Dynamic and individualized scheduling engine for app-based learning

• US 10,019,910 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pearson Education Incorporated (Pearson plc)
• Original Assignee: Pearson Education Incorporated (Pearson plc)
• Inventors: Lynch, Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Gishnock, Nikolai A
• Application Number:
  US15/155,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20160260342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 434322, 434323, 434350, 434362
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0266 for time management, e.g. calendars, diaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/205 Education administration or guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 : Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 : with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 : with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/08 : providing for individual presentation of information to a plurality of student stations
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 : with provision for individual teacher-student communication
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 : Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 : of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/04 : characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/07 : providing for individual presentation of questions to a plurality of student stations
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/08 : characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying further information
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/927 : Education or instruction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 : Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/963 : Calendar or scheduling

Abstract

Systems and methods can dynamically set user-specific schedules for prompting users to access educational content objects. An educational performance metric is identified for a user. A learning schedule is accessed that includes an identification of a plurality of learning episodes. Each of the plurality of learning episodes is associated with a time-related variable indicative of when the learning episode is to occur and a substance-related variable indicative of a learning substance for the learning episode. The learning schedule is adjusted based on the identified educational performance metric and associated with the user. A presentation time is identified based on a time-related variable in the learning schedule. An electronic content object associated with the presentation time is identified based on a substance-related variable the learning schedule. A notification with an offer to access the identified electronic content object is presented at the presentation time via a device of the user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more data processors; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform actions including;

accessing a learning schedule indicative of when, for each of a plurality of learning episodes, content corresponding to the learning episode is to be presented via an electronic app;

adjusting, using one or more processors, the learning schedule based on a past performance of a user, a past performance of a group of other users, a target performance time, and a target performance metric, the adjusting including changing a number of learning episodes included in the plurality of learning episodes;

automatically identifying, using the one or more processors, a presentation time for an episode of the plurality of learning episodes based on the adjusted learning schedule; and

displaying, at a device of the user, an interface that includes an electronic notification at the presentation time, the electronic notification including one or more elements configured to receive input corresponding to a request to access an electronic content object associated with the episode, wherein the electronic content object is displayed at the device of the user upon detecting that the one or more elements have received input corresponding to the request.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the actions further include:

automatically detecting a time at which a wireless communication indicating a response to an educational question was received from the device of the user;

calculating a response time based on the time at which the wireless communication was received and a time at which the educational question was presented; and

determining the past performance of the user based on the response time.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the actions further include:

determining that input or lack of input indicates that the user is not on track to reach the target performance metric;

in response to the determination, automatically reassociating, at the one or more processors, within an updated learning schedule, each learning episode of at least one of the plurality of learning episodes with an updated time-related variable that is not within the presentation time; and

displaying a second interface that includes a second electronic notification at a second presentation time identified based on the updated learning schedule.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the actions further include:

determining the past performance of the user based on one or more first inputs associated with the user and received via a first interface; and

determining the past performance of the group of other users based on one or more second inputs associated with the group of other users and received via one or more second interfaces.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the user and each of the group of other users are enrolled in a same class, and wherein the learning schedule is associated with the same class.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the adjusting the learning schedule includes adding a new learning episode to the plurality of learning episodes, the new learning episode being associated with a new time-related variable indicative of when the new learning episode is to occur.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the actions further include:

retrieving the electronic content object from a content-object data store,

wherein at least part of the electronic content object is presented as part of the electronic notification or subsequent to the display of, and in association with, the electronic notification.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing a learning schedule indicative of when, for each of a plurality of learning episodes, content corresponding to the learning episode is to be presented via an electronic app;

adjusting, using one or more processors, the learning schedule based on a past performance of a user, a past performance of a group of other users, a target performance time, and a target performance metric, the adjusting including changing a number of learning episodes included in the plurality of learning episodes;

automatically identifying, using the one or more processors, a presentation time for an episode of the plurality of learning episodes based on the adjusted learning schedule; and

displaying, at a device of the user, an interface that includes an electronic notification at the presentation time, the electronic notification including one or more elements configured to receive input corresponding to a request to access an electronic content object associated with the episode, wherein the electronic content object is displayed at the device of the user upon detecting that the one or more elements have received input corresponding to the request.

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

automatically detecting a time at which a wireless communication indicating a response to an educational question was received from the device of the user;

calculating a response time based on the time at which the wireless communication was received and a time at which the educational question was presented; and

determining the past performance of the user based on the response time.

10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

determining that input or lack of input indicates that the user is not on track to reach the target performance metric;

in response to the determination, automatically reassociating, at the one or more processors, within an updated learning schedule, each learning episode of at least one of the plurality of learning episodes with an updated time-related variable that is not within the presentation time; and

displaying a second interface that includes a second electronic notification at a second presentation time identified based on the updated learning schedule.

11. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

determining the past performance of the user based on one or more first inputs associated with the user and received via a first interface; and

determining the past performance of the group of other users based on one or more second inputs associated with the group of other users and received via one or more second interfaces.

12. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein each of the user and each of the group of other users are enrolled in a same class, and wherein the learning schedule is associated with the same class.

13. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein the adjusting the learning schedule includes adding a new learning episode to the plurality of learning episodes, the new learning episode being associated with a new time-related variable indicative of when the new learning episode is to occur.

14. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

retrieving the electronic content object from a content-object data store,

wherein at least part of the electronic content object is presented as part of the electronic notification or subsequent to the display of, and in association with, the electronic notification.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

for each of a set of electronic user devices, and, via execution of an educational application on an electronic instructor device;

receiving a wireless communication, from the electronic user device that includes an identifier of a response submitted to an educational question;

automatically detecting, using one or more processors, a time at which the wireless communication was received;

calculating, using the one or more processors, a response time based on the time at which the wireless communication was received and a time at which the educational question was availed, the educational question having been availed at a same time with respect to each electronic user device of the set of electronic user devices; and

generating response data that include the identifier of the response, the response time and an identifier of a user in the set of electronic user devices; and

automatically displaying a representation of a response-time statistic determined based on response times corresponding to a subset of the set of electronic user devices, a same response having been identified in the wireless communication received from each electronic user device in the subset.

16. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

accessing a learning schedule indicative of when, for each of a plurality of learning episodes, content corresponding to the learning episode is to be presented via an electronic app;

adjusting the learning schedule based on the response-time statistic;

automatically identifying a presentation time for an episode of the plurality of learning episodes based on the adjusted learning schedule; and

displaying, at an electronic user device of the set of electronic user devices, an interface that includes an electronic notification at the presentation time, the electronic notification including one or more elements configured to receive input corresponding to a request to access an electronic content object associated with the episode, wherein the electronic content object is displayed at the electronic user device upon detecting that the one or more elements have received input corresponding to the request.

17. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, further comprising, for each of the set of electronic user devices:

transmitting a communication to the electronic user device that triggers a plurality of response options corresponding to the educational question to be displayed.

18. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, wherein the representation further indicates a quantity of responses represented in the subset.

19. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the response-time statistic is updated in real-time as new wireless communications are received that identify responses submitted to educational questions, the updating being based on response times calculated for the new wireless communications; and

the representation is updated to facilitate presentation of a representation of the updated response-time statistic.

20. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, wherein each of the set of electronic user devices is located in a physical classroom, and wherein each of the set of electronic user devices includes a processor.