Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


ASU's Global Freshman Academy Taps Adaptive Software for Math Students

Arizona State University's online Global Freshman Academy (GFA) is rolling out adaptive software to help tens of thousands of students work through its College Algebra & Problem Solving course. The GFA program, delivered via massive open online course (MOOC) provider edX, will be the first to utilize McGraw-Hill Education's ALEKS adaptive learning product in a MOOC format.

"To date, more than 17,800 students from 186 countries have registered for the College Algebra & Problem Solving course using the ALEKS program, which will provide students with individualized learning and instruct them on the topics they are most ready to learn," according to a press release from McGraw-Hill Education.

ALEKS (Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces) uses artificial intelligence to personalize a student's learning experience based on his or her unique strengths and weaknesses. Students receive real-time feedback to guide them toward mastery of each topic.

Launched last year, the Global Freshman Academy offers a series of first-year courses equivalent to a full freshman year at ASU. The courses are open to anyone, regardless of background, location or transcript; students can pay $49 per course up front to be on the ID Verified Track, and then opt to pay to receive college credit once they have passed a course.

"ASU developed the Global Freshman Academy to help make higher education more accessible and affordable around the world," said Adrian Sannier, chief academic technology officer for EdPlus at ASU, in a statement. "ALEKS helps us take one of the most daunting classes — college math — and personalize it to meet students where they are and help them steadily master the concepts critical to their ultimate success."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Abstract polygonal hacker with laptop on technology dark background

    Cybersecurity Researchers Identify First Fully Autonomous AI-Driven Ransomware Attack

    Threat researchers at cloud security firm Sysdig have disclosed what they describe as the first documented ransomware operation carried out end-to-end by an autonomous AI agent, with no human typing commands or directing individual steps once the attack was underway.

  • woman

    AI Giants Back Nonprofit Focused on Workforce Transition

    The AI industry's biggest names are investing in more than just models and infrastructure — they're focusing on workforce readiness. OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and Amazon are backing Raise US, a new nonprofit that aims to raise $1 billion to help American workers prepare for an AI-driven economy.

  • Neon blue security locks with a single red highlight

    AI Shifts Cybersecurity Focus from Finding Flaws to Fixing Them

    For decades, one of cybersecurity's most difficult challenges has been finding vulnerabilities before attackers do. A growing number of security professionals now say artificial intelligence is changing that equation, shifting the focus from discovering flaws to fixing them quickly enough to prevent exploitation.

  • digital brain with network connections

    Microsoft Moving to Internally Developed AI Models in Office Apps

    Microsoft is reportedly using its own in-house artificial intelligence models to handle some workloads in Excel and Outlook, offering new evidence that the company is moving its AI strategy beyond model development and into large-scale cost reduction.