Instructional system grouping student terminals

• US 6,760,748 B1
• Filed: 01/20/1999
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture LLP (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Hakim, Omar Besim
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/234,338
• Time in Patent Office: 1,994 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 717/3, 717/176, 717/177, 717/178, 434/350, 434/351, 434/322, 345/705-715
• US Class Current: 709/204
• 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: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An interactive electronic instructional system is a teaching interface between a teacher and students where data is transmitted from the teacher'"'"'s terminal to the student terminals. The data is received at the student terminals and is separated into execution data and instructional data. The student terminals are grouped into teams allowing student teams to interact with a group decision. This encourages team participation by shy or otherwise reluctant students. Team answer data is transmitted from one of the student terminals in the team to the teacher'"'"'s terminal. The teacher monitors team answer data to infer class progress towards a goal. The teacher may modify the instructional data based on the progress.

Claims

1. A method of providing a teaching interface between a teacher and multiple students, comprising:

transmitting data from a teacher terminal to student terminals;

receiving the data at the student terminals;

separating the data into execution data and instructional data and utilizing the execution data to display the instructional data at the student terminals;

grouping the student terminals into a plurality of teams, wherein each team is made up of at least two student terminals for a corresponding number of students;

allowing the student terminals for each team to interact to make a group decision, for encouraging team participation by shy or otherwise reluctant students;

transmitting team answer data from one of the student terminals for each of the teams, wherein the team answer data represents the group decision for each team;

monitoring the team answer data for the instructional data to infer class progress towards a goal; and

allowing a teacher at the teacher terminal to modify instructional data based on the progress toward the goal.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising linking information that motivates accomplishment of a goal to the instructional data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the teacher can selectively show certain of the student data and the student interactions and analyze such student data and student interactions for each of the students during an instructional session.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein student interactions via the student terminals are at least one of ordered, sorted and used to present statistical analysis to the teacher terminal during the instructional session.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting of information uses a wireless network.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising utilizing thin client technology for the student terminals.

7. A system for providing an electronic classroom system, comprising:

a teacher terminal which manages a teaching session and modifies instructional data based on progress towards a goal;

student terminals;

a network for transmitting information from the teacher terminal to the student terminals;

a sub-system which separates the transmitted information into execution data and instructional data;

a sub-system which utilizes the execution data to display the instructional data at the student terminals;

a sub-system which groups the student terminals into a plurality of teams, wherein each team is made up of at least two student terminals for a corresponding number of students;

a sub-system which allows the student terminals for each team to interact to make a group decision, for encouraging team participation by shy or otherwise reluctant students;

a sub-system which transmits team answer data from one of the student terminals for each of the teams, wherein the team answer data represents the group decision for each team;

a sub-system which monitors the team answer data for the instructional data to infer class progress toward a goal; and

a sub-system which allows a teacher at the teacher terminal to modify instructional data based on the progress toward the goal.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a sub-system which links information that motivates accomplishment of the goal to the instructional data.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a sub-system which allows a teacher via the teacher terminal to selectively show certain of the student data and the student interactions and analyze such student data and student interactions for each student during an instructional session.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising a sub-system which allows multiple students interactions to be at least one of ordered, sorted and used to present statistical analysis to the teacher via the teacher terminal during the instructional session.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the transmitting of information utilizes a wireless network.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the network is a wide area network including the Internet.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the student terminals are based on thin client technology.

14. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for providing a teaching interface between a teacher and multiple students, comprising:

a code segment for transmitting data from a teacher terminal to student terminals;

a code segment for receiving the data at the student terminals;

a code segment for separating the received data into execution data and instructional data and utilizing the execution data to display the instructional data at the student terminals;

a code segment for grouping the student terminals into a plurality of teams, wherein each team is made up of at least two student terminals for a corresponding number of students;

a code segment for allowing the student terminals for each team to interact to make a group decision, for encouraging team participation by shy or otherwise reluctant students;

a code segment for transmitting team answer data from one of the student terminals for each of the teams, wherein the team answer data represents the group decision for each team;

a code segment for monitoring the team answer data for the instructional data to infer class progress toward a goal; and

a code segment for allowing the teacher via the teacher terminal to modify instructional data based on the progress toward the goal.

15. The computer program of claim 14 further comprising a code segment for linking information that motivates accomplishment of the goal to the instructional data.

16. The computer program of claim 14 wherein a teacher via the teacher terminal can selectively show certain of the student data and the student interactions and analyze such student data and student interactions for each student during an instructional session.

17. The computer program of claim 16 wherein multiple students interactions are at least one of ordered, sorted and used to present statistical analysis to the teacher at the teacher terminal during the instructional session.

18. The computer program of claim 14 wherein the transmitting of data utilizes a wireless network.

19. The computer program of claim 18 wherein the student terminals are based on thin client technology.