Online Programs

What we'll do

We’ll complete 12 units of hands-on labs, culminating in a final project that demonstrates your knowledge of household chemistry. Each unit contains a video lesson, review activity, several labs, and a discussion forum. Lab experiments give you hands-on experience applying what you learned in the lesson. Discussion forums allow you to discuss what you learned with your classmates and instructor. For the final project, you will create a floorplan or video illustrating how you use chemistry in your house.

What we’ll learn

• What matter is, its properties, and how it changes states
• The different types of mixtures and how to separate them
• How to identify the differences between physical and chemical changes
• Subatomic particles and the role of electrons in forming compounds
• The importance of biological molecules, including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals
• Food preservation and ways to slow or stop the chemical processes that spoil our food
• The unique properties of water, why water is essential for life, and its importance in chemical reactions
• Vitamins and minerals and the factors that affect the rate of chemical reactions
• How to use the pH scale to identify acids and bases
• The structure of polymers, their properties, and the differences between natural and synthetic polymers
• The electromagnetic spectrum and visible light and how the human eye sees color

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe matter and its phase changes
• Identify the properties of different mixtures and solutions
• Explain the structure of atoms, including the charge and locations of subatomic particles
• Analyze the periodic table to determine characteristics of atoms and properties of elements
• Describe the physical and chemical properties of matter
• Distinguish between physical and chemical changes
• Identify the components of a chemical reaction and correctly balance chemical equations
• Evaluate factors that affect the rates of a chemical reaction
• Explain how enzymes speed up chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy
• Define fermentation
• Discuss food preservation methods
• Describe the properties of macromolecules and their importance to the human body
• Explain the unique properties of water
• Describe the properties of vitamins and minerals and explain their roles in the body
• Use indicators to determine the pH of different substances
• Describe how soaps works
• Explain the structure of polymers and their role in toys, athletic equipment, and other materials
• Describe the electromagnetic spectrum

How we'll measure learning

Instructors evaluate student work using lab guidelines and rubrics and provide detailed feedback on your work throughout the course.