System and method for certifying information technology skill through internet distribution examination

• US 6,341,212 B1
• Filed: 12/17/1999
• Issued: 01/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges
• Original Assignee: Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges
• Inventors: Dalch, Linda N., Warner, Mark R., Shende, Anil M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADAMS, CHANDA L
• Application Number:
  US09/466,181
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/350, 434/322, 434/323, 434/219
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip

Abstract

A system which contains a plurality of examinee systems connected over the Internet to an exam distribution server. The exam distribution server connects to an exam database system which contains a plurality of exam questions that have been approved by one or more exam question approvers. The exam database system may store a plurality of potential exam questions for each of a plurality of sections of the examination, including a section for web search and evaluation, a section for general computing concepts, a web page design section, a section for using presentation software, a section relating to spreadsheets and word processing, and a section relating to legal and ethical issues. An exam administrator system then generates an exam through an exam generation module that selects a predetermined number of questions in each of the predetermined sections of the examination and presents the proposed exam to the exam administration system. The exam administrator may then selectively substitute one or more questions from the exam database into the proposed examination, until the exam administrator is satisfied that the exam covers all of the topics that the exam administrator desires to cover. At that point, the exam administrator makes the exam available over the Internet to one or more of the plurality of examinee systems who may then take the exam over the Internet and store their submitted exam at the exam distribution server which in turn grades the exams for certification.

Claims

1. A method for certifying information technology skills for a plurality of examinees comprising the steps of:

generating an examination that tests the examinees'"'"' information technology skills in each of a plurality of sections, the sections comprising an Internet skills section and a computer application program utilization skills section, wherein the Internet skills section includes at least one question which asks the examinee to evaluate at least one web site for certain characteristics;

enabling examinees to access an examination server over a network to take the examination;

administering the examination generated from the examination server to the examinees over the network;

storing the examination results at the examination server;

scoring the examination; and

issuing a certification to examinees that achieve a predetermined score on the examination, wherein the certification is utilized by a plurality of employers to determine a degree of competence in information technology skills.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of enabling an exam administrator to selectively replace exam questions from the generated exam.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sections comprises a web search and evaluation section, a general computing concepts section, a web page design section, a presentation software utilization section, a spreadsheet and word processing utilization section, and a legal and ethical issue section.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the web search and evaluation section tests the examinee'"'"'s ability to use an Internet browser and search engine to find information from websites and evaluate websites.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the general computing concepts section tests the examinee'"'"'s understanding of terminology and concepts relating to computers.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the web design section tests the examinee'"'"'s ability to create a working web site.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the presentation software utilization section tests the examinee'"'"'s ability to create a multi-slide presentation about a given topic.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the spreadsheet and word processing utilization section tests the examinee'"'"'s ability to create and analyze spreadsheet information.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein the spreadsheet and word processing utilization section tests the examinee'"'"'s ability to create a document using a word processor and incorporate tables and graphs from another application software product.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein the legal and ethical issue section tests the examinee'"'"'s understanding of ethical and legal issues relating to computers.

11. A method for testing information technology skills of a plurality of examinees that take an on-line examination over the Internet comprising the steps of:

creating a database of approved questions for use in creating the technology skills database, each approved question being assigned a predetermined section, the step of creating a database comprising the steps of;

authorizing a plurality of individuals to submit questions for inclusion in the examination;

receiving proposed questions from the authorized individuals through a secure connection over the Internet;

transmitting the proposed questions to a predetermined plurality of questions approvers over the Internet;

receiving evaluation of the proposed question from one or more of the predetermined plurality of question approvers; and

when a predetermined approval rating is received, transferring the proposed question into the database of approved questions for inclusion in the examination;

generating an examination from approved questions, the examination comprising questions in the predetermined sections relating to Internet usage, computer terminology, and computer application program utilization;

enabling examinees to login over the Internet to a web server to receive the examination, wherein the examinees are asked to utilize the Internet to determine answers for one or more of the questions in the examination and are asked to utilize at least one computer application program to generate a file in response to at least one question;

receiving a completed examination in a plurality of sections at a web server location, the completed examination comprising a plurality of files responsive to the various sections, including at least one HTML file and at least one other computer application program file; and

grading the examinations based on the completed examination and files received.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of enabling an exam administrator to selectively replace exam questions from the created exam.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the plurality of sections comprises a web search and evaluation section, a general computing concepts section, a web page design section, a presentation software utilization section, a spreadsheet and word processing utilization section, and a legal and ethical issue section.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of enabling question providers to provide questions to be included in an examination, wherein the question providers specify the section for which the question is to be included.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of transmitting provided questions to at least five question approvers and waiting for approval by at least three question approvers before storing the questions in an approved question database for inclusion in an examination.

16. An internet-based certification system for certifying information technology skills for a plurality of examinees comprising:

exam generation means for generating an examination that tests the examinees'"'"' information technology skills in each of a plurality of sections, the sections comprising an Internet skills section and computer application program utilization skills section, wherein the Internet skills section includes at least one question which asks the examinee to evaluate at least one web site for certain characteristics;

a plurality of examinee systems that enable examinees to access an examination server over a network to take the examination;

an examination server system that transmits an examination to examinee systems over the Internet, receives from the examinee systems one or more files responsive to the examination;

scoring means for scoring the examination; and

certification issuing means for issuing a certification to examinees that achieve a predetermined score on the examination, wherein the certification is utilized by a plurality of employers to determine a degree of competence in information technology skills.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising an exam administrator system that enables an exam administrator to selectively replace exam questions from the created exam.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the plurality of sections comprises a web search and evaluation section, a general computing concepts section, a web page design section, a presentation software utilization section, a spreadsheet and word processing utilization section, and a legal and ethical issue section.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising question provider systems that provide questions to be included in an examination.

20. The system of claim 16 further comprising question approvers that approve questions transmitted by the question providers before those questions become available for delivery in the examination.