MathXL for School

FAQs

General

Access Codes, Registration, Enrollment

Creating a course

Assignments & Gradebook

Technical Support

General

What does MathXL for School offer my students?

With MathXL for School, your students can:

  • Work through unlimited tutorial exercises, many of which include multimedia learning aids, correlated to the exercises in their textbook.
  • Receive a personalized study plan to diagnose areas they need to practice.
  • Complete homework assignments and tests online and receive immediate feedback.

What does MathXL for School offer me as a teacher?

You can use MathXL for School to:

  • Create and assign online homework and tests that are automatically graded and tightly correlated to your textbook.
  • Manage your students' results in a powerful online gradebook that identifies students’ strengths and weaknesses.
  • Customize your assignments as much or as little as you like, depending on your syllabus and your students' needs.

 How will using MathXL for School save me time?

MathXL for School automatically grades online homework assignments and tracks all student results, so you can spend less time grading and more time teaching. By using MathXL for School to monitor your students' results, you can quickly assess how individual students—or the class as a whole—are progressing with specific topics.

Is MathXL for School difficult for students to use?

Not at all. Most students are very used to working online, and the navigation within MathXL for School is very intuitive. In addition, most newer courses include Orientation exercises that help students get started and become familiar with how to enter answers in the Player, use the palette, and work with the Grapher.

What if my students do not have Internet access at home?

You might recommend to those students that they work on their assignments in the school library or computer lab or from a public library. Additionally, they can print out their assignments and work on them at home. When they return to a computer with Internet access, students can log in to MathXL for School, enter their answers, and receive feedback.

Make sure the computers in any labs where your students will be using MathXL for School have been set up with the appropriate plug-ins and players.

What if I don't cover all the chapters in the textbook?

You can easily hide chapters, sections, and other resources you don't plan to use from your MathXL for School course using the Course Manager. You can always go back and restore sections or Chapters later by editing your course coverage again.

 

Back to top

Access Codes, Registration, Enrollment

How do I get access to MathXL for School?

Teachers can use this Access Request Form to request teacher access to MathXL for School.

Students need an access code to register. If your teacher does not provide you with one, you may purchase access online. Visit How to Purchase for more information.

How do I learn how to set up my MathXL for School course?

There are several training resources available to help you get started with MathXL for School, including a Review Guide, videos, online training, and in-person training. Visit Training & Support to see what is available.

Do I have to do anything for my students to have access to my MathXL for School course?

Yes. You must give your students the Course ID for the course in which you want them to enroll. To find your Course ID, log in to your MathXL for School account and click Course Manager on the left nav bar. Find your course in the list and click on the Course ID. The page that loads is a handout that you can print out and give to each student. This handout includes the name of your course and the Course ID, along with instructions for your students on how to register for MathXL for School and enroll in your course. (Note: In addition to your Course ID, students also need an access code to register for MathXL for School.)

Do I have to create a course for my students to use MathXL for School?

No. Students can register for MathXL for School, log in, and get started on their own. Instead of enrolling in a course, they can choose to study on their own. They can take sample tests which generate a personalized study plan, and they can work at their own pace on tutorial exercises with interactive learning aids. If you later decide to create your own course in MathXL for School, your students can enroll in your course at any time and their work will then be tracked in your gradebook.

When does my access to MathXL for School expire?

Teacher access to your MathXL for School course is good for five years. However, you may call technical support to extend your subscription when it expires. Student access is valid for 12 months.

I forgot my login name and password. How can I get it again?

You can retrieve your login name and password by submitting an online request form (also available from the MathXL for School log-in page). When completing this form, be sure to enter the email address you used to register for MathXL for School. Your login information will be sent only to this email address. If you need additional assistance, call Teacher Product Support at 1-888-695-6577 or Student Product Support at 1-800-677-6337.

 

Back to top

Creating a course

How long will students have access to my course?

 Students can access the course for up to 12 months, or until the course end date you specify during course creation.

Can I hide course content from my students without deleting it from the course?

 Yes, you can make course content invisible to your students by editing the course settings in the Course Manager and then changing course coverage. You may also hide assignments from your students’ Homework and Tests page by “unassigning” them.

How do I manage multiple sections of the same course?

 You can set up course groups that let you use a coordinator course to manage multiple sections of the same course. See Managing Sections in MathXL for School (PDF) for detailed information on setting up and managing course groups.

 

Back to top

Assignments & Gradebook

Can I assign my student a section of the ebook to read before beginning their homework?

Yes, media learning aids such as videos, animations, or ebook pages (where available) are assignable in MathXL for School. And these media assignments can be selected as prerequisites to other assignments. To create a media assignment, go to the Homework & Test Manager, click Create Assignment, and chose Create Media Assignment.

Can I assign my student a section of the ebook to read before beginning their homework?

Yes, you can use the MathXL for School Custom Question Builder available in most MathXL for School courses to create your own custom algorithmic exercises, and you can include these exercises on homework assignments, quizzes, and tests.

Can I create my own tests for students to take in MathXL for School?

Yes. Each MathXL for School course contains sample chapter tests that you can copy and modify, or you can create your own tests using an online test bank of items correlated to the exercises in your textbook. You can also upload TestGen tests into your MathXL for School course.

Can I export grades from the MathXL for School gradebook and use them in my spreadsheet program?

Yes. The MathXL for School gradebook allows you to export the data in a comma separated value (.csv) file format, and you can open the .csv file in a spreadsheet program.

 

Back to top

Technical Support

Does MathXL for School work on Macs as well as PCs?

Yes. In addition to supporting Internet Explorer, the Flash-based MathXL for School Player v2 supports Firefox on Windows (XP and Vista) and Safari and Firefox on the Macintosh as well as the PC.

Why do I need to install both the TestGen plug-in and the TestGen software?

The TestGen plug-in allows you and your students to view and take TestGen tests within MathXL for School; the software lets you create and author them. Students only need to install the plug-in, as they are not creating or authoring TestGen tests.

Why can't I run MathXL for School in my browser?

In most courses, you and your students can use recent versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari to work in your course. A few older courses, however, are only available using Internet Explorer.

Some Internet providers offer their own proprietary browsers, which are not compatible with MathXL for School. To work in your course, you must minimize the proprietary browser and open a standard browser supported for your course.

What if pop-up blockers are preventing windows from appearing?

Pop-up blockers or ad-blockers may prevent you from installing components and from using your course. You should configure these programs to allow pop-ups from MathXLforSchool.com before running the Browser Check or trying to use any part of your course.

Commonly used pop-up blockers:

  • All the supported browsers - Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari - include pop-up blockers.
  • MSN offers the MSN Toolbar, which includes a pop-up blocker.
  • EarthLink offers a pop-up Blocker for Internet Explorer.
  • Google offers a toolbar with a feature to block pop-up windows.
  • Yahoo offers a toolbar with features to block pop-up windows.
  • Netscape 7.1 offers a pop-up blocker feature that can be turned off by selecting Preferences from the Edit menu and then selecting Popup Windows under Privacy and Security.

How to allow pop-ups from specific locations:

Most popular pop-up blockers let you allow pop-ups from specific locations. For example, if you are using the Google toolbar pop-up blocker, you can click the Popup Blocker button on the toolbar when you are using the Browser Check. The button text will change to read “Allow site popups,” indicating that the Popup Blocker is disabled for the MyMathLab site. For specific instructions, please refer to the online help for your pop-up blocker.

Tips for managing pop-up blockers:

  • Most pop-up blockers produce an audio alert when they block a pop-up window. If you have speakers installed, raise your volume so you can hear whether a pop-up has been blocked.
  • Many pop-up blockers let you use the "Ctrl" key on your keyboard to allow an individual pop-up window. If you are unsure how to configure your pop-up blocker, hold down the "Ctrl" key when clicking the Install or Detect buttons in the Browser Check.
  • If you have multiple pop-up blockers, you will need to configure each pop-up blocker. For example, you may have Internet Explorer 6.0 (with Service Pack 2), the Google Toolbar, and Norton Internet Security. Each has its own, independent pop-up blocker.

How to disable pop-up blockers:

  • If pop-ups are still blocked after you configure your pop-up software, you should temporarily disable your pop-up blockers. You can temporarily disable many pop-up blockers by clicking the program's icon in either the Windows System Tray or in the browser. You can re-enable the software when you are not using your course.
  • In extreme cases, you may need to uninstall a pop-up blocker completely. If the pop-up blocker is not part of your browser, you probably can remove it using the Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel.

If you need help, contact Customer Technical Support.

How do I configure my browser's cookie settings?

To use MathXL for School, your browser must accept cookies, which are used to keep track of who you are when you move from one web page to another.

To enable cookies for Internet Explorer:

  1. From the Tools menu, select Internet Options.
  2. In the Internet Options window, click the Privacy tab.
  3. Click Advanced.
  4. Set your cookie handling as follows:
    • Select Override Automatic Cookie Handling.
    • Accept 1st party cookies.
    • Accept 3rd party cookies.
    • Select the checkbox Always allow session cookies.

To enable cookies for Firefox:

  1. From the Firefox menu, choose Tools > Options (PC) or Firefox > Preferences (Mac).
  2. In the Options window, click the Privacy tab.
  3. In the Cookies section of the window, make sure “Accept cookies from sites” is checked.
  4. From the “Keep until” dropdown list, choose either they expire or I close Firefox.
  5. Click OK to save your settings.

To enable cookies for Safari:

  1. From the Safari menu, choose Safari > Preferences.
  2. At the top of the window, click the Security lock icon.
  3. Under Accept Cookies, make sure Only from sites you navigate to is selected.
  4. Dismiss the Advanced window.

If you need help, contact Customer Technical Support.

The videos won’t play on my computer.

If you are having trouble playing the videos in your MathXL for School course, you may need to adjust your QuickTime settings. Click the links below for instructions:

Settings for QuickTime 7 (recommended)

Settings for QuickTime 6

 

Back to top