Final answer:
This is a matched-pairs design experiment where the professor ranks the students and pairs them for random assignment to different study tools.
Step-by-step explanation:
This is an example of a matched-pairs design experiment. In this experiment, the professor is using the ranks in the prerequisite course to create pairs of students that are similar in terms of their academic performance. The pairs are then randomly assigned to either the new study tool or the previous study tool. By using this design, the professor can compare the effectiveness of the two tools while controlling for potential confounding variables.