Method and system for computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation

• US 6,315,572 B1
• Filed: 04/05/1999
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William M. Bancroft
• Original Assignee: William M. Bancroft
• Inventors: Winden, Duane R., Bancroft, William M., Owens, Terry S., West, Donald J., Draper, Douglas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Application Number:
  US09/286,527
• Time in Patent Office: 953 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 authoring, learning, and evaluation is provided. The computerized system comprises a central processing unit and related memory and storage capacity to operate an authoring, learning, and evaluation system stored in a computer program. The authoring, learning, 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. Data can be organized into objects or concepts that are related to one another in a reasoned fashion so that coherent testing of the data, as presented to a user, may be achieved.

Claims

1. A method of computerized authoring, learning and evaluation for arranging data relevant to a topic into a format which allows for presentation of that data and concomitant user initiated testing of portions of that data through questions that are randomly generated, the method comprising:

a) obtaining a pool of data objects relevant to a topic;

b) relating at least one data object with at least another data object; and

c) generating questions on the related objects presented to the user.

2. A method of computerized authoring, learning and evaluation as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of presenting a preselected number of the generated questions to the user.

3. A method of computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation as defined in claim 2, further comprising the step of presenting an additional preselected number of questions if the user did not perform at a predetermined level.

5. A method of computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of indexing the related data objects.

4. A method of computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation as defined in clam 1, further comprising arranging at least a portion of the data in page format wherein the data can be presented hyper sequentially to the user.

6. A method of computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation for arranging data relevant to a topic into a format which allows for presentation of that data and concomitant user initiated testing of portions of that data through questions that are randomly generated, the method comprising:

a) obtaining a pool of data objects relevant to a topic;

b) relating at least one data object with at least another data object;

c) generating questions on the related objects presented to the user;

d) presenting a preselected number of the generated questions to the user;

e) presenting an additional preselected number of questions if the user did not perform at a predetermined level; and

f) returning the user to at least one presented page from which the improperly answered questions were generated.

7. A computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation system for arranging data relevant to a topic in a format which allows for presentation of that data and concomitant user-initiated testing of portions of that data through questions that are generated, the system comprising:

means for obtaining a pool of data objects pertaining to a topic;

means for selecting some of the data objects;

means for conceptualizing the selected data objects within a defined context; and

means for generating questions on the conceptualized data objects for review.

8. A computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation system as recited in claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the data is arranged in page format and can be presented sequentially to the user.

9. A computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation system as recited in claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the data is arranged in page format and can be presented hyper sequentially to the user.

10. A method of computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation for arranging data pertaining to a selected topic into a format that allows for selective access and presentation of that data and student testing of portions of that data through questions that are generated, the method comprising:

a) obtaining a pool of data objects pertaining to a topic;

b) selecting some of the data objects;

c) conceptualizing the selected data objects within a defined context;

d) indexing the selected data objects based on the defined context; and

e) generating questions on the conceptualized data objects for review.

11. A method for allowing a user of a computer to selectively access additional information as defined in claim 10, wherein the steps of conceptualizing further comprise the steps of:

organizing the data objects into pages of data; and

branching to additional pages of data.

12. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 11, where a selected page is a page not presented to a user of a presentation portion of a computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation system.

13. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 11, wherein a plurality of such pages are created.

14. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of creating a page identifier that is associated with each page.

15. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 14, wherein the page identifier comprises:

a) a page name;

b) a page topic;

c) one or more page links; and

d) a page type.

16. A method of computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation for arranging data pertaining to a selected topic into a format that allows for selective access and presentation of that data and student testing of portions of that data through questions that are generated, the method comprising:

a) obtaining a pool of data objects pertaining to a topic;

b) selecting some of the data objects;

c) conceptualizing the selected data objects within a defined context by organizing the data objects into pages of data, where a selected page is a page to be presented to a user of a presentation portion of a computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation system, and branching to additional pages of data;

d) indexing the selected data objects based on the defined context; and

e) generating questions on the conceptualized data objects for review.

17. A method of computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation for arranging data pertaining to a selected topic into a format that allows for selective access and presentation of that data and student testing of portions of that data through questions that are generated, the method comprising:

a) obtaining a pool of data objects pertaining to a topic;

b) selecting some of the data objects;

c) conceptualizing the selected data objects within a defined context by organizing the data objects into pages of data and branching to additional pages of data, wherein the plurality of pages are organized for presentation to the user of a presentation portion of a computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation system;

d) indexing the selected data objects based on the defined context; and

e) generating questions on the conceptualized data objects for review.

18. A method of organizing data as recited in claim 17, wherein the organized pages are organized so that a portion of the pages can be viewed sequentially.

19. A method organizing data as recited in claim 17, wherein the organized pages are organized so that a portion of the pages can be viewed hyper sequentially.

20. An authoring portion of computerize authoring, learning, and evaluation system to aid an author in organizing data for presentation to a user of a presentation portion of a computerized authoring, learning, and evaluation system, the authoring portion comprising:

an input device to receive input from an author;

a display system to display information to the author;

a processing unit interfacing with the input device and the display system;

a memory store coupled to the processing unit, the memory store containing a sequence of coded instructions that are executed by the processing unit, the sequence of coded instructions comprising;

means to maintain a database and to obtain data objects stored in the database and pertaining to a topic;

means to select some of the data objects;

means to conceptualize the selected data objects within a defined context; and

means to generate questions on the conceptualized data objects for review.

21. An authoring portion as recited in claim 20, wherein the means to maintain the database further comprises a plurality of resource tools that allow manipulation and placement of resources.

22. An authoring portion as recited in claim 21, wherein the means to select some of the data objects further comprises means to input the resource.

23. An authoring portion as recited in claim 20, wherein the coded instructions further comprise means to preview the generated questions.

24. An authoring portion as recited in claim 23, wherein the means to preview questions allows the author to preview questions generated on a particular concept.

25. An authoring portion as recited in claim 23, wherein the questions are generated over a plurality of pages and the means to preview questions allows the author to preview questions generated over the plurality of pages.

26. An authoring portion as recited in claim 20, wherein the coded instructions further comprise means to control the number of questions generated by a user of a computerized learning, response and evaluation system.

27. An authoring portion as recited in claim 20, wherein the coded instructions further comprise means to create fields on a page.

28. An authoring portion as recited in claim 20, wherein the coded instructions further comprise means to define a plurality of page types.

29. An authoring portion as recited in claim 28, wherein the coded instructions further comprise means to define branches between pages.

30. An authorizing portion as recited in claim 28, wherein the coded instructions further comprise means to define hot spots on a page.

31. A computer program product for arranging data relevant to a topic into a format which allows for presentation of that data and concomitant user initiated testing of portions of that data through questions that are randomly generated, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon including:

program code that modifies a computer system to obtain a pool of data objects relevant to a topic;

program code that modifies a computer system to relate at least one data object with at least another data object; and

program code that modifies a computer system to generate questions on the related objects presented to the user to test the user'"'"'s understanding of the data.

32. A computer program product as defined in claim 31, further comprising program code that modifies a computer system to present a preselected number of the generated questions to the user.

33. A computer program product as defined in claim 31, further comprising program code that modifies a computer system to present an additional preselected number of questions if the user did not perform at a predetermined level.

34. A computer program product as defined in claim 31, further comprising program code that modifies a computer system to return the user a presented page from which the improperly answered questions were generated.

35. A computer program product as defined in claim 31, wherein at least a portion of the data is arranged in page format that can be presented hyper sequentially to the user.

36. A computer program product as defined in claim 31, further comprising program code that modifies a computer system to present a preselected number of the generated questions to the user.

37. A computer program product as defined in claim 31, further comprising program code that modifies a computer system to present an additional preselected number of questions if the user did not perform at a predetermined level on the generated question.

38. A computer program product as defined in claim 31, further comprising program code that modifies a computer system to index the related data objects.