Have you adopted this Open Stax Intermediate Algebra by Marecek title for an Intermediate Algebra course at the community college level in2019? If so are you also using Knewton/Alta?
by victoria McClendon 5 years, 9 months agoKnewton/alta is an ally of Open Stax and since 2018 has been offering an adaptive learning online platform that integrates this text.
I am hoping to find others who are considering or have experience with either of these: the combination of Knewton/alta with Open Stax(for distance learning or online homework formtats) or Open Stax for text only formats.
I"ve used alta with OpenStax since Jan 2018. I used this particular test last semester.
Thanks for your reply. We have used Pearson's MyMathLab for years now and are branching out at least in our search commmittee. Can you offer any information about 2018 -what is your experience with alta ?
It is so new that some faculty have hesitations.
An opinion would be so helpful, and your college name.
I work at Merced College in California. I understand the hesitations because alta is only 1 year old but I've had great luck with it. The program follows the OpenStax table of contents for Intermediate Algebra so it is really easy to set up assignments. My big MML complaint was that students were waiting to see what the answer to the problem was and then working it backwards and forcing numbers to get an answers. That isn't possible with alta because of the adaptive technology. If you guess and continually get problems wrong, you will be remediated. But if you take the time to do it correctly the first time, you will be rewarded by doing less problems. Knewton did a study on my PreAlgebra class. Here is a link to my data: https://www.knewton.com/alta-user-story-kristi-rieg/
This is such wonderful information, and in time to include in presentations next week for a decision.
This is a real gift on a Friday afternoon here at NorthWest Arkansas Community College.
We are aware that Aleks is the other major adaptive learning player. We do have some faculty piloting Aleks, with McGraw Hill publishers, in College Algebra. Do you had experience or knowledge in comparisons of MHHE Aleks and Knewton/alta ?
In the 10 years I've been here we were entirely a MML campus and are recently making the switch. At this point almost all classes are alta on our campus. So I don't have experience with any other online programs.
Your data and comments on the Knewton site are important, hopeful, and honest.
Being informed past the excitement of the reduce cost, the alignment of Knewton/alta with Open Stax and the adaptive learning, some on the road observations will be realistic and convey fairness in the comparisons of products.
In that light, could you expand on the things you first noticed that were missing from your previous product, and perhaps how you came to be okay with that?
Also, if possible, the videos appear and are important to us. The Marecek authored Intermediate Algbera does not have videos yet (Open Stax reported that, as a non-profit, grants are used mostly for producing videos and were not acquired yet for this title).I am hoping to experience Knewton/alta's video links to selected YouTube explanations within the content objectives.
Any information or experience you have in Prealgebra or Intermediate Algebra about the source and quality of videos would help us review this criteria.