03-16-2009, 09:03 AM
Wow, I think I was a little out of it last night when I wrote that last post. For those that follow the ALEKS thread with interest, here is a little about my situation in case it might help someone to make a decision one way or the other.
I am 34 years old and work in the fire service. I originally went to college over 15 years years ago. I spent a few semesters trying to figure out what I wanted to do and goofed off. I decided to quit and join the fire department. Since then, I have learned the error of my ways as so many do. I have completed my AAS degree in Fire Science, but not wanting to be trapped in on field, I decided to persue a BSBA degree at a local B&M private college. I have a few Gen Ed courses I need, so I am going to try everything I can to test out or replace them. This is where ALEKS came in to play. Although I took college Algebra my first go around, I made a "D" in it. I did mention I was goofing off, didn't I? Well, I did not want to half to repeat the course, so I was going to try and test out of it. Then came ALEKS. I used to be very good in math. My senior year in highschool, I took Algebra II and Geometry back to back during two hours each day. I made straight A's in both. Knowing this, I thought maybe testing out would be an option for me. I found out quickly however, that the old saying, "use it or loose it" certainly applies. So, I decided on ALEKS. I figured since it was ACE accredited, I may end up getting it accepted at my school, but if not, it was still a great resource to help prepare me to attempt to test out of college Algebra.
As far as my journey with ALEKS:
Time Frame: A little over a month ( Mainly working on the weekends)
Total Hours: 58.7
Total # of Assessments: 7
First Assessment: 22%
Last Assessment: 70%
Average Gain per Assessment: 8%
Number of notebooks full of computations: 2.1 (single subject)
Amount of notes: 1 2" Binder full
Time taken for ALEKS to approve for ACE credit: Less than 8 hours.
Total investment: $40.00 (Only because I did not meet the 70% before my first month was up. I think however I will venture into a couple more classes and maybe use it to demonstrate its usefulness to others)
I hope this helps someone somehow. I apologize if it just bored you.
I am 34 years old and work in the fire service. I originally went to college over 15 years years ago. I spent a few semesters trying to figure out what I wanted to do and goofed off. I decided to quit and join the fire department. Since then, I have learned the error of my ways as so many do. I have completed my AAS degree in Fire Science, but not wanting to be trapped in on field, I decided to persue a BSBA degree at a local B&M private college. I have a few Gen Ed courses I need, so I am going to try everything I can to test out or replace them. This is where ALEKS came in to play. Although I took college Algebra my first go around, I made a "D" in it. I did mention I was goofing off, didn't I? Well, I did not want to half to repeat the course, so I was going to try and test out of it. Then came ALEKS. I used to be very good in math. My senior year in highschool, I took Algebra II and Geometry back to back during two hours each day. I made straight A's in both. Knowing this, I thought maybe testing out would be an option for me. I found out quickly however, that the old saying, "use it or loose it" certainly applies. So, I decided on ALEKS. I figured since it was ACE accredited, I may end up getting it accepted at my school, but if not, it was still a great resource to help prepare me to attempt to test out of college Algebra.
As far as my journey with ALEKS:
Time Frame: A little over a month ( Mainly working on the weekends)
Total Hours: 58.7
Total # of Assessments: 7
First Assessment: 22%
Last Assessment: 70%
Average Gain per Assessment: 8%
Number of notebooks full of computations: 2.1 (single subject)
Amount of notes: 1 2" Binder full
Time taken for ALEKS to approve for ACE credit: Less than 8 hours.
Total investment: $40.00 (Only because I did not meet the 70% before my first month was up. I think however I will venture into a couple more classes and maybe use it to demonstrate its usefulness to others)
I hope this helps someone somehow. I apologize if it just bored you.
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