How to study with Aleks effectively
My first encounter with Aleks was in Summer 2022 when I was assigned to be a teaching assistant for College Algebra. I definitely was convinced right away that it is a very good educational tool. It was very easy for me to see at a glance how all the students were in their learning process. I could see who needed more help or nudging. The students were also free to study at their own pace. As they are taking a big responsibility for their learning, they are more motivated. Aleks provides a lot of resources to help students and that is a big relief for me. I am sure that my students will find help at any time they need it. (I sleep, eat, and do other stuff so I am not 100% available…) This semester (Fall 2023), I am teaching a section of Elementary Functions which is a special topics pre-calculus class, and guess what…we use Aleks. This blog post is not an advertisement for Aleks(they are not paying me for that…) but my honest advice as a teacher to my students (and also your students, or any students) on how to make the best use of Aleks(students pay for Aleks you know…). I will also not go into all the details on Aleks but only on the features, my students use. I will update this post whenever I have more Aleks tips. (I know, the introduction is longer than the sections but it is a work in progress.)
Initial Knowledge Check
Once you enroll in an Aleks class, they will have you take an Initial knowledge check. The purpose of this is for Aleks (and your instructors) to see where you are. Aleks is a platform for adaptive learning so after each knowledge check, Aleks adapts the content it provides to you to your needs. With that in mind, make sure to not lie to Aleks. It is not a shame to say “I do not know”! If you ask someone else to solve your knowledge check on your place, Aleks will adapt to that and will give you harder questions… So be honest….
Aleks Pie
Aleks uses Aleks Pie to represent your learning progress. It is very detailed and changes after each knowledge check/assignment. Reading your Aleks Pie is easy (and they have help for it) so I will go into detail about it here. If you want to know more about it, go to the Student Module Reference.
Doing homework
Here is my recommended method for doing homework on Aleks.
For each question:
1-Read the question carefully
Take your time to read the question. You can not solve a problem you do not understand! What is the question about?
2- Identifies what you know about the question
It is okay to feel like you know nothing about the question. It is also okay to feel that the question is straightforward and easy. Just be honest with yourself. If you feel you have enough knowledge to solve the problem, go for it! If not go to step 3.
3-Check the available resources
Aleks has video explanations of the topic for each question. I recommend watching it first. It should take about 3–5 minutes and is really worth it. This will also help you review the lesson at the same time.
After watching the video, you may want to go back to the question and see if you can apply what you learn. If yes, solve the problem. If not, go to the explanation. Aleks may provide different explanations so I recommend you read them all.
After reading the explanation, go to the examples. Aleks gives you many solved examples so do not feel bad to read as many as you need to. Try to understand the examples. Try the examples yourself until you feel you get it. Then go to the real question.
If after all of this, you are not able to solve the problem, take a deep breath then go to office hours or write to your instructor(office hours always go first). Clearly explain what you have already done, what are your thoughts, and what you do not get. Your instructor will not be mad at you for asking them questions, they will be sad when you fail the class after a semester with them. So always talk with your instructor.
4-Submit your homework and analyze the process and results
After you submit your homework and receive your grade, it is time to analyze what went right! Yes, not only what went wrong! Take notes on which of the resources helped you better. If you found, let us say, that you only needed the explanations and not the videos, you may just go to that directly next time. If only going to office hours saved you, that is okay too.
5-Retake the questions that you missed
I always recommend getting 100% on homework, because that is the only assignment you can choose to take at your own pace.
6-Use your homework to review before exams
In most classes, homework questions reflect the exams. They help you see what types of questions may be asked. If your homework has nothing to do with any of your exams, you should put that information on the class evaluation at the end of the year. But first, talk to your teacher about why that is the case.
I hope this post helped you in your learning process! You can hit the applause button and leave a comment. I read them!
