In most cases where, in addition to access to ALEKS, a textbook is required for your course, the 20-character ALEKS Student Access Code will be on the inside of the back cover of the ALEKS User's Guide, which is bundled with the textbook.

Sometimes, your instructor will tell you that you need to purchase an ALEKS Student Access Code online.

back to the top

Where is my ALEKS Student Access Code?

In most cases, you will find your 20-character ALEKS Student Access Code on the inside of the back cover of your ALEKS User's Guide.

This User's Guide is often bundled with your course textbook. Sometimes, your instructor will tell you that you need to purchase an ALEKS Student Access Code online.

back to the top

When I request or schedule an assessment for my class, I have a choice between "Comprehensive" and "Progress" assessment. What is the difference?

There are two types of assessment in ALEKS. Please note that both types of assessment produce results that show your students' knowledge relative to the entire course contents. They differ, however, in the questioning strategy. A "progress" assessment tends to focus on the student's recent learning history. It is slightly shorter than a "comprehensive" assessment, and is intended mainly to check the students' retention of material recently learned. A "comprehensive" assessment ranges more broadly over the content of the course. It is slightly longer than a "progress" assessment, and is intended to check the students' knowledge or retention of material throughout the course. A "comprehensive" assessment is appropriate, for example, to use as a final exam or practice final.

back to the top

What is a "goal completion" assessment?

A goal completion assessment is triggered automatically in ALEKS the first time that a student reaches 100% mastery in the Learning Mode (that is, fills in her or his pie chart completely). Often, the student will score less than 100% on the goal completion assessment; when this happens, the student can fill in her pie chart again and, in this way, gain additional reinforcement on the most advanced topics of the course. The second time that the student fills in the pie chart, there will not be a goal completion assessment; if additional assessments are desired, they can be assigned by the instructor.

back to the top

How should my students use explanations in ALEKS?

Explanations in ALEKS are different from what you will find in most textbooks, because they are always the step-by-step solutions of specific problems. ALEKS Explanations are designed for use when the student is working on a particular problem and gets stuck, or makes a mistake and doesn't know what it is. When the student refers to an ALEKS Explanation for help with a problem, the student can quickly compare it with the steps she followed to locate the mistake or misunderstanding. Then, the student will go back and try again with a new problem and a better understanding of the method used to solve it. Note that ALEKS is focused on **active** learning. It is not necessary for students to read the explanations before beginning to work on problems for a new topic; students can do that if they prefer, but most of the time they will know enough about the new topic to attempt it right away, and then go to the explanation for support and help as needed. Please note as well that the explanations contain links to the definition of key terms, and sometimes "Quick Notes" expanding on the more interesting or important steps in the solution of the problem.

back to the top


	Copyright © 2010 UC Regents and ALEKS Corporation ALEKS^® is a registered trademark of ALEKS Corporation. Privacy Statement Updated: 7/7/10