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Eliaz Lynch
Matt Moberly
Writing 10
Math 05 ALEKS Module, Hinder or Helping?
It has been apparent that over the years, more and more schools and
universities are offering classes online and some even requiring them. Although we
value technology, it could never replace the hands on experience that an in class
instructor gives. Especially in a math class, which requires teachers to go through
the problems and concepts step by step in order for the students to fully
comprehend and apply them. Yet this is not the case in UC Merced’s Math 05 course
and online module, where students are forced to learn by themselves and only come
to class to work on the homework with limited help for them instructors, and for
this the students are suffering now and will suffer in the near future.
The advancement and argument of online classes has been a steady and
ongoing issue for many years now. Many say that they are ideal because online
classes provide a flexible schedule for the student and are less demanding than a
traditional class. Yet many refuse to look at the ugly truth of the matter that online
classes are negative all around. According to Jane Sileo, online classes only promote
academic dishonesty among students. She says that “shortcomings connected with
online classes concern students’ loss of face-to-face instructional interactions with
professors and interpersonal relations with other students; the Internet and email
often are the only modes of communication” (Sileo, 57). She highlights how because
that class is based online, the lack of a student to professor communication
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promotes students rely upon the Internet and other people to get their answers
instead. I myself witnessed one student pay another student twenty-dollars for her
to complete the other student’s ALEKS module for that week. If cheating to this
extent is already present because of the course, it will only flourish because online
classes simply welcome and promote cheating they way they are set up. This
highlights how online classes can not suffice in certain areas that need to be met in
order to give a positive as well as a fair experience to all students.
A major issue throughout all of education is system of credits. Online classes
specifically take this issue to another level because “not all online course credits are
transferable to traditional degree programs” (Bozorgmanesh, 82). Bozorgmanesh,
exposes a huge hole inside the system for online classes, showing that not all
degrees may see an online class to be sufficient enough to be counted for credits in
that degree which could be a huge potential problem for students trying to take
classes for their majors and students who have taken the Math 05 course and wish
to transfer to another university, such as myself. Bozorgmanesh also admits that for
online classes to be truly successful they “…will require expanded technology; more
linkages between schools, higher education, and the private sector; and more
teachers who use technology as well. Teachers must be involved in planning the
systems, trained to use the tools provided, and given the flexibility to revise
teaching.”(Bozorgmanesh 83). The points that are highlighted show how online
classes are more of a work in progress and a dream rather than an obtainable and
tangible reality at the moment. Yet they are still being used and promoted when
they are clearly not in any shape to be operational. This is not fair to the students
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because they are the “guinea pigs” to a failed experiment that will impact their
grades and their college experience which is the exact case for the ALEKS module
for Math 05.
The Math 05 course itself is a bit more intricate and complex than most other
classes. As you already know, ALEKS is the module for the Math 05 course which
this year was made mandatory, compared to last year where the option was given to
students to pick their learning environments. At ALEKS’s core, there is a pie chart
which shows the user how many topics and what topic they have to complete for
that module, separated into different types of problems from algebra to graphing. It
includes an Internet version of the textbook as well as explanations for all the
solutions for the problems that are given. This is 40% of the student’s grade
meaning the primary focus of the class is based online without the face to face
contact of a normal classroom. Along with this, students are required to form groups
and complete a team homework assignment, which consists of 5 questions. Yet what
you do not know is that although it may seem like ALEKS sets the students at UC
Merced up for success for the future, it is the complete opposite because ALEKS is
hindering students more than it helps them. The only time, besides office hours, that
students may have any interaction with their professors is in the two hour
discussion class. But all is still not well because according to professors, that twohour time frame is reserved to assist students with their team homework
assignments that they were assigned. Meaning that we are left with ALEKS topics
that trouble us to be done alone because we cannot get the help that is essential to
the students in that class. Essentially we teach ourselves how to do the entire course
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with minimal help from outside sources. Not only does this cause frustration, but it
also encourages academic dishonesty, which Jane Sileo suggested, because that is
the only option the student may take in order to pass the class. If the fact that we
must do the work with no help isn’t enough, the module also commonly makes
mistakes itself in which the student my input the answer correctly yet ALEKS marks
it as incorrect, and based of the system it runs on, it adds additional problems to
your load just to complete one single topic. Increasing the amount of time that one
must stay on ALEKS to complete it. Lastly another flaw of ALEKS is that the
explanations that are given are often very complex and cause confusion making the
work even more unpleasant. Despite the facts that it may seem as if I am the only
one who has a deep dislike for ALEKS I am not, this is a student wide issue. Making
this problem a true reality.
In order to get feedback on this issue, a survey was taken from students all
around the campus that are currently enrolled in Math 05. When asked the question
“On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate the ALEKS module?” and we received
such answers as 21 negative responses overall and 33.3% of the responses was the
worst possible answer and was rated “Awful”. Next we asked “Do you think ALEKS
will prepare you for future advanced math courses?” and we received overwhelming
feedback of 75.8% saying “No”. When Asked to explain, numerous students
admitted that they are only doing ALEKS to simply get it done and get the grade for
the class, and that the way you learn it doesn’t help you retain the information for a
long term purpose. This data varies directly to how the course is set up and is proof
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that this system is hindering the students rather than helping them both long term
and short term which is the opposite of what a course should do.
The problem does not only lay within ALEKS, even the in-class discussions
proved to be useless when we asked “Are the in-class discussion helpful?”, 63.6%
said “No”. Yet when reviewing the responses along with the question, many of the
students added the fact that the TA’s don’t allow you to work on ALEKS so it is hard
to get help in that area, and also the discussions are not well organized and are
poorly structured. But nonetheless the in-class portion is still better than ALEKS by
any means necessary. Ultimately this has reflected in the grades of Math 05
participants both in a positive and negative way, because when asked “In relation to
Pre-calculus or other similar classes, is your grade better of worse now with
ALEKS?” the answers proved to be a dead tie. Both of the responses “Better” and
“Worse” had a response rate of 27.3% with the response rate of “the same” trailing
with just 24.2%. What this shows for the students who had answered better is that
since you completed the ALEKS module within the given time frame you will get 100
percent of the credit towards your grade. Since ALEKS is 40% of the grade and
midterms being only 6% and finals being 12% of the grade that is an easy 40%
earned that can keep you at a steady grade in the class.
Yet just because you finished the module does not, by any means necessary,
mean that you understand the material and showing that you received a passing
grade in the class and moving to Math 11 next semester will be a inevitable
challenge because the class is set up and graded completely different. It is so
different and complex that the former Math 05 students will find themselves
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cornered with problems. As well for the students who said their grades were worse
with ALEKS, this proves to be the exact same fate for them as well. This proves to be
the exact point that Richard Ryan talks about in his essay. He states that "Class
quality should not be compromised for the sake of posting the class online for
business reasons, because others are doing it, or for the convenience that the
Internet brings" (Ryan). Because when based on the data, the questions: why have a
class that introduces failure to freshman? And even if the data would show that
there isn’t a difference in grades from online classes and tradition classes, why still
invest in them if the don’t promote a substantial change? come to mind. After
looking at this data, it seems to look as if all hope is lost for a possible solution to fix
this class, yet that is not the case. A plausible solution for both parties (students and
faculty) can be reached.
Abolishing online classes all together is a very far off and is very extreme, yet
in order to not only to please both current students and faculty yet future students
and faculty, the Math 05 course should be heavily based in class rather than online.
This will give students who prefer online classes and those who prefer in class
courses both a much more fair opportunity to succeed in the course. It will also
promote more understanding with the concepts of math so the students will not just
run through the course in order to get a grade, but in order to fully understand the
basis of calculus. Granted, there will always be certain students who will be lazy and
take a dishonest route out, but lets not let that be the only way to get a good grade
and promote it the way the class as it is doing right now. Simply switching the roles
of the online portion and the in class portion without fully abolishing ALEKS overall
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will improve all things related to that course. You will have not lost an investment in
the ALEKS course, and students will have many more opportunities to have that
special face to face time with their professor that we so crave and are being
deprived of at the moment.
Another solution is to have certain classes be online and certain classes to
stay in the actual classroom. There are some courses that can be put online and
some that are too hands-on and difficult to be anywhere else but the classroom.
Even Ryan agrees when he said, "It should be noted that not all content may be
suitable for teaching online. One of the determinants of this suitability is the degree
and method of testing that is necessary to assess participants' understanding"
(Ryan). In education, students should be set up on the pathway for success in every
single last course they take and by weeding out some classes from being online, you
are helping to take a step forward and promote equal opportunity for all students.
In all, these changes would not only change the face of the course, but the future of
students to come to UC Merced .