Computer-aided learning system and method

• US 6,139,330 A
• Filed: 03/10/1998
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IpLearn LLC
• Original Assignee: Ho Chi Fai, Peter P. Tong
• Inventors: Tong, Peter P., Ho, Chi Fai
• Primary Examiner(s): Ackun, Jacob K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Application Number:
  US09/037,768
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 434/236, 434/322, 434/323, 434/332, 434/353, 434/362
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication
• 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

A computer-aided learning method and apparatus based on a super-recommendation generator, which is configured to assess a user'"'"'s or a student'"'"'s understanding in a subject, reward the user who has reached one or more milestones in the subject, further the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through relationship learning, reinforce the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews, and restrict the user from enjoying entertainment materials under certain condition, with the entertainment materials requiring a device to fulfill its entertainment purpose. The generator does not have to be configured to perform all of the above functions.

Claims

1. A computer-aided learning method that

assesses a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through testing the user,

rewards the user who has reached one or more milestones in the subject,

furthers the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through relationship learning,

reinforces the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews, and

restricts the user from enjoying entertainment materials under certain condition, with the entertainment materials requiring a device to fulfill its entertainment purpose,

with the subject divided into items, including one or more relationship-items,

with each relationship-item relating two or more items, and

with the items including learnt and un-learnt items,

the method comprising the steps of:

analyzing the user'"'"'s prior-to-the-latest and the latest test results to assess the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject, and to determine whether the user has reached a milestone;

determining a reward for the user that has reached a milestone, with the reward depending on the user'"'"'s preference;

identifying a relationship-item to be learnt, with the identified relationship-item relating an item and a learnt item;

selecting a learnt item to be reviewed; and

modifying an access filter to restrict coupling between the device and the entertainment materials, with the restriction removed to allow coupling between the device and the entertainment materials under a predetermined condition.

2. A computer-aided learning method that

assesses a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through testing the user,

rewards the user who has reached one or more milestones in the subject,

furthers the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through relationship learning, and

reinforces the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews,

with the subject divided into items, including one or more relationship-items,

with each relationship-item relating two or more items, and

with the items including learnt and un-learnt items,

the method comprising the steps of:

analyzing the user'"'"'s prior-to-the-latest and the latest test results to assess the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject, and to determine whether the user has reached a milestone;

determining a reward for the user that has reached a milestone, with the reward depending on the user'"'"'s preference;

identifying a relationship-item to be learnt, with the identified relationship-item relating an item and a learnt item; and

selecting a learnt item to be reviewed.

3. A computer-aided learning method that

assesses a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through testing the user,

furthers the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through relationship learning, and

reinforces the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews,

with the subject divided into items, including one or more relationship-items,

with each relationship-item relating two or more items, and

with the items including learnt and un-learnt items,

the method comprising the steps of:

analyzing the user'"'"'s prior-to-the-latest and the latest test results to assess the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject;

identifying a relationship-item to be learnt, with the identified relationship-item relating an item and a learnt item; and

selecting a learnt item to be reviewed.

4. A computer-aided learning method that

furthers the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through relationship learning, and

reinforces the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews,

with the subject divided into items, including one or more relationship-items,

with each relationship-item relating two or more items, and

with the items including learnt and un-learnt items,

the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a relationship-item to be learnt, with the identified relationship-item relating an item and a learnt item; and

selecting a learnt item to be reviewed.

5. A computer-aided learning method that

assesses a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through testing the user, and

rewards the user who has reached one or more milestones in the subject,

the method comprising the steps of:

analyzing the user'"'"'s prior-to-the-latest and the latest test results to assess the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject, and to determine whether the user has reached a milestone; and

determining a reward for the user that has reached a milestone, with the reward depending on the user'"'"'s preference.

6. A computer-aided learning method that

rewards the user who has reached one or more milestones in the subject, and

restricts the user from enjoying entertainment materials under certain condition, with the entertainment materials requiring a device to fulfill its entertainment purpose,

the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether the user has reached a milestone;

determining a reward for the user that has reached a milestone, with the reward depending on the user'"'"'s preference; and

modifying an access filter to restrict coupling between the device and the entertainment materials, with the restriction removed to allow coupling between the device and the entertainment materials under a predetermined condition.

7. A computer-aided learning system that

assesses a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through testing the user,

rewards the user who has reached one or more milestones in the subject,

furthers the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through relationship learning,

reinforces the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews, and

restricts the user from enjoying entertainment materials under certain condition, with the entertainment materials requiring a device to fulfill its entertainment purpose,

with the subject divided into items, including one or more relationship-items,

with each relationship-item relating two or more items, and

with the items including learnt and un-learnt items,

the system comprising a super-recommendation generator configured to:

analyze the user'"'"'s prior-to-the-latest and the latest test results to assess the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject, and to determine whether the user has reached a milestone;

determine a reward for the user that has reached a milestone, with the reward depending on the user'"'"'s preference;

identify a relationship-item to be learnt, with the identified relationship-item relating an item and a learnt item;

select a learnt item to be reviewed; and

modify an access filter to restrict coupling between the device and the entertainment materials, with the restriction removed to allow coupling between the device and the entertainment materials under a predetermined condition.

8. A computer-aided learning system that

assesses a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through testing the user,

rewards the user who has reached one or more milestones in the subject,

furthers the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through relationship learning, and

reinforces the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews,

with the subject divided into items, including one or more relationship-items,

with each relationship-item relating two or more items, and

with the items including learnt and un-learnt items,

the system comprising a super-recommendation generator configured to:

analyze the user'"'"'s prior-to-the-latest and the latest test results to assess the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject, and to determine whether the user has reached a milestone;

determine a reward for the user that has reached a milestone, with the reward depending on the user'"'"'s preference;

identify a relationship-item to be learnt, with the identified relationship-item relating an item and a learnt item; and

select a learnt item to be reviewed.

9. A computer-aided learning system that

assesses a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through testing the user,

furthers the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through relationship learning, and

reinforces the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews,

with the subject divided into items, including one or more relationship-items,

with each relationship-item relating two or more items, and

with the items including learnt and un-learnt items,

the system comprising a super-recommendation generator configured to:

analyze the user'"'"'s prior-to-the-latest and the latest test results to assess the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject;

identify a relationship-item to be learnt, with the identified relationship-item relating an item and a learnt item; and

select a learnt item to be reviewed.

10. A computer-aided learning system that

furthers the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through relationship learning, and

reinforces the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews,

with the subject divided into items, including one or more relationship-items,

with each relationship-item relating two or more items, and

with the items including learnt and un-learnt items,

the system comprising a super-recommendation generator configured to:

identify a relationship-item to be learnt, with the identified relationship-item relating an item and a learnt item; and

select a learnt item to be reviewed.

11. A computer-aided learning system that

assesses a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through testing the user, and

rewards the user who has reached one or more milestones in the subject,

the system comprising a super-recommendation generator configured to:

analyze the user'"'"'s prior-to-the-latest and the latest test results to assess the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject, and to determine whether the user has reached a milestone; and

determine a reward for the user that has reached a milestone, with the reward depending on the user'"'"'s preference.

12. A computer-aided learning system that

rewards the user who has reached one or more milestones in the subject, and

restricts the user from enjoying entertainment materials under certain condition, with the entertainment materials requiring a device to fulfill its entertainment purpose,

the system comprising a super-recommendation generator configured to:

determine whether the user has reached a milestone;

determine a reward for the user that has reached a milestone, with the reward depending on the user'"'"'s preference; and

modify an access filter to restrict coupling between the device and the entertainment materials, with the restriction removed to allow coupling between the device and the entertainment materials under a predetermined condition.

13. A computer-aided learning method for

assessing a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through testing the user,

furthering the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through relationship learning, and

reinforcing the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews,

with the subject divided into items, including one or more relationship-items,

with each relationship-item relating two or more items, and

with the items including learnt and un-learnt items,

the method comprising the steps of:

presenting, by a first computer, a report on the assessment of the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject, based on analyzing the user'"'"'s prior-to-the-latest and the latest test results by another computer;

presenting, by the first computer, materials on a relationship-item to be learnt after the relationship-item has been identified by the other computer, with the identified relationship-item relating an item and a learnt item; and

presenting, by the first computer, materials on a learnt item to be reviewed after the learnt item has been selected by the other computer.

14. A computer-aided learning method for

furthering a user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through relationship learning, and

reinforcing the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews,

with the subject divided into items, including one or more relationship-items,

with each relationship-item relating two or more items, and

with the items including learnt and un-learnt items,

the method comprising the steps of:

presenting, by a first computer, materials on a relationship-item to be learnt after the relationship-item has been identified by another computer, with the identified relationship-item relating an item and a learnt item; and

presenting, by the first computer, materials on a learnt item to be reviewed after the learnt item has been selected by the other computer.

15. A computer-aided learning method for

assessing a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through testing the user, and

rewarding the user who has reached one or more milestones in the subject,

the method comprising the steps of:

presenting, by a first computer, a report on the assessment of the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject, based on analyzing the user'"'"'s prior-to-the-latest and the latest test results by another computer; and

presenting, by the first computer, information related to a reward for the user that has reached a milestone, based on determining the reward, and determining the user having reached the milestone by the other computer, with the reward depending on the user'"'"'s preference.

16. A computer-aided learning method for

rewarding the user who has reached one or more milestones in the subject, and

restricting the user from enjoying entertainment materials under certain condition, with the entertainment materials requiring a device to fulfill its entertainment purpose,

the method comprising the steps of:

presenting, by a computer, information related to a reward for the user that has reached a milestone, based on determining the reward, and determining the user having reached the milestone by another computer, with the reward depending on the user'"'"'s preference; and

modifying an access filter to restrict coupling between the device and the entertainment materials, with the restriction removed to allow coupling between the device and the entertainment materials under a predetermined condition.

17. A computer-aided learning method for reinforcing a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through reviews, with the subject divided into items, including learnt items and un-learnt items, the method comprising the step of:

presenting, by a first computer, summarized materials on a learnt item to be reviewed after the item has been selected and materials generated by another computer;

such that although the user has previously learnt an item, that learnt item still might be selected with materials generated for the user so as to reinforce the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject through reviews.

18. A computer-aided learning method for rewarding a student who has reached a milestone in a subject, which is divided into items, the method comprising the step of:

presenting, by a computer, information related to a reward for the user that has reached a milestone, based on determining the reward, and determining the user having reached the milestone by another computer, with the reward depending on the user'"'"'s individual preference specifically tailored to the interest of the user.

19. A computer-aided learning method for assessing a user'"'"'s understanding in a subject through testing the user, the method comprising the step of:

presenting, by a computer, a report on the assessment of the user'"'"'s understanding in the subject, based on analyzing the user'"'"'s prior-to-the-latest and the latest test results by another computer, with a reward for the user determined wherein the reward depends on the user'"'"'s preference.