Introduction to ALEKS

1
Introduction to ALEKS

• University of Phoenix
• Math 208 209

To move from slide to slide, press Page Down on
the keyboard, click the left mouse button, or
press the spacebar on the keyboard.
2
Slide Show Table of Contents

1. Background information
2. Registration
3. Tools Tutorial
4. Assessment
5. My Pie

• Learning Mode
• Explain
• Practice
• Report
• Worksheet Review
• Quizzes

3
Section 1.Background Information
Back to Table of Contents
Technical Support
E-mail tech support for ALEKS is phoenix-support_at_aleks.com UoPhx tech support is 1-877-TECH-UOP (1-877-832-4867) UoPhx tech support for FlexNet students is 1-888-575-6009 University of Phoenix ALEKS tutorial http//corptrain.phoenix.edu/aleks/aleksintro.html
ALEKS is a registered trademark of ALEKS
Corporation.
4
What is ALEKS?

• ALEKS (Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge
  Spaces) is a Web-based learning assistant,
  powered by artificial intelligence, that enables
  students to learn math concepts at their own
  pace. ALEKS was developed at the University of
  California by a team of gifted software engineers
  and cognitive scientists, with the support of a
  multimillion-dollar grant from the National
  Science Foundation.

5
Math 208

• 109 course concepts in ALEKS
• 27 arithmetic prerequisites (pre-algebra)
• 19 real numbers -- Wk 1
• 24 solving linear equations inequalities Wk 2
• 28 graphing linear equations inequalities Wk
  3
• 11 absolute values systems of equations Wk 4

6
Math 209

• 134 course concepts in ALEKS
• 29 linear algebra prerequisites (Math 208)
• 18 exponents polynomials Wk 1
• 13 factoring Wk 2
• 24 rational expressions Wk 3(a)
• 27 radicals, rational exponents, complex
  numbers Wk 3(b)
• 23 quadratic equations and functions Wk 4

7
When do ALEKS accounts expire?

• Login IDs for students will expire 15 weeks
  after the student has registered in ALEKS. The
  weeks are counted from when the student registers
  for the first time, whether or not the initial
  assessment is begun or finished.
• If a student needs longer to complete the Math
  208/209 series, the student should contact ALEKS
  Corporation Customer Support (support_at_aleks.com).
  ALEKS Corporation will normally accommodate
  reasonable requests for extensions from students
  in these courses.

8
How do I know when my ALEKS account expires?

• Log into your ALEKS account
• Click on the OPTIONS (or OPTS) menu item on the
  red/brown menu bar
• Your expiration date will be listed on this
  options screen
• If a student needs longer to complete the Math
  208/209 series, the student should contact ALEKS
  Corporation Customer Support (support_at_aleks.com).

9
Computer Freezes

• To minimize these problems, always...
• Restart your computer before starting an ALEKS
  session
• Make sure no other programs are running because
  ALEKS is processor-intensive
• If problems occur during a session, try these
  steps
• Click the A on the upper right of the ALEKS
  screen
• Click the browsers Reload button.
• Restart the browser.
• Restart the computer.
• If these steps do not resolve the problem,
  contact ALEKS tech support at phoenix-support_at_ale
  ks.com

10
Java

• ALEKS is implemented in the Java programming
  language so it requires Java installed enabled
  on your computer
• Both Microsoft and Sun Java are supported
• TOOLS gt INTERNET OPTIONS gt ADVANCED tab
• Be sure the box opposite JIT Compiler has been
  checked.
• If Java is not installed on your computer, use
  the following link to obtain Sun Java
• http//java.sun.com/products/archive/j2se/1.4.1_07
  /index.html
• Select the Download link under JRE.
• After installing Java, check that it has been
  Enabled (see above).
• As you work in ALEKS, you can always click on
  HELP on the menu bar for more assistance with the
  answer editor and the tools. Further assistance
  with Java, if needed, is available from ALEKS
  Corporation Customer Support.

11
Section 2.How to Register in ALEKS
Back to Table of Contents
Technical Support
E-mail tech support for ALEKS is phoenix-support_at_aleks.com UoPhx tech support is 1-877-TECH-UOP (1-877-832-4867) UoPhx tech support for FlexNet students is 1-888-575-6009 University of Phoenix ALEKS tutorial http//corptrain.phoenix.edu/aleks/aleksintro.html
ALEKS is a registered trademark of ALEKS
Corporation.
12
How to Register in ALEKS

• To register as a student, you will need a Course
  Code. The Course Code is supplied by your
  instructor. You can register without the course
  code then add it in later although, you may have
  to complete an assessment again.
• The entire registration process takes about one
  hourdo not begin unless you have at least an
  hour of time to spend. You can interrupt the
  session, if necessary, by logging off and
  resuming later (by logging back on).

13
Register (2)

• Go to the Center for Mathematics Excellence and
  click on the ALEKS for Math 208/209 link.
• You will go through the following 4 steps
• Registration (requires 5-10 minutes)
• Tutorial (requires about 30 minutes)
• Assessment (requires about 30-60 minutes)
• Introduction to My Pie (requires 5-10 minutes)

14
Register (3)

• Enter the Course Code if known at this time
• Enter your name as you want to be known on the
  system
• Select a password
• When asked for your e-mail address, use your UOP
  address if you have been issued one
• You do not need to enter a student ID number

15
Move from Math 208 to 209
To move from Math 208 to Math 209, click Options
on the ALEKS toolbar
then click on the link to change course. You
will have to do the initial assessment for Math
209.
16
Enter a Course Code
17
Section 3.Tools Tutorial
Back to Table of Contents
Technical Support
E-mail tech support for ALEKS is phoenix-support_at_aleks.com UoPhx tech support is 1-877-TECH-UOP (1-877-832-4867) UoPhx tech support for FlexNet students is 1-888-575-6009 University of Phoenix ALEKS tutorial http//corptrain.phoenix.edu/aleks/aleksintro.html
ALEKS is a registered trademark of ALEKS
Corporation.
18
Tool Tutorial

• After successful registration, you will be shown
  a tool tutorial to learn how to use the Answer
  Editor.
• As you are working in ALEKS, you can always
  click on the Help button to see portions of the
  tool tutorial again.
• The tool tutorial takes about a half hour to
  complete.

19
Tool TutorialScreen Shot
The Tool Tutorial is interactive. You practice
using each tool then click Next.
20
Menu Bar
21
Section 4.Assessment
Back to Table of Contents
Technical Support
Login page is http//www.phoenix.aleks.com E-mail tech support for ALEKS is phoenix-support_at_aleks.com UoPhx tech support is 1-877-TECH-UOP (1-877-832-4867) UoPhx tech support for FlexNet students is 1-888-575-6009 University of Phoenix ALEKS tutorial http//corptrain.phoenix.edu/aleks/aleksintro.html
ALEKS is a registered trademark of ALEKS
Corporation.
22
Assessment (1 of 2)

• After successfully completing the tool tutorial,
  you will be given an initial assessment.
• This is not a graded test.
• Do not ask for help on this assessment.
• The assessment takes about an hour to complete.

23
Assessment (2 of 2)

• Have paper and pencil handy.
• Use a calculator only when provided by ALEKS.
• In the Answer Editor, enter only your final
  answerintermediate steps should be done on
  paper.
• If you have forgotten how to use the Answer
  Editor, click on the Help button.

24
Assessment Screen Shot
25
Periodic Assessments

• You will be given periodic assessments
• When initially registering for a class in ALEKS
• After every 20 concepts you master (but not
  before 5 hours have elapsed since your last
  assessment)
• After every 10 hours in ALEKS
• When scheduled by the instructor
• When all concepts from course have been mastered
• These additional assessments change the learning
  level in My Pie.
• Take your time and do your best in each
  assessment.

26
Section 5.My Pie
Back to Table of Contents
Technical Support
E-mail tech support for ALEKS is phoenix-support_at_aleks.com UoPhx tech support is 1-877-TECH-UOP (1-877-832-4867) UoPhx tech support for FlexNet students is 1-888-575-6009 University of Phoenix ALEKS tutorial http//corptrain.phoenix.edu/aleks/aleksintro.html
ALEKS is a registered trademark of ALEKS
Corporation.
27
My Pie

• After completing the assessment, you will be
  shown a graphical representation of your algebra
  knowledge. This representation is in the shape of
  a pie chart and is called My Pie.

You can access the My Pie by clicking this button
on the Menu Bar
28
Screen Shot of My Pie
Each section of the pie is a different topic
cluster.
The dark part of each pie section represents the
topics you already know.
29
Piece with No Topics
Use the My Pie to choose a topic to study. Hover
your mouse above sections of My Pie (but do not
click the mouse button) to see topics you have
the pre-requisite knowledge to learn.
When you hover above a section of My Pie, you
will see these yellow text boxes. As you can see,
this section of My Pie doesnt contain any topics
you are prepared to learn. Move to another
section of My Pie.
30
Piece with Two Topics
This section of My Pie shows two topics that I am
ready to learn. I can choose either one of those
two topics by clicking on it.
The way to succeed with ALEKS is to keep
choosing topics, study the lessons, and do the
practice problems. After you master each topic,
that section of the pie will show more of the
dark color. Remember, the dark colors show topics
already mastered. The overall objective of your
UoPhx ALEKS account is to master all sections of
My Pie.
31
Pre-requisite Skills

• The green portion of the pie indicates the
  pre-requisite skills for this course. Work on
  that green piece first. Work on it quickly so you
  can understand the new concepts that well be
  learning in class.

Work on the green concepts as soon as possible.
In order to succeed in class, your green section
should be completed during the first week of
class.
32
Section 6.Learning Mode
Back to Table of Contents
Technical Support
E-mail tech support for ALEKS is phoenix-support_at_aleks.com UoPhx tech support is 1-877-TECH-UOP (1-877-832-4867) UoPhx tech support for FlexNet students is 1-888-575-6009 University of Phoenix ALEKS tutorial http//corptrain.phoenix.edu/aleks/aleksintro.html
ALEKS is a registered trademark of ALEKS
Corporation.
33
Topic Title Page
When you choose a topic, you will see a title
page like this. It shows you a sample of the
problems in the topic.
If you would like to read the lesson about this
type of problem, click Explain.
If you think you can do this type of problem
without additional help, click Practice.
34
Practice vs. Explain
35
Learning Mode -- Explain
Explain mode is actually a mini-lesson or lecture
on the chosen topic. Study the lesson and the
examples in the lesson.
36
Highlighted words in dictionary
Click on highlighted (colored and underlined)
words or phrases to open the dictionary. The
dictionary contains additional information about
this word.
37
Correlation to Textbook
At the end of the explanation, you may see a
correlation to the textbook (chapter and section)
so you can read more about this topic.
38
From Explain to Practice
After studying the Explanation, the textbook, and
the Companion Web site, click Practice.
39
Learning Mode -- Practice
In Practice mode, you will be given about three
to five practice problems.
Work each problem on paper then enter the answer
in the Answer Editor. If you need help using the
Answer Editor, click Help.
After entering the answer, click Next. You can
also return to the explanation (lesson) by
clicking Explain.
40
Instructions Feedback
Look for the yellow arrowsthese indicate hints
to solving the problems.
Instructions and feedback will be in yellow, text
boxes. Read this information carefully.
41
Using the Calculator
Use the ALEKS calculator only when it is
available. Do not use any other calculator when
using ALEKS.
42
Help when in Learning Mode
If you need help using the Answer Editor, click
the Help button on the Menu Bar for a list of
Answer Editor tutorials.
43
Ask a Friend

• You should learn to use the special features
  of the Learning Mode, especially the explanations
  and the mathematical dictionary. A button marked
  Ask a Friend may also appear from time to time.
  Clicking on this button will prompt the system to
  suggest the name of a classmate who has mastered
  the topic on which you are working.

44
Section 7.How to Submit a Report
Back to Table of Contents
Technical Support
E-mail tech support for ALEKS is phoenix-support_at_aleks.com UoPhx tech support is 1-877-TECH-UOP (1-877-832-4867) UoPhx tech support for FlexNet students is 1-888-575-6009 University of Phoenix ALEKS tutorial http//corptrain.phoenix.edu/aleks/aleksintro.html
ALEKS is a registered trademark of ALEKS
Corporation.
45
ALEKS Report
46
ALEKS Report (1 of 4)
The top portion of the report will show your
current My Pie.
47
ALEKS Report (2 of 4)
48
ALEKS Report (3 of 4)
The third part of the ALEKS report will show
those topics you will be learning next (Ready to
Learn).
49
ALEKS Report (4 of 4)
The final part of the ALEKS report gives your
history in this subject, with a bar graph for
each assessment. Blue shows the assessment
results, green shows progress in Learning Mode
following that assessment.
50
Submitting a Report

• Your facilitator MAY ask you to submit a
  reportcheck your facilitators syllabus
  instructions to be sure. Most facilitators can
  view your report in their instructor account and
  do not need you to submit a report.
• IF you are asked to submit a report, the next
  four screens describe how to submit it depending
  on the type of student you are. You only need one
  of these four screens
• On-campus, classroom students (Slide 52)
• Directed studies students (Slide 53)
• FlexNet students (Slide 54)
• Online campus students (Slide 55)

51
How to Submit a Report if you are a Classroom
Student
52
How to Submit a Report if you are a Directed
Studies Student
53
How to Submit a Report if you are a FlexNet
Student
Create the report and e-mail it to yourself (not
to the facilitator). Note that the email will
simply have a link to view your report
online. Then cut and paste the link into an
Individual forum message and post it into your
Individual forum. Be sure to create a subject
for your email, such as Wk 4 ALEKS Report.
54
How to Submit a Report if you are an Online
Student
55
Section 8.Worksheet Review
Back to Table of Contents
Technical Support
E-mail tech support for ALEKS is phoenix-support_at_aleks.com UoPhx tech support is 1-877-TECH-UOP (1-877-832-4867) UoPhx tech support for FlexNet students is 1-888-575-6009 University of Phoenix ALEKS tutorial http//corptrain.phoenix.edu/aleks/aleksintro.html
ALEKS is a registered trademark of ALEKS
Corporation.
56
Worksheet
At any time you feel you need additional practice
or review of the topics, you can print a
Worksheet (click Worksheet on the Menu Bar).
The worksheet is a PDF document so youll need
Adobe Reader 6.0 to view and print it. The
answer key for the worksheet is available from
your facilitator.
57
Review
At any time you would like to review the concepts
you have learned, click Review on the Menu Bar.
A more-extensive review and printed worksheets
are also available from these links.
58
Section 9.Quiz
Back to Table of Contents
Technical Support
E-mail tech support for ALEKS is phoenix-support_at_aleks.com UoPhx tech support is 1-877-TECH-UOP (1-877-832-4867) UoPhx tech support for FlexNet students is 1-888-575-6009 University of Phoenix ALEKS tutorial http//corptrain.phoenix.edu/aleks/aleksintro.html
ALEKS is a registered trademark of ALEKS
Corporation.
59
Weekly Quiz (1)

• You will have a graded, weekly quiz in both Math
  208 and Math 209. These quizzes may be
• instructor-created -or-
• administered by ALEKS
• If your facilitator chooses to use ALEKS to
  provide your quizzes, the next slides explain how
  to take a quiz.

60
Weekly Quiz (2)
Quizzes may also appear automatically depending
upon how the facilitator sets up the quiz.
ALEKS expects exact, complete answers. If you
have been working in Learning Mode, you will know
what type of answers ALEKS expects.
61
Weekly Quiz (3)
At the top of each screen of the quiz is a box
similar to this one. Youll see a button for each
problem on the quiz (you may do the problems in
any order you want). The current quiz problem
will be marked orange. Problems you have
completed are marked gray.
IMPORTANT Be sure to click on this button to
submit your quiz when you are finished.
62
Weekly Quiz (4)
After clicking the button to Submit Quiz, you
will see this screen. Be sure to click Next to
finish submitting your quiz. If you do not click
Next, your quiz is not submitted properly.
63
Weekly Quiz (5)
64
T H E E N D
Screen shots and the ALEKS logo were used by
permission.