System and Method for Rendering an Assessment Item

• US 20150046792A1
• Filed: 08/06/2014
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Educational Testing Service
• Original Assignee: Educational Testing Service
• Inventors: Lee, Mankit, Wang, Sherry, Berger, Kenneth H., Gray, Jenny
• Granted Patent: US 9,720,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for rendering an assessment item. A document encoded in a markup language is received. The document includes data that relates to at least one of an appearance and content of an assessment item, and the document includes a reference to a content file. The content file is retrieved, where the content file includes computer-executable instructions for generating an interactive graphical representation for display on a display device. The interactive graphical representation includes one or more features with which a user interacts to respond to the assessment item. The computer-executable instructions are executed based on the data of the document to generate the interactive graphical representation. Data generated based on user manipulation of the one or more features is received. The data generated from the user manipulation is processed to generate a modified graphical representation responsive to the assessment item.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for rendering an assessment item, the method comprising:

receiving a document encoded in a markup language, wherein the document includes data that relates to at least one of an appearance and content of an assessment item, and wherein the document includes a reference to a content file;

retrieving the content file with a processing system, the content file including computer-executable instructions for generating an interactive graphical representation for display on a display device, wherein the interactive graphical representation includes one or more features with which a user interacts to respond to the assessment item to generate a modified graphical representation responsive to the assessment item;

executing, using the processing system, the computer-executable instructions based on the data of the document to generate the interactive graphical representation for display to the user;

receiving, at the processing system, data generated based on user manipulation of the one or more features of the interactive graphical representation; and

processing the data generated from the user manipulation to generate the modified graphical representation responsive to the assessment item.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content file is separate from the document.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content file includes:

an entry file configured to invoke a plurality of functions, the plurality of functions including;

a first function for retrieving the data from the document, and

a second function for saving the data generated from the user manipulation to a storage device or a server; and

one or more JavaScript files including the computer-executable instructions.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the content file comprises an archive file or a package file, and wherein the executing of the computer-executable instructions includes:

unpackaging the content file;

opening the entry file;

after the opening of the entry file, invoking the first function via the entry file to retrieve the data from the document; and

executing the computer-executable instructions included in the one or more JavaScript files based on the retrieved data to generate the graphical representation,

wherein the second function is invoked via the entry file to save the data generated from the user manipulation to the storage device or the server after the generating of the graphical representation.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more features with which the user interacts include a text input box, a checkbox, a button, or a graphical component that enables the user to:

generate or manipulate a graph that is displayed in the graphical representation;

generate or manipulate a number line that is displayed in the graphical representation;

arrange graphical objects for presentation or for execution of a computer simulation in the graphical representation;

or

generate or manipulate a line plot that is displayed in the graphical representation, wherein the data of the document defines a height and width of the graph, number line, or plot.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the document and the content file are received from an item-banking database that is stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the markup language is extensible markup language (XML), and wherein the data of the document comprises XML data that is surrounded by an opening tag and a closing tag in the document.

8. A system for rendering an assessment item, the system comprising:

a processing system; and

a memory in communication with the processing system, wherein the processing system is configured to execute steps comprising;

receiving a document encoded in a markup language, wherein the document includes data that relates to at least one of an appearance and content of an assessment item, and wherein the document includes a reference to a content file;

retrieving the content file, the content file including computer-executable instructions for generating an interactive graphical representation for display on a display device, wherein the interactive graphical representation includes one or more features with which a user interacts to respond to the assessment item to generate a modified graphical representation responsive to the assessment item;

executing the computer-executable instructions based on the data of the document to generate the interactive graphical representation for display to the user;

receiving data generated based on user manipulation of the one or more features of the interactive graphical representation; and

processing the data generated from the user manipulation to generate the modified graphical representation responsive to the assessment item.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the content file is separate from the document.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the content file includes:

an entry file configured to invoke a plurality of functions, the plurality of functions including;

a first function for retrieving the data from the document, and

a second function for saving the data generated from the user manipulation to a storage device or a server; and

one or more JavaScript files including the computer-executable instructions.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the content file comprises an archive file or a package file, and wherein the executing of the computer-executable instructions includes:

unpackaging the content file;

opening the entry file;

after the opening of the entry file, invoking the first function via the entry file to retrieve the data from the document; and

executing the computer-executable instructions included in the one or more JavaScript files based on the retrieved data to generate the graphical representation,

wherein the second function is invoked via the entry file to save the data generated from the user manipulation to the storage device or the server after the generating of the graphical representation.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more features with which the user interacts include a text input box, a checkbox, a button, or a graphical component that enables the user to:

generate or manipulate a graph that is displayed in the graphical representation;

generate or manipulate a number line that is displayed in the graphical representation;

arrange graphical objects for presentation or for execution of a computer simulation in the graphical representation;

or

generate or manipulate a line plot that is displayed in the graphical representation, wherein the data of the document defines a height and width of the graph, number line, or plot.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the document and the content file are received from an item-banking database that is stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the markup language is extensible markup language (XML), and wherein the data from the document comprises XML data that is surrounded by an opening tag and a closing tag in the document.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for rendering an assessment item, the computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed, cause a processing system to execute steps comprising:

receiving a document encoded in a markup language, wherein the document includes data that relates to at least one of an appearance and content of an assessment item, and wherein the document includes a reference to a content file;

retrieving the content file, the content file including computer-executable instructions for generating an interactive graphical representation for display on a display device, wherein the interactive graphical representation includes one or more features with which a user interacts to respond to the assessment item to generate a modified graphical representation responsive to the assessment item;

executing the computer-executable instructions based on the data of the document to generate the interactive graphical representation for display to the user;

receiving data generated based on user manipulation of the one or more features of the interactive graphical representation; and

processing the data generated from the user manipulation to generate the modified graphical representation responsive to the assessment item.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the content file is separate from the document.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the content file includes:

an entry file configured to invoke a plurality of functions, the plurality of functions including;

a first function for retrieving the data from the document, and

a second function for saving the data generated from the user manipulation to a storage device or a server; and

one or more JavaScript files including the computer-executable instructions.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the content file comprises an archive file or a package file, and wherein the executing of the second computer-executable instructions includes:

unpackaging the content file;

opening the entry file;

after the opening of the entry file, invoking the first function via the entry file to retrieve the data from the document; and

executing the computer-executable instructions included in the one or more JavaScript files based on the retrieved data to generate the graphical representation,

wherein the second function is invoked via the entry file to save the data generated from the user manipulation to the storage device or the server after the generating of the graphical representation.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more features with which the user interacts include a text input box, a checkbox, a button, or a graphical component that enables the user to:

generate or manipulate a graph that is displayed in the graphical representation;

generate or manipulate a number line that is displayed in the graphical representation;

arrange graphical objects for presentation or for execution of a computer simulation in the graphical representation;

or

generate or manipulate a line plot that is displayed in the graphical representation, wherein the data of the document defines a height and width of the graph, number line, or plot.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the document and the content file are received from an item-banking database that is stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the markup language is extensible markup language (XML), and wherein the data from the document comprises XML data that is surrounded by an opening tag and a closing tag in the document.