System and method for managing a continuing education program

• US 20070088563A1
• Filed: 10/17/2005
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Patton Boggs LLP (Squire Patton Boggs US LLP)
• Original Assignee: Patton Boggs LLP (Squire Patton Boggs US LLP)
• Inventors: Nardotti, Michael, Hardenstein, Linda, Yue, Qun, Shingleton, Lorna
• Application Number:
  US11/253,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20070088563A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/205 Education administration or guidance
• 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 system and method for managing a continuing education program. A request submission to attend a CLE course may be sent to a supervisor to be approved or disapproved. The method may include storing on an electronic storage device the financial information related to a budget for the continuing education program and continuing education information including a course identifier. The method further includes receiving estimated attendance costs for attending the continuing education program and comparing the estimated attendance costs to the financial information to determine whether the estimated attendance costs are within a budget for a person to attend the continuing education program.

Claims

1. A product for administering and tracking an attorney training program, said product comprising:

instructions for directing a processing unit to;

receive a request for a course list;

in response to the request, display a list of available courses;

receive a training form input that a training request form is to be provided;

in response to the training form input, display a training request screen;

receive and store a training request input via the training request screen showing a training request form;

responsive to the training request input, sending an electronic approval request to an administrative person;

displaying an approval screen, including the training request input on an administrator display;

receive and store an approval/disapproval input; and

communicate a message related to the approval/approval input; and

a media readable by the processing unit that stores the instructions.

2. The product as in claim 1, further including instructions for directing the processing unit to:

receive a selection of a particular course on the course list; and

responsive to the selection, display the selected particular course on the training request screen.

3. The product as in claim 1, further including instructions for directing the processing unit to:

receive a details input requesting details of a course on the course list; and

responsive to said details input, establish a link to a server of the vendor of the course.

4. The product as in claim 1, wherein the communication of a message includes sending an email.

5. The product as in claim 1, further including instructions for directing the processing unit to:

display a selectable list of course vendors; and

responsive to a vendor being selected, displaying a website of the vendor to display courses offered by the vendor.

6. The product as in claim 5, further including instructions for directing the processing unit to:

receive a request to display a history of courses taken by an attorney; and

display courses taken by the attorney.

7. The product as in claim 1, further including instructions for directing the processing unit to:

receive an identification input identifying a particular attorney; and

responsive to said identification input, display an identification of said particular attorney on the training request screen.

8. The product as in claim 7, wherein the instructions for sending an electronic approval request includes instructions for directing the processing unit to send the electronic approval request to the supervisor of the particular attorney.

9. The product as in claim 7, further including instructions for directing the processing unit to:

provide a selectable list of departments in which the particular attorney works;

in response to a selected department, provide a selectable list of supervisors within the selected department; and

in response to receiving a selected supervisor, store the selected department and supervisor with the training request input.

10. The product as in claim 1, further including instructions for directing the processing unit to:

receive a request to display a history of courses taken by an attorney; and

display courses taken by the attorney.

11. A method for administering and tracking an attorney training program, said method comprising:

receiving a request for a course list;

in response to the request, displaying a list of available courses;

receiving a training form input that a training request form is to be provided;

in response to the training form input, displaying a training request screen;

receiving and storing a training request input via the training request screen showing a training request form;

responsive to the training request input, sending an electronic approval request to an administrative person;

displaying an approval screen including the training request on an administrator display;

receiving and storing an approval/disapproval input; and

communicating a message related to the approval/disapproval input.

12. The method as in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a particular course on the course list; and

responsive to the selection, displaying the selected particular course on the training request screen.

13. The method as in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a details input requesting details of a course on the course list; and

responsive to said details input, establishing a link to a server of the vendor of the course.

14. The method as in claim 11 wherein said communicating a message includes sending an email.

15. The method as in claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a selectable list of course vendors; and

responsive to a vendor being selected, displaying a website of the vendor with information related to courses offered by the vendor.

16. The method as in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a request to display training history taken by an attorney; and

responsive to the training history request, displaying training courses taken by the attorney.

17. The method as in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an identification input identifying a particular attorney; and

responsive to said identification input, displaying an identification of said particular attorney on the training request screen.

18. The method as in claim 17, further comprising sending an electronic approval request which includes sending the electronic approval request to the supervisor of the particular attorney.

19. The method as in claim 17, further comprising:

providing a selectable list of departments in which the particular attorney works;

in response to a selected department, providing a selectable list of supervisors within the selected department; and

in response to receiving a selected supervisor, storing the selected department and supervisor with the training request input.

20. The method as in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a request to display a history of courses taken by an attorney; and

displaying courses taken by the attorney.

21. An electronic system for administering and tracking an attorney continuing legal education (CLE) training program, said system comprising:

an electronic input device for producing input signals;

a display;

an electronic memory storing a list of CLE courses, course vendors, and a list of attorneys; and

an electronic processor communicating with said memory and said display and responsive to the input signals to;

direct said display to display said list of courses and said list of course vendors;

store a record of CLE course credits associated with each of the attorneys in said memory;

receive a course selection for an attorney in said list of attorneys;

generate a supervisor approval request including said course selection; and

communicate said supervisor approval request to a supervisor of said attorney.

22. The system as in claim 21 wherein the electronic processor is further responsive to the input signals and to said selection to display said selected course.

23. The system as in claim 21 wherein the electronic processor is further responsive to the input signals to:

receive a details input requesting details of a course on said course list; and

responsive to said details input, establish a link to a server of the vendor of said course.

24. The system as in claim 21 wherein the electronic processor is further responsive to the input signals to communicate the supervisor approval request as an email.

25. The system as in claim 21 wherein the electronic processor is further responsive to the input signals to:

display a selectable list of vendors offering the CLE courses; and

in response to a vendor being selected, display a website of the selected vendor to display a listing of CLE courses offered by the selected vendor.

26. The system as in claim 25 wherein the electronic processor is further responsive to the input signals to:

receive a request to display training history of an attorney; and

responsive to the training history request, display courses taken by the attorney.

27. The system as in claim 21 wherein the electronic processor is further responsive to input signals to:

receive an identification input identifying a particular attorney; and

responsive to said identification input, display an identification of said particular attorney on a training request screen.

28. The system as in claim 27 wherein the electronic processor is further responsive to input signals to:

provide a selectable list of departments in which the particular attorney works;

in response to a selected department, provide a selectable list of supervisors within the selected department; and

in response to receiving a selected supervisor, storing the selected department and supervisor with the training request input.

29. The system as in claim 21 wherein the electronic processor is further responsive to input signals to:

receive a request to display a history of courses taken by an attorney; and

display courses taken by the attorney.

30. A system for managing a continuing education program, said system comprising:

a computing system including;

a storage unit storing;

financial information related to a budget for the continuing education program; and

continuing education information including a course identifier; and

a processing unit executing instructions to cause said processing a unit to;

receive estimated attendance costs for attending the continuing education program; and

compare the estimated attendance costs to the financial information of the continuing education program to determine whether the estimated attendance costs are within a budget for a person to attend the continuing education program.

31. The system according to claim 30 wherein the continuing education program is a continuing legal education program.

32. The system according to claim 30 wherein the estimated attendance costs include a registration fee.

33. The system according to claim 32 wherein estimated attendance costs further include estimated travel costs.

34. The system according to claim 30 wherein the instructions further cause said processing unit to:

provide an actual expense form for attending a continuing legal education program; and

store actual expense information in response to receiving the actual expenses entered into the actual expense form.

35. The system according to claim 34 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

compare the actual expenses with the estimated attendance costs; and

generate a notification if the actual expenses are greater than ten percent (10%) different than the estimated attendance costs.

36. The system according to claim 34 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

compare the actual expenses with the estimated budget costs; and

generate a notification if the actual expenses are greater than ten percent (10%) different than the estimated budget costs.

37. A method for managing a continuing education program, said method comprising:

storing on an electronic storage device;

financial information related to a budget for the continuing education program; and

continuing education information including a course identifier; and

receiving estimated attendance costs for attending the continuing education program; and

comparing the estimated attendance costs to the financial information of the continuing education program to determine whether the estimated attendance costs are within a budget for a person to attend the continuing education program.

38. The method according to claim 37 wherein the continuing education program is a continuing legal education program.

39. The method according to claim 37 wherein the estimated attendance costs include a registration fee.

40. The system according to claim 39 wherein estimated attendance costs further include estimated travel costs.

41. The system according to claim 37, further comprising:

providing an actual expense form for attending a continuing legal education program; and

storing actual expense information in response to receiving the actual expenses entered into the actual expense form.

42. The system according to claim 41, further comprising:

comparing the actual expenses with the estimated attendance costs; and

generating a notification if the actual expenses are greater than ten percent (10%) different than the estimated attendance costs.

43. The method according to claim 41, further comprising:

comparing the actual expenses with the estimated budget costs; and

generating a notification if the actual expenses are greater than ten percent (10%) different than the estimated budget costs.