Lab Manual Update

I printed some of the pages that contained graphs to make sure they will come out OK on paper.  I have to adjust some gridlines for all of them (added tick lines) to make them easier to interpret.

I also wrote up instructions to use excel as an alternative to hand plotting for lab 4.5.

I als integrated some of Rob's revisions for 7.2-7.3.

I also worked on the volume reading exercise using pictures of real gc's with liquids.

SLO UPDATE

 I finally got a chance to read all of the responses from three colleges so far and organize the data into an excel spreadsheet.

I have not heard from two other colleges I have contacted, Chabot and Sac City.

I have done some internet research for Cabrillo and Mira Costa so I may contact them next.

I also started to do some internet research for CCSF and pleasantly found that most of my questions may be answered by information on their website.

Lab Manual Update

I took pictures of different size graduated cylinders and other volumetric glassware containing liquids to replace the examples in 30A Lab 4.3.  Some examples are shown below.

Lab Manual Update 30A

Received a few more comments from Rob for experiments 4.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1.  He also sent me a couple of revised labs (7.2 and 7.3).

Last week I sent Rich, Anthony, and Rob an e-mail asking about whether they use the 20-mL pipet or buret to measure out the acid in Exp 10.2.  Rob has them use the buret so that they are able to back titrate.

Micro Physio Questions Update

Finished reviewing the Integrated Anatomy and Physiology Lab Manual yesterday.  I was able to create at least 13 questions.

I have also created solution keys for the questions I created from the Microbiology lab manual.

The next steps are:

Completing a few more questions from the physio lab manual if appropriate.

Cleaning up the files of questions.

Creating an answer key for the physio based questions.

Reviewing particular chapters of the Human Physiology book by Silverthorn used for the course at LPC.

Micro Physio Questions Update

Started back with reviewing the Integrated Anatomy and Physiology Lab Manual.  I am working on Experiment 21 now.  Likewise, I am taking notes on what I should emphasize in 30A and 30B as well as generating relevant and meaningful questions.

Micro Physio Questions Update

I have begun reading through Barbara's Micro lab manual up to Exp. 6.  It is a bit slow-going as I have to read the entire procedure and look up certain terms.

Micro Physio Questions Update

Taking a break from the Integrated Anat and Physio Lab review for questions to tackle the Micro Lab Manual.

I have finished reviewing the experiments including parts of the appendix and so far have generated 22 questions.  More importantly, reading the labs has allowed me to determine what chemical terms, concepts, and quantitative skills are used more prominently.  I have been making a note of these so I know what to emphasize in both 30A and 30B.

Next step would be to create answer keys for these questions to make sure that they are reasonably doable.

Sabbatical Project OVERALL Update

Lab Manuals:

I have created annotated versions of all labs that I plan to revise based on a survey of lab schedules.  There are still certain questions I need answered and certain procedures that need improvement but most of the content revisions are done.  

The next step would be to make these annotated pdf versions available for easy review and commenting by instructors.  I have not determined what web platform I would use for that.

Physio Micro Questions:

I am still perusing each lab in the Integrated Anatomy and Physiology lab manual that I borrowed from Jill.  I have reviewed 12 out of 16 labs and have created about 11 questions.  As I have mentioned in a previous post, instead of fixing questions to very specific topics like stoichiometry, it is much more productive to simply come up with viable questions appropriate to the topic rather than forcing a question out of the experiment to fit under a certain category.

The next step will be to peruse the microbiology lab manual that Barbara let me borrow.

SLO Research

I have heard from 3 colleges and am still awaiting responses from 2 that I contacted last week.

Next steps:

Summarize the responses for each college into a report form.  Send further questions if necessary.

Contact 2 or more colleges.

Book Reading:

Finished three books, 2 by Atkins and the third one on 17 Molecules that Changed the World.

Next steps:

Clean up my notes from the 2 Atkins books into an annotated bibliography form

Create powerpoints from the 17 Molecules book

Select my next book

Finalize the list of the remaining books

Article Reading

Sadly, only one article read so far!

Next steps:

Start reading the other articles I have downloaded!

That is all for now!

MIcro Physio Questions Update

Read up to Experiment 20 and continued to add questions.

I am creating questions as I go through each experiment rather than fixing the questions to the topics I listed in the sabbatical proposal.

17 Molecules Update

Book finished!  Next step is to create powerpoints.

Micro Physio Questions Update

I have started reading the experiments in the Integrated Anatomy and Physiology Lab Manual used in the Physio courses that I borrowed from Jill Carbone.  I have annotated some questions in one of the experiments.

I think, instead of fixing the number of questions to each topic I indentified in the original proposal, I will let the experiment content to dictate what questions I can meaningfully relate to the lab.

I also have downloaded offline loans of the physio and micro textbooks they use into my ipad.

SLO Update

Contacted the 4th and 5th Schools:

Terr Beam

Department Chair

Chemistry

Mt. SAC

Tbeam@mtsac.edu

Laurie Dockte

Chemistry Faculty

Chabot College

Lab Manual Update: Trial Posting of Revised Lab for Review and Comments

Lab 1.2 - Annotated

Lab Manual Update

Looked and looked and tried different platforms.  Can't find an easy way to post documents for review and comment:

Editme costs money.

Google drive only allows comments if it is in google docs format.

Creating a google website - I can post but I can't figure out how to allow comments.

Blackboard does not look like it has a straightforward way of posting and reviewing with commenting feature.

Word allows doc protection while commenting but not straightforward to do.  Plus, I have to resave everything as a Word annotated file!

I have uploaded all 3 folders each containing pdf annotated files.  Perhaps, I will start off by asking reviewers to use the commenting feature on odf readers to add their comments to each file.  I will then ask them to email meany file that they have annotated.

SLO UPDATE

Just sent an inquiry email to

Marisa Alviar-Agnew

Chemistry Department Chair

Sacramento City College

Book reading and annotating update

I figured out how to download from the internet the highlighted passages and notes I have been making as I read using kindle.

I am almost done with my third book.

SLO Update

I got responses from the second college I contacted!

I will have to review the results of my previous internet search to determine who I will contact next.  Maybe Sacramento City College.

Lab Manual Update

I completed all of the FA15 versions yesterday.  These are annotated versions where changes are highlighted in blue.  Wherever the change is not onvious, I have written comments and also questions.

What I have incorporated so far into these versions include:

the comments I have received so far from other instructors (Rob, Bev, and Anthony)

Corrections and suggestions from my own personal notes

Prep notes from Gerry incorporating any changes in either chemicals, equipment, or amount used and steps removed

Changing every instance of demineralized to deionized

Removing references to disposing down the drain

Addition of using one of the fume hoods  and removing any references to individual fume hoods

Adding new pictures of equipment and new instructions

Basic spell and grammar check

Autopagination

At this point, I am trying to figure out the best way to post these so that other instructors can start reviewing them.  Some of the options are:

Some form of wiki platform.  This may not be free.

Blackboard.  I am not sure if there is a way to post these that allows comments to be posted.

Google drive.  Free but I am still learning how to to use this.

From this point on, I will be working on the following:

Trying out 2-3 labs that may be needed to either replace or improve current labs

Incorporating more changes and suggestions from comments from other instructors as they come

Gerry's responses to some questions I will be posting about chemical and equipment use

Awaiting responses and comments after review

Lab Manual Update

Completed FA15 versions for 30A labs.  For 30B, completed FA15 version for up to unit 15.

17 Molecules Update

I started reading the third book for my book reading objective.  Lots of interesting histories, stories, and nuggets of fact!  I am highlighting and adding notes as I read the Kindle version.  Some of the notes pertain to possibly using some information from the book as a basis for lecture questions.  Most of them have been geared toward 30B because 12 out 17 molecules so far that I have read about are all organic compounds!

So, down 12 molecules out of the 17 and 5 more to go.  My plan is to create a ppt slide for each chapter of molecules to present to class either at the beginning or at the end.

Lab Manual Update

A few things that have happened in the past few weeks:

I have finished second pass through edits incorporating changes based on my personal notes.

Third pass through will be an extended one as it requires incorporating comments from other instructors and prep sheets, taking pictures, repaginating, etc.  Rob, Anthony, Bev, Mike, and Rich have responded to my questions and have also sent me some suggestions.

I have started FA15 versions where I am currently autopaginating the 30A labs and adding comments to blue highlighted sections that have undergone major and not-so-obvious changes.  This will take some time.  The next step once most of the major revisions have been made and suggestions and changes from others have been incorporated is to post the documents on google drive for review and comments.

Book Reading Update

I finished Atkins' Four Laws that Drive the Universe two days ago.  I picked up the "Faraday, Maxwell, and Electromagnetic Force..." again but decided that it is more physics related and I should focus on more chemistry related books.   I have started and am about close to a third of the way done reading 17 Molecules That Changed the World.  I decided for this one, I will create a powerpoint presentation that I will start or end every chemistry class I teach.

Atkins' 4 Laws that Drive the Universe: Chapter 4 notes

Chapter 4 is a discussion of free energy.

In this chapters, Atkins develops a more detailed definition or criterion fir spontaneity.  Starting with the second law requiring an increase in the entropy of the universe for spontaneous proceses,  he begins the discussion by finding an equation for the change in the entropy of universe using properties og the system only and arrives at a bookkeeping property called the Helmholtz energy.

Later, he states this:

"...provided we limit our attention to processes at constant temperature and volume, spontaneous changes correspond to a decrease in Helmholtz energy of the sytem.  The restrictions of the conditions of constant volume and temperature has allowed us to express spontaneity solely in terms of the properties of the system: its internal energy, temperature, and entropy."

A succinct but profound statement encapsulating the idea that the ability of a system to undergo spontaneous change ( and therefore do work) is dependent on its current state of internal energy, temperature, and entropy.

Further on, he warns against a faulty interpretation of decreasing Helmholtz energy as equivalent to increasing universe entropy.  One might be tempted to think that spontaneity stems from the system's tendency to lower its internal energy and raise its entropy.  He noted that this is simply a by-product of the need for the surrounding's entropy to increase and that spontaneity's sole requirement is still an increasing entropy for the universe.

Excellent molecular description of the Helmholtz energy property, A also called the work function.  First dA = dU - TdS.  TdS is the heat transferred to surroundings in a reversible process (Clausius equation).  Subtracting this term from dU leaves behind the energy that can be used to do work at constant T.  From a molecular point of view, A = U - TS, TS represents the amount of energy due to disorderly motion of molecules corrresponding to energy that can be transferred as heat.  What is left after subtracting this from U is A, energy due to ordered motion of molecules and thus can be used for work.

On TdS being either a tax or a tax refund:

"...TdS is a tax that the surroundings demand from the system to compensate for the reduction in entropy of the system, and only dU-TdS is left for the system to pay out as work."

If the entropy of the system increases, then heat can flow from the surroundings to the system even though it results in a decrease innthe entropy of the surrounding.  In this case, TdS becomes a tax refund.  dA is greater than dU because TdS is added to dU (TdS is a negative in this case).

On Gibbs Free Energy:

G = A + pV (takes into account expansion work that may need to happen)

A = U - TS (constant T and V)

H = U + pV (constant pressure)

Therefore,

G = H - TS

A is a fundamental property that can be defined by a molecular description.  G is a bookkeeping or accounting term.

Leads to the following criteria for free energy changes (both negative) under two different conditions:

"at constant volume, a process is spontaneous if it corresponds to a decrease in Helmholtz energy.

at constant pressure, a process is spontaneous if it corresponds to a decrease in Gibbs energy"

In bioenergetics, the change in Gibbs free energy is the useful one as most biochemical processes occur at approximately constant T and P.

SLO RESEARCH UPDATE

I have done some preliminary web search on Chemistry SLO's for community colleges.

I have sent emails to a couple of schools, Santa Rosa JC and Contra Costa College.

At SRJC, I addresed the email to Joe Fassler.  I got a very immediate response which was quite appreciated.  I have sent him a follow up question since then to which he also has repsonded.

I have not heard back from Thuy Dang from CCC.

The third email I will send to someone from Sacramento CC.  Based on some web search, they seem to have a well-established process for SLO implementation.

Lab Manual Edits Update

I have, since the last time,

Completed all first pass edits of cleaning up doc files.

Completed second pass edits for 30A and 30

Started sending emails about specific revision questions to instructors

Started incorporating Rob's comments for 4.1-4.2

Received Gerry's updated prep sheets which I will consult for any further revisions

Labeled 30A and 30B with FA15 Edition

Taken pictures of balances and pH meters

This will be used to replace the old figure for a balance in the lab manual

Tried out two possible replacements for the empirical formula lab but may actually try the Cu-AgNO3 lab that Rob is going to use for his class.  The two experiments I tried still required extensive drying times which, in my opinion, still will need fume hoods.

Reacting metallic zinc in excess hydrochloric acid

Heating the reaction mixture to dryness

Dried zinc chloride product for weighing