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I’m interested in ALEKS’s AI-powered engine, and I want to use more adaptive in my course next semester. However, I’m not sure how to implement it. Can you help?

Of course we can help! ALEKS Implementation Manager, Audrey Drayton, here to help answer this question and offer some advice. All courses and implementations are different so feel free to reach out to your dedicated ALEKS Implementation Manager to talk through your course and ensure the adaptive side is implemented to meet your specific needs.

Before we jump into the course build options, I wanted to give an overview of the adaptive side of ALEKS in case anyone is new around here! The adaptive side is what ALEKS was founded upon. The Initial Knowledge Check, which uses artificial intelligence, helps us pinpoint each student's knowledge state and provides a personalized pathway through the adaptive learning modules for every student to achieve mastery. These learning modules consist of topics that you choose as the instructor to meet your course goals.

Now that you have a little bit of ALEKS history, we can talk through some options of how to add in more of the adaptive side for the new semester! We see all different types of implementations ranging from mostly non-adaptive all the way to fully adaptive and everything in between. Adding in more of the adaptive side would likely place you somewhere in the middle of that spectrum that we often refer to as the “ALEKS Blend”. Pairing adaptive learning modules with instructor-driven assignments can help students get a mix of personalized learning but still give you the control to pick questions on homework, tests, or quizzes.

Option 1:

 Adding a prerequisite review module to your course so students will receive personalized practice in the first few weeks to get them up to speed before jumping too far into your course material:

Option 2:

Add just-in-time learning modules with prerequisites for pre-lecture. This would ensure students come into an upcoming lecture at an equitable level and then prove what they know on the homework assignments.  

Option 3:

Have two assignments open each week consisting of one learning module and one homework assignment. You can choose which topics you want the students to master (learning module) and which questions you would like them to practice (homework). This would give the students ample opportunity for personalized learning as well as traditional homework:

Option 4:

Going fully adaptive might be a big leap if this is your first time implementing it! You will want to consult with your dedicated implementation manager to talk through this option:

Those are four options that I often see and suggest to the instructors that I work with. The best part about ALEKS is that you can build a course that is unique and meets your specific needs! Here is a quick video on Creating Modules in ALEKS as well as Implementing Knowledge Checks that you may find useful as you explore this. As always, reach out to your dedicated ALEKS Implementation Manager with questions and consult with them on which option might work for you.