When setting up objectives for your ALEKS course, you can choose either to define end dates or to set a mastery level for each objective. When using mastery level for objective completion (objectives without end dates), instructors select a final day when all objectives will be due (usually around the end of the course).

Objectives / Modules with End Dates

When an end date is assigned to an objective, students should do their best to complete the objective before this date. After this date, students will be moved to the next objective, and the material in the past objective will not be available unless it is prerequisite for current learning. If students finish an objective before the due date, instructor has the option to move students to the next objective or open all objectives so students have the option to work on Ready to Learn topics in an objective until the next objective begins.

• To choose an end date, click in the box in the end date column. Each chapter/objective included must have an end date unless objectives are being used with mastery levels.
• The start date for the first chapter/objective is always the start date of the course. The start date for any other chapter/objective is one day after the end date of the previous chapter/objective.
• Start dates cannot be set manually, and each chapter included must have an end date. If you want objectives to overlap, you must make the end dates the same. Please keep in mind that objectives with the same end date are combined as a single column in the Gradebook.

Objectives without End Dates (mastery levels for Objectives)

If you choose this option, students will be moved to the next objective when they meet the mastery level set for the current objective (the default is 90%). Students will still be able to access the remaining unmastered topics from all previous objectives through the Topic Carousel by selecting the downward arrow tab in the upper left corner of the screen. A final due date must be set for all objectives, this is the date when scores for all objectives will be sent to the gradebook. The default setting for this date is the end date of the course.