System and method for analysis and feedback of student performance

• US 8,491,311 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MIND Research Institute
• Original Assignee: MIND Research Institute
• Inventors: Bodner, Mark, Shaw, Gordon L., Peterson, Matthew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yip, Jack
• Application Number:
  US10/675,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20040180317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,585 Days
• Field of Search: 434/322, 434/350, 434/353, 434/323, 434/365, 434/118, 434/167, 434/187, 434/188, 434/335, 434/336, 434/362, 434/430, 706/45, 706/46, 706/927
• US Class Current: 434/323
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

Embodiments of systems and methods are disclosed that analyze student performance and provide feedback regarding the student performance, for example, to an instructor, other school official, parent or directly to the student. In certain embodiments, the methods and systems communicate in real time with the educational program, for example, math or science games, lessons, quizzes or tests, to provide contemporaneous feedback or recommendations to the instructor regarding student performance. In addition, embodiments of the systems and methods evaluate and provide feedback of the effectiveness of the educational program itself, and track progress at different levels, for example, a student, class, school or district level, over a multitude of different durations and time periods. Still further, embodiments of the systems and methods perform comprehensive data analysis and statistical computations.

Claims

1. A method of analyzing successive performances by a student for a computerized quiz and providing feedback based on the performances, the method comprising:

determining, via a computer system, whether a student score is above a threshold passing score to identify that the student has achieved a passing score on a quiz;

comparing the passing score of the student to at least one score obtained from at least one subsequent quiz;

determining, via the computer system, whether the student is authorized to progress to a next task of a curriculum or whether the student needs assistance from an instructor based on the comparison;

analyzing, via the computer system, the passing score of the student and the at least one subsequent quiz score to generate a learning curve and determine whether a deviation in a learning rate exists;

calculating a best fit curve to the learning curve;

extrapolating the best fit curve to determine whether the threshold passing score will be reached within a maximum allotted number of times of taking the quiz; and

generating, via the computer system, feedback data based on the determination of whether the threshold passing score will be reached within the maximum allotted number of times of taking the quiz, wherein generating feedback data is additionally based on whether a number of game plays or days the game is played exceeds a predetermined value.

2. The system method of claim 1, wherein the game comprises a spatial temporal math video game.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback data comprises recommending that the student continue taking the quiz, recommending that the instructor provide assistance to the student, or recommending that the student continue taking the quiz with further observation and reevaluation by the instructor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether a deviation in a learning rate exists comprises graphing the quiz scores against the number of times the quiz is taken for the most recent day.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining whether a deviation in a learning rate exists further comprises comparing the quiz scores against the number of times the quiz is taken for all days the quiz is taken.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing scores of the student additionally comprises determining whether a variation in scores since attaining the passing score exceeds a selected value.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating feedback data is additionally based on whether the variation in scores since attaining the passing score exceeds the selected value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein feedback data is additionally generated by determining whether a slope of the best fit curve is greater or equal to a minimum slope for the quiz, wherein the minimum slope for the quiz is the slope of the best fit curve at a calculated point at which the best fit curve crosses a horizontal line corresponding to a passing score.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the game is a spatial temporal math video game.

9. A method of developing a computerized game for teaching mathematical concepts to a student, the method comprising:

determining a mathematical concept to be taught to a student;

formulating a basic spatial temporal test of the mathematical concept;

administering, via a computer system, the basic spatial temporal test to the student;

testing an initially designed game of the mathematical concept to obtain a progress curve of game scores;

analyzing, via the computer system, the progress curve for the game to determine whether it indicates successful learning and retention of the mathematical concept;

comparing, via the computer system, a score on the initially designed game with a score on the basic spatial temporal test to determine whether the game score is commensurate with the test score;

administering, via the computer system, a diagnostic quiz of the mathematical concept to the student;

comparing, via the computer system, the game score to a score on the diagnostic quiz to determine whether the game score is commensurate with the diagnostic quiz score;

determining that the game is deficient if the game score is not commensurate with the diagnostic quiz score;

determining adjustments to the game or the diagnostic quiz based on the comparison of the game score to the diagnostic quiz score if the game is deficient;

redesigning the game based on the adjustments to the game or the diagnostic quiz; and

integrating the redesigned game into an educational curriculum.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a computer processor perform a method of analyzing successive performances by a student for a computerized game and providing feedback based on the performances, the method comprising:

determining whether a student score is above a threshold passing score to identify that the student has achieved a passing score on a quiz;

comparing the passing score of the student to at least one score obtained from at least one subsequent quiz;

determining whether the student is authorized to progress to a next task of a curriculum or whether the student needs assistance from an instructor based on the comparison;

analyzing the passing score of the student and the at least one subsequent quiz score to generate a learning curve and determine whether a deviation in a learning rate exists;

calculating a best fit curve to the learning curve;

extrapolating the best fit curve to determine whether the threshold passing score will be reached within a maximum allotted number of times of taking the quiz; and

generating feedback data based on the determination of whether the threshold passing score will be reached within the maximum allotted number of times of taking the quiz, wherein generating feedback data is additionally based on whether a number of game plays or days the game is played exceeds a predetermined value.

12. The computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a computer processor perform the method of claim 11, wherein the feedback data comprises recommending that the student continue taking the quiz, recommending that the instructor provide assistance to the student, or recommending that the student continue taking the quiz with further observation and reevaluation by the instructor.

13. The computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a computer processor perform the method of claim 11, wherein the determining whether a deviation in a learning rate exists comprises graphing the quiz scores against the number of times the quiz is taken for the most recent day.

14. The computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a computer processor perform the method of claim 13, wherein the determining whether a deviation in a learning rate exists further comprises graphing the quiz scores against the number of times the quiz is taken for all days the quiz is taken.

15. The computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a computer processor perform the method of claim 11, wherein each quiz can have a different minimum slope.

16. The computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a computer processor perform the method of claim 11, wherein analyzing scores of the student additionally comprises determining whether a variation in scores since attaining the passing score exceeds a selected value.