Learning  

Q. I am struggling in this class and feeling lost, where can I go for help?
A. First, check the study advice page, click HERE. If you are really struggling, please come to office hours as soon as possible!

Q. I understand the material, I just don't do well on the tests. What can I do to improve?
A. This is the most common problem that students have in this class, it is addressed in the study advice page, click HERE. Look at the "Most Common Problems" section on that page. Again, If you are really struggling, please come to office hours as soon as possible!

Q. I am frustrated, I am working very hard, I am doing the problems just as you suggested but I keep making stupid little mistakes on the tests that are costing me the grade that I need. What can I do to keep from making these little mistakes?
A. This is the second most common problem that students have in this class, it is addressed in the study advice page, click HERE. Look at the "Most Common Problems" section on that page. This is one of the most difficult problems for me to help students with, since I believe that you are genuinely doing exactly what I suggest and that it is not working to your satisfaction. You might not like what comes next. The bottom line here is that you have to raise your internal bar, or raise your standards for what you consider satisfactory studying. If I ask you to solve problems in my office you will almost certainly get them mostly correct, but with a couple of small errors that would cost you points if you made the same errors on a test. You need to tell yourself that it is insufficient to get the practice problems right, you ned to get them COMPLETELY CORRECT. In other words, once you have learned that doing problems helps, you next have to take it to the next level and aim for eliminating ALL ERRORS. Don't be tempted to say "Oh yeah, I can do these", the tests prove that you can't at least not to your satisfaction! YOU HAVE TO ELIMINATE THE SMALL ERRORS TO GET AN A IN ORGANIC!

Q. Where can I find a tutor?
A. Dr. Gould does not keep a list of tutors and generally does not recommend using a tutor. In his experience they do not help very much. For more detailed response to this question, click HERE.

Q. I am not doing well in the class, can I get an incomplete?
A. As specified in the syllabus, click HERE, incompletes are awarded only for deserving cases that usually involve a severe medical situation. You can not get an incomplete because you do not want a W on your transcript.

Q. Are the "Khan Academy" lectures useful?
A. No, they have errors (particularly in arrow-pushing) and there is no real teaching there. You are given facts you could get from any textbook. Khan seems to avoid connections to basic principles. If you want to do well in my class, I recommend staying away from these, in my class you need to understand not just what, but why.

 the Website  

Q. How can I find myself on this website?
A. ASU students who are registered for the current semester's class are identified in the class roster, e.g. on the "Your Points" page, using their "Posting ID", click HERE.

 the Lectures/Notes/Problems  

Q. Where are the answers to the problems that are in the notes?
A. These are given on the Problems page. Links to the electronic versions of these problems are also provided each week on the Assignments/Weekly Work webpage as appropriate. To see how this works, click HERE (Quicktime file).

Q. When will the completed version of the notes be posted, and where?
A. I do not post completed lecture notes after each lecture. When we reach the end of each section of the notes (A, B, C etc.) then I will post my version of the completed notes for that entire section (in html, web readable format) on the Lecture Material/Notes webpage. Use the completed versions of the notes to make sure that your notes are complete and have no errors.

 the Textbook/Model Kit  

Q. Do I need to buy the textbook?
A. Unfortunately I am not able to give a satisfactory answer to this question since different students have different needs. Some students really need to study from a textbook and appreciate the chance to read about a topic from a perspective that is somewhat different from that of the instructor. For such students, a book really is essential. Also, some students want a permanent textbook to study for the MCAT exam, for example. Some students will not need a textbook at all, since there is a lot of learning material on the class website. It is also true that you can learn most of what you need to know from just about any organic textbook, they are all quite similar. You have to make your own decision on this I am afraid!

The recommended textbook for this class is Organic Chemistry, 3rd Edition, by J.G. Smith. If you use the textbook it is critical that you also get the accompanying Solutions Manual, since the problems are the MOST IMPORTANT part of the textbook. In an attempt to keep costs down for students, we have negotiated a special Textbook/Solutions Manual package that is available only at the ASU bookstore. You can buy a paperback Textbook/Solutions Manual combo just for CHM 233 at ASU. There is a separate Textbook/Solutions Manual combo for CHM 234 at ASU. The cost of the ASU special Textbook/Manual packages is probably lower than you will be able to find elsewhere for a new Textbook + Solution Manual combo. If you can find a less expensive copy of the 3rd Edition of the textbook somewhere else, please make sure that you also get the Solutions Manual. The ASU special editions do not include chapters on topics such as proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates etc. that are often included in organic textbooks, since these topics are quite rightly not covered at ASU. We aim to teach the best organic chemistry course possible, and so we do not include a superficial overview of biochemical molecules. To understand biochemical molecules properly you will need to take a biochemistry course.

I will provide suggested reading and problems from the 3rd Edition of Smith ONLY. I will not be able to suggest reading or problems from any earlier edition of Smith, or from any other textbook. If you have an earlier edition of Smith, or any other textbook, it should be fairly easy for you to find the appropriate reading and problems yourself.

Note that the lab is a separate course, the textbook for the lab course is REQUIRED!

Q. I know what instructors often have spare copies of the textbook, can I borrow one from you?
A. Sorry, I usually have only one or two copy of the current textbook and I can't get into the business of textbook lending, in particular, deciding who gets to borrow a book and who doesn't

Q. Do I need to buy the model kit?
A. A Molecular Model Kit, IS REQUIRED. The best kit for use in this class is the HGS 1013/1013A Organic Chemistry Set for Students. The bookstore sells a more sophisticated (and expensive) version of the HGS kit, 1003 Organic Chemistry set C, that is obviously very good, however, the less expensive 1013 version works well enough for CHM 233. The 1013/1013A kit is available from Amazon, for ca. $20. Also acceptable (but not quite as good) is the Molecular Visions Darling Molecular Model Kit that may available in the bookstore. The bookstore may also have some of the Prentice Hall Molecular Model Set For Organic Chemistry, but if they do, DO NOT BUY THIS ONE. I do not recommend this kit, it makes pretty models but is terrible for CHM 233.

 the Exams  

Q. Can I use a model kit on the tests?
A. Yes, you are encouraged to use your model kit on the tests, just don't bring the entire kit with you into the test, bring an already constructed cyclohexane ring or some other molecular fragment that you may find useful.

Q. Where do I go to take the exams?
A. The regular onground and the hybrid/online classes take the same exam at the same time but in DIFFERENT rooms. The regular onground class should go to LS A-191 to take the exam. The room for the online/hybrid class is different each semester, see the current syllabus for the exam room.