CHEM11043 - Atoms, Molecules and Matter

General Information

Unit Synopsis

Atoms, Molecules and Matter will provide you with an understanding of the basic principles of chemistry and how they apply to daily life. This unit will present fundamental chemical principles that are central to all sciences, including healthcare, biology, environmental science and agriculture. This unit will provide the foundation for further study in chemistry, biochemistry and molecular sciences. You will learn about matter and atomic structure, chemical bonding and the forces and chemical interactions between molecules. You will be introduced to the chemistry of electrolytes, acids, bases and buffers and enabled to perform calculations relating concentrations to the pH of strong and weak acids, bases and buffers. Understanding the naming and classification of chemical compounds will allow you to communicate effectively and precisely with your colleagues in science and industry. Basic nuclear radiation safety will be presented. This unit has a compulsory residential school. The residential school will emphasise laboratory safety and introduce you to skills relating to the preparation of standard solutions and volumetric procedures, titrimetric and spectrophotometric analyses and scientific report writing.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Anti-requisite: CHEM11041

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2025

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Mixed Mode
Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Mixed Mode
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Mixed Mode
Term 2 - 2026 Profile
Mixed Mode

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online Quiz(zes) 30%
2. Written Assessment 40%
3. Practical Assessment 0%
4. Online Test 30%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 66.67% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 16.56% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: SUTE
Feedback
The residential school in this unit was very helpful in applying theoretical knowledge to real-world situations.
Recommendation
I recommend that the chemistry teaching team continue to uphold the residential school requirement as part of the unit’s profile.
Action Taken
A four-day residential school comprised of chemistry laboratory work that teaches essential practical skills and the associated chemical theory and calculations, was again delivered.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Students appreciate all the teaching efforts for this unit and have learned a great deal. Their only constructive feedback is to reduce the number of students per class for the residential schools.
Recommendation
I recommend that the unit coordinator and the chemistry teaching team continue to collaborate with the Head of Course to develop an effective strategy for managing residential school arrangements in the event of increased enrolment. Potential strategies include reducing the maximum capacity of the chemistry laboratory classes from 60 students per class to 50 students per class, providing additional laboratory assistants for larger classes, and scheduling more residential school classes.
Action Taken
Student numbers did not exceed 48 students per class this year. Several blocks of residential school classes were available. The staff to student ratio was increased this year.
Source: Direct Email
Feedback
Some students struggled with certain aspects of chemistry in high school, but the unit coordinator's explanations and the provided resources have been incredibly helpful.
Recommendation
I recommend that the unit coordinator and the chemistry teaching team continue to refresh teaching methods, learning materials, and support students to meet all students' needs and enrich their learning experience in this unit.
Action Taken
Efforts to support student's needs and enrich their learning experience included: Embedded support from the Academic Learning Centre, Peer Assisted Study Sessions, weekly Zoom Sessions hosted by staff, the availability of the Unit Coordinator via Moodle, email, and phone.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Recorded lectures and tutorial videos need to be updated and refreshed on the Moodle site.
Recommendation
I recommend that the unit coordinator and the chemistry teaching team collaborate with the Head of Course to develop a strategic approach for updating the lecture and tutorial videos as soon as possible.
Action Taken
All unit materials were updated, revised and re-recorded for this year.
Source: SUTE Unit Comments Report.
Feedback
Some students commented that the residential school was challenging but the teaching staff were helpful and knowledgeable.
Recommendation
Continue to support the students with experienced and enthusiastic academic staff members during the residential school.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE Unit Comments Report and personal observation.
Feedback
Some students with prior chemistry experience completed some of the practical tasks in a shorter time frame than allocated and at a faster rate than the majority of the cohort.
Recommendation
If a similar occurrence is observed in T1 2026, then work with the Head of Course and other relevant staff (e.g. teaching, technical, and timetabling teams) to determine if future measures could be taken to address this.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE Unit Comments Report and personal observation.
Feedback
The answers to a few of the questions in couple of the tutorial videos were slightly obscured by the tutor's hand.
Recommendation
Review these videos and update when possible.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE Unit Comments Report and personal observation.
Feedback
The drop-in sessions (Zoom Q&A) were successful but were not always well attended. One student recommended offering the session later in the day.
Recommendation
Review the attendance at Zoom Sessions during Term 2 2025 and consider offering e.g., alternating morning and afternoon sessions during T1 2026.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Describe the structure of the atom including its sub-atomic particles and relate these to the design of the Periodic Table
  2. Determine the nature of chemical bonding and intermolecular forces present in molecules and ions
  3. Identify types of chemical reactions, and balance and interpret chemical equations
  4. Perform chemical calculations relating to reaction equilibrium, yield and the pH of acids, bases and buffers
  5. Identify functional groups and use the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists (IUPAC) nomenclature to name organic molecules and indicate their potential chemical interactions
  6. Outline the process of nuclear decay and discuss measures used to ensure safety when working with radiation
  7. Work safely in the laboratory to prepare samples and standards and perform titrimetric and spectrophotometric analysis.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • •
2 - Written Assessment • • •
3 - Practical Assessment •
4 - Online Test •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Communication •
2 - Problem Solving • • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • •
5 - Team Work •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10