Interactive educational system and method

• US 5,823,788 A
• Filed: 11/13/1995
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Original Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Inventors: Grund, Christian J., Lemelson, Jerome H.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHENG, JOE H
• Application Number:
  US08/556,611
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/156, 434/169, 434/307 R, 434/308, 434/322, 434/323, 434/327, 434/334-336, 434/350-352, 434/362, 434/365, 379/97, 379/102.53, 340/825.51, 340/825.5, 370/85.13, 370/85.14, 370/94.1, 370/34.3, 395/152, 395/154, 395/144, 395/159, 395/160, 395/927, 395/761, 395/326, 455/2, 455/3.1, 455/5.1, 364/419.19, 364/419.2, 273/429-432
• US Class Current: 434/350
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/927 Education or instruction

Abstract

An interactive instructional system includes a microprocessor-controlled base station for use by an instructor and/or a computer and a plurality of input devices each for use by a student. The base station and input devices communicate over a communication link or network employing wires, optical fibers, radio links, infrared links or the like. Each input device is in the form of a multiple keyswitch operated device which the student may operate to respond to a question posed by the instructor, computer or base station during a lecture. Each input device is also provided with an identifier code. Responses by the student are transmitted to the base station in messages, each of which further includes an identifier code thereby identifying the answering device or student. The base station receives the students'"'"' responses from the input devices and generates information for display to the instructor, including selected class and individual statistics, the base station using the identifier code to associate each response to a student. The base station may provide the information to the instructor so that, during a lecture or course, instructional material and techniques can be adjusted based on the feedback information as to how well the class and individual students are learning the subject matter. Since this system can be used continuously during a lecture or course (instead of relying on tests only a few times during a course), the instructor can continuously tailor the course to the learning speed of the class.

Claims

1. An interactive instruction system comprising an instructor'"'"'s base station and a plurality of student input devices connected to said base station over respective communication links, each said student input device being for use by a student in an instruction group during an instructional session,

A. each student input device being adapted to receive (i) query response information input by a respective student in response to a query issued during said instructional session and (ii) a response transmit enable input from the respective student, each student input device generating a response message including the information input from the student and an identifier code uniquely identifying the student input device for transmission to the base station during a said instructional session in response to said response transmit enable input;

and

B. the base station receiving the response messages from the student input device during the instructional session and generating

i. class response statistics from the responses as contained in the messages, and

ii. individual response statistics for an individual student from the responses and as contained in the messages and the identifier codes as contained in the messages,

as selected by the instructor.

2. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 1 in which said student input device includes a student information input keypad for receiving information input from a student, the student input device being operable to generate a response message representing the information in response to the query response information input when said student provides said response transmit enable input.

3. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 2 in which the student information input keypad comprises an alphabetic keypad for receiving information comprising at least one alphabetic character and a control keypad portion for enabling said student to provide said response transmit enable input.

4. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 2 in which the student information input keypad comprises a numeric keypad for receiving numeric information and a control keypad for enabling said student to provide said response transmit enable input.

5. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 4 in which the student information input keypad further comprises an alphabetic keypad for receiving information comprising one or more alphabetic characters.

6. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 2 in which ones of said queries allow a student to select among a number of possible responses, the student information input keypad including a plurality of keys each corresponding to one of said possible responses and a control keypad portion for enabling said student to provide said response transmit enable input.

7. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 6 in which ones of said queries allow a student to select among two responses, the student information input keypad including two keys each corresponding to one of said possible responses.

8. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 2 in which the base station includes:

A. a response message processor for receiving response messages from student input devices of students of said instructional group, determining their correctness, and generating in response correctness information; and

B. a statistics generator for generating response statistics as selected by the instructor in response to the correctness information.

9. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 8 in which said base station includes an instructor'"'"'s display for displaying the response statistics generated by the statistics generator.

10. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 9 in which statistics generator is operable to generate a number of types of response statistics, the instructor'"'"'s display displaying a selected type of response statistics as selected by the instructor.

11. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 1 in which said student input device includes a microphone for receiving audible input from a student, the student input device being operable to generate an audible response message including the audible response in response to the input when the respective student provides said response transmit enable input.

12. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 11 in which the base station includes:

A. a response message processor for receiving audible response messages from student input devices of students of said instructional group, performing a voice recognition operation in connection therewith to generate their textual information content, determining the correctness of the textual information content and generating in response correctness information; and

B. a statistics generator for generating response statistics as selected by the instructor in response to the correctness information.

13. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 12 in which said base station includes an instructor'"'"'s display for displaying the response statistics generated by the statistics generator.

14. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 13 in which said statistics generator generates a number of types of response statistics, the instructor'"'"'s display displaying a selected type of response statistics as selected by the instructor.

15. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 1 in which said student input device includes a microphone for receiving audible input from a student, the student input device performing a speech recognition operation in connection therewith to generate textual information content in response to the audible input, the student input device generating the response message including the textual information content for transmission to the base station when the respective student provides said response transmit enable input.

16. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 1 in which the student input device further includes a student display device for displaying information to the student.

17. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 16 in which the base station generates information to be displayed by the student display device, the base station transmitting the information to be displayed to the student input devices, each student input device further including an information receiver for receiving the information from the base station and displaying the received information on the associated student display device.

18. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 16 in which the student selects information to be displayed using the student input device.

19. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 1 in which each student is further provided with a student display for displaying selected information to the student as selected by the base station.

20. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 19 in which the student display is further provided with a student input arrangement for allowing a student to input information using the student display, each student'"'"'s student input device being operable to generate a message in response to the information input using the student display.

21. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 20 in which the student input arrangement comprises a touch-screen input arrangement.

22. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 20 in which the student input arrangement comprises a light pen.

23. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 20 in which the student input arrangement comprises a mouse for manipulating a mouse pointer.

24. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 1 in which the base station includes:

A. a response message processor for receiving messages from student input devices of students of said instructional group, determining their correctness and generating in response correctness information; and

B. a statistics generator for generating response statistics as selected by the instructor in response to the correctness information.

25. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 24 in which the base station further includes an instructor input device for receiving control information from an instructor to control queries provided to the students.

26. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 24 in which the base station further includes an instructor display for displaying information to the instructor.

27. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 26 in which the instructor display selectively displays class response statistics and individual response statistics as selected by the instructor.

28. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 27 in which the instructor display selectively displays information relating to queries as selected by the instructor.

29. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 24 in which the base station further includes a class display for displaying information to the instructional group.

30. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 29 in which the class display displays queries to the instructional group.

31. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 29 in which the class display displays instructional information to the instructional group.

32. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 29 the information displayable by said class display being associated with a plurality of display information types, the class display displaying one of said display information types for display as selected by the instructor.

33. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 1 in which the student input devices transfer messages to the base station over a communication link.

34. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 33 in which the communication link comprises a hardwired network.

35. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 33 in which the communication link comprises an optical fiber.

36. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 33 in which the communication link comprises a radio link.

37. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 33 in which the communication link comprises an infrared link.

38. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 33 in which each student input device transmits a message to the base station in response to a signal from the base station enabling said student input device to transmit the message.

39. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 33 in which the base station transmits a transmission enabling signal to the student input devices, the student input devices transmitting messages after a selected delay period, which delay period differs as among said student input devices.

40. An interactive instruction system as defined in claim 39 in which the student input devices determine their respective delay periods from their respective identifier codes.

41. An interactive method using an instructor'"'"'s base station and at least one student input device for use by a student to effect interactive instruction during an instructional session, the student input device being connected to said base station over a respective communication link, the communication link transferring information between said student input device and said base station, the method comprising the steps of:

A. enabling the student input device to receive (i) query response information input by a respective student in response to a query during a said instructional session and (ii) a response transmit enable input from the respective student, each student input device generating a response message including the information input from the student and an identifier code uniquely identifying the student input device for transmission to the base station during a said instructional session in response to said response transmit enable input; and

B. enabling the base station to receive the messages from the student input device during a said instructional session and generating

i. code signals defining class response statistics from the responses as contained in the messages, and

ii. code signals defining individual response statistics for an individual student from the responses and as contained in the messages and the identifier codes as contained in the messages,

as selected by the instructor.