Method and apparatus for correlating test information

• US 4,829,431 A
• Filed: 12/27/1983
• Issued: 05/09/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Ott, Granville E., Johns, Ron H.
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen
• Application Number:
  US06/566,092
• Time in Patent Office: 1,960 Days
• Field of Search: 434/322, 434/323, 434/327, 434/335, 434/338 X, 434/354, 434/362, 434/364, 273/237, 273/273 X, 364/413, 364/419, 364/709
• US Class Current: 434/323
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 7/06 the elements being secured or adapted to be secured by means of pins and holes

Abstract

A method and apparatus for storing a relationship between individual elements of two or more knowledge sets includes a main computer (12) that is operable to receive a portable memory cartridge (20). The computer (12) has an input keypad (16), a storage medium (18) and a display (14). A coordinate transducer (24) is provided to input the coordinates from a test sheet (26). The test sheet (26) has a pattern of knowledge elements in a question and answer format. The relationship between the questions and answers is predetermined and is stored in the portable memory cartridge (20). The coordinate transducer (24) provides for input of the coordinates of the question and answer on the test sheet for storage in the computer. After storage, selection of the coordinates of a particular question is followed by selection of the coordinates of an answer and comparison made by the computer (12) with the stored relationship in the portable cartridge (20). A true comparison results in a correct answer and a false comparison results in an incorrect answer.

Claims

1. An educational system for use by a student comprising:

a test element having a first set of knowledge elements arranged in a first predetermined pattern, and a second set of knowledge elements arranged in a second predetermined pattern, each of said second knowledge elements related to one of said first knowledge elements;

a portable non-volatile memory having stored therein the correct relationship of the elements in said first and second patterns;

a digital computer for interfacing with said portable memory, said computer having on-board memory integral therewith;

means operable by the student for storing said first and second predetermined patterns in said on-board memory of said computer; and

means operable by the student for selecting one of the knowledge elements in said first predetermined pattern and one of the knowledge elements in said second predetermined pattern from said test element and generating signals to said computer representative of said selections;

said computer operable for comparing the relationship of the two selected knowledge elements with the stored relationship in said portable memory to determine if the two selected knowledge elements are related.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said test element comprises a planar surface responsive to said means for selecting and having the elements in said first and second knowledge sets disposed at predetermined locations on the surface thereof.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the elements of said first knowledge set are questions and the elements of said second knowledge set are answers to the questions in said first knowledge set.

4. The system of claim 1 and further comprising means for storing the results of the comparison in said portable memory such that the correct or incorrect relationship of the selected elements from said first and second knowledge sets can be determined at a later time.

5. The system of claim 1 and further comprising means for indicating the results of the comparison to provide an immediate indication as to whether the relationship between the selected elements in said first and second knowledge sets is identical to the relationship stored in said portable memory.

6. An educational system for use with a computer having internal memory, comprising:

a plurality of test elements each having a plurality of first knowledge elements disposed in a first pattern and a plurality of second knowledge elements disposed in a second pattern, said first and second elements having a predetermined relationship therebetween;

a portable non-volatile memory cartridge for coupling with the computer and having the predetermined relationships of said first and second elements of said test element stored therein;

means operable by the user for designating which test element is being used and for inputting said first and second patterns into the internal memory of the computer from said test element; and

transducer means associated with the test element being used for operation by the user for selecting one of said first elements and one of said second elements from selected locations in said first and second patterns for input to and storage in the internal memory of the computer;

said computer retrieving the predetermined relationship from said memory cartridge and comparing the retrieved predetermined relationship with the relationship between said selected ones of said first and second elements, and generating a determination of whether the selected elements are correctly related.

7. The educational system of claim 6 wherein each of said plurality of test elements comprises a planar surface with said first and second knowledge elements disposed thereon at discrete locations with said first and second patterns visually perceptible.

8. The educational system of claim 7 wherein said means for inputting said first and second patterns into the internal memory of the computer comprises means for inputting the coordinates of the locations of said first and second knowledge elements into the internal memory of the computer and said transducer means for selecting comprises means for inputting the coordinates of one of said first elements into the internal memory of the computer and the coordinates of one of said second elements into the internal memory, the coordinates allowing the computer to distinguish between different locations in said first and second patterns.

9. The educational system of claim 6 and further comprising means for allowing only one selection of any of said first and second knowledge elements such that a comparison can be made between any two of said knowledge elements.

10. The educational system of claim 6 and further comprising pictorial representations on at least one of said test elements, regions of said pictorial representations comprising knowledge elements.

11. The educational system of claim 6 and further comprising means for storing the results of said comparison in said memory cartridge.

12. A method of testing comprising:

generating a plurality of knowledge sets having individual knowledge elements therein, select ones of the knowledge elements in one of the sets related to one of the knowledge elements in another of the knowledge sets;

generating a correlation pattern to define a relationship between all of the knowledge elements;

forming a printed representation of said knowledge sets;

storing the correlation pattern in a portable storage cartridge;

storing in a computer locations of said knowledge elements on said printed representation;

selecting from the printed representation individual ones of the knowledge elements from the knowledge sets and generating representations of the locations thereof for input to the computer; and

comparing with the computer the selected knowledge elements from different knowledge sets and determining the correlation therebetween according to the stored correlation pattern in the cartridge.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of indicating the correlation or non-correlation of sequential knowledge elements with the stored correlation pattern.

14. The method of claim 13 and further comprising storing the correlation results in the cartridge.

15. A testing method utilizing a computer with internal memory, comprising:

arranging a first set of knowledge elements in a first predetermined pattern on a test element;

arranging a second set of knowledge elements in a second predetermined pattern on the test element, each of the second knowledge elements related to one of the first knowledge elements;

storing the first and second patterns in the relationship of the elements in a portable non-volatile memory;

interfacing the portable memory with the computer;

storing representations of the first and second predetermined patterns from the test element in the internal memory of the computer;

selecting from the test element one of the knowledge elements in the first predetermined pattern and one of the knowledge elements in the second predetermined pattern and generating signals to the computer representative of the selected test elements; and

comparing the relationship of the two selected elements with the stored relationship in the portable memory to determine if the two selected elements are related.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the first and second set of knowledge elements are disposed on a planar surface at predetermined locations on the surface thereof.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of storing in the portable memory comprises:

generating a correlation pattern defining the relationship between the elements in the first and second knowledge sets; and

storing the correlation pattern in the portable memory.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising randomizing the relationship between the elements in the first and second knowledge sets prior to arranging thereof on the test element.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the elements of the first knowledge set are questions and the elements of the second knowledge set are answers to the questions in said first knowledge set.

20. The method of claim 15 and further comprising storing the results of the comparing step in the portable memory such that the correct or incorrect relationship of the selected elements from the first and second knowledge sets can be determined at a later time.

21. An education system for use by a student comprising:

a test element providing a planar surface having a first set of knowledge elements disposed at predetermined locations on the surface thereof and arranged in a first predetermined pattern, and a second set of knowledge elements disposed at predetermined locations on the surface thereof and arranged in a second predetermined pattern, each of said second knowledge elements related to one of said first knowledge elements;

a portable non-volatile memory;

means for storing the correct relationship of the elements in said first and second patterns in said portable memory so as to randomly orient the position of said second set of knowledge elements with respect to said first set of knowledge elements;

a digital computer for interfacing with said portable memory, said computer having on-board memory integral therewith;

means operable by the student for storing said first and second predetermined patterns in said on-board memory of said computer; and

means operable by the student for selecting one of the knowledge elements in said first predetermined pattern and one of the knowledge elements in said second predetermined pattern from said test element, the planar surface of said test element being responsive to said means for selecting for generating signals to said computer representative of said selections;

said computer operable for comparing the relationship of the two selected knowledge elements with the stored relationship in said portable memory to determine if the two selected knowledge elements are related.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein each relationship stored in said portable memory is associated with a code, the code being impressed on said planar surface of said test element, wherein the student may operate the computer to retrieve selected relationships from said portable memory.

23. A method of testing comprising:

generating a plurality of knowledge sets having individual knowledge elements therein, select ones of the knowledge elements in one of the sets related to one of the knowledge elements in another of the knowledge sets;

generating a correlation pattern to define a relationship between all of the knowledge elements;

altering the correlation pattern in accordance with a random number sequence;

thereafter forming a printed representation of said knowledge sets;

storing the altered correlation pattern in a portable storage cartridge;

storing in a computer locations of said knowledge elements on said printed representation;

selecting from the printed representation individual ones of the knowledge elements from the knowledge sets and generating representations of the locations thereof to input to the computer; and

comparing with the computer the selected knowledge elements from different knowledge sets and determining the correlation therebetween according to the stored altered correlation pattern in the cartridge.

24. Apparatus for correlating data, comprising:

fixed display means for displaying a plurality of first knowledge elements in a first predetermined pattern to form a first knowledge set, said fixed display means also displaying a plurality of second knowledge elements in a second predetermined pattern to form a second knowledge set, at least one of said second elements correlating with each of said first elements;

data processing means for storing said first and second predetermined patterns and the correlation of the elements therein;

a portable memory element for coupling with said data processing means;

means for storing the correlation of said first and second knowledge elements in said portable memory element;

means coupled to said data processing means for generating representations of the location of a selected one of said first knowledge elements and a selected one of said second knowledge elements; and

said data processing means operable on said representations for determining if the selected ones of said first and second elements correlate.

25. Apparatus for correlating data, comprising:

fixed display means for displaying a plurality of first knowledge elements in a first predetermined pattern to form a first knowledge set, said fixed display means also displaying a plurality of second knowledge elements in a second predetermined pattern to form a second knowledge set, at least one of said second elements correlating with each of said first elements;

data processing means for storing said first and second predetermined patterns and the correlation of the elements therein;

means coupled to said data processing means for generating representations of the location of a selected one of said first knowledge elements and a selected one of said second knowledge elements;

limiting means for limiting said means for generating to allow selection of any of said first and second elements to only one selection such that association of any of said first and second elements inhibits further associations of those particular elements; and

said data processing means operable on said representations for determining if the selected ones of said

26. Apparatus for correlating data, comprising:

fixed display means for displaying a plurality of first knowledge elements in a first predetermined pattern to form a first knowledge set, said fixed display means also displaying a plurality of second knowledge elements in a second predetermined pattern to form a second knowledge set, at least one of said second elements correlating with each of said first elements;

data processing means for storing said first and second predetermined patterns and the correlation of the elements therein;

means coupled to said data processing means for generating representations of the location of a selected one of said first knowledge elements and a selected one of said second knowledge elements;

said data processing means operable on said representations for determining if the selected ones of said first and second elements correlate;

said data processing means storing correlation data for a plurality of different knowledge sets in addition to said first and second knowledge sets; and

code sequence means for input into said data processing means for selecting the desired correlation data for the particular knowledge sets being operated upon.

27. A method for correlating knowledge elements, comprising:

generating a plurality of first knowledge elements in a first predetermined pattern to form a first knowledge set;

generating a plurality of second knowledge elements in a second predetermined pattern to form a second knowledge set, each of the second elements corresponding with one of the first elements;

disposing a pattern of first and second points on a surface, the first and second points having a predetermined geometric displacement therebetween;

associating each of the first and second points with their respective coordinates, each of the first points and associated coordinates therewith constituting one of the first knowledge elements and each of the second points and the associated coordinates therewith constituting one of the second knowledge elements;

storing the first and second predetermined patterns with the correlation of the first and second elements thereof in a portable memory cartridge;

interfacing the portable memory cartridge into a computer which determines the correlation of the first and second elements;

selecting from the surface one of the first knowledge elements from a predetermined location in the first stored pattern and generating signals representative thereof;

selecting from the surface one of the second knowledge elements from a predetermined location in the second stored pattern and generating signals representative thereof; and

in response to said signals, determining if the selected ones of the first and second elements correlate according to the stored predetermined element correlations.

28. A method for correlating knowledge elements, comprising:

generating a plurality of first knowledge elements in a first predetermined pattern to form a first knowledge set;

generating a plurality of second knowledge elements in a second predetermined pattern to form a second knowledge set, each of the second elements corresponding with one of the first elements;

disposing a pattern of first and second points on a surface, the first and second points having a predetermined geometric displacement therebetween;

associating each of the first and second points with their respective coordinates, each of the first points and associated coordinates therewith constituting one of the first knowledge elements and each of the second points and the associated coordinates therewith constituting one of the second knowledge elements;

storing the correlation of the elements;

selecting from the surface of the first knowledge elements from a predetermined location in the first stored pattern and generating signals representative thereof;

selecting from the surface one of the second knowledge elements from a predetermined location in the second stored pattern and generating signals representative thereof;

limiting selection of the first and second elements to only one selection such that association of any of the first and second elements inhibits further associations of those particular elements; and

in response to said signals, determining if the selected ones of the first and second elements correlate according to the stored predetermined element correlations.