Automated testing and electronic instructional delivery and student management system

• US 6,146,148 A
• Filed: 03/25/1999
• Issued: 11/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Educate Online Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Sylvan Learning
• Inventors: Stuppy, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ackun, Jacob K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Application Number:
  US09/275,793
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 434/307 R, 434/323, 434/350, 434/356, 434/359, 434/362, 434/322
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication
• 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

This invention is a computer based system for the assessment, management and instruction of students, and for the delivery of work pages and other instructional materials in the form of electronic student workbooks. The computer based assessment of the student produces a student profile including skill gaps or learning objectives. Teacher (20) and student (22) workstations are networked CPUs with pen-based tablet inputs, and displays network with a central processor (10) and data base. A director workstation may also be networked with the central processor. The central processor generates a teacher workbook either directly or with input from the director workstation. The teacher, or teacher and director together, assemble an electronic student workbook containing instructional materials correlated with the student profile. The system tracks useful data such as instructional material (e.g., textbook pages, work sheets, software, simulations, tests, etc.) delivered to students.

Claims

1. A method of automated delivery of instructional material comprising the steps of:

(a) generating student profile data including skill gaps;

(b) generating an electronic student workbook containing instructional material correlated to the student profile data and the skill gaps;

(c) displaying the electronic workbook on a student workstation;

(d) collecting student input data input at the student workstation in response to instruction materials; and

(e) updating the student profile data, including the skill gaps, in response to the student input data.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of (b) of generating an electronic student workbook further comprising the steps of:

(b1) generating an electronic teacher workbook containing a set of instructional materials correlated to the student profile,

(b2) displaying the teacher workbook on a teacher workstation,

(b3) generating the student workbook from a subset of said instructional materials selected by input into the teacher workstation.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said step (e) further comprises the steps of:

collecting student input data from the student workstation to the teachers workbook, and collecting teacher input data input into the teacher workstation.

4. A method according claim 3, wherein said step (e) comprises updating the student profile data in response to student input data and teacher input data.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of collecting instructional material data corresponding to instructional materials sent to a student.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of calculating charges based on said instructional material data.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of generating student profile data comprises administering a test to the student for identifying a discrete set of skill gaps, wherein the profile comprises the discrete set of skill gaps.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said step of (b) of generating an electronic student workbook further comprises the steps of:

(b1) generating an electronic teacher workbook containing a set of instructional materials correlated to skill gaps in the student profile,

(b2) displaying the teacher workbook on a teacher workstation,

(b3) generating the student workbook from a subset of said instructional materials selected by input into the teacher workstation.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said step (e) further comprises the steps of:

collecting student input data from the student workbook to the teachers workbook, and

collecting teacher input data input into the teacher workstation.

10. A method according claim 9, wherein said step (e) comprises updating the student profile in response to student input data and teacher input data.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said step (e) of updating the student profile data, further comprises adding and subtracting skill gaps.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step (e) of updating the student profile data is followed by steps (b), (c), (d) and (e) to form a feedback loop containing steps (b), (c), (d) and (e).

13. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step (e) of updating the student profile data is followed by steps (b), (c), (d) and (e) to form a feedback loop containing steps (b), (c), (d) and (e).

14. A method according to claim 4, wherein the step (e) of updating the student profile data is followed by steps (b), (c), (d) and (e) to form a feedback loop containing steps (b), (c), (d) and (e).

15. A method according to claim 7, wherein the step (e) of updating the student profile data is followed by steps (b), (c), (d) and (e) to form a feedback loop containing steps (b), (c), (d) and (e).

16. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step (e) of updating the student profile data is followed by steps (b), (c), (d) and (e) to form a feedback loop containing steps (b), (c), (d) and (e).

17. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step (e) of updating the student profile is followed by steps (b), (c), (d) and (e) to form a feedback loop containing steps (b), (c), (d) and (e).

18. A method according to claim 2, wherein the teacher notebook further comprises an application for taking notes, and an application for generating statistics in response to the student input data.

19. A method according to claim 8, wherein the teacher workbook further comprises an application for taking notes, and an application for generating statistics in response to the student input data.

20. A method according to claim 2, wherein said step of (b1) of generating an electronic teacher workbook further comprises the steps of:

(b11) generating an electronic director workbook containing a set of instructional materials correlated to the student profile'"'"'s skill gap measurement,

(b12) displaying the director workbook on a director workstation,

(b13) generating the teacher workbook from a subset of said instructional materials selected by input into the director workstation.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein said step (e) further comprises the steps of:

collecting student input data from the student workstation to the teachers workbook,

collecting teacher input data input into the teacher workstation, and

collecting director input data into the director workstation.

22. A method according claim 21, wherein said step (e) comprises updating the student profile data in response to student input data, teacher input data, and director input data.

23. A method according to claim 8, wherein said step of (b1) of generating an electronic teacher workbook further comprises the steps of:

(b11) generating an electronic director workbook containing a set of instructional materials correlated to the student profile,

(b12) displaying the director workbook on a director workstation,

(b13) generating the teacher workbook from a subset of said instructional materials selected by input into the director workstation.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein said step (e) further comprises the steps of:

collecting student input data from the student workbook to the teachers workbook,

collecting teacher input data input into the teacher workstation, and

collecting director input data into the director workstation.

25. A method according claim 24, wherein said step (e) comprises updating the student profile data in response to student input data, teacher input data, and director input data.

39. The method of automated delivery of instructional material of claim 1, wherein, the steps of generating the student profile data including skill gaps, generating an electronic student workbook containing instructional material correlated to the student profile data and the skill gaps, and updating the student profile data, including the skill gaps, in response to the student input data occurs in different locations from the steps of displaying the electronic workbook on student workstation and collecting student input data input at the student workstation in response to instruction materials.

40. The method of automated delivery of instructional material of claim 1, wherein, the steps of generating the student profile data including skill gaps, generating an electronic student workbook containing instructional material correlated to the student profile data and the skill gaps, and updating the student profile data, including the skill gaps, in response to the student input data occurs in the same locations as the steps of displaying the electronic workbook on student workstation and collecting student input data input at the student workstation in response to instruction materials.

41. The method claim of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing said steps of generating the student profile data including skill gaps, generating an electronic student workbook containing instructional material correlated to the student profile data and the skill gaps, updating the student profile data, including the skill gaps, in response to the student input data, and displaying the electronic workbook on student workstation and collecting student input data at the student workstation in response to instruction materials through a system of networked central processing units.

26. A system for electronic instructional delivery, comprising:

a central database containing student profile data, including skill gaps, and instructional materials;

a central processor connected to the central database for generating electronic teacher workbooks from the skill gaps stored in the student profile and the instructional materials;

a teacher workstation connected to the central processor, including a display for displaying teacher workbooks generated by the central processor, an input device for inputting teacher input data generated in response to the teacher input and student profile and the measured skill gaps, data; and

a student workstation connected to the teacher workstation, including a display for displaying student workbooks, an input device for inputting student input data generated in response to instructional materials in the student workbook, and means for forwarding input data to the central processor to update the student profile data, including the skill gaps.

27. A system according to claim 26, further comprising a director workstation connected to the central processor, including a display for displaying director workbooks generated by the central processor, an input device for inputing director input data generated in response to the director workbooks, and a processor for generating electronic teacher workbooks comprising instructional materials in response to the director input and the student profile data.

29. A system according to claim 26, wherein the teacher and student workstations are at the same location.

30. A system according to claim 29, comprising a plurality of student workstations.

31. A system according to claim 30, wherein the single location is a U-shaped table.

35. A system according to claim 26, wherein the teacher and student workstations are at different locations.

36. A system according to claim 35, comprising a plurality of student workstations.

28. A system for electronic instructional delivery, comprising:

a central database containing student profile data, including skill gaps, and instructional materials;

a central processor connected to the central database for generating electronic teacher workbooks from the skill gaps stored in the student profile and the instructional materials, and for generating electronic student workbooks comprising instructional materials in response to teacher input and student profile data and skill gaps;

a teacher workstation connected to the central processor, including a display for displaying teacher workbooks generated by the central processor, an input device for inputting teacher input data generated in response to the teacher workbooks; and

a student workstation connected to the teacher workstation, including a display for displaying student workbooks, an input device for inputting student input data generated in response to instructional materials in the student workbook, and means for forwarding input data to the central processor to update the student profile data, including the skill gaps.

32. A system according to claim 28, wherein the teacher and student workstations are at the same location.

33. A system according to claim 32, comprising a plurality of student workstations.

34. A system according to claim 33, wherein the single location is a U-shaped table.

37. A system according to claim 28, wherein the teacher and student workstations are at different locations.

38. A system according to claim 37, comprising a plurality of student workstations.