Question 1

Who is Alps for?

Accepted Answer

Alps is an adaptive learning platform for computer science teachers and their students in K-12 and higher education. Our goal is mastery for all students, not only the few who have a tutor. You teach CS hands-on from the textbook you chose, and Alps auto-grades each submission, adjusts practice to each student, and steps in with a hint when someone is stuck. You can also replay a student’s code to see how they reached an answer. Whether you teach a formal class or a CS bootcamp, you can use an Alps curriculum as your main materials or to supplement your own. On the District or Campus License, our team can also import your curriculum and make it interactive.

Question 2

How do I sign up for Alps?

Accepted Answer

It’s free. Go to alps.2sigma.school and click "Sign Up." Use your school email to sign in with Google or Microsoft, or request access to Alps in Clever or ClassLink. Teachers get all core features right away, at no cost.

Question 3

How do I create my first class?

Accepted Answer

After you sign in, click "Create Class" on your dashboard, pick a primary textbook, and name the class. Then add students from the class’s People page. Share the join link from Copy Invite link, or link a Google Classroom course to bring in its roster. If your school has connected an LMS like Canvas, open Alps from your LMS course and link it to the class. Students join the first time they open Alps from the course. You can also add activities made from your own materials with Custom Activities.

Question 4

How do students access Alps?

Accepted Answer

Students can join your class with the join link on the People page, from your LMS (like Canvas) through LTI, or through Google Classroom. On the District or Campus License, you can also bulk import them from a Google Sheet. Students don’t need to create an account when they sign in with SSO or open Alps from your LMS.

Question 5

What content is available on Alps?

Accepted Answer

Popular open-source curricula are free on Alps, including CSAwesome, Mobile CSP, Python for Everybody, Data 8 (Inferential Thinking), and many more. You can also buy licensed textbooks from our partner publishers. On every plan, you can turn your own materials into activities with Custom Activities. Usage limits rise with each plan. Bulk Import turns a whole worksheet or exam into activities in one paste, and needs the Premium plan or above. On the District or Campus License, our team can import your own curriculum as a textbook. Want us to add a textbook or curriculum? Please contact us.

Question 6

What programming languages does Alps support?

Accepted Answer

Alps supports Python, Java, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, SQL, C/C++, Blockly, and Jupyter notebooks, plus a cyber range for cybersecurity courses. Students code right in the browser, so there’s nothing to install. It works on Chromebooks and any device with a modern browser. We’re adding new languages and environments all the time.

Question 7

How does automatic grading work?

Accepted Answer

On every plan, including the free one, multiple-choice questions, puzzles, and code with unit tests grade automatically the moment a student submits. Python and Java code also gets semantic checks, which show how the code was written and never change the grade. You see each student’s score, the test results, and the lines each check matched, and you can change any score. Automatic grading gives each activity full points or none; only you can give partial credit. Short answers, and code with no automatic result, wait for your review unless AI grading is on, which comes with Premium plans and above. If an activity has both code and a written answer, the whole activity waits. See how grading works.

Question 8

What is Pathfinder, and how does it help students?

Accepted Answer

Pathfinder is the AI tutor built into Alps, on coding and Parsons activities. It is not a chat box, and a student never types a question to a language model. When someone is stuck, Pathfinder offers a fixed set of choices — on a coding activity, a hint, an outline to work from, or the subproblem as a drag-and-drop puzzle; on a Parsons puzzle, a hint, a simpler version, subgoal labels, or a worked example — and the student picks which kind of help they want. Hints start as a nudge, get more specific as a student keeps trying, and don’t give away the answer. You see the help each student used, and you can turn Pathfinder off for any assignment, including a test.

Question 9

What is BloomIQ differentiation?

Accepted Answer

BloomIQ uses a mastery model to estimate where each student stands on every skill, then groups your class by mastery on the topics you pick. In one click, you can create personalized coursework for each group that challenges advanced students and gives extra support to those who need it. You review every group before you publish, and you can move students, swap problems, or set due dates. Each student also gets an ungraded practice feed at their level.

Question 10

What analytics are available?

Accepted Answer

InsightLens is a real-time dashboard for your class. Spot struggling students early and see which concepts need more class time. It shows student progress, time on task, common misconceptions, and mastery trends.

Question 11

Is Alps FERPA compliant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Alps is fully FERPA compliant. It uses student education records only for the educational purposes your school sets. We’ve signed data privacy agreements with many school districts, and we can sign yours too. See our terms of service and privacy policy for details.

Question 12

Do you sign a student data privacy agreement (DPA)?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We’re a member of the A4L Student Data Privacy Consortium, and two of our signed agreements are public. One is our DPA with Sycamore Community Schools, on the standard multi-state NDPA v1.0 form. The other is Kent City School District’s Exhibit E, where a district joined the same terms through our General Offer. We’ve signed others that aren’t posted publicly. Need one for your district? The quickest route is usually to countersign our General Offer (Exhibit E), which puts you on the same terms. Or send us your district’s own DPA, and we’ll review and sign it. Either way, email privacy@2sigma.school to get started.

Question 13

Is Alps COPPA compliant for K-12 students?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Alps is COPPA compliant. It collects only the minimum information needed for educational purposes. It never collects personal information from children under 13 without school consent. Alps doesn’t use student data for advertising and doesn’t sell any personal information.

Question 14

How does Alps use language models with students, and how is it kept safe?

Accepted Answer

Alps uses a language model in three places: the Pathfinder tutor, Rubriq’s feedback on written work, and Gutenberg when a teacher imports content. Pathfinder is not a chat box, and a student never types a question to a language model. Its help is written ahead of time, when the curriculum is imported, and while a student works on a coding activity they pick from a fixed set of choices: a hint, an outline to work from, or the same step as a drag-and-drop puzzle. You see a record of the help each student used, and you can turn Pathfinder off for any assignment, which turns it off for everyone working on it. Rubriq and Gutenberg are teacher-facing: you can change any grade Rubriq gives, and every activity Gutenberg generates starts in Pending review, so nothing reaches a class until you approve it. We never run cheating detection, and we never decide whether a student cheated.

Question 15

Does Alps work with my LMS?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Alps works with any LMS that supports LTI 1.3, including Canvas, Schoology, Moodle, D2L Brightspace, and Blackboard. Your school connects the LMS, and a teacher links the course to an Alps class. After that, students and teachers open Alps from the course with single sign-on. Coursework you publish in Alps from then on shows up as a column in the LMS gradebook, and scores go there automatically when grading finishes. Students join the Alps class the first time they open it from the course. To bring in the whole course roster, click Resync list. LMS integration comes with Premium plans and above.

Question 16

How does Google Classroom integration work?

Accepted Answer

Link a Google Classroom course to your Alps class from the class’s People page, and its roster comes in. Resync list picks up later changes. Coursework you publish in Alps shows up in Classroom automatically, with a link that opens the assignment in Alps. Grades go back to Classroom when grading finishes. Linking a Classroom course comes with Premium plans and above. Signing in with Google works on every plan. Schools on Google Workspace for Education can turn on Alps for students and teachers by installing it from the Google Workspace Marketplace.

Question 17

What single sign-on (SSO) options are there?

Accepted Answer

What single sign-on (SSO) options are there?

Students and teachers can sign in with Google, Microsoft/Azure AD, Clever, ClassLink, or LTI 1.3. They use the school accounts they already have, so there are no new passwords, and student data gets extra privacy safeguards. Use a different SSO provider? Contact us about a custom integration.

Google and Microsoft sign-in work on every plan, including the free one, with no setup in Alps. Clever and ClassLink sign-in, which an org admin turns on for the organization, come with Premium plans and above.

Sign-in and rosters are separate. A join link brings students in on every plan. Rosters come from Google Classroom or an LTI 1.3 LMS with Premium plans and above, or from a bulk import with the District or Campus License. Clever and ClassLink handle sign-in only.

Question 18

Is Alps available on Clever?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Alps is listed in the Clever App Gallery. Districts that use Clever can turn on single sign-on, so students and teachers sign in to Alps with their Clever accounts. Clever sign-in comes with Premium plans and above.

Question 19

Is Alps free for teachers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Educator Basic runs your whole class for free. It includes the entire open-content catalog, 10,000+ auto-graded practice problems, Pathfinder, one-click differentiation, and auto-grading with class analytics. There are no section or student caps, no credit card, and no expiration date. Most teachers never need more. See what the paid plans add on the Pricing page.

Question 20

Do students need to pay anything?

Accepted Answer

In K-12, never. The teacher or school provides access, and students join with a link, from your LMS, or with SSO. In higher education, students pay nothing under a department license. If the department prefers, students can buy their own access or a licensed title with a code from the campus bookstore.

Question 21

Do I have to talk to sales to get a price?

Accepted Answer

No. Starting prices are published. Create a free account, enter your sections or students, and you generate your own quote inside Alps in seconds. Turn it into an invoice and pay by ACH, check, or wire. Your features unlock as soon as the invoice is issued, and you have 30 days to pay. You don’t have to fill out a form or book a call. Sales gets involved only for larger deployments, where implementation and contract terms vary.

Question 22

How do I get Alps for my entire school, district, or university?

Accepted Answer

You can price and buy a District License yourself inside Alps, with no sales call. Need a Campus License, a larger deployment, implementation support, professional development, or custom contract terms? Book a demo, and we’ll quote you directly.

Finally, an adaptive platform built for the unique challenges of teaching computer science!

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