Method and system for assessment within a multi-level organization

• US 8,326,659 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackboard Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Blackboard Incorporated
• Inventors: Yaskin, David, Ritter, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): MANSFIELD, THOMAS L
• Application Number:
  US11/363,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,472 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.11, 705/1.1
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation

Abstract

A system of hardware and software provides a systematic and systemic method for performing assessment the effectiveness of different levels within an institution. The system includes template driven definitions that span multiple tiers of hierarchically arranged operating units within the institution thereby providing flexibility and customization to handle a user-definable model of the institution'"'"'s organization. In particular, a model is stored of a plurality of organizational levels of the institution, wherein each organizational level includes at least one respective, associated node. For any node, at least one customizable assessment project associated with that node is created and presented to a user; then, the at least one customizable assessment project is completed based, at least in part, on first input received from the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for performing assessment within a multi-level institution, the method comprising:

a programmable computer configured to perform the steps of;

storing, by a computer, a model of a plurality of organizational levels of the institution, wherein each organizational level includes at least one respective, associated node;

receiving a selection of a node associated with at least one organizational level of the plurality of organizational levels of the institution;

presenting to a user at least one customizable assessment project associated with the at least one organizational level of the plurality of organizational levels of the institution,

wherein the at least one customizable assessment project comprises a plurality of forms that are defined by an editable template, wherein each of the plurality of forms has a predefined relationship, in a vertical hierarchy, with the remaining plurality of forms, and wherein at least two forms, from the plurality of forms, have different levels in the vertical hierarchy; and

completing the at least one customizable assessment project based, at least in part, on first input received from the user,

wherein an addition of a first form, to the plurality of forms, at a level in the vertical hierarchy causes a generation of a second form, to the plurality of forms, at a sublevel to the level in the vertical hierarchy, wherein the added second form is associated with the added first form, and

wherein the added second form comprises at least one field that is aligned with at least one field from the added first form.

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

receiving second input from another user; and

generating the editable template based on the received second input.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein contents of the editable template are based on the at least one organizational level associated with the selected node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the another user and the user are one and the same.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of forms includes at least one objective form.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the at least one objective form comprises a plurality of different objective forms.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein a set of activity forms is associated with the at least one objective form.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the set of activity forms comprises one or more different activity forms.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein membership in the set of activity forms is based on the at least one organizational level associated with the selected node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein contents of each activity form within the set of activity forms are based on the at least one organizational level associated with the selected node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

presenting to the user a list of one or more available editable templates;

wherein the editable template is selected from one of the available editable templates.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the at least one customizable assessment project is based on the selected one editable template.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the at least one customizable assessment project includes at least one objective, said at least one objective being based, at least in part, on the input received from the user.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the at least one objective comprises two or more objectives.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the at least one customizable assessment project includes one or more activities related to the at least one objective, said one or more activities being based, at least in part, on the input received from the user.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of forms includes a plurality of objective forms and a respective set of activity forms associated with each of the respective objective forms.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

presenting to the user the respective sets of activity forms.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising the step of:

modifying contents of each of the activity forms within the respective sets of activity forms, based, at least in part, on the input of the user.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of forms includes at least one respective objective form corresponding to each of the at least one objective related to the at least one customizable assessment project.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

creating each of the at least one objective within its corresponding objective form.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

selecting for any of the at least one objective form its corresponding objective from among a plurality of available, existing objectives.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one customizable assessment project comprises a plurality of different customizable assessment projects for that node concurrently available to the user.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing the completed at least one customizable assessment project as an editable project; and

presenting to the user a list of available editable projects.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

receiving other input from a subsequent user;

beginning a different customizable assessment project by selecting a particular editable project from among the list, based on the other input from the subsequent user; and

completing the different customizable assessment project.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the institution comprises at least three organizational levels including multiple levels of operating units.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein the at least three organizational levels further comprise a programs level, a course level, and a section level.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving other input from another user identifying one or more respective attributes associated with each of a plurality of nodes to be modeled; and

creating a respective, editable template for each of the plurality of nodes, based on the other input.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the one or more respective attributes for a particular node are based on one of an organizational level of that node, a type of operating unit of that node, a type of operating unit hierarchically above that node;

and whether that particular node is a program, course or section.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising the steps of:

receiving additional input from a third user selecting one of the plurality of nodes;

presenting the user with the respective, editable template for the selected one node; and

defining a model element for the selected one node by completing the respective editable, template based, at least in part, on the additional input from the third user.

57. The system of claim 27, wherein the one or more respective attributes for a particular node are based on one of an organizational level of that node, a type of operating unit of that node, a type of operating unit hierarchically above that node;

and whether that particular node is a program, course or section.

60. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first form comprises an objective form and the second form comprises an activity form.

30. A system for performing assessment within a multi-level institution, the system comprising:

a computer-based model of a plurality of organizational levels of the institution, wherein each organizational level includes at least one respective, associated node; and

a programmable computer, having access to the computer-based model, and configured to;

a) receive first input indicative of a particular node associated with at least one organizational level of the plurality of organizational levels of the institution;

b) present to a user at least one customizable assessment project associated with the at least one organizational level of the plurality of organizational levels of the institution, wherein the at least one customizable assessment project comprises a plurality of forms that are defined by an editable template, wherein each of the plurality of forms has a predefined relationship, in a vertical hierarchy, with the remaining plurality of forms, and wherein at least two forms, from the plurality of forms, have different levels in the vertical hierarchy; and

c) complete the at least one customizable assessment project based, at least in part, on second input received from the user,

wherein an addition of a first form, to the plurality of forms, at a level in the vertical hierarchy causes a generation of a second form, to the plurality of forms, at a sublevel to the level in the vertical hierarchy, wherein the added second form is associated with the added first form, and

wherein the added second form comprises at least one field that is aligned with at least one field from the added first form.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to:

receive other input from another user; and

generate the editable template based on the received other input.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein contents of the editable template are based on a the at least one organizational level associated with the particular node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the another user and the user are one and the same.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the plurality of forms includes at least one objective form.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one objective form comprises a plurality of different objective forms.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein a set of activity forms is associated with the at least one objective form.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the set of activity forms comprises one or more different activity forms.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein membership in the set of activity forms is based on the at least one organizational level associated with the particular node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein contents of each activity form within the set of activity forms are based on the at least one organizational level associated with the particular node associated with the at least one customizable assessment project.

40. The system of claim 30, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to:

present to the user a list of one or more available editable templates;

wherein the editable template is selected from one of the available editable templates.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the customizable assessment project is based on the selected one editable template.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the at least one customizable assessment project includes at least one objective, said at least one objective being based, at least in part, on the second input received from the user.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the at least one objective comprises two or more objectives.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the at least one customizable assessment project includes one or more activities related to the at least one objective, said one or more activities being based, at least in part, on the second input received from the user.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the plurality of forms includes a plurality of objective forms and a respective set of activity forms associated with each of the respective objective forms.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to:

present to the user the respective sets of activity forms.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to:

modify contents of each activity form within the respective sets of activity forms, based, at least in part, on the second input of the user.

48. The system of claim 42, wherein the plurality of forms includes at least one respective objective form corresponding to each of the at least one objective related to the at least one customizable assessment project.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to:

create each of the at least one objective within its corresponding objective form.

50. The system of claim 48, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to:

select for any of the at least one objective form its corresponding objective from among a plurality of available, existing objectives.

51. The system of claim 30, wherein the at least one customizable assessment project comprises a plurality of different customizable assessment projects for that node concurrently available to the user.

52. The system of claim 30, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to:

store the completed at least one customizable assessment project as an editable project; and

present to the user a list of available editable projects.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to:

receive other input from a subsequent user;

begin a different customizable assessment project by selecting a particular

editable project from among the list, based on the other input from the subsequent user; and

complete the different customizable assessment project.

54. The system of claim 30, wherein the institution comprises at least three organizational levels including multiple levels of operating units.

55. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least three organizational levels further comprise a programs level, a course level, and a section level.

56. The system of claim 30, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to:

receive other input from another user identifying one or more respective attributes associated with each of a plurality of nodes to be modeled; and

create a respective, editable template for each of the plurality of nodes, based on the other input.

58. The system of claim 56, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to:

receive additional input from a third user selecting one of the plurality of nodes;

present the user with the respective, editable template for the selected one node; and

define a model element for the selected one node by completing the respective editable, template based, at least in part, on the additional input from the third user.

59. Computer readable media containing programming instructions for performing assessment within a multi-level institution that upon execution thereof, causes one or more computer processors to perform the steps of:

storing a model of a plurality of organizational levels of the institution, wherein each organizational level includes at least one respective, associated node;

receiving a selection of a node associated with at least one organizational level of the plurality of organizational levels of the institution;

presenting to a user at least one customizable assessment project associated with-the at least one organizational level of the plurality of organizational levels of the institution,

wherein the at least one customizable assessment project comprises a plurality of forms that are defined by an editable template, wherein each of the plurality of forms has a predefined relationship, in a vertical hierarchy, with the remaining plurality of forms, and wherein at least two forms, from the plurality of forms, have different levels in the vertical hierarchy; and

completing the at least one customizable assessment project based, at least in part, on first input received from the user,

wherein an addition of a first form, to the plurality of forms, at a level in the vertical hierarchy causes a generation of a second form, to the plurality of forms, at a sublevel to the level in the vertical hierarchy, wherein the added second form is associated with the added first form, and

wherein the added second form comprises at least one field that is aligned with at least one field from the added first form.