Alta from Knewton, a Wiley brand Reviews and Ratings

Rating: 8 out of 10

Score

8 out of 10

Community insights

TrustRadius Insights for Alta from Knewton, a Wiley brand are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, third party data sources.

Pros

Adaptive Learning Integration: Many users have praised the integration of adaptive learning in the LMS, stating that it provides a valuable feature. This has been highlighted by several reviewers, who appreciate how it focuses on meeting learning standards rather than just grades. By offering a more comprehensive and personalized learning experience, this feature has received positive feedback from multiple customers.

Individualized Questioning: Several reviewers have mentioned their appreciation for the platform's use of individualized questioning. By tailoring questions to each student, this feature helps to reduce cheating and promote individualized learning. Multiple users have stated that this approach prevents students from sharing answers and encourages a more personalized learning experience.

Explanations for Mistakes: The inclusion of explanations when students get problems wrong has been widely appreciated by users. Many reviewers have found this feature to be very helpful as it allows students to understand their mistakes and learn from them. With these explanations, the platform promotes a deeper understanding of the material and supports effective progress for learners.

Reviews

7 Reviews

One of the best systems for helping your students learn material rather than just testing them

Rating: 8 out of 10

Incentivized

March 16, 2022

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Knewton Alta is a fairly transformative homework system. Because it is mastery-based rather than problem-based, students really get much more out of using Knewton than other similar homework systems I have used over the years. Those students that need more help get more help. Those students who are quick and on top of things can get done quickly. The system is well supported, and it is usually easy to get help and support both from a student and instructor perspective. The main challenge with Knewton is that your students will sometimes get questions that are not aligned with the content in your class, and there is no way to stop it. Because the questions are not pre-set, then sometimes your students will just get stumped, so you have to provide instructions for your students as to what to do in those situations (I tell them to feel free to Google an answer or two here and there if they need to.) But overall I have been very happy with the system.

Pros

Mastery based teaching and homework.
Lots of statistics.
Relatively straightforward problems.

Cons

Most "advanced" problems are too generic.
Some review questions can be confusing to students if not aligned with your curriculum.

Likelihood to Recommend

It is appropriate as a learning system and helps your students gain mastery. I would not use it as much for an assessment system, although they have been slowly building up those capabilities.

Verified User

Professional (1001-5000 employees)

Vetted Review

5 years of experience

Knewton Knows Success

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

March 16, 2022

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Knewton Alta as a homework and assessment tool in my math class at a community college. Alta gives students an opportunity to practice what they have learned in class. The questions each student gets adapts according to the answer they entered in previous problems. If a student is not present in class or needs additional support, Alta gives clear explanations on every objective and problem within that set.

Pros

Adapts to students level.
Supports students through a mastery program.
Is user friendly from a manager point of view.
Provides excellent support for course managers.

Cons

Increase assessment question pool.
Allow the manager to remove questions from question pool (in homework and assessments).

Likelihood to Recommend

Alta is an excellent tool for student homework and assessments, especially for online courses. Students are given excellent instruction via text and/or video of the objectives. The mastery program gives every student an opportunity to work on a problem set until mastery is achieved. Alta also creates a review set based on student work. This review set helps students practice and prepare for assessments with questions based on their personal work.

Verified User

Professional (1001-5000 employees)

Vetted Review

4 years of experience

Makes homework so much better

Rating: 10 out of 10

March 3, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use [alta from Knewton] in my pre-calculus class as a way for students to do homework and take tests. Right now it is only used in my class but other professors in my department have expressed interest in using it.

Pros

Adaptive learning
LMS integration
Focus on meeting learning standards rather than just on grades
Each student gets different questions so it can reduce cheating
Explanations are included if students get problems wrong

Cons

I allow students to take quizzes up to 3 times. I don't let them see the solutions until the due date but it would be nice to have the option for them to see which learning objectives they got wrong after each attempt so it would help them study.

Likelihood to Recommend

I think any computational based math class will greatly benefit from [alta from Knewton, a Wiley brand]. It simplifies the professor's work in terms of grading while also increasing the student's ability to get real time help on homework problems if they are struggling. I like that the questions are at a deep level and not all multiple choice. If a student gets a problem wrong they get a growth mindset message of encouragement.

Elana Reiser

Professor at St. Joseph's College (201-500 employees)

Vetted Review

1 year of experience

Wiley's Alta/Knewton learning systems are an excellent value.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

February 22, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I used the Alta/Knewton system to facilitate independent learning by a diverse group of 1st and 2nd-year college students. Their biology scores during the 2 units in which the program was piloted reported a better learning experience than those units where no tutorial program was used. In my experience, student satisfaction with a learning product is one of the best assessments of such products.

Pros

Provides a quality, well-tested product.
Excellent user support.
Affordable products.

Cons

I have yet to run into something that Wiley reps did not handle well.

Likelihood to Recommend

When I had questions regarding the login of a specific student, I received a return email with the answer within minutes of submission!

Verified User

Professional (51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

1 year of experience

A teaching tool for the nerd in all of us

Rating: 10 out of 10

February 18, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use alta from Knewton, a Wiley brand, as a learning management system for our calculus program. It is easy to use and promotes student interaction. Online learning is tough, but alta from Knewton, a Wiley brand, makes it enjoyable for the students.

Pros

Just-in-time learning
Immediate feedback
Individualized student interaction

Cons

Wider distribution--not many know about it
Tighter line between objectives and learning
Alternative testing to prevent student cheating

Likelihood to Recommend

It makes teaching fun and allows teachers to concentrate on student learning without having to grade papers. Another aspect that can't be ignored is students get immediate feedback. I love the questions being reinforced with well-made videos.

Kevin Hulke

Instructor in Social Media at chippewa Valley Technical College (501-1000 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

View profile

Knewton in the Classroom

Rating: 9 out of 10

February 13, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We are using Knewton in our statistics and college algebra courses. Its adaptive learning meets students where they are—those with strong skills progress through the homework at a faster pace than those who need more time to sharpen skills. It also lets those who need prerequisite help still be successful, bringing students to instruction to fill in the gaps they MSU have. The analytics the software provides instructors help guide future instruction.

Pros

Adaptive learning
Customer support
Affordable

Cons

Partial credit on test questions.
Clearing student attempts.

Likelihood to Recommend

Well suited for classes where the prereq skills of the students are varied. It does take a while, as an instructor, to give up on the ‘I want control of the questions I assign’ mindset. Personally, I do supplement with paper/pencil quizzes to fill that control I still want.

Verified User

Employee (201-500 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

Knewton knows how to support you and your students.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

February 12, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

My students have found success using alta from Knewton. It was especially useful as we transitioned away from classes on campus and into remote learning.

Pros

Remediation.
Review of instruction.
Motivation.

Cons

Modification of grading for instructor.

Likelihood to Recommend

alta from Knewton works well for students who have a desire to learn and are willing to put in the effort. alta from Knewton does not work well for students who are unmotivated or want to skip work and only do the tests.

Verified User

Professional (51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

4 years of experience