Review: Thinkwell Algebra 2

My oldest just finished up her geometry work so it was the perfect time to check out an Algebra 2 program to see if it was a fit for our family.  We have spent the last few weeks working on Algebra 2 from Thinkwell, a program for High School Math, to see if it is a good fit.

About the Program:

Thinkwell is an online video course put together by professors.  Courses are available 24/7 from any online computer.  They also offer a free 14 day trial to see if it is a fit for your family.

For starters, check out their placement tests to find out where your student fits inside the program.

What We Liked:

We really liked the videos.  They are short and the explanations are very thorough.  My daughter liked these videos more than another online program we have used before.  Each one is just a few minutes long for each example problem.  My daughter stated that the videos helped make algebra more understandable for her.

There is a printable lesson plan with 36 weeks worth of assignments, so it is easy to keep track of what assignments need to be completed each day.  The lesson plan definitely needs to be printed and followed or you can accidentally skip quizzes.  We had that happen when we were first starting the program.

I liked that the answer keys actually break down how to complete the answer.  Let’s face it…. it’s been a LONG time since I was in Algebra 2!  There are times when I need a little reminder on how to help my daughter with a particular problem.

What We Didn’t Like:

It seems like the program doesn’t automatically mark videos as watched for us.  My daughter would click the first lecture video and it would automatically play the others afterward, however it would still show the others as not completed.  Here’s an example where she did watch all the videos, but it didn’t register as complete for her.

I didn’t like that there is not a simple parent dashboard on this program. The only way to see how my daughter was doing was to log in under her name instead of mine.  It also is the only login that has the answer sheets.  I do not like that being available to tempt my daughter.  I would greatly prefer a parent dashboard to view her work and see the answers to check her work.

I also did not find this program easy to understand and work through as a parent.  I feel like it should be streamlined somehow as it took me a while to understand how to use it.  There are a lot of tabs and I kept clicking on the wrong ones when I was trying to find something, but that could be an issue for me personally.

After trying it out, my daughter and I came to the conclusion that this program wasn’t a good fit for our family, so we will not be continuing it for her Algebra 2 this year.  Many other reviewers had great things to say, so although it didn’t fit our learning styles, it may be a great fit for your family.

For More Information:

For more information, please visit the Thinkwell website.  You can also find out more on Facebook and YouTube.  Click the banner below to read more reviews on this product and others by other homeschooling families.