Welcome to ALEKS, one of the most powerful educational tools available for learning business math. ALEKS combines advanced learning technology with the flexibility of the Internet, and provides an interactive tutoring system with unmatched features and capabilities.

The innovative features of ALEKS open new horizons for educators and learners alike in any educational context. The ALEKS course management system enables instructors to efficiently monitor student progress and provide focused instruction. With its unprecedented use of Artificial Intelligence, ALEKS determines quickly and precisely what your students know and what they need to learn, guiding them down individualized learning paths to mastery. The syllabi used are customizable, letting you conveniently add or subtract topics. As ALEKS is accessed on the Internet, no complicated technical preparation is needed---and your students can work at any time, from home, from work, or from the classroom! ALEKS can also be integrated with a variety of McGraw-Hill/Irwin textbooks.

The benefits of using ALEKS are dramatic. Students work in a dynamic, interactive learning environment on precisely those materials that they are individually ready to learn, building momentum toward mastery. Students can access their ALEKS account around their own schedules and work on what they are ready to learn now. It is the personalized, "just-in-time" learning system.

ALEKS may be used in a variety of classroom situations---whether in a traditional classroom, or in a self-directed or distance-learning environment.

ALEKS is sold to the student as a subscription. The student purchases a User's Guide with Student Access Code , usually through a bookstore or online. Using the Student Access Code along with the Course Code provided by the instructor, the student registers on the ALEKS website.

ALEKS can be adopted in one of two ways:

• ALEKS may be adopted as a supplement to a McGraw-Hill textbook. In this case, the student subscription cost is similar to the cost of a traditional print supplement, such as a study guide or student solutions manual. Students will need to purchase a McGraw-Hill textbook bundled with the User's Guide with Student Access Code.
• ALEKS may be adopted as a stand-alone item. In this case, the instructor adopts ALEKS alone, and the students purchase the User's Guide with Student Access Code for about the cost of a traditional textbook.

This Instructor's Manual is intended to provide complete information on the functioning of ALEKS. A description of its contents can be found in Chapter 1.

Please also take time to explore the ALEKS website: it is a valuable source of information (https://www.aleks.com, Fig. 3.1). The website includes tours, overviews of ALEKS course products, troubleshooting and support information, training resources, and user guides. It also contains information on the theory and research behind ALEKS, forums for the exchange of ideas with other educators, and brief, recorded on-line training segments. To find the resources specific to the educational field you are in, click on the appropriate link on the ALEKS home page.