Course Information - Math 251

Course Title: Math 251, Beginning Algebra

Prerequisite: Math 351 or Equivalent
Meetings: Monday, Wednesday, 4:30 p.m - 6:50 p.m., Room SM-304( Section 10350)


Instructor: Mr. Kim Cozean

Office Hours: by Appointment (before or after class).
E-mail: kcozean@saddleback.edu
Web Site: http://www.saddleback.edu/faculty/kcozean

(Or through links from Course Schedule for Spring 2009)
(up to date information, syllabus changes, quiz schedules, etc.)


Text book: Beginning Algebra, Lial, Hornsby and McGinnins, 10th ed. Pearson Publishers, 2007


Attendance: Your attendance is expected every class meeting.

Calculators: It is strongly recommended that all students have a graphing calculator. While I make no claims about brand superiority, the Texas Instruments Models seem to be a good value, suggested model: TI-83 plus or TI-84 (Silver Edition is not required). If you view this as an investment which will last at least three or four classes, the cost is then spread over several classes. YOU MAY NOT USE A CELL PHONE AS A CALCULATOR ON TESTS OR QUIZZES!

Drop Policy: Students missing the first class meeting (during the first week of class) will be removed from the class roster, allowing students to add the class. Students missing a total of six cumulative instructional hours may be dropped from the course. It is the sole responsibility of the student to officially drop the course.

Do not assume at any point in the course that you will be automatically dropped!!!

Students may elect to drop a class up to the 11th week of the semester. Students enrolled in the course as of the first day of the 12th week will receive a letter grade for the course. You may check your enrollment status on line through the Saddleback College web site.


Grading:The course grade consists of the following elements:

3 Midterm Examinations 100 points, each. (50 % of the course grade)
1 Final Exam 200 points. (25% of the course grade)
Quizzes 100 points. (12.5% of the course grade)
Homework 100 points. (12.5 % of the course grade)
The course grade will be determined based weighted average above. The expected cutoffs for letter grade assignments will be as follows:
90% - 100% = A; 80% - 89% = B; 65% - 79% = C
55% - 64% = D; Below 55% = F
Quizzes will be announced approximately one per week. The lowest two (2) quiz scores will be dropped.


Homework:The homework assignments are listed on the homework sheet posted online. Homework will be collected each day following the lecture. You should use this default assignment as a recommended minimum only.

Student Conduct :It is expected that students will maintain behavior that is conducive to higher education, and consistent with the Code of Conduct set forth by the Board of Trustees. Incidents of academic dishonesty will be dealt with as stated in the current Student Handbook.

Late Assignments: THERE ARE NO MAKE UPS ON HOMEWORK OR QUIZZES (unless it is due to a school excused absence, see the course schedule for definitions).

Exams may be made up only for documented reasons beyond the control of the student. E.g. work conflict, personal emergency, &c. You should be prepared to take the exam on your first day back after the exam date unless other arrangements have been made.


Resources: I am always willing to provide assistance outside of the normal classroom situation. In addition to my office hours, I will try to accommodate your schedule, my goal is for your success in this course. Tutoring programs are available in the library as part of the Learning Assistance Program (LAP).

Special Needs: If you have specific disabilities and require accommodation for test taking, please let me know as soon as possible, so your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to special services SSC room 113. Requests for accommodation must be done in a reasonable and timely fashion. All information will remain confidential.

Cellular Phones and Other such Electronic Devices: As these devices are not germane to the course requirements, I would kindly request that they be turned off or switched to vibrate mode during class. Repeated interruptions during class may result in confiscation of the such devices for that class period. Subsequent interruptions may result in more serious discipline. Absolutely no texting will be permitted during class. Thank you for your understanding.


Contact Information: You each have been issued an email account through Saddleback College. It is accessible through MySite. Please make sure that you are checking this account or have forwarded this account to an email account that you check in the event that I need to send the class an email message.