Start ALEKS early
The adaptive engine rewards a little every day. Cramming dozens of topics the night before a deadline does not work.
Read the ALEKS guide →
MAT-144:
College Mathematics
4 Credits · 7 Weeks · Real-world math for real-world decisions
4 Credits · 14 Weeks · Real-world math for real-world decisions
From budgets and loans to probability and statistics — the math that matters in modern life.
7
Topics across seven weeks
~208
ALEKS practice topics
1,000
Total points
3
Units across fourteen weeks
~138
ALEKS practice topics
1,000
Total points
The Journey
Seven weeks, seven topics.
Seven weeks, seven topics.
One continuous arc.
A connected roadmap, from reading linear functions to reading the stock market. Each topic opens its page.
The Journey
Three units, six topics.
Three units, six topics.
Then the final.
Topics are paired into units, and each unit closes with a proctored exam. Each topic opens its page; each exam opens its review. Topic 7 is taught but is not assessed in your section.
Your Toolkit
Three platforms, plus this one.
You'll move between these every week. Here's what each one is for.
Classroom
Halo
Your main classroom. Submit assignments, post in discussions, see grades and message your instructor.
Adaptive practice
ALEKS
Your adaptive homework. It finds what you know, fills the gaps and lets you master each topic at your own pace.
Read the ALEKS guide →Spreadsheets
Excel
Your workhorse for weekly Discussion Questions and the quantitative portions of the major assignments: models, tables, and charts.
Your workhorse for the major assignments and the Excel Practice sets: models, tables, and charts.
Set up Excel →Study companion
This site
Lessons, videos, worked examples and practice shaped like ALEKS, all in one place.
Take the two-minute tour →
Grading
Where your 1,000 points come from.
Hover any segment or card to cross-reference — they're connected.
60%
Major assignments and reviews are 60% of your grade between them, and they arrive every other week. Everything else is the steady drumbeat that keeps you ready for them.
42.5%
Four proctored exams are 42.5% of your grade, and two single items are worth 200 points each: Major Assignment 2 and the Final Exam. Between them those two are worth more than everything except the exams themselves.
How to Win
Five habits that pay off in this course.
Each one comes with the place on this site that helps.
Watch before you work
Each lesson has a short video. Watch it before that topic's homework; it's the fastest way in.
Open the video library →Get comfortable in Excel
Every DQ uses Excel. Spend time early getting comfortable; it pays dividends every week.
Major Assignment 2 is worth 200 points and is built in Excel. Spend time early getting comfortable; it pays for itself on that one piece of work alone.
Set up Excel →Use your instructor
Office hours, email, discussion posts. Your instructor is your best resource when you're stuck. Reach out early, not the night before.
Meet the instructors →Review, don't cram
The Final Exam covers the whole course. Practising each topic's review questions as you go is what makes it stick.
ALEKS knowledge checks can take topics off your pie if you've forgotten them, and each unit ends in an exam. Work the exam review as you go.
Start with the Topic 1 review → Open the Exam 1 review →
Additional Resources
Go deeper when you need to.
Beyond the weekly path: this site's own tools, then what GCU provides.
On this site
From GCU
Math in Our WorldYour required textbook: a quantitative reasoning approach. In your course materials.
The Math CenterGCU's tutoring support for math courses.
Algebra Reviews (Parts 1–5)Refresher PDFs in your course materials.