Utilizing ALEKS and Standards Grading for Mathematics Placement and a Bridge Course for STEM Students

Abstract

We present a system for math placement and intervention that pairs ALEKS PPL with an online, standards-based “bridge” course designed to prepare students interested in STEM for PreCalculus. To determine the efficacy of this system we studied ALEKS PPL placement scores, bridge course grades, ALEKS concept mastery percentages, and PreCalculus grades for a population of 175 students over a span of two years. The study was conducted at a small (∼800 undergraduates), private university with limited resources for placement processes and remedial course offerings. We find that around 95% of students placed into the bridge course passed the course and also significantly increased in mastery of ALEKS topics, with mean increases in all concept groups. We also find students who enroll in the bridge course receive similar PreCalculus grades compared to those who placed directly into PreCalculus.