Method and system for computerized learning, response, and evaluation

• US 5,890,911 A
• Filed: 01/09/1997
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William M. Bancroft
• Original Assignee: William M. Bancroft
• Inventors: Guillerm, Thierry, Tata, Giovanni, Mossman, Bruce, Rogers, Spencer, Jiang, Wayne, Griswold, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Application Number:
  US08/781,102
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/322, 434/323, 434/350, 434/362, 434/365
• US Class Current: 434/322
• 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 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation

Abstract

A method and system for computerizing learning, response, and evaluation is provided. The computerized system comprises a central processing unit and related memory and storage capacity to operate a learning, response, and evaluation system stored in a computer program. The learning, response, and evaluation system comprises an authoring portion and a presentation portion. Through the use of intuitive interface elements, the authoring portion allows an author to quickly and easily construct a lesson from a pool of relevant data. Due to the design and capabilities provided, the authoring portion reduces the time it takes for an author to learn how to construct a lesson and reduces the time it takes to construct the lesson. Data can be organized into pages which are presented to the user and pages which are hidden from the user. The presentation portion allows a user to view and learn the information contained in a lesson. Learning is enhanced because a user can request testing at virtually any point in the lesson. Unlike prior systems, questions presented to the user are generated by the learning, response, and evaluation system rather than being developed by the author.

Claims

1. A method of organizing data for presentation to a user of a presentation portion of a computerized learning, response and evaluation system, the method comprising the steps of:

a) obtaining a plurality of resources that represent relevant data, each resource adapted to be used as an individual unit of information;

b) placing one or more resources onto a page in such a manner that individual resources can be identified by said presentation portion and extracted as individual units of information from said pages by said presentation portion; and

c) creating means for identifying which resources on the page may be used by said presentation portion of a computerized learning, response and evaluation system to create questions by extracting a question part and a right answer part from among said individual resources so that said right answer part is the correct answer to said question part, and by assembling the extracted question part and right answer part into a question, said means for identifying adapted to prevent said presentation portion from selecting specified resources as either one or the other of a question part or a right answer part thereby prohibiting use of said specified resources by said presentation portion as either a question part or as a right answer part.

2. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 1 where the page is a page to be presented to a user of a presentation portion of a computerized learning, response, and evaluation system.

3. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 1 where the page is a page not presented to a user of a presentation portion of a computerized learning, response, and evaluation system.

4. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 1 wherein a plurality of such pages are created.

5. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 4 wherein the plurality of pages are organized for presentation to the user of a presentation portion of a computerized learning, response, and evaluation system.

6. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 5 wherein the organized pages are organized so that a portion of the pages can be viewed sequentially.

7. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 5 wherein the organized pages are organized so that a portion of the pages can be viewed hypersequentially.

8. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of creating a page identifier that is associated with the page.

9. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 8 wherein the page identifier comprises:

a) a page name;

b) a page topic;

c) one or more page links; and

d) a page type.

10. A method of using a computer system as an authoring portion of a computerized learning, response, and evaluation system in order to produce lessons that can be viewed by a presentation portion of a computerized learning, response, and evaluation system, said method comprising the steps of:

an author obtaining a plurality of information resources that represent relevant data, each resource adapted to be used as an individual unit of information;

said author using said authoring portion to create a lesson by creating a plurality of pages, at least a portion of which are adapted for presentation to a user of said presentation portion, each page comprising at least one of said information resources placed on the page in such a manner that individual resources can be identified by said presentation portion and extracted as an individual unit of information; and

said author using said authoring portion to create means for identifying which of said information resources can be used by said presentation to create questions, said means for identifying adapted to control the question creation process of said presentation portion by delineating which of said information resources can be selected for a question part and right answer part pair and assembled with at least one wrong answer part selected for other information resources in order to create a question, and which of said information resources cannot be selected for a question part and right answer part pair and assembled with at least one wrong answer part selected from other information resources in order to create a question.

11. A method of using a computer system as an authoring portion of a computerized learning, response, and evaluation system as recited in claim 10 wherein said lesson comprises pages that cannot be accessed or viewed by said user but which contain information resources that can be used by said presentation portion to create questions.