WILLISTON, N.D. - Five students at Williston State College (WSC) were awarded Certificates of Achievement from Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) this January.
ALEKS is an alternative learning technology tool that individualizes course content and learning paths for each student after an initial assessment of the course has been completed. Funded through the Title III Grant established in 2012, ALEKS was listed as a choice in the grant to improve the retention rate from developmental mathematics courses through college algebra.
"Completing college algebra improves the chances of a student completing an associate degree," Wanda Meyer, Title III Project Director and Associate Professor for Mathematics, explained. "Recognized internationally, ALEKS is becoming one of the requirements for students to complete in order to be accepted into some colleges and universities, especially in programs that are in the scientific and/or mathematical areas."
A course code and student id was assigned the first day and students were instructed to complete the initial assessment on the second day. All students enrolled in college algebra Fall 2015 were all given the opportunity to become certified.
"To become certified, students had to complete all required documentation, demonstrating completion of the institutional program and course outcomes for college algebra," stated Meyer. "Students also needed to demonstrate a mastery level of at least 80% of the 537 required topics for the course. In other words, a minimum of 430 topics had to be mastered for Fall 2015."
Congratulations to Fall 2015 recipients:
• Zachary Hammer - Freshman - Liberal Arts/Transfer; AA-Liberal Arts
• Coltan McNac - Freshman - Liberal Arts/Transfer; AA-Liberal Arts
• Kylee Meyer - Freshman - Liberal Arts/Transfer; AA-Liberal Arts
• Anton Skurdal - Freshman - Information Technology; ASS-Information Technology
• MiKayla Whiteley - Freshman - Accounting; AAS - Accounting
In the Title III Grant funding, students enrolled in college algebra Spring 2016 are also eligible for Certificates of Achievement from ALEKS.
For more information about ALEKS or WSC Math courses, contact Wanda Meyer at wanda.meyer@willistonstate.edu or 701.774.4556
For any information regarding WSC, please visit www.willistonstate.edu, call 1.888.863.9455, or stop by 1410 University Avenue, Williston, ND.