Method and system for importing and exporting assessment project related data

• US 20060241993A1
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackboard Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Blackboard Incorporated
• Inventors: Yaskin, David, Ritter, Greg
• Granted Patent: US 8,340,993 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation

Abstract

A system of hardware and software provides a systematic and systemic method for performing assessment of the effectiveness of different levels within an institution. The system includes template driven definitions that span multiple tiers of hierarchically arranged operating units within the institution thereby providing flexibility and customization to handle a user-definable model of the institution'"'"'s organization. In particular, the assessment management system may share data in a format that is importable by other management systems. Sharing of data does not necessarily mean the concurrent sharing of data but rather that the data is exported in a format that is transportable to another system. Portions of an assessment project may be shared in this way with other institutions even if the organization levels and other operating units are not the same between the two institutions.

Claims

1. A method for sharing data related to an assessment project of a multi-level institution, the method comprising the steps of:

developing at least a portion of the assessment project, based on input received from one or more users, within a first instantiation of a first assessment management system; and

exporting the portion of the assessment project in a format importable by a second assessment management system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second assessment management system are the same.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first assessment management system is a first instantiation of a first computer-based assessment system and the second assessment management system is a second instantiation of a second computer-based assessment system, wherein the first and second computer-based assessment systems are substantially similar.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the assessment project includes a third-party standard.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the assessment project includes a hierarchically arranged set of assessment objectives.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the assessment project includes one or more customizable templates.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the portion of the assessment project includes results data associated with the customizable templates.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the assessment project includes one or more program objectives and a set of courses aligned with those program objectives.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising the step of:

offering for purchase the at least a portion of the assessment project.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the institution comprises at least three organizational levels including multiple levels of operating units.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least three organizational levels further comprise a programs level, a course level, and a section level.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the assessment project includes at least one customizable assessment project associated with a node corresponding to one of the levels of the institution.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one customizable assessment project is based on an editable template.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein contents of the editable template are based on a particular organizational level associated with the node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the editable template includes at least one objective form.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one objective form comprises a plurality of different objective forms.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein a set of activity forms is associated with the at least one objective form.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the set of activity forms comprises one or more different activity forms.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein membership in the set of activity forms is based on a particular organizational level associated with the node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein contents of each activity form within the set of activity forms are based on the particular organizational level associated with the node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

21. A method for sharing data related to an assessment project of a multi-level institution, the method comprising the steps of:

importing at least a first portion of a first assessment project into a first instantiation of a first assessment management system, the first portion developed within a second instantiation of a second assessment management system; and

populating a second assessment project, within the first instantiation, using the imported first portion.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first portion of the assessment project includes a third-party standard.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the first portion of the assessment project includes a hierarchically arranged set of assessment objectives.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the first portion of the assessment project includes one or more program objectives and a set of courses aligned with those program objectives.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the first portion of the assessment project includes one or more customizable templates.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first portion of the assessment project includes results data associated with the customizable templates.

27. The method according to claim 21, comprising the step of:

purchasing the first portion of the assessment project.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the institution comprises at least three organizational levels including multiple levels of operating units.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least three organizational levels further comprise a programs level, a course level, and a section level.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the first assessment project includes at least one customizable assessment project associated with a node corresponding to one of the levels of the institution.

31. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one customizable assessment project is based on an editable template.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein contents of the editable template are based on a particular organizational level associated with the node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the editable template includes at least one objective form.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the at least one objective form comprises a plurality of different objective forms.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein a set of activity forms is associated with the at least one objective form.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the set of activity forms comprises one or more different activity forms.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein membership in the set of activity forms is based on a particular organizational level associated with the node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein contents of each activity form within the set of activity forms are based on the particular organizational level associated with the node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

39. The method of claim 21, wherein the first portion includes at least one of a rubric, an instrument, an objective, a goal, a department-level assessment project, an institution-level assessment project, an assessment initiative, an operating unit-level assessment project, a college-level assessment project, a curriculum plan, a program-level assessment project, and an evaluation portfolio.

40. A system for sharing data related to an assessment project of a multi-level institution, comprising:

a programmable computer configured to;

develop at least a portion of the assessment project, based on input received from one or more users, within a first instantiation of a first assessment management system; and

export the portion of the assessment project in a format importable by a second assessment management system.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the first and second assessment management system are the same.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the first assessment management system is a first instantiation of a first computer-based assessment system and the second assessment management system is a second instantiation of a second computer-based assessment system, wherein the first and second computer-based assessment systems are substantially similar.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein the portion of the assessment project includes a third-party standard.

44. The system of claim 40, wherein the portion of the assessment project includes a hierarchically arranged set of assessment objectives.

45. The system of claim 40, wherein the portion of the assessment project includes one or more customizable templates.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the portion of the assessment project includes results data associated with the customizable templates.

47. The system of claim 40, wherein the portion of the assessment project includes one or more program objectives and a set of courses aligned with those program objectives.

48. The system of claim 40, wherein the at least a portion of the assessment project is offered for sale.

49. The system of claim 40, wherein the institution comprises at least three organizational levels including multiple levels of operating units.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the at least three organizational levels further comprise a programs level, a course level, and a section level.

51. The system of claim 40, wherein the assessment project includes at least one customizable assessment project associated with a node corresponding to one of the levels of the institution.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the at least one customizable assessment project is based on an editable template.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein contents of the editable template are based on a particular organizational level associated with the node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

54. The system of claim 51, wherein the editable template includes at least one objective form.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the at least one objective form comprises a plurality of different objective forms.

56. The system of claim 54, wherein a set of activity forms is associated with the at least one objective form.

57. The system of claim 56, wherein the set of activity forms comprises one or more different activity forms.

58. The system of claim 57, wherein membership in the set of activity forms is based on a particular organizational level associated with the node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

59. The system of claim 57, wherein contents of each activity form within the set of activity forms are based on the particular organizational level associated with the node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

60. A system for sharing data related to an assessment project of a multi-level institution, comprising:

a programmable computer configured to;

import at least a first portion of a first assessment project into a first instantiation of a first assessment management system, the first portion developed within a second instantiation of a second assessment management system; and

populate a second assessment project, within the first instantiation, using the imported first portion.

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the first portion of the assessment project includes a third-party standard.

62. The system of claim 60, wherein the first portion of the assessment project includes a hierarchically arranged set of assessment objectives.

63. The system of claim 60, wherein the first portion of the assessment project includes one or more program objectives and a set of courses aligned with those program objectives.

64. The system of claim 60, wherein the first portion of the assessment project includes one or more customizable templates.

65. The system of claim 64, wherein the first portion of the assessment project includes results data associated with the customizable templates.

66. The system of claim 60, wherein the first portion is acquired through a commercial transaction.

67. The system of claim 60, wherein the institution comprises at least three organizational levels including multiple levels of operating units.

68. The system of claim 67, wherein the at least three organizational levels further comprise a programs level, a course level, and a section level.

69. The system of claim 60, wherein the first portion includes at least one of a rubric, an instrument, an objective, a goal, a department-level assessment project, an institution-level assessment project, an assessment initiative, an operating unit-level assessment project, a college-level assessment project, a curriculum plan, a program-level assessment project, and an evaluation portfolio.

70. Computer readable media containing programming instructions for sharing data related to an assessment project of a multi-level institution, that upon execution thereof, causes one or more processors to perform the steps of:

developing at least a portion of the assessment project, based on input received from one or more users, within a first instantiation of a first assessment management system; and

exporting the portion of the assessment project in a format importable by a second assessment management system.

71. Computer readable media containing programming instructions for sharing data related to an assessment project of a multi-level institution, that upon execution thereof, causes one or more processors to perform the steps of:

importing at least a first portion of a first assessment project into a first instantiation of a first assessment management system, the first portion developed within a second instantiation of a second assessment management system; and

populating a second assessment project, within the first instantiation, using the imported first portion.

72. A method for managing assessment projects, comprising the steps of:

receiving respective exported data from each of a plurality of different assessment management systems, the respective exported data comprising at least a portion of a respective assessment project;

storing the respective exported data; and

forwarding one or more of the respective exported data to a requesting assessment management system.

73. A system for managing assessment projects comprising:

a programmable computer configured to attach to a network and receive, via the network, respective exported data from each of a plurality of different assessment management systems, the respective exported data comprising at least a portion of a respective assessment project;

memory accessible by the computer and configured to store the respective exported data; and

the programmable computer further configured to forward, via the network, one or more of the respective exported data to a requesting assessment management system.