Method of publication and distribution of instructional materials

• US 20050089835A1
• Filed: 10/13/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monvini Limited
• Original Assignee: Monvini Limited
• Inventors: Monroe, Manus B., Soldavini, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,641,424 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• 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

Abstract

A method has been developed for the electronic creation and distribution of customized educational materials. An educator compiles a customized text from a catalog of available materials. The customized text is then indexed in an electronic database where it is available for purchase in an electronic format by students. Copyright infringement is discouraged by providing the educator the option of electronic testing and grading such that only students that actually purchase the educational materials are eligible to receive a grade in the class. The custom textbook is easily changed or updated to correct errors without the publisher incurring traditional printing and distribution costs, while simultaneously reducing the time to market for new editions of materials.

Claims

1. ) A method of compiling education materials, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a catalog of available electronic content,

b) selecting two or more items of the available electronic content to generate a custom compilation,

c) providing a unique identity to the customer compilation,

d) associating the unique identify with a roster.

2. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of specifying the order of the electronic content.

3. ) The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of adding supplemental materials that reflect a lecture schedule.

4. ) The method of claim 3 wherein the supplemental materials comprise one or more hyperlinks to a website.

5. ) The method of claim 4 wherein the two or more items of electronic content are derived from the same text or compilation.

6. ) The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of specifying when students will have access to the supplemental materials.

7. ) A method of distributing custom compilations, the method comprising the steps of.

a) providing a catalog of available custom compilations, wherein each compilation is associated with an educational institution and a course of instruction,

b) selecting one or more custom compilations for purchase,

c) identifying at least one of the purchaser and the student,

d) providing or committing funds for each or more custom compilations to be acquired,

e) transmitting the one or more custom compilations in an electronic format to the location specified by the person committing or providing the funds,

f) receiving the one or more custom compilations in an electronic format upon transmission to the specified location.

8. ) A method of distributing a custom compilation according to claim 7 further comprising the step of associating the identity of at least one of the purchaser and student with the educational institution and the course of instruction.

9. ) A method of distributing a custom compilation according to claim 7 that further comprises choosing from among a list of delivery methods selected from the group consisting of email, contemporaneous download now, and the mailing of a form of computer readable medium.

10. ) A method of distributing a custom compilation according to claim 9 wherein the method of providing or committing funds is selected from the group consisting of charging to a student account with educational institution, the physical delivery of a check or cash, wire transfer, credit or debit card, and cash payment on delivery of the computer readable medium.

11. ) A method of grading a roster of student, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a roster of students,

b) associating an electronic exam with qualified students, the qualified student having fulfilled the roster requirement of purchasing one or more custom compilations,

c) providing in electronic format to the qualified student one or more examination questions that require the selection from a discrete number of potential answers,

d) receiving the qualified students answers to the one or more examination questions,

e) correlating the cumulative number of correct answers to the one or more examination questions by the qualified student to calculate a grade,

f) associating the qualified student'"'"'s grade with the roster of students.

12. ) A method of grading a roster of student according to claim 11 further comprising the step of entering subjective scores in the roster.

13. ) A method of grading a roster of student according to claim 11 wherein the calculated grade is scaled to a fixed distribution.

14. ) A method of grading a roster of student according to claim 11 wherein the calculated grade is based on an objective standard.

15. ) A method of grading a roster of student according to claim 11 wherein the steps of examining the students and the correlating of the answers to grade each student is distributed over a network.

16. ) A method of grading a roster of student according to claim 11 wherein the raw answers are transmitted to the instructor.

17. ) A method of grading a roster of student according to claim 11 wherein the examination results of each student are provided on tangible fixed electronic medium.

18. ) A method of grading a roster of student according to claim 11 comprising the machine grading of textual answers entered by the students.

19. ) A computer readable medium having a data structure thereon representing a custom compilation and having data fields for at least each of the teacher/instructor generating the compilation, the educational institution, course, and one or more identifiers of electronic content.

20. ) The computer readable medium of claim 19 further comprising data fields for a key code for secure access thereto.

21. ) The computer readable medium of claim 19 further comprising data fields for one or more hyperlinks to supplemental materials.

22. ) A computer readable medium having a data structure thereon representing a gradable roster that comprises data fields for an educational institution, course, student identifying information, qualification of the student by purchase of a custom compilation associated with the course, and one or more grades of each student who has qualified by purchasing said custom compilation.

23. ) The computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the data structure further comprises at least one field for recording the student attendance records.

24. ) The computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the data structure further comprises at least one field for recording the completion of laboratory assignments.

25. ) The computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the data structure further comprises at least one field for a password securing access to one ore more data fields.

26. ) The computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the data structure further comprises at least one field to identify the instructor of record.