ALEKS Assessment Information
Math 165 - Calculus I - Section J
Spring 2008
The ALEKS pre-calculus assessment will test your readiness on topics that are essential for success in any calculus course. These topics include but are not limited to real numbers, equations and inequalities, linear and quadratic functions, exponents and polynomials, rational expressions, radical expressions, exponentials and logarithms, geometry, and trigonometry. The program is an adaptive engine that will identify weaknesses in these areas and customizes tutorials to bring your skills up to par.
You must take your first assessment in one of the Carver Hall computers labs (located in Carver 250 and Carver 449) and sign in with the monitor on the correct sheet corresponding to this calculus 1 section (Section J, Instructor: Mike Hilgemann). The computer lab schedules are located here. Note that the computer labs are often busy during the first few weeks of class, so allow yourself plenty of time to take the exam and be prepared to wait for an open computer or come back later. No books, notes, or calculators are allowed on this exam. If a calculator is needed for a problem, the program will provide you with one. You must get an 80% or better on this assessment. If you do not get an 80% right away, you can retake the assessment. If you do not achieve an 80% or better by January 31, your grade in this course will be lowered and you should consider dropping this course in favor of a lower level mathematics course that covers these topics. Do not wait until the last minute to take this exam. Also, to reduce wasted time spent on passing this exam, do your best the first time through - there is no need to rush through it as you may take as long as you want. A reasonable amount of time to devote to the assessment is about 1 hour - bring a writing utensil and blank scratch paper.
To take this exam, you must register with the course code that is relevant to this section only. Go to the ALEKS website http://www.aleks.com/plugin, then click on "Sign Up Now" and complete the registration process using the course code Q9XWX-TMR9A. Again, this code is only good for Mike Hilgemann's Section J Calculus 1 class. The rest of the sign up process should be self-explanatory. A short tutorial will start that you should complete. After the tutorial is over, the assessment will start. Once you are finished, you will be presented with a detailed report of your performance. If you get an 80% or better, you are done. If you do not, the program will highlight several areas that you need to work on and give you plenty of guided examples and sample problems to work on in those areas. Another assessment will begin after you put in some time with the program working on these areas. Once you achieve an 80% or better on an assessment, you are finished with this requirement.
The ALEKS Assessment is worth 60 points. All 60 points will be given for a score of 80% or more. A score of 75-80% gets you 30 points, a score of 70-75% gets you 20 points, and a score of 65-70% gets you 10 points. Any score under 65% will result in no points.
Note that any time you login to ALEKS from a computer lab on campus you must do so through http://www.aleks.com/plugin - you need to stream the plugin needed to run the program as you are not allowed to save it to the computer.
If you have any questions regarding the policies of this exam, email your instructor (hilgem1@iastate.edu). If you have problems running the program or with the ALEKS website, see your instructor during his office hours.
Last Updated 02.03.08