ALEKS and Adaptability
So, what does work? I've been interested in ALEKS for a while now, and my university has begun using it for placement testing. The idea is that students take an adaptive assessment to assess their math knowledge. Then it provides them with “prep and review” modules based on the problems they got wrong on the assessment.
I think that, generally, this is the right model for students, especially those with major gaps in their prior math knowledge. It is nearly impossible — given the current state of class sizes at both the secondary and post-secondary level — for one instructor to meet each student where they are and give them the personalized review they may need. In our current “one size fits many” model, we put a big group of students into, for example, a “college algebra” course (which is really high school algebra, but I guess we want to make them [and us] feel better about it). Many, if not all, of the students in this course only really “need” at most half of the material the course covers. The trick is that they don't all need the same half.
A co-requisite model of a college algebra course would allow students to spend time in a self-paced adaptive system like ALEKS alongside the main thread of course content. This would hopefully keep students from getting bored when that main thread covers material they already “know.” The logistics aren't trivial:
- How much in-class time is spent with students working on ALEKS in a "lab" setting? All? Some? None?
- What do you do if/when students "finish" ALEKS significantly before the end of the semester?
- How do you filter the ALEKS material to not force students to "waste" time on topics that you don't think are relevant to their future coursework? Is this even a good idea, given that you don't know what their future instructors' expectations may be?
This also doesn't address the issue of students who need “just in time” math review outside of a class environment, which is a primary role that Khan Academy fills.
What would a “just in time adaptive” math review website look like? Is such a thing possible?