Automated skills assessment

• US 20070166685A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Teletech Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Teletech Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Sharpe, Bruce, Gilbert, David, Barrett, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/317,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20070166685A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

An approach for automated skills assessment over a network is provided herein. Test subjects request an evaluation session via a phone call, email exchange, instant message exchange, or facsimile transmission. An information capture system facilitates the evaluation session forwarding prompts to the test subject and forwarding responses to a processing system. Upon completion, the responses are stored along with the prompts and assigned a unique identifier. Assessors including humans and computer applications access the network through a data transfer system and receive the stored evaluation session. Assessments for each evaluation session are stored by the processing system for subsequent delivery to subscribers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automated skills assessment over a network, comprising:

in response to receiving a request to record an evaluation session, initiating an information capture process;

in response to receiving a series of responses to a series of provided prompts, recording the responses;

upon completion of the evaluation session, storing the recorded responses and a call detail record (CDR);

in response to receiving a request to assess the stored responses, providing the recorded responses to an assessor;

in response to receiving an assessment of the stored responses, storing the assessment; and

in response to receiving a request for the assessment, providing the assessment and the associated CDR to an assessment recipient.

2. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

recording the series of prompts along with the corresponding series of responses.

3. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

providing the series of prompts and receiving the series of responses by at least one of;

a phone call, an electronic mail, an instant message, a web-based user interface, and a facsimile transmission.

4. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 3, wherein the phone call is accepted through a local phone line and converted by an automated call distribution center to a digital network exchange.

5. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a unique identifier to each stored evaluation session and the corresponding assessment.

6. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein the assessment includes at least one of:

a voice prompt, a Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) key entry, a digital document, and a facsimile transmission.

7. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of requests for evaluation from a plurality of locations; and

processing the evaluation sessions and corresponding assessments at a central location.

8. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

prompting an evaluated candidate for a higher level evaluation upon receiving a “

successful”

assessment for the evaluation session.

9. A system for automated skills assessment over a network, comprising:

a local communication system configured to;

upon receiving a request for recording an evaluation session, interact with a test subject to provide a series of prompts and receive a series of responses associated with the series of prompts;

an information capture system configured to;

forward the series of prompts to the local communication system;

forward the series of responses from the local communication system; and

forward a CDR associated with the evaluation session;

a processing system configured to;

store a record associated with the evaluation session, wherein the record includes at least one of;

the series of prompts, the series of responses, and the CDR associated with the evaluation session;

upon receiving a request for assessing the evaluation session, forward the stored record;

upon receiving an assessment of the evaluation session, store the assessment; and

upon receiving a request for the assessment forward the assessment to a subscriber.

10. The system as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

a data transfer system configured to facilitate an exchange of the stored evaluation session and the assessment between the processing system and an assessor.

11. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the local communication system includes at least one of a PSTN network, a cellular network, an Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) network, and a computer network.

12. The system as defined in claim 11, wherein the request for recording the evaluation session is received as one of:

a Direct-Inward-Dial (DID) call, a regular phone call, a facsimile transmission, an electronic mail, an instant message, and a text message.

13. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the information capture system includes an automated call distribution system that is arranged to communicate with the processing system over a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) network.

14. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the processing system includes at least one of:

an Interactive Voice Recording (IVR) server, a web server, and a storage server.

15. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the data transfer system includes at least one of:

a portal server, a web server, a database server, and a voice recording storage server.

16. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the information capture system, the processing system, and the data transfer system communicate over at least one of:

a dedicated network and the Internet.

17. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a process for automated language skills assessment over a network, the computer process comprising:

in response to receiving a local call requesting to record a language evaluation session, forwarding the call to an interactive voice recording system;

providing a series of prompts soliciting at least one of;

a keypad entry response and voice response;

in response to receiving a series of responses to the series of provided prompts, recording the responses;

upon completion of the language evaluation session, storing the recorded responses and a call detail record (CDR);

in response to receiving a request to assess the stored responses, providing the recorded responses to an assessor;

in response to receiving an assessment of the stored responses, storing the assessment; and

in response to receiving a request for the assessment, providing the assessment and the associated CDR to an assessment recipient.

18. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the CDR includes an Automated Number Identification (ANI) identifier associated with the call.

19. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the stored responses are provided to the assessor via at least one of:

a PSTN, a cellular network, an Unlicensed Mobile Access UMA network, and a computer network.

20. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the received local call requesting to record the language evaluation session is provided to the interactive voice recording system via a SIP network by an automated call distribution system.