Computer-assisted education

• US 6,386,883 B2
• Filed: 11/04/1994
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: British Biotech Pharmaceuticals Limited, NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Siefert, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kien T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Application Number:
  US08/334,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20010055749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,748 Days
• Field of Search: 434/362, 434/350, 434/351, 434/323, 434/322, 434/156, 434/157, 434/167, 434/169, 434/188, 434/219, 434/227, 434/236, 434/247, 434/335
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1834 implemented based on peer-to-peer networks, e.g. gnutella p2p communication protocols H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/12 Use of codes for handling textual entities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• 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

Abstract

The invention concerns computer-assisted education, in which a school curriculum is stored in computer repositories. A learning profile is maintained for every student, which indicates the student'"'"'s capabilities, preferred learning style, and progress. Based on the profile, an Intelligent Administrator (IA) selects appropriate material for presentation to the student during each learning session.

The IA then assesses whether the student has mastered the material. If not, the material is presented in a different way. If repeated different presentations fail to instill mastery, the IA establishes a video conference between the student and a professor.

Claims

1. An instructional system, comprising:

a) a computer which stores multiple educational programs, which

i) present one or more topics to a student and

ii) assess the student'"'"'s grasp of the topic; and

b) communicator means for allowing the

i) selection of an educational program of the topic, wherein the selection occurs between multiple educational programs having different presentations of the topic and

ii) running of such selected educational program; and

c) a profile for each student, which contains information about the learning characteristics of the student, wherein said selection of the educational program is based on the profile of the student and provides a presentation of the topic in a style that the student prefers.

2. A system according to claim 1, in which the profile contains information indicating whether a student has a linear or holistic learning style.

13. An instructional system as claimed in claim 1, wherein there is no human intervention in the teaching.

3. An instructional system, comprising:

a) a computer which stores multiple educational programs, which

i) present one or more topics to a student and

ii) assess the student'"'"'s grasp of the topic; and

b) communicator means for allowing the student to

i) select the educational program of the topic and

ii) run such selected educational program;

c) and means for indicating whether a selected student has a linear or holistic learning style.

14. An instructional system as claimed in claim 3, wherein there is no human intervention in the teaching.

4. A system for instructing students, comprising:

a) repository means for storing a collection of downloadable lessons in multiple computers; and

b) a plurality of communicators, each able to

i) establish a communication link with the repository means in a respective computer;

ii) order a lesson to be executed from a respective computer following selection of a topic by a student;

iii) accept input for the lesson from a student; and

iv) deliver output from the lesson in the respective computer to the student; and

c) means for storing a profile for each student, which contains information about the learning characteristics of the student, wherein the presentation of the topic is selected from multiple educational programs having different presentations of the topic and the presentation is in a style that the student prefers based on the profile of the student.

5. A system according to claim 4 in which some of the communication links are of the cellular type.

6. A system according to claim 4, and further comprising

c) administrator means, which

i) presents a first topic, according to a first strategy, to a student;

ii) assesses whether the student has grasped the first topic, and,

A) if so, presents a new topic; and

B) if not, presents the first topic according to a second strategy.

7. A system according to claim 6, in which the administrator patches the student to a remote, real-time consultant after a predetermined number of presentations of the first topic.

10. A system according to claim 4 including an administrator means for patching a student to a remote human consultant when at least one of a student or a consultant selects such patching.

11. A system according to claim 10 where such patching is effected through a video conference.

15. An instructional system as claimed in claim 4, wherein there is no human intervention in the teaching.

8. An instructional system, comprising:

a) a computer which stores multiple educational programs, which

i) present one or more topics to a student and

ii) assess the student'"'"'s grasp of the topic; and

b) communicator means for allowing the

i) selection of an educational program of the topic, wherein the selection occurs between multiple educational programs having different presentations of the topic and

ii) running such selected educational program;

c) means for providing a profile of each student, which contains information about the leaming characterization of the student, wherein said selection of the educational program is based on the profile of the student and provides a presentation of the topic in a style that the student prefers; and

d) an administrator means for patching a student to a remote human consultant when at least one of a student or a consultant selects such patching.

9. A system according to claim 8 where such patching is effected through a video conference.

12. An instructional system, comprising:

a) a computer which stores multiple educational programs, which

i) present one or more topics to a student and

ii) assess the student'"'"'s grasp of the topic; and

b) communicator means for allowing the

i) selection of an educational program of the topic, wherein the selection occurs between multiple educational programs having different presentations of the topic and

ii) running of such selected educational program; and

c) means for patching a student to a remote human consultant when at least one of a student or a consultant selects such patching, such patching being through video conferencing; and

d) a profile for each student, which contains information about the learning characteristics of the student, wherein said selection of the educational program is based on the profile of the student and provides a presentation of the topic in a style that the student prefers.