Study planner system and method

• US 6,353,447 B1
• Filed: 01/26/1999
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rush, Kimberly J., Garibaldi, John V., Truluck, Mark A., Zick, Kenneth G., April, Renée Louise
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D.
• Application Number:
  US09/237,454
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/329, 345/331, 345/357, 345/336, 345/338, 345/733, 345/751, 345/854, 345/705, 345/708, 345/963, 434/322, 434/323, 434/336, 434/335, 434/350, 434/432, 705/8, 705/9
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/963 Calendar or scheduling

Abstract

A method and system for setting up and using a personal learning schedule and path through an instructional product. Using a wizard-style interface, a study plan is established for a user based on a session frequency, along with the date the user wishes to finish the instructional product or the amount of time that the user has available each session. Once the user has set up a study plan, each time that user logs in, the user is taken to that day'"'"'s list of assigned activities on a personalized home page. From there, the user is able to check activity status for past and future lessons, and quickly navigate to a lesson. Users can set up their own personalized learning schedule based on their own study objectives. The method and system further allow the user to determine a skill level required to complete the activities, and further monitors the user'"'"'s progress in successfully completing those activities.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a method comprising:

providing a product having educational content, the educational content separated into a plurality of activities and having data associated therewith corresponding to an estimated time to complete the activities;

receiving user input criteria comprising;

data corresponding to a number of sessions, and one of two possible parameters including, a time per session, or a desired completion date;

calculating a scheduled study plan for learning the activities, including;

(a) when the parameter received comprises the time per session, automatically calculating a completion date based on the estimated time, the number of sessions data and the time per session, or

(b) when the parameter received comprises the completion date, automatically calculating a time per session based on the estimated time, the number of sessions data and the completion date; and

dynamically maintaining the scheduled study plan for the user, including;

(a) tracking actual user progress with respect to learning the activities, including navigating to an activity to complete based on already completed activity data;

(b) updating the already completed activity data to reflect user completion of each completed activity; and

(c) providing status information to the user indicative of the actual progress of the user with respect to completing the activities.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving user input indicative of a minimum skill level required for completing at least one activity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the already completed activity data includes maintaining an actual skill level achieved in association with each activity.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, receiving user input indicative of a minimum skill level required for completing at least one activity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein user input changes the minimum skill level, and further comprising, comparing the actual skill level achieved for an activity with the minimum skill level required for completing that activity, and if the changed minimum skill level is not met by the actual skill level, updating the already completed activity data to reflect that the activity is not complete.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein user input changes the minimum skill level, and further comprising, comparing the actual skill level achieved for an activity with the minimum skill level required for completing that activity, and if the changed minimum skill level is met by the actual skill level, updating the already completed activity data to reflect that the activity is complete.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing status information to the user includes displaying progress information to the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing status information to the user includes displaying information to the user to indicate that the user is behind schedule in actual activities completed with respect to the scheduled study plan.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is behind schedule in actual activities completed with respect to the scheduled study plan, and further comprising, recalculating a new completion date for the user based on the actual activities completed and an estimated time to complete activities that are not completed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is behind schedule in actual activities completed with respect to the scheduled study plan, and further comprising, recalculating a new time per session for the user based on the actual activities completed and an estimated time to complete activities that are not completed.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data corresponding to a number of sessions comprises information indicative of at least one study session per time frame.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information indicative of at least one study session per time frame includes data representing at least one day per week.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the data corresponding to a number of sessions comprises information indicative of at least one session to exclude.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising, receiving login information from the user, and retrieving the study plan for the user based on the login information.

15. The method of claim 1 dynamically maintaining the study plan comprises writing the study plan to a database in association with the user.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

17. In a computer system, a system comprising:

a product having educational content, the educational content separated into a plurality of activities and having data associated therewith corresponding to an estimated time to complete the activities;

a user interface associated with the product, the user interface configured to receive user input criteria comprising data corresponding to a number of sessions, and one of two possible parameters including a time per session or a desired completion date;

a study plan scheduler connected to the user interface to receive data therefrom, and configured to automatically calculate and store study plan schedule data for completing the activities, such that;

(a) when the parameter received comprises the time per session, the scheduler automatically calculates a completion date based on the estimated time, the number of sessions data and the time per session, or

(b) when the parameter received comprises the completion date, the scheduler automatically calculates a time per session based on the estimated time, the number of sessions data and the completion date; and

a study plan mechanism that dynamically maintains the study plan schedule data for the user with respect to completion of activities by the user, the study plan mechanism configured to retrieve the study plan schedule data, compare already completed activity data against the schedule data to provide a selected activity for the user to complete, update the already completed activity data to reflect user completion of each activity, and provide status information to the user indicative of the actual progress of the user with respect to completing the activities.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the user interface comprises a wizard that automatically steps the user through a plurality of display screens based on the user'"'"'s input.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the study plan scheduler stores the study plan schedule data in a database, and wherein the study plan mechanism retrieves the study plan schedule data from the database.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the study plan mechanism maintains and updates the already completed activity data in the database.

21. The system of claim 17 further comprising a login process that receives login information from one of a plurality of users, and communicates user information corresponding to the login information to the study plan mechanism to, based on the user information, 1) retrieve the study plan schedule data and 2) retrieve the already completed activity data.

22. The system of claim 17 further comprising a mechanism for enabling the user to set a minimum completion level for at least one of the activities of the study plan.

23. The system of claim 17 wherein the study plan mechanism provides status information to the user via a progress tracker display that displays information corresponding to complete and incomplete activities.

24. A computer-readable medium associated with a product having educational content arranged as a plurality of activities to complete with estimated time data for completing the activities, the computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions, comprising:

receiving user input criteria comprising;

data corresponding to a number of sessions, and one of two possible parameters including, a time per session, or a desired completion date;

calculating a study plan for learning the activities, including;

(a) when the parameter received comprises the time per session, automatically calculating a completion date based on the estimated time, the number of sessions data and the time per session, or

(b) when the parameter received comprises the completion date, automatically calculating a time per session based on the estimated time, the number of sessions data and the completion date; and

storing the study plan calculated for the user;

retrieving the study plan for the user;

retrieving activity completion data for the user;

providing an activity to complete based on the activity completion data;

updating the activity completion data when the completes an activity; and

recalculating the study plan based on the activity completion data relative to the plurality of activities to complete and the estimated time data for completing the activities.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein recalculating the study plan is performed in response to a request from the user.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 having further computer executable instructions comprising, displaying progress information to the user based on the activity completion data.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 having further computer executable instructions comprising, enabling the user to set a required completion level for at least one activity.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the user modifies the completion level of at least one activity, and having further computer executable instructions comprising, updating the activity completion data based on the completion level modification.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein providing an activity to complete includes, receiving user input corresponding to a selected activity, and navigating to that activity in response to the user input.