Categorizing and sharing learning objects

• US 8,140,000 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2003
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dinger, Thomas J., Salazar, Fernando
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Kang
• Application Number:
  US10/737,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20050131849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,017 Days
• Field of Search: 434/322, 434/323, 434/350, 434/362
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, system and computer program product for administering learning objects within a learning management system. In the invention, a learner can select various learning materials in the system, known as “learning objects”, and can aggregate these learning objects in a special category or “learning folder” directly on the system. The learning folders can be separate from an existing course catalog of learning objects. Each learner can establish and delete learning folders, and can modify each learning folder by adding or removing learning objects to and from the folder. Finally, while each learning folder created by a user can at first only be accessed by the user, a user can allow other learners in the system to access the folder by establishing a “learning link” for the folder, which dictates which other learners can access the learning folder.

Claims

1. A method of administering learning objects within a learning management system, comprising the steps of:

establishing by a particular learner within a computer system a learning folder for the particular learner in the learning management system (LMS) which is separate from an existing selection of learning objects, the learning folder comprising a configuration to aggregate access to learning objects from the separate existing selection of learning objects;

adding by the particular learner within the computing system one or more of the learning objects to the learning folder;

initially limiting access to the learning folder within the computing system to the particular learner;

and, establishing a learning link for the learning folder, which provides access to the learning folder for one or more additional learners.

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

modifying the learning folder by adding one or more additional learning objects to the learning folder.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

modifying the learning folder by removing one or more learning objects from the learning folder.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

modifying the learning link by adding access for one or more learners.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

modifying the learning link by removing access for one or more learners.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

removing a learning folder from the learning management system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

removing a learning link from the learning management system.

8. A non-transitory machine readable storage having stored thereon a computer program for administering learning objects within a learning management system, the computer program comprising a routine set of instructions which when executed by the machine cause the machine to perform the steps of:

establishing by a particular learner within a computing system a learning folder for the particular learner in the learning management system (LMS) which is separate from an existing selection of learning objects, the learning folder comprising a configuration to aggregate access to learning objects from the separate existing selection of learning objects;

adding by the particular learner within the computing system one or more of the learning objects to the learning folder;

initially limiting access to the learning folder within the computing system to the particular learner;

and, establishing a learning link for the learning folder, which provides access to the learning folder for one or more additional learners.

9. The machine readable storage of claim 8, further causing said machine to perform the steps of:

modifying the learning folder by adding one or more additional learning objects to the learning folder.

10. The machine readable storage of claim 8, further causing said machine to perform the steps of:

modifying the learning folder by removing one or more learning objects from the learning folder.

11. The machine readable storage of claim 8, further causing said machine to perform the steps of:

modifying the learning link by adding access for one or more learners.

12. The machine readable storage of claim 8, further causing said machine to perform the steps of:

modifying the learning link by removing access for one or more learners.

13. The machine readable storage of claim 8, further causing said machine to perform the steps of:

removing a learning folder from the learning management system.

14. The machine readable storage of claim 8, further causing said machine to perform the steps of:

removing a learning link from the learning management system.

15. A learning management system (LMS) comprising:

a plurality of course materials amongst an existing selection of course materials disposed within a computing system;

a plurality of learners configured to access the course materials within the computing system;

a learning folder management user interface within the computing system through which particular ones of the learners establish learning folders, each of the learning folders aggregating selected ones of the course materials separate and apart from the existing selection of course materials disposed within the computing system;

the learning management user interface comprises a configuration for limiting access to each one of the established learning folders to the particular one or the learners who created the learning folder;

and, the learning management user interface further comprises a configuration for permitting access to selected ones of the established learning folders for other of the learners by way of corresponding learning links.