Find it on the Halo calendar
Open Halo, go to the course calendar, and find the week's DQ card (e.g., Topic 1 DQ 1). Every DQ is visible from day one — nothing unlocks late.
DQs:
the weekly post that grounds everything.
14 total · Posted in Halo · Templates live in ALEKS
Every week has two Discussion Questions. Download the template, fill it out, upload it back to Halo. That's the loop.
14
Total DQs across the term
Wed·Fri
DQ 1 due Wednesday · DQ 2 due Friday
12+2
12 Excel templates · 2 written responses
The Flow
Six steps from Halo calendar to posted reply.
Every DQ — Excel or written — follows the same submission flow in Halo. Download what you need from ALEKS, fill it in, bring it back, attach it, post.
Open the DQ, read the prompt
Click into the DQ card to read the prompt. When you're ready to submit, click Reply to Discussion — that's the button that opens the post editor.
Download the template from ALEKS
In ALEKS, open the hamburger menu (top-left), go to Resources, then DQ's Tech Templates. Download the matching template plus the guidance Word doc.
Type your name first
Open the template in Excel. Before anything else — type your name in the space provided. It's the required first move on every DQ template.
Fill out the template
Work through the cells. Some templates are a single sheet; others are a tabbed workbook. Everyone works from the same numbers — there's no randomization.
Attach it in Halo and Post
Back in Halo's post editor, click Add Attachment, pick your saved file, and hit Post. You don't need to type anything in the message body — the file itself is the submission.
Color Legend
What the cell colors mean.
Every DQ Excel workbook uses the same four-color legend for input cells and the same self-check colors for answer cells. Once you've internalized this, every workbook reads the same way.
Input cells · what to type
BLUE
type a text response (usually your name)
GREEN
type a number (a dollar amount, a rate, a quantity)
GOLD
type an Excel formula (starts with
=)other
don't change this — instructor-set or computed
Answer cells · how the sheet self-checks
15 RED
a formula was used, but the value is incorrect
15 RED
a formula should have been used, but value is incorrect
16 GREEN
a formula should have been used, value is correct
16 GREEN
a formula was used, and the value is correct
The full-credit cell is bottom-right green. If you typed a number where a formula was expected, even the right number gets penalized — the DQ is testing your ability to build the formula, not your arithmetic.
Due Dates
Two DQs a week. Two deadlines.
The pattern is the same across all seven topics: the week's first DQ is due Wednesday, the second by Friday. If you like working ahead, you can — every DQ is unlocked from day one.
First of the week
DQ 1 · Wednesday
The week's opening DQ — typically the warm-up that walks through the topic's first core concept. Due by end of day Wednesday.
Second of the week
DQ 2 · Friday
The week's second DQ — usually a stretch on what DQ 1 set up. Due by end of day Friday so you can roll into the weekend with the topic closed.
Working ahead is fine. All 14 DQ cards are live on the Halo calendar from the first day of term — if you prefer to batch a week early, nothing stops you.
Heads Up
Two DQs are written, not Excel.
Of the 14 DQs, 12 use an Excel template. Two are written responses uploaded as a Word document — same Halo flow (Reply to Discussion → Add Attachment → Post), different file. Check each DQ's on-topic page for the specific prompt and format.
Written Response
The two DQs that break the Excel pattern.
When you open the template folder in ALEKS for either of these, the download is a Word doc instead of a workbook. The submission flow itself is unchanged — open the DQ in Halo, click Reply to Discussion, attach the document, post. See each DQ's page for prompt detail.
Topic 3 · DQ 2
Major Assignment 2 draft
A written draft that feeds into the APA-style analysis you submit for Major Assignment 2 later in Topic 4.
See instructions on the Topic 3 DQ 2 page.
Topic 7 · DQ 2
End-of-course reflection
Your closing written response on how the term went — what clicked, what didn't, what you'd take forward.
See instructions on the Topic 7 DQ 2 page.
Good Habits
Four small things that prevent big problems.
None of these are hard. All of them save you a re-submission.
Complete the IKC first
The ALEKS Resources folder (where the DQ templates live) doesn't appear until you've accessed ALEKS through Halo's Class Resources and finished the Initial Knowledge Check. If you can't see the folder, that's why.
Save as T1DQ1_Lastname.xlsx
Your instructor's preferred filename pattern. Not strict — but a consistent name makes it obvious what you're submitting and keeps your desktop tidy when you're juggling 14 templates.
Double-check the name cell
Every template has a type your name here cell. Confirm it's filled in before you save — a forgotten name cell is the single most common reason DQs come back for resubmission.
Instructor instructions win
The Halo DQ card starts with "Please follow any special instructions provided by your instructor." If your instructor says something different from this page, their guidance takes priority.
If You Get Stuck
Where to go when something won't work.
Template missing, upload failing, or you can't see the ALEKS Resources folder — start here.