Frequently Asked Questions

Alps is an adaptive learning platform designed for computer science educators and learners in K-12 and higher education. Alps helps educators teach computer science interactively with built-in automated grading, a guided tutor, and differentiated learning. Whether you are teaching a formal class or a CS bootcamp, you can use one of the built-in curricula in Alps as primary materials or to supplement your teaching. Premium tier educators can also import their own content easily and turn it into interactive lessons.

Getting started is easy and free! Visit alps.2sigma.school and click "Sign Up." Sign up with your school email for quick access using Google or Microsoft or request access to Alps in Clever or ClassLink. Educators get immediate access to all core features at no cost.

After signing in, click "Create Class" from your dashboard. Enter your class name, select a primary textbook, and choose how to enroll learners (share a join link, LMS sync, or manual import). Premium accounts can upload their own materials in addition to using our content library.

Learners can join your class using a join link you can copy on the People page, through your LMS (Canvas, Schoology, etc.) via LTI integration, through Google Classroom sync, or bulk CSV import through Google Sheets. No separate account creation is needed when using SSO or LMS integration.

Alps provides FREE access to popular open-source curricula including CSAwesome, Mobile CSP, Python for Everybody, Data 8 (Inferential Thinking), and many more. Licensed textbooks from our partner publishers are available for purchase. Premium accounts can also upload and transform your own materials into interactive lessons using our Gutenberg tool.

If you would like us to add a specific textbook or curriculum, please contact us.

Alps automatically grades code assignments by running test cases and further analyzing learner solutions using Rubriq, Alps' rubric-based grading system. For open-response questions that require short answers, Rubriq scores against a rubric generated from your course; a language model drafts the feedback, and educators review and adjust grades and feedback before a learner sees them.

BloomIQ is Alps' differentiation engine. It reads learner performance at the skill level, groups learners by mastery, and builds personalized assignments. With one click, educators can create differentiated coursework that challenges advanced learners while providing extra support for those who need it.

Alps supports a wide range of languages and environments including Python, Java, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, SQL, C/C++, and Jupyter notebooks, plus a cyber range for cybersecurity courses. All coding happens in the browser with our integrated IDE—no installation required, works on Chromebooks and any device with a modern browser.

We are continuously adding support for new languages and environments.

Alps provides InsightLens, a real-time analytics dashboard that gives educators visibility into learner progress, time spent on tasks, common misconceptions, and mastery trends. With InsightLens, educators can identify struggling learners early and see which concepts need more class time.

Pathfinder is Alps' built-in tutor. It uses a language model, limited to the coursework in front of the learner, to break complex problems into manageable steps, offer hints without giving away answers, and adapt to each learner's level. Unlike a general chatbot, Pathfinder is curriculum-aware and includes strong guardrails to ensure academic integrity.

Yes, Alps by 2Sigma is fully FERPA compliant. Alps only uses student education records for the educational purposes specified by your institution. 2Sigma has signed Data Privacy Agreements with numerous school districts and can sign your institution's DPA as well. See our terms of service and privacy policy for details.

Yes, and gladly. We are a member of the A4L Student Data Privacy Consortium, and a couple of our agreements are posted publicly so you can read the real thing rather than take our word for it: our DPA with Sycamore Community Schools, on the standard multi-state NDPA v1.0 form, and Kent City School District's Exhibit E, where a district joined the same terms through our General Offer. Those two are just a sample — we have signed others that live in districts' own systems and are not posted publicly. Need one for your district? Countersign our General Offer (Exhibit E) and you are on the same terms as the agreements above, which is usually the quickest route, or send us your district's own DPA and we will review and sign yours. Either way, email privacy@2sigma.school and we will take it from there.

Yes, Alps by 2Sigma is COPPA compliant. Alps collects only the minimum information necessary for educational purposes and never collects personal information from children under 13 without school consent. Alps does not use learner data for advertising or sell any personal information.

On Alps, learner data is used solely to provide educational services — powering tutoring via Pathfinder, generating progress reports via InsightLens, and enabling differentiated instruction via BloomIQ. 2Sigma never sells learner data, uses it for advertising, or shares it with third parties except as needed to provide the service. See our Privacy Policy for details.

A language model is used in three places: the Pathfinder tutor, Rubriq's feedback on written work, and Gutenberg when a teacher imports content. Each has multiple safety layers: content filtering, topic guardrails that keep conversations focused on coursework, and anti-cheating measures that encourage learning over answer-giving. Educators using Alps have full visibility into AI interactions with learners and can customize guardrail settings.

Alps by 2Sigma follows the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and implements industry-standard security measures including encryption at rest and in transit, tight role-based access controls, and secure cloud infrastructure. 2Sigma is a member of the EdSafe AI Alliance Industry Council and participates in the A4L Student Data Privacy Consortium.

Yes! Alps supports LTI 1.3 integration with all major Learning Management Systems including Canvas, Blackboard, Schoology, Moodle, and Brightspace. This enables single sign-on, automatic roster sync, and grade passback directly to your LMS gradebook.

Alps integrates directly with Google Classroom via official APIs. You can import your classes and rosters, push assignments to Google Classroom, and sync grades. Educators and learners sign in with their Google accounts for seamless access.

Google Workspace for Education customers can easily enable access to Alps for their learners and educators by installing the app from the Google Workspace Marketplace.

Alps supports SSO through Google, Microsoft/Azure AD, Clever, ClassLink, and LTI 1.3. This allows learners and educators to log in with their existing institution credentials without creating new passwords and provides additional safeguards for student data privacy. If your institution uses a different SSO provider, please contact us to discuss custom integration options.

Yes! Alps is listed in the Clever App Gallery. Districts using Clever can enable Alps for instant rostering and single sign-on integration.

Yes — and free runs your whole class, not a stripped-back sample of it. Educator Basic includes the entire open-content catalog, 10,000+ auto-graded practice problems, Pathfinder, one-click differentiation, and auto-grading with class analytics — with no section or learner caps, no credit card and no expiry. Most educators never need more than this — raising the bar for free CS platform offerings. See where the paid plans add value on the Pricing page.

Three tiers in each segment. In K-12: Educator Basic (free), Educator Premium (priced per section, per year) and District License. In higher education: Instructor Basic (free), Department Premium (priced per learner, per term) and Campus License. Every plan is available at every size. Starting prices for each are on the Pricing page; your own figure comes from the quote you generate.

No. Starting prices are published, and you generate your own quote inside Alps — enter your sections or learners, turn the quote into an invoice yourself, and pay by ACH, check or card. Your features unlock on payment, with no form to fill in and no call to book. Sales only gets involved for larger deployments, where implementation and contract terms genuinely vary.

You pay whichever is greater: the total for your sections or learners, or the plan minimum. Adding a section or a learner always costs less than the one before it, and never triggers a jump. The minimum for each plan, and how much it covers, is shown on the Pricing page.

In K-12, usually nothing changes. We price by class-size range rather than per learner, so a few students joining or leaving normally leaves your price exactly where it was. If a class grows enough to move into the next range, re-generate your quote with the new numbers and pay the difference — it is typically minor.

If you add a whole new section, re-quote the entire subscription rather than just the new one: running more sections lowers the cost of each, so the better rate applies across all of them and you pay only the difference.

In higher education, enrollment is counted once for the term. Either way, we never re-price a term you have already paid for, and we don't recalculate your bill at the end of the year.

International schools are billed in USD. Your exact rate is confirmed in the quote you generate, before you pay anything.

No. All prices exclude sales tax, VAT and GST. Most public schools and districts are exempt — upload your exemption certificate in your billing settings.

Open content is free on every plan, forever — that covers most of what is taught in introductory computer science, plus several titles created by 2Sigma School, including Generative AI: Programming with LLMs, Logic Gym and Nifty Assignments. Publisher titles are licensed separately, per learner, at each publisher's own list price. In K-12, educators buy them inside Alps for the students in their sections, on the same invoice as their subscription. In higher education, students can pay directly at checkout, or your bookstore can buy in bulk and receive redemption codes to distribute — contact sales@alps.2sigma.us.

You can price and buy a District or Campus License yourself, without talking to anyone. For larger deployments — or where you need implementation support, professional development or custom contract terms — schedule a demo and we will quote directly.

In K-12, no — learners never pay. Access is provided through their educator or institution, and they join with a link, an LMS launch or SSO. In higher education a department license also means students pay nothing; if a department prefers, students can instead buy access or a licensed title directly at checkout.

Alps' Gutenberg engine reads your existing content (PDFs, textbooks, documents) and turns it into interactive, adaptive learning experiences on the Alps platform. The process preserves your brand, copyright, and content integrity while adding features like auto-grading, hints, content enhancements, and personalized feedback. The 2Sigma team works closely with publishers to ensure the transformation meets quality standards.

Publishers retain full ownership of their content. Alps acts as a technology partner and distribution platform. Your brand, copyright notices, and attribution remain visible to all users on Alps. 2Sigma never claims ownership of publisher content. Enhancements created by Alps are not exportable and remain proprietary to the Alps platform.

Alps offers flexible partnership models for publishers including subscription-based licensing, per-seat pricing, and revenue sharing arrangements. The specific terms depend on content volume, target market, and distribution preferences. Schedule a call with the 2Sigma team to discuss options tailored to your business.

Publishers on Alps get request-based access to aggregated analytics including adoption rates, engagement metrics, time-on-task data, and bug reports. These insights help publishers understand how educators use their content on Alps and identify opportunities for improvement or new content development. 2Sigma is committed to the privacy of educators and learners and does not share any user-identifiable information with publishers, except as required by law.

Content transformation timelines on Alps vary based on content complexity and volume. Alps' Gutenberg engine can often transform an entire curriculum within a few hours, depending on the complexity and volume. The 2Sigma team provides detailed timelines during the initial consultation and works with publisher schedules to meet launch deadlines.

Only books that are not open-source require a license. These are typically commercial textbooks from our partner publishers. On the bookshelf, licensed books are marked with a icon, while open-source books show a icon. All open-source books on Alps are free to use.

License costs vary by title and are typically close to the price of the physical or e-book edition. You need one license per student who will use the book. You can see the exact price yourself: open the title in the Library and click Purchase License to build a quote for your school — no email, no sales call.

It is self-serve. (1) Open the title in the Library and click Purchase License, which builds a quote for your school. (2) Confirm your classes and, for a sharper price, how many students are in each. (3) Click Get invoice on the quote. (4) Pay by ACH bank transfer (preferred) or by check — remit details and a W-9 are on the invoice itself — then click Mark paid with your reference. Access starts as soon as the invoice is issued, so nobody waits for the payment to clear.

Co-teachers can use the license only if the licensed teacher is part of the course section and there are sufficient licenses to cover all students enrolled in the section. Each student needs their own license regardless of which teacher is instructing them.

We would love to help! Please introduce us to your publisher by emailing sales@alps.2sigma.us. We will work with them to transform their content into an interactive, adaptive edition on Alps.

It depends on the kind of school. K-12 schools always pay centrally — nothing in Alps ever bills a K-12 student. Higher education chooses: the department can buy for the whole class, students can buy their own access, or both. Which one applies is settled on the quote when you purchase. Where students pay, each one handles their own access on their Course Access page — paying online, or redeeming a code from the campus bookstore — and the professor is not in the middle of it.

Email sales@alps.2sigma.us with the title and the quantity and we will send a bulk quote and an invoice. Once the invoice is settled you receive that many redemption codes, which you sell the way you sell any other access code. A student redeems one on their Course Access page in Alps — codes look like ALPS-4K2M-99XT-QW10 — and the title unlocks straight away. No card needed at any point.

A practice computer that exists only inside the student’s browser tab. It has files and folders, user accounts and groups, file permissions, a small network with firewall rules, and saved network recordings. Students explore it and change it by typing commands, the way they would on a real machine — and nothing they do there can damage anything.

Each exercise gets its own machine, built from that activity’s own set-up, so the accounts, permissions, files and recordings a question needs are already in place when it opens.

No, and we would rather say so plainly. The range is emulated: it models a Linux-like machine rather than running one. It does not do everything Linux does — there are no running programs to start or stop, no text editors like vi or nano, no internet access, no sudo or root account, and the shell takes one command per line with no pipes or loops.

What it does cover is most of what an introductory cybersecurity course actually asks students to do: reading and setting file permissions, ownership and groups, moving around a filesystem, searching inside files, switching between accounts, reading firewall rules and asking whether traffic is allowed, examining saved packet captures, and working with keys, signatures and encrypted files. If a student types something the range does not have, it says so and points them at what to use instead — nothing breaks.

Nothing. There are no virtual machines to build, no lab images to maintain, no cloud accounts to provision and no per-student licenses to buy. The range builds itself when the student opens the activity, and it works the same on a Chromebook, an iPad or a laptop.

Yes — that is the whole point. The range cannot reach the internet or anything on your school network, and it exists only in the browser tab. A student can try the risky thing, get it wrong, and put the machine back exactly as it started with Reset scenario. Every exercise builds its own machine in the student’s own browser, so nobody can affect anyone else’s work — or their own work on a different question.

Every command a student runs is recorded in a Script beside the terminal — an ordered record of what they actually did, including commands the machine refused, which is often where the thinking shows. Check the machine grades the machine as it stands and reports one row per requirement, so students can check as often as they like and see exactly which requirement is not met yet.

Yes. Everything runs inside the browser, so a managed Chromebook is a first-class device — no admin rights, no installs and no special network access required. There is no server doing the work, which also means one class or two hundred makes no difference to what you have to run.

While a student works, Alps records the states their file actually passed through. Later you can replay that — watch the solution take shape rather than guess at it from the finished code — and Alps distils the same record into a few things worth your attention: where they got stuck, which lines they kept reworking, and whether the work was steady or one long sitting.

No, and we would rather be plain about it. A detector guesses and hands you a probability; the well-known cost is the honest student it gets wrong. Alps does not guess. It shows you what was recorded — including that a block of text arrived in one paste — and leaves the judgment to you. It never accuses a student, never changes a grade, and stretches it did not record appear as gaps rather than being filled in.

Three kinds of moment. Kept hitting the same error — the same failure came back run after run. Working code stopped working — something that passed earlier was broken by a later change. Pasted-in code — a sizeable block arrived in one paste from outside Alps. Copying from the Alps textbook is recognized as ordinary work and is not flagged. Most students, most of the time, have nothing at all — and that is the normal state.

Students can replay their own work, which is genuinely useful when something worked earlier and no longer does. They never see observations — those are for the teacher, and they never block or alter grading.

It is meant to be the opposite. Nobody has time for a chart per student, so Alps stays quiet unless something stood out and then points at the couple of minutes worth watching. If a flag was not useful, say so on the card — it sinks to the bottom, and what gets surfaced improves over time.