Recalling items of informaton

• US 20050191608A1
• Filed: 02/02/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nextthinksoft Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Evolutioncode Pty Limited
• Inventors: Ternouth, Adrian Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,523,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

A method of testing and improving recall information using an automated device. An item of information is connected to an initial prompt by a relationship link. The device presents the initial prompt to the user who recalls information and links to the prompt. The device reviews the information and links and the user compares the reviewed intended information with the recalled information. The user provides inputs to the device indicating an ability to recall the information and links. The inputs provided by the user are used to calculate a re-testing interval for each item of information. The device automatically re-test the user after the interval calculated for each item of information has elapsed. A longer interval is used for items of information recalled exactly than the interval for items of information not recalled exactly. At re-testing information not yet done for re-testing is presented to the user.

Claims

1. A method of teaching and testing a user'"'"'s ability to recall one or more items of information using an automated testing device, wherein each of the one or more items of information are connected to a prompt by one or more links, the method including the steps of:

(a) teaching a user by presenting the user with the links and the one or more items of information that are connected to the prompt;

(b) testing the user by;

(i) the testing device presenting the prompt to the user;

(ii) the user recalling the items of information which are connected to the prompt;

(iii) the user using the testing device to review each item of information connected to the prompt; and

(iv) the user comparing the recalled and reviewed items of information and providing input to the testing device indicating the user'"'"'s ability to recall each of the items of information connected to the prompt;

(c) using the input provided by the user to calculate when the testing device will automatically re-test the user; and

(d) re-testing the user.

2. A method of teaching and testing a user according to claim 1 wherein the prompt is an initial prompt and the items of information are connected in a branched arrangement, and wherein an item of information is connected to the initial prompt by a link and is also connected to one or more other items of information and/or one or more secondary prompts by one or more other links.

3. A method of teaching and testing a user according to claim 1 further including the step of presenting one or more hints to assist the user in recalling one or more of the items of information or one or more of the links connecting the items of information to the prompt.

4. A method of teaching and testing a user according to claim 1 further including the step of using a testing interval multiplier associated with each item of information to calculate when the testing device will automatically re-test the user.

5. A method of teaching and testing according to claim 1 wherein each of the one or more of the items of information has an associated importance weighting related to its relative importance and used to calculate when the testing device will automatically re-test the user.

6. A method of teaching and testing a user'"'"'s ability to recall one or more links connecting items of information to a prompt using an automated testing device, the method including the steps of:

(a) teaching the user by presenting the user with the links and the one or more items of information connected to the prompt;

(b) testing the user by;

(i) the testing device presenting a prompt to the user;

(ii) the user recalling the links which connect one or more items of information to the prompt;

(iii) the user using the testing device to review each link connected to the prompt; and

(iv) the user comparing the recalled and reviewed links and providing input to the testing device indicating an ability to recall each of the links connected to the prompt;

(c) using the input provided by the user to calculate when the testing device will automatically re-test the user; and

(d) re-testing the user.

7. A method of teaching and testing a user according to claim 6 wherein the prompt is an initial prompt and the items of information are connected in a branched arrangement, and wherein an item of information is connected to the initial prompt by a link and is also connected to one or more other items of information and/or one or more secondary prompts by one or more other links.

8. A method of teaching and testing a user according to claim 6 further including the step of presenting one or more hints to assist the user in recalling one or more of the items of information or one or more of the links connecting the items of information to the prompt.

9. A method of teaching and testing a user according to claim 6 further including the step of using a testing interval associated with each link to calculate when the testing device will automatically re-test the user.

10. A method of teaching and testing according to claim 6 wherein each of the one or more links has an associated importance weighting related to its relative importance and used to calculate when the testing device will automatically re-test the user.

11. A computer program for testing a user'"'"'s ability to recall one or more items of information and/or one or more links associating the items of information with one or more prompts by performing steps including:

(a) presenting a user with a prompt to which one or more of the items of information are connected by one or more links;

(b) receiving input from the user which indicates the user'"'"'s ability to recall;

(i) each of the one or more items of information; and

/or

(ii) each of the one or more links;

(c) automatically calculating when the user'"'"'s ability to recall each of the one or more items of information and/or links will be re-tested based on the input received from the user; and

(d) re-testing the user.

12. A computer program according to claim 11 wherein the steps further include presenting the user with a hint for recalling one or more of the items of information or one or more of the links.

13. A computer program according to claim 11 wherein the step of automatically calculating when the user'"'"'s ability to recall each of the one or more items of information or links will be re-tested is influenced by an importance weighting which is allocated to one or more of the items of information or links.

14. A computer program according to claim 11 wherein the step of automatically calculating when the user'"'"'s ability to recall each of the one or more items of information or links will be re-tested is influenced by a testing interval associated with one or more of the items of information or links.

15. An automated testing device for systematically testing a user'"'"'s ability to recall one or more items of information and/or one or more links connecting the items of information, the testing device including:

(a) a processing device for running the computer program of claim 11;

(b) input means for receiving input from the user; and

(c) presentation means for presenting the items of information and the links to the user.