Assessing the effectiveness of an artificial intelligence tutoring system for improving college-level mathematics preparedness in high school students

Abstract

Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) have been used to help high school students transition from the mathematics taught in high school to the mathematics expected at colleges and universities. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between high school students’ performance in Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) Placement, Preparation, and Learning (PPL) Modules and performance on the ALEKS College Mathematics Placement Exam. The participants in this study were 100 students from five high schools in the United States. Each student was placed into one of two groups: the ALEKS Group, who completed the ALEKS Pre-Calculus Learning Modules, and the Non-ALEKS Group, who did not complete the modules. Students’ scores were compared statistically to test for significant differences. The analysis included a 2x2 mixed ANOVA to measure how assignment of the modules affected exam scores. A logistic regression was used to assess differences between the two groups in placing into college algebra. A statistically significant difference was found in exam scores between the ALEKS Group and the Non-ALEKS Group which indicated that assignment to the ALEKS PPL Pre-Calculus Learning Modules did increase performance on the ALEKS College Mathematics Placement Exam. Conversely, assignment to the ALEKS PPL Pre-Calculus Modules did not increase students’ likelihood of placing into College Algebra. The amount of time students spent taking the exam influenced student outcomes on the ALEKS Mathematics Placement exam. These results show that schools could implement Intelligent Tutoring Systems into their current mathematics classrooms to help students increase their scores on college entry mathematics placement exams.