ADAPTIVE LEARNING SYSTEM USING AUTOMATICALLY-RATED PROBLEMS AND PUPILS

• US 20170243502A1
• Filed: 02/17/2017
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Expii, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Expii, Inc.
• Inventors: Loh, Po-Shen, Hamilton, Linus Ulysses, Li, Ray Yu
• Granted Patent: US 10,720,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/003 electrically operated apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• 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

Implementations for adaptive learning include actions of: outputting a practice problem having a problem difficulty rating, in which the practice problem is identified by one or more concept tags, each concept tag relating to a different subject-matter area that forms a basis of the practice problem; receiving an answer from a user to the practice problem; responsive to receiving the answer, determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response to the practice problem; responsive to determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response, updating, for each of the different subject-matter areas, a corresponding user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem, based on whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response; and outputting, for at least one of the different subject areas that forms the basis of the practice problem, the updated user specific comprehension rating.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for adaptive learning, the method being executed using one or more processors and comprising:

outputting, from the one or more processors, a practice problem having a problem difficulty rating, wherein the practice problem is identified by one or more concept tags, each concept tag relating to a different subject-matter area that forms a basis of the practice problem;

receiving, by the one or more processors, an answer from a user to the practice problem;

responsive to receiving the answer, determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response to the practice problem;

responsive to determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response, updating, for each of the different subject-matter areas that forms a basis of the practice problem, a corresponding user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem, wherein a magnitude of the changes to the user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating depends on the user specific comprehension rating prior to receiving the answer, the problem difficulty rating prior to receiving the answer, and whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response; and

outputting, for at least one of the different subject-matter areas that forms the basis of the practice problem, the updated user specific comprehension rating.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to outputting the practice problem, identifying a potential practice problem having a problem difficulty rating within a predetermined range of at least one user specific comprehension rating for a specified user; and

selecting the identified potential practice problem as the practice problem to output.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the potential practice problem comprises identifying a problem that the specified user has not previously attempted.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the potential practice problem comprises identifying a problem associated with at least one concept tag that corresponds to a subject-matter area selected by the specified user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each user specific comprehension rating is unbounded, and wherein each user specific comprehension rating is an indicator of the specified user'"'"'s comprehension of the corresponding subject-matter area relative to the comprehension of the corresponding subject-matter area by one or more other users.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response to the practice problem comprises determining whether the answer includes a correct response on the user'"'"'s first attempt to solve the problem.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the corresponding user specific comprehension rating and updating the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem comprise determining whether the user previously attempted to solve more or less than a predetermined number of practice problems, each of which is associated with at least one of the one or more concept tags.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the corresponding user specific comprehension rating and updating the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem comprise determining whether the user previously attempted to solve more or less than the predetermined number of practice problems, each of which is associated with each of the one or more concept tags.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations for adaptive learning, the operations comprising:

outputting, from the one or more processors, a practice problem having a problem difficulty rating, wherein the practice problem is identified by one or more concept tags, each concept tag relating to a different subject-matter area that forms a basis of the practice problem;

receiving, by the one or more processors, an answer from a user to the practice problem;

responsive to receiving the answer, determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response to the practice problem;

responsive to determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response, updating, for each of the different subject-matter areas that forms a basis of the practice problem, a corresponding user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem, wherein a magnitude of the changes to the user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating depends on the user specific comprehension rating prior to receiving the answer, the problem difficulty rating prior to receiving the answer, and whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response; and

outputting, for at least one of the different subject-matter areas that forms the basis of the practice problem, the updated user specific comprehension rating.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein operations further comprise:

prior to outputting the practice problem, identifying a potential practice problem having a problem difficulty rating within a predetermined range of at least one user specific comprehension rating for a specified user; and

selecting the identified potential practice problem as the practice problem to output.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein identifying the potential practice problem comprises identifying a problem that the specified user has not previously attempted.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein identifying the potential practice problem comprises identifying a problem associated with at least one concept tag that corresponds to a subject-matter area selected by the specified user.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein each user specific comprehension rating is unbounded, and wherein each user specific comprehension rating is indicative of the specified user'"'"'s comprehension of the corresponding concept relative to a plurality of other users.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response to the practice problem comprises determining whether the answer includes a correct response on the user'"'"'s first attempt to solve the problem.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein updating the corresponding user specific comprehension rating and updating the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem comprise determining whether the user previously attempted to solve more or less than a predetermined number of practice problems, each of which is associated with at least one of the one or more concept tags.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein updating the corresponding user specific comprehension rating and updating the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem comprise determining whether the user previously attempted to solve more or less than the predetermined number of practice problems, each of which is associated with each of the one or more concept tags.

17. A system, comprising:

a computing device; and

a computer-readable storage device coupled to the computing device and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by one or more processors of the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for adaptive learning, the operations comprising;

outputting, a practice problem having a problem difficulty rating, wherein the practice problem is identified by one or more concept tags, each concept tag relating to a different subject-matter area that forms a basis of the practice problem;

receiving an answer from a user to the practice problem;

responsive to receiving the answer, determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response to the practice problem;

responsive to determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response, updating, for each of the different subject-matter areas that forms a basis of the practice problem, a corresponding user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem, wherein a magnitude of the changes to the user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating depends on the user specific comprehension rating prior to receiving the answer, the problem difficulty rating prior to receiving the answer, and whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response; and

outputting, for at least one of the different subject-matter areas that forms the basis of the practice problem, the updated user specific comprehension rating.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein operations further comprise:

prior to outputting the practice problem, identifying a potential practice problem having a problem difficulty rating within a predetermined range of at least one user specific comprehension rating for a specified user; and

selecting the identified potential practice problem as the practice problem to output.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein identifying the potential practice problem comprises identifying a problem that the specified user has not previously attempted.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein identifying the potential practice problem comprises identifying a problem associated with at least one concept tag that corresponds to a subject-matter area selected by the specified user.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein each user specific comprehension rating is unbounded, and wherein each user specific comprehension rating is indicative of the specified user'"'"'s comprehension of the corresponding concept relative to a plurality of other users.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response to the practice problem comprises determining whether the answer includes a correct response on the user'"'"'s first attempt to solve the problem.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein updating the corresponding user specific comprehension rating and updating the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem comprise determining whether the user previously attempted to solve more or less than a predetermined number of practice problems, each of which is associated with at least one of the one or more concept tags.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein updating the corresponding user specific comprehension rating and updating the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem comprise determining whether the user previously attempted to solve more or less than the predetermined number of practice problems, each of which is associated with each of the one or more concept tags.

25. A computer-implemented method for adaptive learning, the method being executed using one or more processors and comprising:

receiving, over a network, from a client device, an identification by a user of at least one subject-matter area to review;

responsive to receiving the identification, identifying, by the one or more processors, a potential practice problem having a problem difficulty rating within a predetermined range of at least one user specific comprehension rating for the user, wherein the practice problem is identified by one or more concept tags, each concept tag relating to a different subject-matter area that forms a basis of the practice problem;

transmitting, from the one or more processors, the identified practice problem to the client device over the network;

receiving, over the network, from the client device, an answer to the practice problem;

responsive to receiving the answer, determining, by the one or more processors, whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response to the practice problem;

responsive to determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response, updating, for each of the different subject-matter areas that forms a basis of the practice problem, a corresponding user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem, wherein a magnitude of the changes to the user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating depends on the user specific comprehension rating prior to receiving the answer, the problem difficulty rating prior to receiving the answer, and whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response; and

outputting, for at least one of the different subject-matter areas that forms the basis of the practice problem, the updated user specific comprehension rating.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations for adaptive learning, the operations comprising:

receiving, over a network, from a client device, an identification by a user of at least one subject-matter area to review;

responsive to receiving the identification, identifying, by the one or more processors, a potential practice problem having a problem difficulty rating within a predetermined range of at least one user specific comprehension rating for the user, wherein the practice problem is identified by one or more concept tags, each concept tag relating to a different subject-matter area that forms a basis of the practice problem;

transmitting, from the one or more processors, the identified practice problem to the client device over the network;

receiving, over the network, from the client device, an answer to the practice problem;

responsive to receiving the answer, determining, by the one or more processors, whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response to the practice problem;

responsive to determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response, updating, for each of the different subject-matter areas that forms a basis of the practice problem, a corresponding user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem, wherein a magnitude of the changes to the user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating depends on the user specific comprehension rating prior to receiving the answer, the problem difficulty rating prior to receiving the answer, and whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response; and

outputting, for at least one of the different subject-matter areas that forms the basis of the practice problem, the updated user specific comprehension rating.

27. A system, comprising:

a computing device; and

a computer-readable storage device coupled to the computing device and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by one or more processors of the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for adaptive learning, the operations comprising;

receiving, over a network, from a client device, an identification by a user of at least one subject-matter area to review;

responsive to receiving the identification, identifying a potential practice problem having a problem difficulty rating within a predetermined range of at least one user specific comprehension rating for the user, wherein the practice problem is identified by one or more concept tags, each concept tag relating to a different subject-matter area that forms a basis of the practice problem;

transmitting, from the computing device, the identified practice problem to the client device over the network;

receiving, over the network, from the client device, an answer to the practice problem;

responsive to receiving the answer, determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response to the practice problem;

responsive to determining whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response, updating, for each of the different subject-matter areas that forms a basis of the practice problem, a corresponding user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating of the practice problem, wherein a magnitude of the changes to the user specific comprehension rating and the problem difficulty rating depends on the user specific comprehension rating prior to receiving the answer, the problem difficulty rating prior to receiving the answer, and whether the answer includes a correct or incorrect response; and

outputting, for at least one of the different subject-matter areas that forms the basis of the practice problem, the updated user specific comprehension rating.