My name is Dr. Michael Russell and I will be your Chemistry 221 instructor this quarter. I think this will be an exciting term, and I look forward to working with you! You can call me Dr. Russell, Mr. Russell, Professor, Michael, Mike.... almost anything respectful is fine (*except* for "Mikey" - don't go there, I have bad memories from the brat kid in the 1970's Life cereal commercial! lol)
Classes start Monday, September 23 at Mt. Hood Community College. What happens this week (and in subsequent weeks) depends on which section of CH 221 you are enrolled. There are three "types" of CH 221 this quarter:
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Section 01 (which is mostly face-to face with on campus lectures and labs)
- Section H1 (which has virtual lectures and a face-to-face on campus lab), and
- Section W1 (which is 100% online for both lectures and labs.)
Information for each section on what is happening this week can be found below, followed by some general information for everyone about how to get started in this class.
Quick Links for Section 01, Section H1, Section W1 and General Information for Everyone
For Section 01:
Section 01 has a required on-campus and in-person lab each Monday from 1:10 PM until no later than 5 PM. In addition, Section 01 students should attend the on-campus and in-person lectures each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9 AM.
- The lectures will be on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 AM until 9:50 AM in AC 1303. AC 1303 is located near the Planetarium on the lower level of the main campus.
- Our first lecture will be Monday, September 23 at 9:00 AM in room AC 1303. I highly recommend you attend lectures!
- If you would like a printed copy of the Lecture Notes while I am lecturing, you can find it here, and future chapters will also be available at this location (as well as in the Companion.)
- Purchase (or print) the Chemistry 221 Companion. The Companion is a collection of all the problem sets, labs, lecture notes and more that you will need this quarter. You can purchase the Chemistry 221 Companion through the MHCC Bookstore (direct link), but you can alternatively print this (large!) document yourself. You will need printed materials this quarter in CH 221!
- A subscription to the iClicker Student App is an optional purchase if you will be attending lectures in CH 221. It is not required, but it is a fun item to have and worth some extra credit if you attend lecture.
- The lab will be on Mondays from 1:10 PM until no later than 5 PM. We will start in room AC 2501 then move to the actual lab room (AC 2507) around 3 PM. Both AC 2501 and AC 2507 are located near the "F" parking lot on the main MHCC campus.
- Our first lab will be Monday, September 23 at 1:10 PM starting in room AC 2501.
- For the first day of lab, please bring a printed copy of the "Eight Bottles" lab and your calculator. (Note that the "Eight Bottles" lab is in the Chemistry 221 Companion.)
- For future labs, a set of safety goggles will be necessary (but not during the first week.)
For Section H1:
Section H1 has a required on-campus and in-person lab each Wednesday from 1:10 PM until no later than 5 PM.
- The lab will be on Wednesdays from 1:10 PM until 5 PM. We will start in room AC 2501 then move to the actual lab room (AC 2507) around 3 PM. Both AC 2501 and AC 2507 are located near the "F" parking lot on the main MHCC campus.
- Our first lab will be Wednesday, September 25 at 1:10 PM starting in room AC 2501.
- For the first day of lab, please bring a printed copy of the "Eight Bottles" lab and your calculator. (Note that the "Eight Bottles" lab is in the Chemistry 221 Companion.)
- For future labs, a set of safety goggles will be necessary (but not during the first week.)
- Purchase (or print) the Chemistry 221 Companion.
- The Companion is a collection of all the problem sets, labs, lecture notes and more that you will need this quarter. You can purchase the Chemistry 221 Companion through the MHCC Bookstore (direct link), but you can alternatively print this (large!) document yourself.
- You will need printed materials this quarter in CH 221!
- You will need to learn the lecture material on your own using one or more of these methods:
- You can read the chapters in the textbook.
- You can use my "Complete Lectures" for each section. Complete lectures include all the relevant information from each section, and most are split into two separate videos.
- You can watch the recordings of the live lectures I offer section 01 of CH 222 this winter. These videos should be available by noon on the day they were given on our website and on YouTube.
- You can view the Screencasts (i.e. mini lecture videos) for each chapter.
- All of these methods are acceptable; you can also use the Internet to find your own preferred method of learning.
For Section W1:
Section W1 will never have on-campus meetings this quarter. This is a completely online and asynchronous class (ie no online live lectures, etc.) with assignment due dates described in the "What's Due This Week" portion of the CH 221 syllabus.
- Your first lab assignment entitled the "Introduce Yourself Lab" will be due on Friday, September 27 by 9 AM. I want to "know who you are", so the first lab will give me a chance to "meet" you as you create a video on YouTube, Vimeo, etc. I also want you to complete the "Memorandum" and send it to me via PDF. This assignment will be due officially on Friday, September 27 at 9 AM via email, but you can turn it in early if you'd like... turning in assignments early is never a problem!
- Purchase (or print) the Chemistry 221 Companion.
- The Companion is a collection of all the problem sets, labs, lecture notes and more that you will need this quarter. You can purchase the Chemistry 221 Companion through the MHCC Bookstore (direct link), but you can alternatively print this (large!) document yourself.
- This quarter, you can complete assignments by scanning "pencil and paper" work using a program like CamScanner and then emailing them to the instructor as a PDF file. You can also use a tablet (iPad, Surface, etc.) and a program similar to Goodnotes or Notability to complete your work and then email a PDF of the assignment when done... your call.
- You will need to learn the lecture material on your own using one or more of these methods:
- You can read the chapters in the textbook.
- You can use my "Complete Lectures" for each section. Complete lectures include all the relevant information from each section, and most are split into two separate videos.
- You can watch the recordings of the live lectures I offer section 01 of CH 222 this winter. These videos should be available by noon on the day they were given on our website and on YouTube.
- You can view the Screencasts (i.e. mini lecture videos) for each chapter.
- All of these methods are acceptable; you can also use the Internet to find your own preferred method of learning.
General Information for Everyone:
If you would like to start working on Chemistry 221 materials a bit earlier, then here are some ideas to get you started in the course successfully:
- First, know that I am here to help you in any way that I can, and I encourage you to contact me any time you need assistance. Email is the best way to contact me (mike.russell@mhcc.edu); you can also use Discord (https://discord.gg/XrumtbY) or you can visit me during my office hours in room AC 2568 on the MHCC campus (located half way between the math and science departments.) Office hours will be held in AC 2568 each MW 10 AM - 11 AM and MW noon - 1 PM and F 8 AM - 9 AM.
- Look around the CH 221 website (http://mhchem.org/221) We will not be using the MyMHCC Portal or Blackboard this quarter, but you will find a variety of goodies on our website.... check it out!
- View the CH 221 Syllabus and check out the 'Getting Started' guide (http://mhchem.org/Syl221/). This will let you know what the course is like. Also be sure to check out the "What's Due This Week" Guide (both in the syllabus and here).
- Explore the Chemistry 221 Discord server (https://discord.gg/XrumtbY). Discord is a wonderful platform to share ideas and learning, and I will be posting there regularly. Check it out!
- Start Problem Set #1 (https://mhchem.org/221/classroom/pdf/zPS1.pdf). Problem Set #1 covers Chapter 1 of our textbook, and it's officially due on Monday, September 30 (section 01 in lab) or Wednesday, October 2 (section H1 in lab, section W1 via email.)
- For Section 01 and Section H1 only: Print the Eight Bottles lab (https://mhchem.org/221/pdfLabs221/EightBottles.pdf) and bring it with you to the first lab (Section 01: Monday, September 23; Section H1: Wednesday, September 25.) We will complete the lab work during the lab period, then you will turn the completed lab in at the beginning of lab the following week (Section 01: Monday, September 30; Section H1: Wednesday, October 2.) (Note that the "Eight Bottles" lab is in the Chemistry 221 Companion.)
- Look over Sample Quiz #1 (https://mhchem.org/221/classroom/qe.htm#CC2). Sample Quiz #1 will be similar to the actual Quiz #1 which we will take during the second week. Section 01 and Section H1 will take the quiz in class during lab; Section W1 will submit a PDF of the quiz to me via email.
OK, I *think* that is is :), but I'm sure I missed something, so.... if you have any questions, on anything!, please contact me (mike.russell@mhcc.edu). There are no dumb questions!!! My answers might be dumb, but your questions are not, so please let me know if I can help.
Have a wonderful day, and I look forward to a great term with you! Peace, Michael
Dr. Michael A. Russell
Chemistry 221 Website
Office Hours: MW 10 AM - 11 and noon - 1 PM, F 8 AM - 9 in AC 2568 on the main MHCC campus
