E-learning course structure

• US 20030152899A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Leidig, Torsten, Altenhofen, Michael, Krebs, Andreas, Gerteis, Wolfgang, Schaper, Joachim, Meder, Norbert
• Granted Patent: US 7,014,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/350
• 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 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

An e-learning course may include a number of structural elements that are aggregated into one or more levels. Each higher level may refer to any instance of a lower level. The structural elements include a course, a sub-course, a learning unit, or a knowledge item. The structural elements may include metadata. The structural elements also may include relations between structural elements. The course and its structural elements do not enforce any sequence of structural elements that the learner may use to traverse the course. In addition, the structural elements may be reused and reassembled to form different courses. A content repository is configured to store course data and its structural elements. A content player is configured to access the stored course data and assemble the structural elements.

Claims

1. A method of e-learning, the method comprising:

dividing content associated with an e-learning course into two or more structural elements that may be interpreted by a browser;

aggregating the structural elements into two or more levels, where a higher level may refer to any instance of a lower level; and

assembling the structural elements into a course.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein dividing content includes dividing content to include a knowledge item.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein dividing content to include the knowledge item includes dividing content to illustrate an aspect of a topic.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein dividing content to include the knowledge item includes dividing content to test an aspect of a topic.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein dividing content to include the knowledge item includes dividing the content to one or more of a text, a table, an illustration, a graphic, an animation, an audio clip, and a video clip.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein dividing the content includes dividing the content to include a learning unit which may refer to one or more knowledge items to represent a thematically-coherent unit of information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein dividing the content includes dividing the content to include a sub-course which may refer to one or more of a knowledge item, a learning unit, and another sub-course.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein dividing the content includes dividing the content to include a course which may refer to one or more of a knowledge item, a learning unit, and a sub-course.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein dividing the content includes dividing the content into structural elements that may be reused in more than one course.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein dividing the content includes dividing the content into structural elements that are extensible markup language files.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein dividing the content includes tagging the structural elements with metadata to search and assemble the structural elements.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein tagging the structural elements includes tagging with metadata that is knowledge of orientation.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein tagging the structural elements includes tagging with metadata that is knowledge of explanation.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein tagging the structural elements includes tagging with metadata that is knowledge of action.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein tagging the structural elements includes tagging with metadata that is a competency to indicate the performance of a learner that traverses the course.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing one or more relations to indicate dependencies between structural elements.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein providing the relation includes providing a directional relation that is true in one direction only.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein providing the relation includes providing a non-directional relation that is true in either of two directions.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein providing the relation includes providing a subject taxonomic relation.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein providing the subject taxonomic relation includes providing a hierarchical relation.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein providing the hierarchical relation includes providing a part/whole relation or an abstraction relation.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein providing the subject taxonomic relation includes providing an associative relation.

24. The method of claim 17 wherein providing the associative relation includes providing a relation that is one of determines, side-by-side, alternative to, opposite to, precedes, context of, process of, values, means of, and affinity.

25. The method of claim 17 wherein providing the relation includes providing a non-subject taxonomic relation.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein providing the non-subject taxonomic relation is a relation that indicates a structural element should be completed before proceeding to a related structural element.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein providing the non-subject taxonomic relation is a relation that indicates that a structural element belongs to another structural element.

14. The method of claim wherein 12 tagging the structural elements includes tagging with metadata that is knowledge of reference.

28. A system for e-learning comprising:

a content repository for storing a plurality of structural elements associated with an e-learning course that may be interpreted by a browser, the structural elements being aggregated into two or more levels, where a higher level may refer to each instance of a lower level; and

a content player to assembling the structural elements into a course for presentation to a learner.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein a lowest level structural element is a knowledge item.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the knowledge item illustrates an aspect of a topic.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein the knowledge item tests an aspect of a topic.

32. The system of claim 29 wherein the knowledge item includes one or more of a test, a table, an illustration, a graphic, an animation, an audio clip, and a video clip.

33. The system of claim 28 wherein the structural element is a learning unit which may refer to one or more knowledge items to represent a thematically-coherent unit of information.

34. The system of claim 28 wherein the structural element is a sub-course which may refer to one or more of a knowledge item, a learning unit, and another sub-course.

35. The system of claim 28 wherein the structural element is a course which may refer to one or more of a knowledge item, a learning unit, and a sub-course.

36. The system of claim 28 wherein the structural elements may be reused in more than one course.

37. The system of claim 28 wherein the structural elements are extensible markup language files.

38. The system of claim 28 wherein the structural elements are tagged with metadata to search and assemble the structural elements.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the metadata is knowledge of orientation.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the metadata is knowledge of explanation.

41. The system of claim 38 wherein the metadata is knowledge of reference.

42. The system of claim 38 wherein the metadata is knowledge of action.

43. The system of claim 38 wherein the metadata is a competency to indicate the performance of a learner that traverses the course.

44. The system of claim 28 wherein a relation is used to indicate dependencies between structural elements.

45. The system of claim 44 wherein the relation is directional and true in one direction only.

46. The system of claim 44 wherein the relation is non-directional and true in one of two directions.

47. The system of claim 44 wherein the relation is subject taxonomic.

48. The system of claim 47 wherein the subject taxonomic relation is hierarchical.

49. The system of claim 48 wherein the hierarchical relation is one of a part/whole relation and an abstraction relation.

50. The system of claim 47 wherein the subject taxonomic relation is associative.

51. The system of claim 50 wherein the associative relation is one of determines, side-by-side, alternative to, opposite to, precedes, context of, process of, values, means of, and affinity.

52. The system of claim 44 wherein the relation is non-subject taxonomic.

53. The system of claim 52 wherein the non-subject taxonomic relation is a relation that indicates a structural element should be completed before proceeding to a related structural element.

54. The system of claim 52 wherein the non-subject taxonomic relation is a relation that indicates that a structural element belongs to another structural element.

55. A memory for storing course data for access by an application program being executed by a content player, comprising:

a course data structure stored in the memory, the course data structure including information used by the application to present an e-learning course, the course data structure including;

a plurality of structural elements aggregated into two or more levels, where a higher level may refer to any instance of a lower level, the structural elements including content for presentation to a learner;

metadata to describe the structural elements; and

a plurality of relations to indicate dependencies between the structural elements.

56. The memory of claim 55 wherein the lowest level structural element is a knowledge item.

57. The memory of claim 56 wherein the knowledge item illustrates an aspect of a topic.

58. The memory of claim 56 wherein the knowledge item tests an aspect of a topic.

59. The memory of claim 56 wherein the knowledge item includes one or more of a test, a table, an illustration, a graphic, an animation, an audio clip, a video clip.

60. The memory of claim 55 wherein the structural element is a learning unit which may refer to one or more knowledge items to represent a thematically-coherent unit of information.

61. The memory of claim 55 wherein the structural element is a sub-course which may refer to one or more of a knowledge item, a learning unit, and another sub-course.

62. The memory of claim 55 wherein the structural element is a course which may refer to one or more of a knowledge item, a learning unit, and a sub-course.

63. The memory of claim 55 wherein the structural elements may be reused in more than one course.

64. The memory of claim 55 wherein the structural elements are extensible markup language files.

65. The memory of claim 55 wherein the structural elements are tagged with the metadata to search and assemble the structural elements.

66. The memory of claim 65 wherein the metadata is knowledge of orientation.

67. The memory of claim 66 wherein the metadata is knowledge of explanation.

68. The memory of claim 66 wherein the metadata is knowledge of reference.

69. The memory of claim 66 wherein the metadata is knowledge of action.

70. The memory of claim 66 wherein the metadata is a competency to indicate the performance of a learner that traverses the course.

71. The memory of claim 55 wherein the relation is directional and true in one direction only.

72. The memory of claim 55 wherein at least one of the relations is non-directional and true in one of two directions.

73. The memory of claim 55 wherein at least one of the relations is subject taxonomic.

74. The memory of claim 73 wherein the subject taxonomic relation is hierarchical.

75. The memory of claim 74 wherein the hierarchical relation is a part/whole relation or an abstraction relation.

76. The memory of claim 73 wherein the subject taxonomic relation is associative.

77. The memory of claim 76 wherein the associative relation is one of determines, side-by-side, alternative to, opposite to, precedes, context of, process of, values, means of, and affinity.

78. The memory of claim 55 wherein at least one of the relations is non-subject taxonomic.

79. The memory of claim 78 wherein the non-subject taxonomic relation is a relation that indicates a structural element should be completed before proceeding to a related structural element.

80. The memory of claim 78 wherein the non-subject taxonomic relation is a relation that indicates that a structural element belongs to another structural element.