Activity control system for networked computer-aided learning

• US 20040229201A1
• Filed: 01/05/2004
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sanako
• Original Assignee: Sanako
• Inventors: Redhead, Paul, Vasankari, Timo, Koskela, Kari, Korkko, Raimo
• Application Number:
  US10/479,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20040229201A1
• 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 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication

Abstract

An activity control system for a networked computer-aided learning system comprises a tutor workstation (1), at least one student workstation (2,3), and a network (8) interconnecting the tutor workstation and the student workstations. A tutor application (11) in the tutor workstation provides a user interface by which a tutor is able to remote-control the browsing functionality of a web browser in the student workstation over the network. A web server (7) providing access to a variety of learning material which is in form of a plurality of web pages comprises a hyperlink to a configuration file for the user interface of the tutor application. The configuration information defines a predefined lesson plan including predefined web page links. When downloaded into a user'"'"'s computer in response to activation of the hyperlink, the configuration information configures the user interface according to the predefined lesson plan to display the predefined web page links.

Claims

1. An activity control system for networked computer-aided learning, the system comprising

a tutor workstation,

at least one student workstation,

a network interconnecting the tutor workstation and the at least one student workstation,

the tutor workstation further comprising a tutor application providing a user interface by which a tutor is able to control the operation of the at least one student workstation over the network,

the at least one student station further comprising a web browser, the browsing functionality of which is remote-controllable by the tutor application over the network.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tutor application is able to lock the at least one student workstation to run the web browser.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tutor application is able to control the browsing functionality of the browser by limiting the browsing to a domain set by the tutor.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tutor application enables a tutor to create or load a pre-created portfolio which defines a working environment for a lesson, the working environment definitions including one or more of the following:

a layout of the student computer workstations, the software students are to use in their assignments, a set of documents, a set of web pages as documents, web links, a navigation policy definition for defining limits for students for the usage of the browser capability of the web browser.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the portfolio is loaded from a web server, and the user interface of the tutor application is configured according to the content of the portfolio.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the web links in the loaded portfolio are added to the user interface.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tutor application enables a tutor to command the at least one student workstation to launch a web page relating to any web link displayed on the user interface of the tutor application.

8. A method for controlling learning activities in a networked computer-aided learning system, the networked learning system comprising a tutor workstation, at least one student workstation, and a network interconnecting the tutor workstation and the at least one student workstation, the method comprising

displaying at the tutor workstation a user interface having control functions by which a tutor is able to control the operation the at least one student workstation over the network,

controlling a browsing capability of a web browser in the at least one student station over the network according to the control functions selected by the tutor.

9. A method according to claim 8, comprising

defining, at the user interface of the tutor computer, a navigation policy definition which defines the capacity in which a browsing capability of a web browser in the at least student workstation is available to the student,

providing the at least one student workstation with the navigation policy definition for configuring the browser in the at least one student workstation according to the navigation policy definition.

10. A method according to claim 9, comprising

sending a command to automatically open a web browser from the tutor workstation to the at least one student workstation.

11. A method according to claim 9, comprising

storing the navigation policy definition in a memory accessible by the at least one student computer,

loading the navigation policy definition from the memory to the at least one the web browser,

configuring the browser in the at least one student workstation according to the loaded navigation policy definition.

12. A method according to claim 9, comprising

sending the navigation policy definition from the tutor computer to the at least one student workstation,

configuring the browser in the at least one student workstation according to the sent navigation policy definition.

13. A method according to claim 8, comprising

limiting the browsing of the browser in the student computer workstation to a domain or to a web page set in the navigation policy definition.

14. A method according to claim 8, comprising

sending, from the tutor computer to the web browser in the at least one student workstation, a command to automatically launch a web page selected by the tutor at the user interface.

15. (cancelled)

16. (cancelled)

17. A web server providing access to a variety of learning material which is in form of a plurality of web pages, the web server comprising at least one web page having a hyperlink to a configuration file which, when downloaded into a user'"'"'s computer in response to activation of the hyperlink, configures a user interface of a learning program run in the computer to support a predefined lesson plan including predefined web page links.

18. A method performed in a tutor computer workstation controlling learning activities in a networked computer-aided learning system, the networked learning system comprising a tutor workstation, at least one student workstation, and a network interconnecting the tutor workstation and the at least one student workstation comprising

downloading a configuration file from a web server providing access to a variety of learning material which is in form of a plurality of web pages, the configuration information defining a predefined lesson plan including predefined web page links,

configuring a user interface of a tutor application run in the tutor workstation according to the configuration information to support the predefined lesson plan and to display the predefined web page links.

19. A method according to claim 18, comprising

adding web links contained in the configuration file to a document tool bar in the user interface.

20. A method according to claim 19, comprising

commanding the at least one student workstation to automatically open one of the web links in the document tool bar according to selection made by a tutor on the user interface.

21. A method according to claim 18 comprising

caching web pages corresponding to the web links to a cache in the networked computer-aided learning system for a subsequent launch to the student workstations.

22. (cancelled).

23. (cancelled).

24. A storage device, comprising a computer executable program, said program further comprising

first routine displaying at a tutor workstation in a networked computer-aided learning system a user interface having control functions by which a tutor is able to control the operation of at least one student workstation a network interconnecting the tutor workstation and the at least one student workstation,

second routine controlling a browsing capability of a web browser in the at least one student station over the network according to the control functions selected by the tutor.