Chemistry 205

General Course Information

Welcome to the e-course version of Chemistry 205.

    We will be doing most of our communication by electronic means. All emails will go to your official MU email address (lastname0n@marshall.edu or lastname0nn@live.marshall.edu). If you send me an email message I respond to the address that was used to send the message.

    I normally post general announcements as an announcement in the course and I send a copy of the announcement to your email address.

    You may send e-mail directly to my Marshall address (anderson@marshall.edu) or you can use the message tool that is built in to the course.  I normally check my MU mail about twice a day and I normally check the course for messages at least once a day.  If you ever send a message by either route and don’t get a reply within 48 hours you can assume that something has gone wrong with the message system and you should resend the message.   If I am going to be out of touch for more than 24 hours I normally post this at least a week ahead of time.

 NOTE WELL:  If you use standard internet mail, you should always include the course number (CHM 205) in your subject line — I get a lot of email and try to give priority to course related mail but I have to know that it is course related mail to do that.  If you use standard internet email from an account other than your MU account, you MUST include your full name as it appears on my class list.  Whether you use you MU account or another account, you must specify the course you are registered for.  And, don’t just say “the next exam” or “the next quiz” — be sure to specify exactly which quiz or exam you are talking about.  Failure to follow these requirements can result in delays because I may have to get back to you to get the required information.

    You may start on the course at any time that you are ready once the Blackboard Adminstrator “turns the course on” – this normally happens during the morning that classes start.  Your account has already been established so all you have to do is log in and start. 

   You will probably want to visit the Browser Support area within “Blackboard Help” for details.  We are using Blackboard Ultra.  Preferred browsers are Firefox or Google Chrome on a Windows based system or Safari on a Macintosh system.

    Be sure to read through the entire syllabus.

    Again, please feel free to contact me by e-mail if you have any questions. It is much easier to handle questions at the beginning than to have them cause problems later. Sometimes there are several people having the same problem and if that is the case I can try to fix things before everyone runs into the problem.

How to Access This Course

To log in you need to go to http://mymu.marshall.edu in your browser. You may need to login using your MUID and password information.

    This will open the myMU web page. Click on the “Blackboard” icon near the upper left corner of the page. You will be in the Institution Page. Click on the three horizontal lines forming a square in the upper left part of the page. Click on Courses then Current Courses. This should give you a list of all your courses for the current semester. If you do not see your course on this page you might try clicking on the solid black down arrow just to the right of “Current Courses” and try selecting either “Upcoming Courses” or “202202” to see if you find your course there.

Click on the link for CHM 205 and you will get the main course page and there will be a menu going down the left side of the page that lists all of the things you can do from Blackboard Ultra navigation.

If you don’t see the menu bar try looking for a vertical line near the left side of the page and click on that. Note that the Firefox browser seems to be the best choice in most cases.

  Click on the “Start Here” button near the top of the menu on the left side of the page. This opens a page that will tell you about some aspects of the course.

Clicking on the “Lecture Notes / Quizzes” button will take you to the first part of the course.

   You may retake any quiz as many times as necessary but you will not see any more portions of the course until you have made a score of at least eight. Once you have a high enough score on the quiz more of the course will be available through the “Lecture Notes / Quizzes” button. Be sure to read the entire syllabus – it is long but hopefully it covers everything you need to know about the course. Be sure to contact me if you have any questions after reading the syllabus.

   You should look at the “Frequently Asked Questions” before you start the course.  Doing so may save you a lot of time and effort.

    If you have problems with understanding the chemistry then send me an email.  If you have any other problems with the course or with getting your browser to work properly you can email me or call the Help Desk (304-696-3200). 

Click here for a pdf of the Syllabus.

Taking Exams Using the Lockdown Browser and Monitor

These instructions are a bit long but you will find it worthwhile to read them carefully before taking your exams.  Several things are in these instructions in more than one place in the interest of making sure that nothing is left out.


Things to do at the start of the course

This course requires the use of LockDown Browser and a webcam for online exams. The webcam can be built into your computer or can be the type that plugs in with a USB cable.
Watch this short video to get a basic understanding of LockDown Browser and the webcam feature. A student Quick Start Guide  is also available.
Click here to download and install LockDown Browser.


To ensure LockDown Browser and the webcam are set up properly, do the following:

  • Start LockDown Browser, log into Blackboard, and select this course.
  • Locate and select the Help Center button on the LockDown Browser toolbar.
  • Run the Webcam Check and, if necessary, resolve any issues.
  • Run the System & Network Check. If a problem is indicated, see if a solution is provided in the Knowledge Base. Troubleshooting information can also be emailed to our institution’s help desk.
  • Exit the Help Center and locate the practice quiz named 00Practice Exam.  Select Lecture Notes/Quizzes from the main course menu. The link for the Practice Exam is at the top of that page.
  • Upon completing and submitting the Practice exam, exit LockDown Browser.
  • No score is recorded for the Practice Exam.  You are permitted to retake the Practice  Exam as many times as you like.  In fact, I would encourage you to retake the Practice Exam a few times so that you become familiar with the instructions given by the browser.

General guidelines for using LockDown Browser


When taking an online exam that requires LockDown Browser and a webcam, remember the following guidelines:

  • Ensure you’re in a location where you won’t be interrupted
  • Turn off all other devices (e.g. tablets, phones, second computers) and place them outside of your reach
  • Clear your desk of all external materials not permitted — books, papers, other devices.
  • You are permitted to have a basic periodic table.  Print out the one that is posted in the course before starting the exam. This is the only periodic table that your are permitted to use.
  • A scientific calculator is included in the exam – the icon for the calculator is in the top menu bar. You may not use any calculator other than the one in the LockDown Browser. It is a good idea to practice using the calculator and get familiar with it while taking the Practice Exam.
  • You will be required to show your photo id (Marshall student id or driver’s license) to the camera before starting the exam.
  • Before starting the test, know how much time is available for it, and that you’ve allotted sufficient time to complete it
  • Remain at your computer for the duration of the test
  • If the computer or networking environment is different than what was used previously with the Webcam Check and System & Network Check in LockDown Browser, run the checks again prior to starting the test
  • To produce a good webcam video, do the following:
    • Avoid wearing baseball caps or hats with brims
    • Ensure your computer is on a firm surface (a desk or table). Do NOT have the computer on your lap, a bed or other surface where the device (or you) are likely to move
    • If using a built-in webcam, avoid tilting the screen after the webcam setup is complete
    • Take the exam in a well-lit room and avoid backlighting, such as sitting with your back to a window
  • Remember that LockDown Browser will prevent you from accessing other websites or applications; you will be unable to exit the test until all questions are completed and submitted.

Taking the Exam


Before you start be sure that you have printed out a copy of the periodic table that is included in the course. Click here to view the Periodic Table.


You are not allowed to have anything else on your desk so be sure to clear everything except the periodic table from your desk.


If you are not using the same computer you used when running the webcam and network check you should do that for the system you are currently using.


Make sure that all other browsers and applications are shut down.  LockDown Browser will not allow any other applications to be running on your computer. 

Start the LockDown Browser and log in to Blackboard at https://www.marshall.edu/design-center/    
Once you have logged in to Blackboard go to the link for CHM-205-106 and navigate to the link for the exam you wish to take.  The links for Exam I, Exam II, Exam III, and Exam IV are at the bottom of the page for Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV respectively.  The link for the Final Exam is at the bottom of the main Quizzes/Lecture Notes page.   Note that these links will not be active until you have completed all quizzes in the given Part.  The 00 in front of the exam names is just there so that the exams will come before the quizzes in any alphabetized lists.
When you click on the link for the exam the LockDown Browser will provide you with a set of prompts.

  • You will need to agree to the Terms of Use.
  • Run the Webcam check including a check of your microphone.
  • Read the additional instructions paying particular attention to the one about what to do in case  of an interruption.
  • Review the general guidelines shown in graphic form.
  • Take your photo – follow on screen instructions – position yourself in front of the camara so that you get a full face photo that fills most of the screen.
  • Show your photo ID (either Marshall University ID or driver’s license)  Hold the ID facing the camera and near enough that the image fills most of the screen and click on “Take Picture”
  • Environment Check.  Click on Start Recording.  Hold your printed periodic table toward the camera so that the image of the table fills most of the screen and count to 5.  Then turn the periodic table sheet so that the back of the sheet is filling most of the screen and count to 5. Then to the extent possible slowly pan your camera around to show your desk and surrounding area.  Then click on Stop Recording.
  • Facial Recognition.  Follow onscreen instructions.

Now you should see a button for Begin Exam.  Remember that once you have started the exam you cannot stop. 

When you finish the exam you should submit it.  If time permits you should go back and make sure that all of your answers were saved prior to submitting the exam.

After the Exam

The computer will grade your exam immediately but the computer is not infallible.  It sometimes will mark an answer as incorrect when it is just something like a minor spelling error.

I ALWAYS review the computer scoring of EVERY exam and give full/partial credit the same way I would on a paper exam.  So the computer score is the minimum score for your exam but your score may go up when I do the review. 

Typically reviews are done within a day or two of when the exam is submitted.


If you have any questions about the exam procedures be sure to contact me.