Student Orientation

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 Student Orientation

Hello and Welcome!

This brief walkthrough is designed to help you become familiar with the ALEKS
program and how it will be used in this class. It will also assist you with the
registration process and direct you where to go for help.

You will have regular, required assignments in ALEKS, and you can expect to spend
several hours a week working on them. Just how much time you have to spend in the
program will depend on how efficiently you use the ALEKS system.

Thank you!

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 What is ALEKS?

ALEKS stands for Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces. It is an

individualized, adaptive learning tool that is unlike any other online program available
today. Think of it as a human tutor designed to help you learn and master math.

ALEKS uses artificial intelligence to determine what you know, what you don’t know,
and what you are most ready to learn. ALEKS then creates a personalized learning
plan that gives you credit for what you already know and shows you what you are
ready to learn.

To make sure that you remember what you learn, ALEKS will sometimes check your
knowledge. These Knowledge Checks are designed to help you in the long run, so take
them seriously! ALEKS has been around for a long time and is a trustworthy system.
Treat it well and it will treat you well.
 Getting Started

Once you register with ALEKS, you will take a brief tutorial on how to use the system.
Next, you will complete an Initial Knowledge Check. It’s purpose is to figure out what
you know and don’t know, so that you can begin with material you are ready to learn.

Take the ALEKS

Knowledge Checks
honestly so that the system
can accurately measure
your knowledge of course
material. If you don’t, you
will only be giving
yourself more work!
 Getting Started

After you finish the Initial Knowledge Check, you will see your ALEKS Pie. This
represents your current knowledge of the course. Notice that ALEKS has assessed that
you already know some of the material and given you credit for it!

Each Pie Slice represents a

different course area and has
three sections:
Dark = topics mastered on a
Knowledge Check
Light = topics learned in
Learning Mode
Grey = Remaining topics
not learned or mastered

Click on CONTINUE MY
PATH to access your ready
to learn topics.
 Learning in ALEKS

Once you are in Learning Mode, you will be presented with a Lesson Page for the first
Ready to Learn topic. Read the lesson and click on the Practice button to complete the
problems.
There are many resources
available to help you learn
in ALEKS. Use the icons on
the right side of each Lesson
Page and practice problem
to access these resources.

The gauge in the top, right

corner tracks how many
correct problems you need
to complete the topic.
 How to Get the Grade

To stay on track, you will complete Objectives. Think of these Objectives as learning
goals; the more you procrastinate, the more work you will give yourself!

To work on topics in the

current Objective, select the
Objective from the drop-
down menu in the top, left
corner. You can also select
“Part of My Grade” in the
Topic Carousel filter in the
top, right corner.

This will display your “goal

topics”, or topics that are
part of your grade, in the
Topic Carousel.

Pay close attention to the target dates for the Module Tests!
 Learning in ALEKS

If you want to switch to another topic, open the Topic Carousel and select the topic
you want to work on. You can also filter the topics that appear in the Carousel by
using the Topic Carousel filter in the top, right corner.

REMEMBER: ALEKS will

occasionally check your
retention of what you have
learned by giving you a
Knowledge Check.

If you forget how to do a

topic, or just didn’t learn it
the first time, ALEKS will ask
you to review that topic for
more practice.
 Learning in ALEKS

Completing an Objective before the due date will put you in “Open Pie” mode. This
means that the pie is now “open” and you can work on any Ready to Learn topic from
any Objective. When the due date hits, you will automatically move into the next
Objective.
Use the Open Pie Mode to
your advantage. You can
complete topics from past
Objectives or get ahead and
work on topics from future
Objectives.

If you want to focus on only

the topics for the next
Objective, then select the
Objective from the drop-down
menu to filter the topics.
 Your ALEKS Timeline

The ALEKS Timeline tracks your weekly progress to help you manage your study
time. Hovering over each day will tell you how much you have left to do in order to
complete your assignment by the due date.

Click on the Menu icon in the

top, left corner to access your
Gradebook, Reports, eBook, and
more. You can also order a $15
loose-leaf copy of your eBook.

Click on the Next Knowledge

Check icon to see when the next
Knowledge Check will occur. If
you need more time to review,
you can delay the Knowledge
Check for up to 24 hours.

Sometimes your instructor will

have extra assignments in, like a
quiz. You can access these in the
Work on Something Else
Menu.
 Navigating Your ALEKS Account

Click on the Menu icon in the top, left corner to access your Calendar, Gradebook,
Reports, eBook, and more. You can even order a $15 loose-leaf copy of your eBook!
Learning how to use the ALEKS reports will help you track your time and progress,
and help you focus on exactly what you need to work on in order to get ahead.

Math Fundame ntals | Cale ndar 3 Hi, Sam!

Ma s t e re d : 2 4 0 Le a rn e d : 3 0 0 Re ma in in g : 10

GRADEBOOK Grading Policy

FILTERS VIEW UPCOMING | VIEW ALL OVERALL ALEKS GRADE: 8 6 %| B

NAME TYPE DUE GRADE Points DETAILS

Chapte r 3 Objective 0 7/25/14

12:00 am 52 %

We ekly Time Goal Time Goal 0 7/25/14

12:00 am 90%
We ekly Topic Goal Topic Goal 0 7/25/14
12:00 am 98% · An e xte nd e d a ssig nme nt
· Wa s dro ppe d
· The re sult wa s m odifie d
by the te ache r
· Assignme nt is e xtra cre d it

Chapte r 3 Home work 0 7/25/14

12:00 am 48%
65%
Chapte r 2 Quiz 0 7/25/14 Instructor
12:00 am Mod ifie d

Chapte r 1 Objective 0 7/25/14

12:00 am 80%
Chapte r 1 Home work 0 7/25/14
12:00 am 50% Drop pe d
 Key Tips to Success

• Don’t wait until the last minute to meet a deadline – it will be harder to catch up
and you will end up doing more work and wasting time.
• Log in every day.
• Use the resources in ALEKS. They exist to help you learn and prepare for your
Knowledge Checks.
• Take each Knowledge Check seriously. Do your best work without using outside
resources – your results on Knowledge Check will affect your pie.
• Think ALEKS made a mistake? Complaining to your professor won’t fix it!
Contact ALEKS Customer Support through your ALEKS Inbox.
• Regular use of ALEKS will dramatically increase your performance and
success – ALEKS is more than just homework; it teaches you math!
 How to Register for your ALEKS Class

Step 1: Go to www.aleks.com and click on SIGN UP NOW! just below the

Registered Users box.
 How to Register for your ALEKS Class

Step 2: Enter the 10-character

class code and click on Continue.

Step 3-4: Verify your

enrollment information to make
sure you are in the right class,
and then indicate whether you
have used ALEKS before.
 How to Register for your ALEKS Class

Step 5: Enter your 20-character ALEKS Access Code. If you do not have an access code,
you can purchase one online by clicking purchase an access code online.
Be sure your access code will accommodate the length of your class!

Step 6: If you are new to ALEKS, then complete the registration steps to create an
ALEKS account. If you are an existing ALEKS student, simply verify your email
address.
 Managing your ALEKS Account Home

Your Account Home allows you to easily manage all of your ALEKS classes with
one login. You can change your email and password, sign up for new classes, buy
extra time, and view previous classes. To return to your Account Home from
within an ALEKS class, open the menu from the top, left corner and select
Manage My Classes from the menu.
 Help and Resources

ALEKS offers extra resources to help students get started on the right track. To take
advantage, visit: www.aleks.com/highered/math/student_resources

If you ever need help or have questions, contact ALEKS Technical Support:

•Hours (Eastern Time):

Monday through Thursday, 7am – 1am
Friday, 7am – 9pm
Sunday, 4pm – 1am

•Contact Support: http://support.aleks.com

•Visit: www.aleks.com/support
–FAQs
–User Guides
–System Requirements
–Troubleshooting