Computerized systems and methods for categorizing student responses and using them to update a student model during linguistic education

• US 10,431,112 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2016
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arthur Ward
• Original Assignee: Arthur Ward
• Inventors: Ward, Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Utama, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US15/346,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20180096624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 434156, 434157
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/205 Education administration or guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/00 Teaching reading teaching lip-reading G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/08 providing for individual presentation of information to a plurality of student stations
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/125 the stations being mobile

Abstract

Computer-based systems and methods support linguistic education between a tutor and a student using mobile computing devices with touchscreen user interfaces for both that allow the tutor to deliver lesson prompts and monitor in real-time, on his/her mobile device, responses made by the student on the student'"'"'s mobile device. The linguistic lessons can be quickly created and individualized for each student, based on statistical estimates of student knowledge of each concept in the appropriate scope and sequence. The planned lesson may then be downloaded onto the tutor'"'"'s mobile device for delivery in a tutoring session. The tutor uses the touchscreen interface of the tutor mobile device to select concept prompts in the downloaded lesson. These prompts can then be displayed on the student'"'"'s input device. The student may use an input component of the student mobile device to enter a response that is then transmitted back to the tutor mobile device. The student may also answer orally. The tutor, through the touchscreen interface of the tutor mobile device, records correctness and the required hint level for each student response given during a lesson. These records can then be uploaded to the host computer system and used to update a Student Model after the lesson is complete. After it is updated, the Student Model can be used to plan the next lesson for that student.

Claims

1. A linguistic education system for a tutor to provide linguistic instruction to a student, the linguistic education system comprising:

a host server system that comprises one or more servers;

a tutor mobile computing device that is remote from and in communication with the host server system via a data network; and

a student mobile computing device,

wherein;

the one or more servers of the host server system;

comprise;

a lexicon database that stores a set of multiple words, wherein each word in the lexicon database is indexed to one or more linguistic concepts;

a sentence database that stores sentences, wherein the sentences use words in the lexicon database;

a student model database that stores a student model for the student, wherein the student model for the student indicates, for each of a plurality of linguistic concepts, a probability that the student knows the linguistic concept;

is programmed to generate a lesson plan for a linguistic lesson for the student, wherein the lesson plan comprises one or more drills for one or more selected linguistic concepts to be covered in the linguistic lesson, wherein the one or more selected linguistic concepts for the linguistic lesson are selected based on a probability that the student knows the one or more selected linguistic concepts based on the student model, wherein the one or more drills comprise prompts, wherein the prompts comprise word prompts and sentence prompts, wherein words for the word prompts and sentences for the sentence prompts are selected for the linguistic lesson from the lexicon database and the sentence database based on the words in the word prompts and words in the sentences in the sentence prompts being indexed to the one or more selected linguistic concepts in the linguistic lesson, such that words and sentences that are unknown to the student, based on the student model for the student, are excluded from the lesson plan;

the tutor mobile computing device;

comprises a touchscreen interface; and

executes a software application that, when executed;

displays a response categorization area on the touchscreen interface of the tutor mobile computing device, wherein the response categorization area comprises;

 

a listing of one or more possible responses for a selected prompt that is part of the linguistic lesson plan; and

 

for each of the one or more possible responses for the selected prompt, a series of two or more hint level icons that represent varying degrees of hint levels, and wherein the hint level icons are selectable by the tutor, via the touchscreen interface of the tutor mobile computing device, to record the hint level that was needed to be provided by the tutor to elicit a correct response from the student; and

transmits back to the host server system student response data indicative of the hint level icons selected by the tutor for each of the one or more possible responses for each prompt in the lesson plan;

the student mobile computing device that is remote from and in communication with the tutor mobile computing device during the linguistic lesson, and wherein the student mobile computing device comprises a touch screen interface, such that for a portion of the linguistic lesson where the student inputs a response to a prompt from the tutor via the touch screen interface of the student mobile computing device, the student'"'"'s response is displayed during the linguistic lesson on the touchscreen interface of the tutor mobile computing device, and

the one or more servers of the host server system are further programmed to update the student model for the student based on the student response data received from the tutor mobile computing device.

2. The linguistic education system of claim 1, wherein the response categorization area displayed on the touchscreen interface of the tutor mobile computing device comprises a grid, wherein the grid comprises:

a first column that lists the one or more possible responses for a selected drill of the lesson plan; and

in rows next to each of the one or more possible responses, the series of two or more hint level icons.

3. The linguistic education system of claim 2, wherein the series of two or more hint level icons comprises a first hint level icon to indicate a correct initial response by the student.

4. The linguistic education system of claim 3, wherein the series of two or more hint level icons comprises a second hint level icon to indicate that the student self-corrected an initial response within a short time period after providing the initial response.

5. The linguistic education system of claim 4, wherein the series of two or more hint level icons comprises a third hint level icon that indicates that the student responded correctly after a prompt from the tutor for other correct responses.

6. The linguistic education system of claim 5, wherein the series of two or more hint level icons comprises a fourth hint level icon that indicates that the student responded correctly after the tutor provided an example word prompt.

7. The linguistic education system of claim 6, wherein the series of two or more hint level icons comprises a fifth hint level icon that indicates that the student had to be provided the correct response by the tutor.

8. The linguistic education system of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen interface of the tutor mobile computing device comprises a capacitive touchscreen with a LCD display.

9. The linguistic education system of claim 1, wherein the one or more selected linguistic concepts for the lesson comprise a lexeme-phoneme relationship.

10. The linguistic education system of claim 9, wherein the one or more selected linguistic concepts for the lesson further comprises a morpheme-meaning relationship.

11. The linguistic education system of claim 1, wherein the one or more selected linguistic concepts for the lesson comprise a linguistic relationship selected from the group consisting of:

a lexeme-phoneme relationship;

a morpheme-meaning relationship;

a relationship between a syllable type and pronunciation; and

a relationship between a positional word feature and pronunciation.

12. The linguistic education system of claim 1, wherein:

the linguistic lesson comprises an auditory drill in which the touchscreen interface of the student mobile computing device is for capturing a written response by the student made on the touchscreen interface of the student mobile computing device in response to an audible prompt; and

the student mobile computing device is further for transmitting to the tutor mobile computing device data indicative of the written response by the student captured by the touchscreen interface of the student mobile computing device.

13. The linguistic education system of claim 1, wherein:

the linguistic lesson comprises a drill type in which the touchscreen interface of the student mobile computing device displays textual subject matter for the student; and

the response categorization area displayed on the tutor mobile computing device is for receiving the tutor'"'"'s hint level selection based on the student'"'"'s verbalization of the textual subject matter displayed on the touchscreen interface of the student mobile computing device.

14. The linguistic education system of claim 13, wherein the textual subject matter displayed on the student mobile computing device comprises textual subject matter selected from the group consisting of a lexeme, a single word, a single sentence, and a multi-sentence text.

15. The linguistic education system of claim 1, wherein:

the tutor mobile computing device comprises a tablet computer; and

the student mobile computing device comprises a tablet computer.

16. A linguistic education system for a tutor to provide linguistic instruction to a student, the linguistic education system comprising:

a host server system that comprises one or more servers;

a tutor mobile computing device that is remote from and in communication with the host server system via a data network; and

a student mobile computing device,

wherein;

the one or more servers of the host server system;

comprise;

a lexicon database that stores a set of multiple words, wherein each word in the lexicon database is indexed to one or more linguistic concepts;

a sentence database that stores sentences, wherein the sentences use words in the lexicon database;

a student model database that stores a student model for the student, wherein the student model for the student indicates, for each of a plurality of linguistic concepts, a probability that the student knows the linguistic concept;

is programmed to generate a lesson plan for a linguistic lesson for the student, wherein the lesson plan comprises one or more drills for one or more selected linguistic concepts to be covered in the linguistic lesson, wherein the one or more selected linguistic concepts for the linguistic lesson are selected based on a probability that the student knows the one or more selected linguistic concepts based on the student model, wherein the one or more drills comprise prompts, wherein the prompts comprise word prompts and sentence prompts, wherein words for the word prompts and sentences for the sentence prompts are selected for the linguistic lesson from the lexicon database and the sentence database based on the words in the word prompts and words in the sentences in the sentence prompts being indexed to the one or more selected linguistic concepts in the linguistic lesson, such that words and sentences that are unknown to the student, based on the student model for the student, are excluded from the lesson plan;

the tutor mobile computing device;

comprises display means with a sensor to detect interaction by the tutor with the display means; and

executes a software application that, when executed;

displays a response categorization area on the display means of the tutor mobile computing device, wherein the response categorization area comprises;

 

a listing of one or more possible responses for a selected prompt that is part of the lesson plan; and

 

for each of the one or more possible responses for the selected prompt, a series of two or more hint level icons that represent varying degrees of hint levels, and wherein the hint level icons are selectable by the tutor, via the display means, to record the hint level that was needed to be provided by the tutor to elicit a correct response from the student; and

transmits back to the server student response data indicative of the hint level icons selected by the tutor for each of the one or more possible responses for each prompt in the lesson plan;

the student mobile computing device that is remote from and in communication with the tutor mobile computing device during the linguistic lesson, and wherein the student mobile computing device comprises a touch screen interface, such that for a portion of the linguistic lesson where the student inputs a response to a prompt from the tutor via the touch screen interface of the student mobile computing device, the student'"'"'s response is displayed during the linguistic lesson on the touchscreen interface of the tutor mobile computing device; and

the one or more servers of the host server system are further programmed to update the student model for the student based on the student response data received from the tutor mobile computing device.

17. A method for providing linguistic instruction to a student, the method comprising:

storing, in a student model database of a host server system that comprises one or more servers, a student model for the student, wherein the student model for the student indicates, for each of a plurality of linguistic concepts, a probability that the student knows the linguistic concept;

storing, in a lexicon database of the host server system, a set of multiple words, wherein each word in the lexicon database is indexed to one or more linguistic concepts;

storing, in a sentence database of the host server system, sentences, wherein the sentences use words in the lexicon database;

generating, by the one or more servers of the host server system, a lesson plan for a linguistic lesson for the student, wherein the lesson plan comprises one or more drills for one or more selected linguistic concepts to be covered in the linguistic lesson, wherein the one or more selected linguistic concepts for the linguistic lesson are selected based on a probability that the student knows the one or more selected linguistic concepts based on the student model, wherein the one or more drills comprise prompts, wherein the prompts comprise word prompts and sentence prompts, wherein words for the word prompts and sentences for the sentence prompts are selected for the linguistic lesson from the lexicon database and the sentence database based on the words in the word prompts and words in the sentences in the sentence prompts being indexed to the one or more selected linguistic concepts in the linguistic lesson, such that words and sentences that are unknown to the student, based on the student model for the student, are excluded from the lesson plan;

prior to administration of the linguistic lesson by the tutor to the student, transmitting, by the one or more servers of the host server system, the lesson plan to a tutor mobile computing device that is remote from and in communication with the host server system via a data network;

during administration of the linguistic lesson;

receiving, via a touchscreen interface of a student mobile computing device that is in communication with the tutor mobile computing device during administration of the linguistic lesson, a response by the student to a prompt from the tutor;

transmitting from the student mobile computing device to the tutor mobile computing device, the student'"'"'s response; and

displaying, by a display of the student mobile computing device, the student'"'"'s response; and

after administration of the linguistic lesson;

receiving, by the one or more servers of the host server system from the tutor mobile computing device via the data network, student response data indicative of hint levels needed by the student for each drill in the lesson plan, wherein the tutor records the hint level needed by the student for each drill on the tutor mobile computing device by selecting a corresponding hint level icon displayed on the tutor mobile computing device; and

updating the student model for the student based on the student response data received from the tutor mobile computing device.