On-line educational system for processing exam questions and answers

• US 6,684,053 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2001
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: eCollege.com, Inc (Pearson plc)
• Original Assignee: eCollege.com, Inc (Pearson plc)
• Inventors: Dobrin, Jon M., Helmick, Robert N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hughes, S. Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADAMS, CHANDA L
• Application Number:
  US09/879,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20020150875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 434/362, 434/350, 434/353, 707/512
• US Class Current: 434/362
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F

Abstract

An on-line educational system including exam processing and electronic journal features. An instructor builds a course on-line containing identification of assignments and educational materials, which axe compiled intO an on-line elcctronic syllabus. Users enrolled in the course may access the electronic syllabus and perform various functions with the on-line educational system in order to participate in the on-line educational course. Users can receive an on-line exam, having multimedia content, for the course, and they can electronically provide answers for the exam. Users can also enter information into an electronic journal and specify which portions of the journal the instructor may view.

Claims

1. A method for providing exam questions to users and an electronic journal for use with an on-line educational system, comprising:

providing on-line content concerning educational materials for a particular educational course;

providing on-line an electronic syllabus for the educational course;

providing on-line to the users exam questions with multimedia content for the on-line exam;

receiving on-line answers to the exam questions;

providing an electronic journal for a particular one of the users permitting the particular user to enter information into the electronic journal for participation in the educational course, wherein the electronic journal provides for association of the entered information with the particular user;

permitting the instructor to enter information into the electronic journal for viewing by the particular user, wherein the electronic journal provides for secure access to the instructor'"'"'s entered information by the particular user;

permitting the user to selectively identify permitted access to the electronic journal by the instructor; and

selectively providing access to the electronic journal by the instructor based upon the particular user'"'"'s identification of permitted access.

2. The method of claim 1, further including automatically grading the answers to generate corresponding grade information.

3. The method of claim 2, further including storing the grade information in an on-line gradebook.

4. The method of claim 2, further including selectively providing the user with access to the grade information in the on-line gradebook.

5. The method of claim 1, further including transmitting the answers to an instructor.

6. The method of claim 5, further including receiving from the instructor grade information for the answers.

7. The method of claim 6, further including receiving from the instructor comments concerning the grade information.

8. The method of claim 6, further including storing the grade information in an on-line gradebook.

9. The method of claim 8, further including selectively providing the user with access to the grade information in the on-line gradebook.

10. The method of claim 1, further including:

triggering a timer upon receiving an indication of a user'"'"'s request to begin the on-line exam; and

limiting acceptance of the on-line answers to a time period beginning with the triggering of the timer and ending with expiration of the timer.

11. The method of claim 10, further including displaying to the user an indication of a time remaining on the timer.

12. An apparatus for providing exam questions to users and an electronic journal for use with an on-line educational system, comprising:

a content module for providing on-line content concerning educational materials for a particular educational course;

a syllabus module for providing on-line an electronic syllabus for the educational course;

an exam module for providing on-line to the users exam questions with multimedia content for the on-line exam;

an answer module for receiving on-line answers to the exam questions;

a journal module for providing an electronic journal for a particular one of the users permitting the particular user to enter information into the electronic journal for participation in the educational course, wherein the electronic journal provides for association of the entered information with the particular user;

an instructor module for permitting the instructor to enter information into the electronic journal for viewing by the particular user, wherein the electronic journal provides for secure access to the instructor'"'"'s entered information by the particular user;

an access module for permitting the user to selectively identify permitted access to the electronic journal by the instructor; and

a module for selectively providing access to the electronic journal by the instructor based upon the particular user'"'"'s identification of permitted access.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further including a module for automatically grading the answers to generate corresponding grade information.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further including a module for storing the grade information in an on-line gradebook.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further including a module for selectively providing the user with access to the grade information in the on-line gradebook.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, further including a module for transmitting the answers to an instructor.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further including a module for receiving from the instructor grade information for the answers.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further including a module for receiving from the instructor comments concerning the grade information.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further including a module for storing the grade information in an on-line gradebook.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further including a module for selectively providing the user with access to the grade information in the on-line gradebook.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, further including:

a module for triggering a timer upon receiving an indication of a user'"'"'s request to begin the on-line exam; and

a module for limiting acceptance of the on-line answers to a time period beginning with the triggering of the timer and ending with expiration of the timer.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 further including a module for displaying to the user an indication of a time remaining on the timer.

23. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method for providing exam questions to users and an electronic journal for use with an on-line educational system, the method including;

providing on-line content concerning educational materials for a particular educational course;

providing on-line an electronic syllabus for the educational course;

providing on-line to the users exam questions with multimedia content for the on-line exam;

receiving on-line answers to the exam questions;

providing an electronic journal for a particular one of the users permitting the particular user to enter information into the electronic journal for participation in the educational course, wherein the electronic journal provides for association of the entered information with the particular user;

permitting the instructor to enter information into the electronic journal for viewing by the particular user, wherein the electronic journal provides for secure access to the instructor'"'"'s entered information by the particular user;

permitting the user to selectively identify permitted access to the electronic journal by the instructor; and

selectively providing access to the electronic journal by the instructor based upon the particular user'"'"'s identification of permitted access.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further including automatically grading the answers to generate corresponding grade information.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, further including storing the grade information in an on-line gradebook.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, further including selectively providing the user with access to the grade information in the on-line gradebook.

27. The computer program product of claim 23, further including transmitting the answers to an instructor.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, further including receiving from the instructor grade information for the answers.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, further including receiving from the instructor comments concerning the grade information.

30. The computer program product of claim 28, further including storing the grade information in an on-line gradebook.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, further including selectively providing the user with access to the grade information in the on-line gradebook.

32. The computer program product of claim 23, further including:

triggering a timer upon receiving an indication of a user'"'"'s request to begin the on-line exam; and

limiting acceptance of the on-line answers to a time period beginning with the triggering of the timer and ending with expiration of the timer.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, further including displaying to the user an indication of a time remaining on the timer.