Frequently Asked Questions

Alps is designed for CS educators and learners in K-12 and higher education who want to teach and learn computer science interactively and with embedded AI-powered tools. Whether you are teaching a formal class or teaching at 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 enhance it with AI.

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 AI 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 AI. For open-response questions that require short answers, our Rubriq AI evaluates answers against AI-generated rubrics, providing detailed feedback. You can review and adjust AI-generated grades and feedback before finalizing them.

BloomIQ analyzes learner performance data at granular skills, automatically groups learners by mastery level, and generates personalized assignments. With one click, you 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. 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.

Our InsightLens dashboard provides real-time visibility into learner progress, time spent on tasks, common misconceptions, and mastery trends. You can identify struggling learners early and see which concepts need more class time.

Pathfinder is our AI-powered tutor that provides real-time scaffolding and support while learners work on assignments. It breaks down complex problems into manageable steps, offers hints without giving away answers, and adapts to each learner's level. Unlike generic AI chatbots, Pathfinder is curriculum-aware and includes strong guardrails to ensure academic integrity.

Pathfinder is currently in beta and available to select educators.

Yes, Alps is fully FERPA compliant. We only use student education records for the educational purposes specified by your institution. We have 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, Alps is COPPA compliant. We collect only the minimum information necessary for educational purposes and never collect personal information from children under 13 without school consent. We do not use learner data for advertising or sell any personal information.

Learner data is used solely to provide educational services—powering AI tutoring, generating progress reports, and enabling differentiated instruction. We never sell learner data, use it for advertising, or share it with third parties except as needed to provide the service. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Our AI features include multiple safety layers: content filtering, topic guardrails that keep conversations focused on coursework, and anti-cheating measures that encourage learning over answer-giving. Educators have full visibility into AI interactions with learners and can customize guardrail settings.

Alps 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. We are a member of the EdSafe AI Alliance Industry Council and participate 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 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! The Educator Basic tier is completely free and includes access to our content library, automatic grading, and class management features. There are no hidden fees, trials, or credit card requirements. You can get started within a few minutes and access all open-source curricula for FREE. See our premium tiers on our Pricing page

We offer three tiers: Educator Basic (free for individual educators), Educator Premium (advanced AI and analytics features), and Institution (district and university wide deployment with admin controls and more customization options). Visit our Pricing page for details.

For institution-wide deployment, schedule a demo with our team. We'll discuss your needs, provide a custom quote, handle technical integration, and support your rollout with training and onboarding.

No, learners never pay to use Alps. Access is provided through their educator or institution. Learners simply join their class using a join link, LMS link, or SSO.

Our AI-powered Gutenberg engine analyzes your existing content (PDFs, textbooks, documents) and transforms it into interactive, adaptive learning experiences. The process preserves your brand, copyright, and content integrity while adding features like auto-grading, hints, content enhancements, and personalized feedback. We work closely with you to ensure the transformation meets your quality standards.

You retain full ownership of your content. Alps acts as a technology partner and distribution platform. Your brand, copyright notices, and attribution remain visible to all users. We never claim ownership of publisher content. AI enhancements are not exportable and remain proprietary to Alps.

We offer flexible partnership models including subscription-based licensing, per-seat pricing, and revenue sharing arrangements. The specific terms depend on your content volume, target market, and distribution preferences. Schedule a call to discuss options tailored to your business.

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

Transformation timelines vary based on content complexity and volume. We can often transform an entire curricula within a few hours, depending on the complexity and volume. We provide detailed timelines during our initial consultation and work with your schedule 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 book but are typically similar to the cost of purchasing a physical or electronic copy. Teachers must purchase a license for each student who will use the book. Contact us at alps-sales@2sigmaschool.org for specific pricing.

The purchase process is simple: (1) Email us at alps-sales@2sigmaschool.org with the book title and number of licenses needed, including which teacher should have the license. (2) We will send you a quote and invoice with a payment link. (3) Payment can be made via credit card or ACH bank transfer. (4) Upon receiving payment, the licensed teacher can add the book to their course section.

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 alps-sales@2sigmaschool.org. We will work with them to transform their content into an interactive, AI-enhanced edition on Alps.