The fourth floor of Bracken Library is no longer only for solitary studying.
When students step off the east elevators on the fourth floor of Bracken and turn right, they will see a group of nearly 100 students sitting around computers working on math problems.
Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) was introduced this semester to the MATH 108 Intermediate Algebra and MATH 111 Pre-Calculus Algebra courses. The program uses an online assessment to figure out what the students need to focus on.
Robin Rufatto and Holly Dickin, two instructors from the mathematical sciences department, piloted the program.
“Our students in [intermediate algebra and pre-calculus algebra] had a high repeating rate; they wouldn’t pass it the first time,” Rufatto said. “We thought if what we are doing is not working, then let’s try something different.”
As of this semester, all intermediate algebra and pre-calculus algebra classes are only taught using ALEKS, Rufatto said.
On the first day of class, students take an assessment to determine what skills they have, she said.
Then the program guides them through topics they didn’t perform well on or didn’t know on the assessment. It’s organized in a way to facilitate the most success on the topic, Dickin said.
“Students come in at different places, with different strengths and weaknesses,” Dickin said.
Professors will lecture at the beginning of class, but for the most part, students work on their own. The program includes an online textbook, videos and quizzes.
When it comes to learning in a traditional classroom versus using the online program, Rufatto said sometimes students are resistant because they are used to being instructed by someone.
However, once students start working with ALEKS, students have said they prefer using the program, she said.
“They prefer trying it and finding out if their answers are right or wrong right away,” Rufatto said.
Students also have more control with ALEKS. They can go back and work on certain concepts they may have had trouble with to get more practice.
So far, Rufatto said the program has been effective, and the instructors were pleased with the first round of testing.
“We are really excited. Our test scores are very good, and students’ attitudes are very good,” she said.
There are approximately 100 students in each section, Rufatto said. There is one faculty member and four student assistants available to help students with problems or questions while they’re at the library.
Ali Ball, a senior actuarial science major and a student assistant, said she thinks this format is helpful for students.
“There are a lot of success stories, and I think it is really helpful that they don’t have to relearn anything and that they are not bored,” Ball said.
With both the program itself and the professors working with it, it's been successful so far, she said.
"For the most part, all the goal topics are the same for everyone, but it's just getting to those is not always the same path for every student," she said. "So it's kind of cool that it breaks it down for whatever they might need."
Marilyn Buck, assistant provost and dean of university college, said Bracken was the best place to put ALEKS, because a large space was needed to fit the 100 computer stations.
Buck said at other institutions who have a similar program to ALEKS, the number of students who fail the class or withdraw decreased significantly, and she expects to see the same result at Ball State.
However, for students not in ALEKS, some have been bothered by the noise the class could cause on the otherwise silent fourth floor.
Suzanne Rice, the assistant dean of public services for university libraries, said students have filed numerous complaints about the noise. She said the library is taking every measure they can to ensure the floor remains quiet.
Bracken staff is looking into alternatives for a quiet area away from the fourth floor, Rice said, which would probably end up taking them a few weeks to figure out.
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