ChemPrep will be available in mid-January for the spring semester and in late-summer for the fall semester.
Students enrolled in CHEM 111 for the current terms will be notified when ChemPrep is open and available.
ChemPrep is a web-based course delivered through the OWL system.
- 24-hour access
- Self-paced
- Self-contained (no textbook)
- Non-credit
- Free of charge
- Taken before the semester begins
- Approximately 20 hours to complete
- For skill building and review
Although students work independently, they are encouraged to interact with the course instructors via the OWL message system while the course is in session. No formal grade will be assigned and there are no penalties for incomplete performance.
- Introduction to the OWL System
- The Structure of Matter
- Naming Chemical Compounds
- Measurement and Calculations
- Calculations involving Quantities of Matter
- Chemical Reactions
- Algebra, Temperature, Density, Graphs and Logs
Who Should Take ChemPrep?
ChemPrep is appropriate for students of all levels. If you have a strong high school background you should be able to move through the materials quickly, focusing on those areas where you may have gaps. If you did not have a comprehensive high school chemistry course, struggled through chemistry, or scored below 20 on the math placement exam, evaluation studies show that you are at risk of failing General Chemistry. Time spent in ChemPrep will help you to lay a good foundation for your General Chemistry course
OWL: General Chemistry and OWL: Organic Chemistry are licensed and distributed by Thomson Learning–Brooks/Cole Publishing. They are used on over 100 college and university campuses nationwide.
OWL (Online Web-based Learning) is an electronic learning environment originally created in a joint project between the Chemistry and Computer Science Departments at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
- Mastery Learning System (material must be mastered in order to receive credit)
- Extensive database of questions and interactive modules
- Questions - Fully parameterized (numerical and chemical systems change for each question)
- Feedback - Complete and parameterized
- Interactive Modules - Tutors, Simulations and Exercises
- Chemical drawing and visualization tools
Students may answer each question as often as they like. Questions have variable numbers and chemical systems, so that a new set of questions is presented each time. Highly detailed solutions are provided for every question as soon as the student submits an answer for judging. In this way, each question presents an opportunity for learning and students learn by doing.