Global Computer Network Self-Tutoring System

• US 20100285441A1
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Original Assignee: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Inventors: Hefferman, Neil T.
• Application Number:
  US12/532,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20100285441A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/350
• 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 global computer network method and apparatus for creating and deploying many types of self-tutoring systems across many different platforms is disclosed. A run time engine supports several types of tutorials, in both a client and server context. A Builder enables development and testing of tutorials, formed of teacher composed problems, or an existing approved problems set, or student-user composed problems. The system simplifies the process of tutorial construction to allow educators and students with little or no ITS experience to develop content of problems and teaching strategies (i.e., format of problems including hints, messages and sequencing of related problems). The system provides a Web based interface as a means to build and store these tutorials. A web based reporting component allows for live database reporting to teachers, showing how students are performing. A testing component is web based and allows a teacher to test the quality of student composed problems. Further, the testing component allows addition of the student content to the existing approved problem set as is pertinent. Automated analysis and reporting of experimental tutorials developed by either teacher or student is included.

Claims

1. In a global computer network, a method for tutoring students comprising the computer implemented steps of:

enabling a teacher to compose problems or to chose problems from an existing approved problem set to display to student-users and to form teaching strategies with at least scaffolding of problems; and

enabling a first student (a) to compose at least a portion of a problem to provide to the teacher and (b) to form self-teaching strategies; and

for each student-user, interactively displaying to the student-user any combination of (i) the first student composed problems, (ii) the teacher composed problems, or (iii) problems from the existing approved problem set according to a curriculum and the teaching strategies, the curriculum selecting problems and the teaching strategies enabling any combination of teacher or student authored explanations, hints, messages and scaffolding of the problems to be interactively displayed in response to the student-user interaction/action; and

enabling the teacher to test the quality of the first student composed problems by conducting a randomized controlled experiment through the interactive display.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein scaffolding employs arcing or transitioning from one problem to another problem.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of enabling the teacher to compose problems includes enabling composed problems to include various media.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of interactively displaying includes determining what messages, problems and media to display currently to the student-user and which are scheduled to be displayed to the student-user.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of enabling a first student to compose problems includes enabling composed problems to include various media.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of displaying is during runtime;

and

the method further comprising the automated steps of;

logging the student-user actions and runtime level events, and storing indications of the logged student-user actions, curriculum and composed problems.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising the step of reporting students-user'"'"'s progress to teachers using the stored indications, said reporting including real-time reporting to teachers.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of conducting a randomized controlled experiment includes:

(a) creating a first test group and a second test group, the first test group interacting with problems from the existing approved problem set, the second test group interacting with the first student composed problems;

(b) for each test group, logging test group results, and comparing results from each test group; and

(c) optionally iterating the randomized controlled experiment to statistically learn gains.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising generalizing the first student composed problems to other schools.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the step of generalizing the first student composed problem includes adding the first student composed problems to the approved problem set.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the step of creating the first and second test groups includes creating additional test groups.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first student is one of the student-users or is a peer to the student-users.

13. In a global computer network, a computer system for tutoring students comprising:

a tutoring system having a tutorial composer enabling a teacher to create tutorial modules by composing problems or choosing problems from an existing approved problem set to display to student-users and to form teaching strategies with at least scaffolding of problems; and

a self-teaching module enabling at least a first student to (a) compose at least a portion of a problem to provide to the teacher and to (b) form self-teaching strategies; and

wherein for each student-user, the tutoring system interactively displaying to the student-user any combination of (i) the first student composed problems, (ii) the teacher composed problems, or (iii) problems from the existing approved problem set according to a curriculum and the teaching strategies, the curriculum selecting problems and the teaching strategies enabling any combination of teacher or student authored content to be interactively displayed in response to the student-user interaction/action; and

a testing component enabling teachers to test the quality of the first student composed problems by conducting a randomized controlled experiment through the interactive display.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the teaching strategies employ any combination of explanations, hints, messages and scaffolding of problems.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14 wherein scaffolding employs arcing or transitioning from one problem to another problem.

16. A system as claimed in claim 13 further comprising a reporting component enabling real time reporting of student-user'"'"'s work/progress to teachers, and further including:

a logger for logging student user actions and framework level events; and

a data store coupled to the logger for storing indications of logged student user actions, curriculum, problem information and media.

17. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the testing component includes:

a test group creator enabling the teacher to create test groups, different test groups interacting with different problems, one test group interacting with the first student composed problems;

a logger for logging results of each test group; and

a comparer for comparing the test group results, the comparer including a reporter that sends results of the comparison to an administrator.

18. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the testing component further allows a student composed problem to be added to the approved problem set.

19. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the first student is one of the student-users or is a peer to the student-users.

20. A computer program product providing a tutoring system comprising:

a computer useable medium having a computer readable program;

wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to;

enable a teacher to compose problems or to chose problems from an existing approved problem set to display to student-users and to form teaching strategies;

enable a first student (a) to compose at least a portion of a problem to provide to the teacher and (b) to form self-teaching strategies.

interactively display, to each student-user, any combination of (i) the first student composed problems, (ii) the teacher composed problems, or (iii) problems from the existing approved problem set according to a curriculum and the teaching strategies, the curriculum selecting problems and the teaching strategies enabling any combination of teacher or student authored explanations, hints, messages and scaffolding of the problems to be interactively displayed in response to the student-user interaction/action; and

enable the teacher to test the quality of the first student composed problems by conducting a randomized controlled experiment through the interactive display wherein the first student is one of the student-users.

21. A computer program product as claimed in claim 20 wherein the computer readable program further causes the computer to add a student composed problem to the approved problem set.

22. In a global computer network, a computer system for tutoring students, comprising:

tutorial composing means for enabling a teacher to compose problems or to chose problems from an existing approved problem set to display to student-users and to form teaching strategies;

self-teaching means for enabling a first student to (a) compose at least a portion of a problem to provide to the teacher and to (b) form self-teaching strategies;

means to interactively display to each student-user, any combination of (i) the first student composed problems, (ii) the teacher composed problems, or (iii) problems from the existing approved problems set according to a curriculum and the teaching strategies, the curriculum selecting problems and the teaching strategies enabling any combination of teacher or student authored explanations, hints, messages and scaffolding of the problems to be interactively displayed in response to the student-user interaction/action; and

test means for enabling the teacher to test the quality of the first student composed problems by conducting a randomized controlled experiment through the interactive display.

23. A computer system as claimed in claim 22 further comprising means for adding the first student composed problems to the approved problem set.

24. A computer system means as claimed in claim 22 wherein the first student is a student-user or a peer to the student-users.