Initial Knowledge Checks in Courseware

Kimberly Jackson, a professor of biochemistry, uses ALEKS in her general chemistry courses, which includes an initial knowledge check for students to complete. Based on how much students know and remember from high school, she can adjust how she covers certain chemistry and mathematics concepts, and ALEKS will use that same data to generate a personalized study path for students.

Digital Resources

ALEKS Courseware

https://www.mheducation.com/highered/aleks.html

ALEKS Knowledge Checks measures a student’s mastery of topics. They are adaptive, open-response, and no more than 30 questions. Knowledge Checks benefit students by saving time in their progress. They won’t struggle trying to learn topics they aren’t ready for, and they won’t waste time on topics they already know.

A screenshot of an ALEKS initial knowledge check that shows topic mastery.

PDF guide to ALEKS Initial Knowledge Checks

Download the Guide

Digital Enablement

Initial knowledge checks in courseware provide a day-one assessment to evaluate students’ prior knowledge and any foundational concepts that they need to learn or revisit. This allows instructors to gain valuable insights into their students’ prior knowledge, enabling them to provide support, resources, and differentiation (importantly, not remediation) of instruction. 

Assessing & Activating Prior Knowledge

Implementation Effort:

Moderate

Subject:

Chemistry

Use Case:

Assessment