Students entering Math 100 typically have used traditional textbooks for their last 12 years. UA Math has chosen a more adaptive and individualized method for retaining the math skills needed for college level math courses.
When students come to Math 100, they each have a unique background and past experience with learning math. With a textbook, the students are required to work through sections that they may know very well, or may rush through sections with which they are struggling. Forcing students with different math backgrounds and levels to progress simultaneously through a structured textbook has not been shown to be as helpful as working in ALEKS.
ALEKS serves as the textbook for Math 100. When students work in ALEKS they are working out the typical textbook problems of a hardcopy textbook, but with a personalized advantage. They can work quickly through topics they are familiar with and can receive of extra time and support on new topics. If a student needs help with a particular problem, they may click on various links to have terms defined, to see the problem fully worked, or to view a video with explanations. When they return to the practice problems, they will be given a similar problem, but not identical.