System and method for managing remote computer training labs

• US 8,078,676 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2004
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dalal, Sanjay, Lee, Chun-Kwok, Wong, Edward, Yuan, Zheng, Anantharaman, Srinath
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Application Number:
  US10/913,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,685 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/205 Education administration or guidance

Abstract

An educational and training system allows organization and management of computers and course material used in teaching and administering classes of computer based information. Remote users access computers in laboratories or virtual classrooms as if they were actually using the computers within the laboratory or classroom. The system also allows management and tracking of the remote users and of other various course details.

Claims

1. A method for managing remote computer training sessions, the method comprising:

maintaining a schedule of availability of one or more training computers on a central computer system;

receiving selections to schedule a training session on one or more of the available training computers;

configuring the one or more selected training computers, by the central computer system, to execute a selected application during the training session;

establishing a connection between a first remote computer that is associated with an instructor and the central computer system, and between two or more second remote computers associated with students and the central computer system;

establishing a connection between the central computer system and the one or more selected available training computers;

controlling a display, keyboard and mouse of one of the selected available training computers from the second remote computers, through the central computer system, during the training session to have the students operate the selected application on the one of the selected available training computers, wherein the first remote computer that is associated with the instructor passes control of the keyboard and mouse of the one of the selected available training computer between the two or more second remote computers; and

managing the training session from the first remote computer, through the central computer system, to have the instructor monitor activity during the training session.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

recording information about participants in the training session, a subject of the training session, and a duration of the training session.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each second remote computer controls the display, keyboard, and mouse of at least one of the training computers over the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the schedule of the availability of the one or more training computers is viewable through one or more lab scheduling web pages that graphically illustrate time slots and a number of available training computers.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more lab scheduling web pages permit the instructor to assign specific training computers to specific students in the training session.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving selections to schedule the training session on one or more of the available training computers further comprises:

receiving a selection of a number of training computers, a time for the training session, and a subject matter of the training session.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the instructor selects the selected application.

8. A method for managing remote learning sessions, the method comprising:

maintaining the availability of a first group of computers on a central computer system;

receiving selections to schedule a learning session on one or more available computers of the first group of computers;

configuring the one or more available computers, by the central computer system, to execute a selected application during the learning session;

establishing a connection between a first remote computer that is associated with an administrator and the central computer system, and between two or more second remote computers associated with users and the central computer system;

establishing a connection between the central computer system and the one or more available computers;

controlling a display, keyboard and mouse of one of the available computers from the second computers through the central computer system, during the learning session to have the users operate the selected application on the one of the available computers, wherein the first remote computer associated with the administrator passes control of the keyboard and mouse of the one of the available computers between the two or more second remote computers associated with users; and

managing the learning session from the first remote computer, through the central computer system, to have the administrator monitor activity during the learning session.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

recording information about users in the learning session, the subject of the learning session, and the duration of the learning session.

10. A system for managing remote computer training sessions, the system comprising:

a central computer system coupled to one or more training computers, the central computer system configured to maintain a schedule of availability of the one or more training computers and to, in response to a selection by an administrator associated with a first remote computer, schedule a training session on the one or more selected training computers, and to configure the one or more selected training computers to execute a selected application during the training session, wherein the selected application is utilized by a users associated with second remote computers; and

,

a first connection established between the first remote computer that is associated with the administrator and the central computer system, and a second connection established between two or more second remote computers that are associated with the users and the central computer system;

the central computer system further configured to allow the second remote computers associated with the users to communicate over a global area network with the central computer system during the training session and control one of the selected training computers through the central computer system during the training session to operate the selected application, the central computer system further configured to allow the first remote computer associated with the administrator to monitor activity during the training session and pass control of the keyboard and mouse of the one of the selected training computers between the two or more second remote computers.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the central computer system comprises a database configured to record information about the users associated with second remote computers in the training session, a subject of the training session, and a duration of the training session.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the global area network is the Internet.

13. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a third remote computer associated with a user configured to connect to the one of the selected training computers through the central computer system, but to not have control over the one of the selected training computers.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the central computer system further comprises a web server configured to provide a web-site interface to the schedule.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the schedule of the availability of the one or more training computers is viewable through one or more lab scheduling web pages that graphically illustrate time slots and a number of available training computers.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the one or more lab scheduling web pages permit the administrator to assign specific training computers to specific users for the training session.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the administrator selects the selected application.