E-learning authoring tool

• US 20030154176A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Krebs, Andreas S., Leidig, Torsten, Altenhofen, Michael, Gerteis, Wolfgang, Schaper, Joachim
• Application Number:
  US10/184,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154176A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/59
• 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

A course authoring system may include an author station to create a course, a content management system to store content and structure associated with the course, a learning management system to determine learning content to present to the learner based on a learning strategy applied to the content and the structure, and a communications link to transfer the course from the author station to the content management system. The author station may include an author tool configured to add structural elements to the course. The structural elements may include one or more of a course, a sub-course, a learning unit, or a knowledge item. The author tool is configured to associate the content with the structural elements. The course and its structural elements do not enforce a sequence of the content associated with the structural elements that a learner should use to traverse the course. Instead various learning strategies may be applied to a course to generate different sequences of the content associated with the structural elements.

Claims

1. A course authoring system comprising:

an author station to create a course;

a content management system to store a course comprising content and the course structure;

a learning management system to determine learning content to present to the learner based on a learning strategy applied to the content and the structure; and

a communications link to transfer the course from the author station to the content management system.

2. The course authoring system of claim 1 wherein the author station includes an author tool configured to add structural elements to the course.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the structural elements include one or more of a course, a sub-course, a learning unit, and a knowledge item.

4. The course authoring system of claim 2 wherein the author tool is configured to associate the structure with the structural elements.

5. The course authoring system of claim 2 wherein the course and its structural elements do not enforce a sequence of structural elements that a learner should use to traverse the course.

6. The course authoring system of claim 2 wherein the author tool is configured to create metadata to be associated with the structural elements.

7. The course authoring system of claim 6 wherein the metadata includes attributes including one of a knowledge type and a competency.

8. The course authoring system of claim 2 wherein the author station is configured to build relations between structural elements.

9. The course authoring system of claim 8 wherein the relations are directional.

10. The course authoring system of claim 1 wherein the content management system includes a content player and the content player is configured to apply a learning strategy to the content to determine a path to navigate the content to present to a learner.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the content includes structural elements and relations between the structural elements that do not enforce a sequence of the structural elements that the learner should use to traverse the course, and the content player is configured to apply the learning strategy to the course to generate a suggested sequence of the content associated with structural elements to the learner.

12. The course authoring system of claim 11 wherein the learning strategy is a macro-strategy.

13. The course authoring system of claim 12, wherein the macro-strategy includes applying one of a goal-based, top-down strategy, a goal-based, bottom-up strategy and a table of contents strategy.

14. The course authoring system of claim 11 wherein the learning strategy is a micro-strategy.

15. The course authoring system of claim 14 wherein the micro-strategy includes applying one of an orientation only strategy, an action oriented strategy, an explanation oriented strategy, an orientation oriented strategy, and a table of contents strategy.

16. The course authoring system of claim 2 wherein the content management system includes a content repository configured to store the course and structural elements and metadata associated with the course.

17. The course authoring system of claim 16 wherein the content player is configured to access the course, the structural elements, and the metadata from the content repository, and to apply a strategy to the accessed structural elements to suggest the content associated with the structural elements to the learner based on the applied strategy.

18. The course authoring system of claim 1 wherein the author station includes:

an input to select a learning strategy; and

an embedded learning management system to create a navigation path based on the selected learning strategy.

19. The course authoring system of claim 18 wherein the learning strategy is a macro-strategy.

20. The course authoring system of claim 19, wherein the macro-strategy includes applying one of a goal-based, top-down strategy, a goal-based, bottom-up strategy or a table of contents strategy.

21. The course authoring system of claim 18 wherein the learning strategy is a micro-strategy.

22. The course authoring system of claim 21 wherein the micro-strategy includes applying one of an orientation only strategy, an action oriented strategy, an explanation oriented strategy, an orientation oriented strategy, or a table of contents strategy.

23. The course authoring system of claim 18 wherein the author station is configured to edit the course based on the created navigation path to generate a desired navigation path based on the edited course.

24. The course authoring system of claim 1 further comprising an administration management system and a communications link to transfer course information to the administration management system.

25. The course authoring system of claim 24 wherein the course information includes one of a title, an author a description, a prerequisite, a competency that is gained, and a competency that is required.

26. The course authoring system of claim 1 wherein the author station is configured to preview the course.

27. The course author system of claim 1 wherein the author station is configured to modify the course.

28. An author station comprising:

an author input device to input commands;

a author tool to receive input commands and to assemble structural elements in response to the commands the author tool including an interface to present the structural elements, to select the structural elements and to associate content with the structural elements to form the course.

29. The author station of claim 28 further comprising a communications interface to transfer the course to a content management system.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein the structural elements include one or more of a course, a sub-course, a learning unit, or a knowledge item.

31. The author station of claim 28 wherein the course and its structural elements do not enforce a sequence of the content associated with the structural elements that a learner use to traverse the course.

32. The author station of claim 28 wherein author tool is configured to create metadata to be associated with the structural elements.

33. The author station of claim 32 wherein the metadata includes attributes including one of a knowledge type and a competency.

34. The author station of claim 28 wherein the author station is configured to build relations between structural elements.

35. The author station of claim 34 wherein the relations are directional.

36. The author station of claim 28 further comprising an embedded learning management system configured to apply a learning strategy to the course to generate a suggested sequence of the content associated with the structural elements.

37. The author station of claim 36 wherein the learning strategy is a macro-strategy.

38. The author station of claim 37, wherein the macro-strategy includes applying one of a goal-based, top-down strategy, a goal-based, bottom-up strategy or a table of contents strategy.

39. The author station of claim 36 wherein the learning strategy is a micro-strategy.

40. The author station of claim 39 wherein the micro-strategy includes applying one of an orientation only strategy, an action oriented strategy, an explanation oriented strategy, an orientation oriented strategy, or a table of contents strategy.

41. The author station of claim 28 further comprising an embedded learning management system wherein the author tool is configured to present one or more learning strategies, the author input device is configured to select the one or more learning strategies;

and the embedded learning management system is configured to create a navigation path based on the selected learning strategy.

42. The author station of claim 41 wherein the learning strategy is a macro-strategy.

44. The author station of claim 41 wherein the learning strategy is a micro-strategy.

45. The author station of claim 44 wherein the micro-strategy includes applying one of an orientation only strategy, an action oriented strategy, an explanation oriented strategy, an orientation oriented strategy, and a table of contents strategy.

46. The author station of claim 41 wherein the author station is configured to edit the course based on the created navigation path to generate a desired navigation path based on the edited course.

47. The author station of claim 28 further comprising a communications interface to transfer course information to the administration management system.

48. The author station of claim 47 wherein the course information includes one of a title, an author a description, a prerequisite, a competency that is gained, and a competency that is required.

49. The author station of claim 28 wherein the author tool is configured to preview the course.

50. The course author system of claim 28 wherein the author tool is configured to modify the course.

43. The author station of claim 43, wherein the macro-strategy includes applying one of a goal-based, top-down strategy, a goal-based, bottom-up strategy and a table of contents strategy.

51. The author station of claim wherein 28 the author tool interface includes a course editor.

52. The author station of claim 51 wherein the course editor is configured to present a course overview to display and select a representation of the structural elements of the course.

53. The author station of claim 51 wherein the course editor is configured to present a workspace to edit and display the structural elements of a course.

54. The author station of claim 51 wherein the course editor is configured to present a dialog box to display data fields corresponding to structural elements shown in the workspace window.

55. The author station of claim 51 wherein the course editor is configured to associate attributes with the structural elements.

56. The author station of claim 55 wherein the attributes include knowledge of action.

57. The author station of claim 56 wherein the attributes include knowledge of orientation.

58. The author station of claim 57 wherein the attributes include knowledge of reference.

59. The author station of claim 58 wherein the attributes include knowledge of example.

60. The author station of claim wherein 28 the author tool is configured to create a test.