Method of developing educational materials based on multiple-choice questions

• US 7,033,182 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2001
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Indu M. Anand
• Original Assignee: Indu M. Anand
• Inventors: Anand, Indu Mati
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holmes, Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US09/951,132
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 434319-364
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/08 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying further information

Abstract

The present invention comprises a method of developing educational products or materials by utilizing multiple-choice questions. Starting with a given set of facts to be presumed in a question, the method may require one to examine each answer choice, and inquire how a set of facts to be presumed could be modified to make that answer choice the “correct” or “best” answer choice. If a given answer choice is already correct, no modification is needed. If a given answer choice is not correct, various modifications may be employed, including changing some of the words or phrases, or other symbols or objects within the set of facts to be presumed.

Claims

1. A method of generating educational materials, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing one or more multiple-choice questions, each question comprising a query and a plurality of answer choices, wherein said plurality of answer choices comprises one correct answer and one or more incorrect answers; and

(b) for at least one of said one or more incorrect answers, providing a follow-up query to which said incorrect answer is a correct answer;

wherein at least one of step (a) or step (b) is carried out using a computer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(c) compiling said multiple-choice questions and said follow-up queries in a medium suitable for educational purposes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said medium is a print medium.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said medium is a computer-readable medium.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said medium is an audiographic medium.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said medium is a videographic medium.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one of said one or more incorrect answers is all of said incorrect answers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said follow-up query is a modification of said query.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said modification comprises changing not more than fifty percent of the words of said query.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said modification comprises changing one or more symbols in said query.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said modification comprises changing one or more mathematical operators in said query.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said modification comprises changing one or more mathematical values in said query.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein said modification comprises changing one or more fact objects in said query.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein said modification comprises changing a placement of at least one fact object within said query.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein said modification comprises a minimum number of changes of fact objects necessary such that said incorrect answer is a correct answer to said follow-up query.

16. A method of effecting educational interaction, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing one or more multiple-choice questions, each question comprising a query and a plurality of answer choices, wherein said plurality of answer choices comprises one correct answer and one or more incorrect answers;

(b) taking one or more of said plurality of answer choices;

(c) identifying one or more fact objects in said query;

(d) modifying said query by changing one or more of said one or more fact objects to produce a follow-up query;

(e) determining whether said incorrect answer is a correct answer to said follow-up query; and

(f) if said incorrect answer is not a correct answer to said follow-up query, repeating steps (d) and (e);

wherein at least one of step (a), step (c) or step (d) is carried out using a computer.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

(f) compiling said multiple-choice questions and said follow-up queries in a medium suitable for educational purposes.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said one or more fact objects are changed one at a time.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein, after each of said one or more fact objects have been changed one at a time at least once, said one or more fact objects are changed two at a time.

17. A method of effecting educational interaction, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing one or more multiple-choice questions, each question comprising a query and a plurality of answer choices, wherein said plurality of answer choices comprises one correct answer and one or more incorrect answers;

(b) identifying one or more fact objects in said query;

(c) selecting one or more of said plurality of answer choices;

(d) modifying said query by changing one or more of said one or more fact objects to produce a follow-up query;

(e) determining whether said incorrect answer is a correct answer to said follow-up query; and

(f) if said incorrect answer is not a correct answer to said follow-up query, repeating steps (d) and (e);

wherein at least one of step (a), step (b) or step (d) is carried out using a computer.

21. A method of study, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving one or more multiple-choice questions from a computer-readable source, each question comprising a query and a plurality of answer choices, wherein said plurality of answer choices comprises one correct answer and one or more incorrect answers;

(b) reviewing said one or more multiple choice questions;

(c) choosing an answer choice to each of said one or more multiple-choice questions; and

(d) if said answer choice is an incorrect answer, generating a follow-up query to which said answer choice is a correct answer.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said computer-readable source is a communications network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said communications network is the internet.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

(e) choosing another answer choice; and

(f) if said another answer choice is an incorrect answer, generating a follow-up query to which said another answer choice is a correct answer.

22. A method of study, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving one or more multiple-choice questions from a computer-readable source, each question comprising a query and a plurality of answer choices, wherein said plurality of answer choices comprises one correct answer and one or more incorrect answers;

(b) reviewing said one or more multiple choice questions;

(c) choosing an answer choice to each of said one or more multiple-choice questions; and

(d) if said answer choice is an incorrect answer, reviewing a follow-up query to which said answer choice is a correct answer, and matching said follow-up query to said answer choice.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said computer-readable source is a communications network.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said communications network is the internet.

28. A program stored on a computer-readable medium which, when executed, performs the steps of:

(a) providing one or more multiple-choice questions, each question comprising a query and a plurality of answer choices, wherein said plurality of answer choices comprises one correct answer and one or more incorrect answers; and

(b) for a selection of at least one of said one or more incorrect answers, providing a follow-up query to which said incorrect answer is a correct answer.

29. The program of claim 28, wherein said at least one of said one or more incorrect answers is all of said incorrect answers.

30. The program of claim 28, wherein one or more differences between said follow-up query and said query are distinguished.

31. The program of claim 28, wherein said query and said follow-up query are displayed simultaneously.

32. A method of teaching, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing one or more multiple-choice questions, each question comprising a query and a plurality of answer choices, wherein said plurality of answer choices comprises one correct answer and one or more incorrect answers;

(b) prompting a user to choose an answer choice to each of said one or more multiple-choice questions; and

(c) if said answer choice is an incorrect answer, prompting said user to identify one or more fact objects in said query which, when changed, will produce a follow-up query to which said answer choice is a correct answer;

wherein at least one of step (a), step (b) or step (c) is carried out using a computer.

33. A method of generating educational materials, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing one or more multiple-choice questions, each question comprising a query and a plurality of answer choices, wherein said plurality of answer choices comprises one correct answer and one or more incorrect answers;

(b) identifying one or more fact objects in said query; and

(c) modifying said query by changing one or more of said one or more fact objects to produce a follow-up query to which said answer is a correct answer;

wherein at least one of step (a), step (b) or step (c) is carried out using a computer.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of:

(d) repeating step (c) to produce another follow-up query to which said answer is a correct answer.

35. A method of generating educational materials, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing one or more multiple-choice questions, each question comprising a first part and a second part, said second part comprising a plurality of answer choices and said first part comprising a remainder of said question excluding said second part, wherein said plurality of answer choices comprises one correct answer and one or more incorrect answers;

(b) identifying one or more fact objects in said first part; and

(c) modifying said first part by changing one or more of said one or more fact objects to produce a follow-up first part to which said answer is a correct answer;

wherein at least one of step (a), step (b) or step (c) is carried out using a computer.

36. A method of generating educational materials, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing one or more multiple-choice questions, each question comprising a query and a plurality of answer choices, wherein said plurality of answer choices comprises one correct answer and one or more incorrect answers;

(b) identifying one or more fact objects in said query;

(c) initializing a counting variable at a value of 1;

(d) modifying said query, by changing a number of fact objects equal to the value of said counting variable, to produce a follow-up query;

(e) if said incorrect answer is not a correct answer to said follow-up query, and if not all possible combinations of a number of fact objects equal to said counting variable have been changed to produce follow-up queries, repeating steps (d) and (e)

(f) if said incorrect answer is not a correct answer to said follow-up query, incrementing said counting variable by adding 1 thereto, and repeating steps (d), (e) and (f);

wherein at least one of step (a), step (d) or step (e) is carried out using a computer.

37. A method of monitoring a student'"'"'s progress, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing one or more multiple-choice questions, each question comprising a query and a plurality of answer choices, wherein said plurality of answer choices comprises one correct answer and one or more incorrect answers;

(b) prompting said student to select an answer choice to one or more of said questions;

(c) if a selected answer choice is an incorrect answer, prompting said student to identify one or more fact objects in said query which, when changed, will produce a follow-up query to which said selected answer choice is a correct answer;

(d) maintaining a record of said selected answer choice; and

(e) evaluating said record against a preset standard;

wherein at least one of step (a), step (d) or step (e) is carried out using a computer.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the method is carried out as a distance learning application over a communications network.