ALEKS ALEKS System and Knowledge Assessment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How does ALEKS determine which problems to present to a student?
- Based on the student's current knowledge state and mastered prerequisites (Correct answer)
- Randomly from a large question bank
- By following a fixed textbook chapter order
- By the student choosing topics manually
Correct answer: Based on the student's current knowledge state and mastered prerequisites
ALEKS continuously updates its model of the student's knowledge and presents problems appropriate for their current learning frontier.
Question 2: What is the recommended number of topics a student should work on per week in a typical ALEKS course?
- It varies by instructor settings, but goals are often set around 5-10 or more topics per week (Correct answer)
- Exactly 3 topics per week
- As many as possible in one sitting
- Only topics assigned by the teacher
Correct answer: It varies by instructor settings, but goals are often set around 5-10 or more topics per week
Instructors customize weekly goals in ALEKS, but a common target is progressing at least 5-10 topics to stay on pace.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes the 'learning mode' in ALEKS?
- Interactive problem-solving with explanations to help students learn new topics (Correct answer)
- Reading textbook pages
- Watching video lectures
- Taking timed exams
Correct answer: Interactive problem-solving with explanations to help students learn new topics
In learning mode, students work problems in their Ready to Learn topics and receive step-by-step explanations when needed.
Question 4: What does the ALEKS instructor module allow teachers to do?
- Track individual student progress, set assignments, and customize course content (Correct answer)
- Automatically grade paper tests
- Schedule in-person tutoring
- Only view class averages
Correct answer: Track individual student progress, set assignments, and customize course content
The instructor module provides detailed analytics, assignment tools, and content customization for managing student learning.
Question 5: Why is it NOT recommended to have a tutor or another person help during an ALEKS Knowledge Check?
- Outside help produces an inaccurate knowledge map, leading ALEKS to assign inappropriate topics (Correct answer)
- It violates copyright law
- The platform cannot detect it
- It slows down the assessment
Correct answer: Outside help produces an inaccurate knowledge map, leading ALEKS to assign inappropriate topics
If outside help inflates Knowledge Check scores, ALEKS assigns topics the student isn't ready for, undermining the adaptive system.
Question 6: What does ALEKS do when a student reaches 100% on their pie?
- The student has mastered all topics in the course and ALEKS may offer review or extended content (Correct answer)
- ALEKS restarts the course from the beginning
- ALEKS assigns the student a tutor
- Nothing happens — the student waits for class to end
Correct answer: The student has mastered all topics in the course and ALEKS may offer review or extended content
A complete pie means mastery of all course topics; ALEKS may then offer cumulative review or the next level of content.
ALEKS ALEKS System and Knowledge Assessment 2
How does ALEKS determine which problems to present to a student?