Missouri Western State University
Developmental Math Program
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
Can I work on ALEKS outside of class?
Why won’t ALEKS work on my home computer?
Can I use a calculator in this course?
What can I do for extra practice?
Is extra assistance available?
How can I improve my assessment score?
When will I get an assessment?
Is it really so terrible to get help on an assessment?
I have a full pie now!
Why isn’t a teacher lecturing to the class like in
a regular math class?
Will my assessment test me on what I just recently practiced?
How do I know I’m making progress?
Can I work on ALEKS outside of class?
Yes, all students are required to work on their math outside
of their class time. You can work in the lab during another class time
if space is available or you can work at home or in one of the general
use labs across campus.
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Why won’t ALEKS work on my home computer?
Be sure to check the ALEKS support section which details
the requirements for ALEKS to work on your home computer. There is
also a troubleshooting section for those having difficulty getting
connected. You might also try the streaming plugin (use www.aleks.com/plugin as
the address).
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Can I use a calculator in this course?
Yes, calculators are allowed. Scientific calculators are
recommended. Do not use the calculator function on your cell phone.
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What can I do for extra practice?
You can print a worksheet with 16-20 review questions. You
can take a quiz as provided by your instructor. You can go to review
and practice any objective you have mastered.
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Is extra assistance available?
Yes, you can come to the lab outside of your class time
for more assistance from tutors or other instructors. You can meet
with your instructor for individual help. The Center for Academic
Support in the Hearnes building is also available.
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How can I improve my assessment score?
If you find that you are not making progress after an assessment,
some things you might try:
Click “I don’t know” on any objective you haven’t yet practiced rather than guessing an answer.
Write out the questions from your assessment as well as your work. You can go over these questions with your instructor to help you find your errors.
Double check your work. Be sure you are copying the questions correctly, not making simple math errors and entering the answer into ALEKS correctly.
It is also possible that you need to relearn some objectives or
need further practice.
From the ALEKS User’s Guide:
It is normal to have trouble mastering new concepts the first time
around. When this happens, the system responds by revising its view
of your knowledge and offers new choices. Keep in mind that the system
does not “drill'' you on concepts it believes you already know.
The concepts presented as most “ready to learn'' are always
those just at the edge of your current knowledge. These are the topics
you are completely prepared to learn.
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When will I get an assessment?
Assessments are automatically triggered when you have
completed 20 objectives and at least 5 hours since your last assessment.
Those are labeled as Progress Assessments. An assessment is also
triggered once you have worked for 10 hours since your last assessment.
Those are labeled as Login Time Assessments. Assessments that are
automatically triggered can be done anywhere. You do NOT have to
be in class.
List of the types of assessments in ALEKS:
Initial: your first assessment
Progress: After you have completed 20 objectives and its been 5 hours since your last assessment
Login Time: Its been 10 hours since your last assessment
Periodic: Its been 60 days since your last assessment
Goal Completion: Assessment after completing the pie
Requested: Assessment that the instructor requests
Is it really so terrible to get help on
an assessment? I have a full pie now!
Since assessments (even those you take outside of class) are
tests, getting help on one is the same as cheating on a test. Your
assessment is based on what you know, not what your helper knows. If
you show ALEKS that you know more than you actually do, the objectives
you are ready to learn are now out of your experience/skill range.
You will struggle and your learning rate will fall. When you take a
new assessment, ALEKS will take you back to where you are supposed
to be, and you will have wasted valuable semester time.
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Why isn’t a teacher lecturing to the
class like in a regular math class?
The skill level of an average developmental math class varies
widely. Some students are reviewing the skills they learned in high
school and others never learned these skills. Some students will
be able to pass both courses in one semester and others will take
three or more semesters to get through both courses. The ALEKS program
addresses these various skill levels in the most advantageous way:
it will start you where you are ready to learn.
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Will my assessment test me on what I just
recently practiced?
Each assessment, regardless of type, tests you in the
same manner. The first question asked by ALEKS is chosen so as
to be ‘maximally informative.’ The answer to this first
question “informs” ALEKS about your current “knowledge
state”. A knowledge state is essentially a list of all the
problems mastered at the time of an assessment. If you know this
first problem, the ALEKS system then accepts that you know other
problems that lead up to the question asked and adjusts the questions
after to learn more about your knowledge state. If you don’t
know the problem or answer incorrectly, then ALEKS adjusts the
questions after that first question accordingly. With each question,
ALEKS creates an overall picture of your total knowledge spaces.
ALEKS chooses each question on the basis of your answers to all the
previous questions. Each student, and therefore each set of assessment
questions, is unique. It is impossible to predict the questions that
will be asked. A progress bar enables you to get a general idea of
the length of the assessment.
The assessment stops when the next ‘best’ question has
a low chance of being solved and is therefore uninformative to the
ALEKS system. Most assessments have 25–30 questions, although
the number of questions may go up based on incorrect but close answers.
The ALEKS system will give you a second (or third or more) chance
to answer the question if a small error is made.
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How do I know I’m making progress?
In the Report section in ALEKS, there is an Assessment History
(bottom of the page). Ideally, your progress looks like Column A
below. If it looks more like Column B, speak with your instructor
to see about changes you can make to improve your progress.
Below are some examples of student progress after assessments.
| 3rd Assessment |  64 +6 % |
 69 +4 % |
 54 +9 % |
| 2nd Assessment |  58 +7 % |
 68 +7 % |
 73 +3 % |
| 1st Assessment |  49+9% |
69 +4 % |
 48 +9 % |
| Student example | A. | B. | C. |
A. Ideal progress – retaining nearly everything
learned in practice mode
B. No progress – may need to be sure to
work only those problems that have been practiced
C. Progress spike - Most likely got help on the
2nd assessment