Learning method

• US 6,419,496 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2000
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qstream, Inc.
• Original Assignee: William Vaughan Jr
• Inventors: Vaughan, William Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harris, Chanda
• Application Number:
  US09/535,883
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 434/322, 434/323, 434/350, 434/118
• US Class Current: 434/322
• 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

Abstract

A learning method to enhance long-term retention of a large number of learned facts or principles. The method presents items to a User repeatedly and, depending on the recall of the User, the time between presentations of a properly recalled item increases. Items being presented for the first time and those presented a subsequent time before being properly answered are designated Unseen Items and O-Level Items, respectively. During each Session, a raw score is assigned to the item (related to the User'"'"'s ability of recall with the item). When its raw score becomes sufficiently high, the item is considered a P-Level Item, after which it is presented less frequently and the rate of presentation continually decreases as the User demonstrates that he or she knows the correct response for the particular P-Level Item. The number of Sessions that are skipped before the particular P-Level item is re-presented to the User is based on the User'"'"'s Level L in recalling the correct answer to the item. In this way, known items are repeatedly presented to the User with an ever-increasing interval between presentations. If the User fails to recall the item, the Level of the item is decremented and the time to next presentation decreased. As the User is working with this method, the progress of the User is recorded in a form available for review.

Claims

1. A learning method for learning items and reinforcing retention of learned items, said method comprising the following steps:

(a) providing a series of items to be learned in a series of sessions;

(b) identifying an individual item of said series of items as one of several item-types that include an as-yet unseen item, an as-yet-partially-learned item, and a well-learned item;

(c) providing a re-presentation rule according to which said individual item presented in a current session is scheduled for re-presentation to said user in a future session, wherein said re-presentation rule ascertains a degree of mastery of said individual item and schedules said re-presentation based on said degree of mastery, wherein one or more sessions may intervene between said current session and said future session;

(d) presenting said individual item to said user;

(e) evaluating a response of said user to said individual item; and

(f) determining said future session in which said individual item is to be re-presented to said user, based on said re-presentation rule.

2. The method described in claim 1, said step of classifying said individual item including the steps of:

(a) classifying said as-yet unseen item as an N-Level Item and assigning said N-Level Item to an N-Level Item Set that includes one or more items not yet presented to said user;

(b) classifying said as-yet-partially-learned item as a O-Level Item and assigning said O-Level Item to a O-Level Item Set; and

(c) classifying said well-learned Item as a P-Level Item and assigning said P-Level Item to a P-Level Item Set.

3. The method described in claim 2, wherein said re-presentation rule is based on the steps of further comprising the following steps:

(a) moving one or more N-Level Items to said O-Level Item Set when said N-Level Items are to be presented to said user and reclassifying said one or more N-Level Items as O-Level Items; and

(b) assigning a threshold score to each of said O-Level Items.

4. The method described in claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

(a) presenting said one or more O-Level Items to said user;

(b) evaluating an item-response of said user to a particular O-Level Item of said one or more O-Level Items;

(c) assigning an item-score to said particular O-Level Item, said item-score based on said item-response;

(d) comparing said item-score with said threshold score;

(e) if said item score is greater than said threshold score, moving said particular O-Level Item to a P-Level-Item Set, reclassifying said O-Level Item as a P-Level Item having a Level L, and defining said item-score as a final-item-score;

(f) if said item score is less than said threshold score, scheduling said O-Level Item for re-presentation to said user during said current session after some number of intervening items has been presented to said user; and

(g) if said item score is less than said threshold score when said current session ends, scheduling said O-Level Item for re-presentation to said user in a next session, wherein no sessions intervene between said current session and said next session.

5. The method described in claim 4, where in said re-presentation rule determines a presentation sequence of items to be presented to said user, includable in said sequence being a first presentation sequence of one or more P-Level Items from said P-Level Set wherein said Level L for each said P-Level Item determines a re-presentation interval for each said P-Level Item, a second presentation sequence of one or more O-Level Items, and a third presentation sequence of N-Level Items.

6. The method described in claim 5 further comprising the steps of

(a) presenting said first presentation sequence of said one or more P-Level Items;

(b) determining from user-action whether said current session is to continue after said P-Level Items in said first presentation sequence have all been presented;

(c) presenting said second presentation sequence of said one or more O-Level Items;

(d) determining from said user-action whether said current session is to continue after all O-Level items in said second presentation sequence have been presented; and

(e) presenting said third presentation sequence of said one or more N-Level Items.

7. The method described in claim 1 having a dictionary of terms that includes at least said series of items to be learned, a corresponding definition being provided for each of said terms, and providing two modes of operation, a test mode and a dictionary mode, wherein, in said test mode, said series of items to be learned are test items presented to said user to elicit an item-response, and wherein, in said dictionary mode, said user can browse through said dictionary and view one or more of said terms and said corresponding definition.

8. The method described in claim 7, wherein said dictionary is editable and wherein, during editing of said dictionary, any particular one of said terms, including said test items, is modifiable and deletable from said dictionary, and wherein new terms are includable.

9. The method described in claim 4, wherein said defining said final-item-score further comprises the steps of:

(a) defining a raw score based on a quality of said item-response; and

(b) re-calculating said final-item-score by incorporating said raw score in with a previously existing final-item-score.

10. The method described in claim 4, wherein said threshold score includes a lower threshold score and an upper threshold score, said method further comprising the steps of:

(a) comparing said final-item-score with said upper threshold score and said lower threshold score;

(b) incrementing said Level L each time said final-item-score to said P-Level-Item is greater than said upper threshold score; and

(c) decrementing said Level L each time said final-item-score for said P-Level-Item is lower than said lower threshold score.

11. A learning method in which a master set of items to be learned is presented to a user in a series of sessions, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) ordering a master set of new items to be learned;

(b) presenting a first subset of said master set to a user during a first session;

(c) providing hints for an item-response upon user demand;

(d) evaluating each item-response of said user to a presented item of said first subset; and

(e) ordering said first subset based on said each item-response into a P-Level Set containing P-Level Items and a O-Level Set containing O-Level Items, wherein said P-Level Items are those items having elicited a satisfactory item-response during said first session and said O-Level Items are those items having elicited an unsatisfactory item-response during said first session.

12. The method described in claim 11, comprising the additional steps of:

(a) assigning to all of said P-Level Items an initial Level;

(b) presenting to said user at a second session a first presentation sequence containing all of said P-Level Items, followed by a second presentation sequence containing all of said O-Level Items;

(c) increasing said initial Level to a current higher level for each of said P-Level Items eliciting a sufficiently correct response during said second session, decreasing said initial Level to a current lower level for each of said P-Level Items eliciting a sufficiently poor response during said second session, and defining said initial Level as an unchanged level for each of said P-Level Items eliciting a partially correct response during said second session;

(d) reclassifying all said O-Level Items eliciting a sufficiently correct response during said second session as P-Level Items with an initial Level and moving them to said P-Level Set;

(e) returning to said P-Level Set all said P-Level Items having said current higher level or said unchanged level;

(f) returning to said O-Level Set all said P-Level Items having a current lower level.

13. The method described in claim 12, further comprising the following step:

(a) providing a re-presentation rule for determining a presentation sequence for said items to be presented in a succession of sessions subsequent to said second session, wherein a current Level determines whether said given item from said P-Level Set will be presented during a current session.

14. The method described in claim 13 wherein a variable re-presentation rate for said given item is expressed as a number-of-sessions-to-next-presentation T, wherein said number-of-sessions-to-next-presentation T is calculated from said current Level for said given item.

15. The method described in claim 14 wherein each said item-response that is sufficiently correct causes a sum of one plus said number-of-sessions-to-next-presentation T to double for said given item.

16. The method as described in claim 11 wherein said method is mediated by computer software running on a computer with response input means.

17. The method as described in claim 16 wherein said item-response is a written term and said input means is a keyboard.

18. The method as described in claim 16 wherein said responses are selections and said input means is a mouse.

19. The method described in claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning an upper threshold score and a lower threshold score to each of said P-Level Items; and

(b) comparing an item-score for an elicited response to each one of said P-Level Items that is re-presented to said user with said upper threshold score and said lower threshold score of said respective P-Level Item and determining that said elicited response is sufficiently correct if said item-score is greater than said upper threshold score, is sufficiently poor if said item-score is lower than said lower threshold score, and is partially correct if said item-score lies between said upper threshold score and said lower threshold score.

20. The method described in claim 14 wherein said number-of-sessions-to-next-presentation T is equal to {2^(L−

1)−

1}, and wherein L is equal to said current Level and is an integer equal to or greater than 1.

21. The method as described in claim 14 wherein Level-changing decisions are based on a final-item-score assigned to said given item following a current session, said final-item-score being determined by:

(a) assigning before said current session a perfect raw score;

(b) obtaining an intermediate raw score by subtracting a first decrement of points from said perfect raw score for an incorrect item-response to said given item;

(c) subtracting a second decrement of points from said intermediate raw score (S_R) upon user demand for hints; and

(d) defining said intermediate raw score to be a final-item-score for an item-responce to said given item that is correct.

22. The method as described in claim 14 further comprising the step of systematically optimizing said sessions-to-next-presentation T by deviating said sessions-to-next-presentation T from an L-determined value when said L-determined value of said sessions-to-next-presentation T is found to result in inferior retention of said given item.

23. The method described in claim 16 wherein each said item-response that is partially correct leaves said number-of-sessions-to-next-presentation T unchanged.

24. The method described in claim 14, wherein each said item-response that is sufficiently poor causes said number-of-sessions-to-next-presentation T to be halved.

25. A computer-based learning method for acquiring and reinforcing knowledge of a mass of information at a rate adaptable to a particular user who will activate the related software program on a regular basis so as to engage in a series of computer-mediated learning sessions, said method comprising the steps of

(a) during a first session, selecting from a database of items to be learned certain items-to-be-first-presented;

(b) presenting to said user said items-to-be-first-presented so as to elicit responses from said user;

(c) evaluating said responses;

(d) sorting said items-to-be-first-presented into first P-Level Items placed in a P-Level Set and O-Level Items placed in a O-Level Set, said sorting based one an item-response elicited for each of said items-to-be-first-presented;

(e) assigning to each of said first P-Level Items an Initial Level L;

(f) during a second session, presenting to said user all of said first P-Level Items followed by all of said O-Level Items so as to elicit second responses from said user;

(g) following said second session performing a second sorting, placing said first P-Level Items and said O-Level Items into said P-Level Set and said O-Level Set based on said second responses;

(h) assigning a modified Level L to each of said first P-Level Items returned to said P-Level Set, said modified Level L being incremented for each of said first P-Level Items that elicited a sufficiently correct second response from said user, said modified Level L being decremented for each of said first P-Level Items that elicited a sufficiently poor second response from said user;

(l) assigning to said P-Level Set each of said O-Level Items that elicited a sufficiently correct second response from said user and assigning an Initial Level L to each of said O-Level Items assigned to said P-Level Set;

(m) during a third session, presenting to said user only those of said P-Level items for which said Initial Level L was not incremented during said second session;

(n) defining as timely P-Level Items those of said P-Level Items that have a current Level L equal to a specific predetermined Level L trigger value; and

(o) generating within said software a data file containing in graphic and tabular form an itemization of a learning rate for said user on each of said items presented.