I.D. number or driver’s license number.  At least one photo must include the date the activity is performed. It may be written on a sheet of paper and propped next to your lab materials, circled on a calendar or newspaper article, or presented in some other creative way. It may be included in the same photo as your face or official identification card.  The types of photos required will be specified for each lab and should be included as a part of an electronically submitted lab report.

2. Developed or printed photos (in color) of different parts of the procedure.

 At least one photo must include your face or an official identification card (driver’s license or student ID) propped next to your lab materials. For security, you may choose to blur or cover your student I.D. number or driver’s license number.  At least one photo must include the date the activity is performed. It may be written on a sheet of paper and propped next to your lab materials, circled on a calendar or newspaper article, or presented in some other creative way. It may be included in the same photo as your face or official identification card.  The types of photos required will be specified for each lab and should be attached to handwritten lab reports sent by US Postal Service.

3. A tangible artifact or product from the lab activity. For example, Lab Activity H5 (Paper Chromatography of M&M’s) yields a chromatogram that may be submitted as proof of completion. These may be attached to handwritten lab reports sent by US Postal Service or sent upon completion of a few lab activities to “validate” the assigned lab scores. D2L Dropbox The D2L dropbox may be used for completed versions of lab activities. Reports submitted to the dropbox must be saved as a Microsoft Word document or as a PDF document. Please do not submit documents in any other format, such as Microsoft Works or WordPerfect.

Before uploading completed lab reports, the filename of your document should be changed according to the following convention: Lastname Firstname HX. Using this convention, the Jane Doe’s lab report for Lab Activity H2 would have a filename of: Doe Jane H2.

Lab reports should be uploaded as a single document that is 10 MB or smaller in size. Also, software (photo editing or word-processing) should be used to reduce the file size of your photos. It will take you less time to upload and the professor less time to download.

Lab reports are not accepted in the dropbox if they contain more than one document per lab activity or if the file size of the document is greater than 10 MB. In other words, photos must also be inserted into the single document that will be submitted for each lab activity.

If you are unable to meet these requirements, please send your lab report by US Postal Service to:

Your Professor’s First and Last Name Chemistry Department Anoka-Ramsey Community College 11200 Mississippi Blvd NW Coon Rapids, MN 55433-3470

Please include one self-addressed stamped envelope per lab with sufficient postage if you want your graded lab returned before the final exam. You may find a postage calculator at http://postcalc.usps.gov. Use the balance in your lab kit to find the weight. Lab activities must be postmarked by the given due date.