Systems and methods for computerized interactive training

• US 8,565,668 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Breakthrough Performancetech LLC
• Original Assignee: Breakthrough Performancetech LLC
• Inventors: Cohen, Martin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gishnock, Nikolai A
• Application Number:
  US13/300,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20120258438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 434/219, 434/247, 434/257, 434/258, 434/322, 434/323, 434/350, 434/362, 434/433
• US Class Current: 434/362
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

The present invention is related to interactive training. In one embodiment, a training system presents a stored scenario to a user via a terminal. The user is provided with the ability to intervene and stop the pre-recorded scenario to identify an error in handling the situation presented in the scenario and/or an opportunity presented in the scenario. Once the user has intervened, the user can be presented with a question regarding the opportunity and/or error. The user is scored based in part on the number of errors and/or opportunities that the user identified and optionally on the user'"'"'s response to the question.

Claims

1. A method of training a user using an interactive electronic training system, the method comprising:

causing, via the interactive electronic training system, a first training presentation of a first interaction of at least two people to be presented;

instructing the user to identify at least one interaction error event presented in the first training presentation;

determining, by the interactive electronic training system, if the user identified during the first training presentation an occurrence of a first interaction error event within a first window period,

wherein the first window period occurs during the first training presentation and the first training presentation is continuously played during the first window period;

providing, by the interactive electronic training system, the user with positive feedback at least partly in response to determining that the user identified the occurrence of the first interaction error within the first window period; and

at least partly in response to determining that the user did not identify the occurrence of the first interaction error event within the first window period;

automatically replaying, by the interactive electronic training system, at least a portion of the first interaction that was presented during the first training presentation,

wherein the portion of the first interaction includes at least the first interaction error event.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

pausing the first training presentation and presenting at least a first quiz to the user, the first quiz related to the first interaction error;

receiving the user'"'"'s response to the first quiz;

presenting a second quiz to the user, wherein the user is to identify a statement or phrase spoken by a first individual during the first interaction, which represented opportunities that were missed by a second individual in the first interaction;

receiving the user'"'"'s response to the second quiz; and

scoring the user'"'"'s performance based at least in part on the user'"'"'s first quiz response and the user'"'"'s second quiz response.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising causing substantially immediate feedback to be provided to the user when the user correctly answers the first quiz.

4. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising causing the first quiz to be presented to the user a second time if the user does not correctly answer the first quiz the first time.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first interaction error event is an error of omission on the part of one of the people or an opportunity presented by a first person that was not addressed by a second person.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising providing a textual and/or audible notice to the user at least partly in response to determining that the user did not identify the first interaction error event within the first window period, wherein the notice is presented less than 10 seconds after the first interaction error event.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

causing an icon to be displayed to the user during the first interaction; and

causing the icon to change colors at least partly in response to the user identifying the first interaction error event within the first window period.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first window period is a predetermined amount of time.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first window period is scheduled based at least in part on the an end of a sentence, phrase or concept being presented.

10. The electronic training system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first training presentation is transmitted from a server remote to a user terminal.

11. The electronic training system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first training presentation is stored in computer readable memory on a user terminal.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least two people are real people or animations representing people.

13. An electronic training system, the electronic training system comprising:

at least one computing device;

computer readable memory storing a first training module, wherein

the first training module includes a presentation of an interaction between at least two individuals, the presentation having associated metadata that indicates events within the presentation of the interaction between at least two individuals to be user identified, and

computer readable memory storing a program that when executed by the at least one computing device is configured to cause the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising;

causing the presentation to be presented to a user;

determining, using at least a portion of the metadata associated with the presentation, if the user identified, while the presentation is being presented, a first of the events within a first window of time, where the first window of time occurs during the presentation and the presentation is continuously played during the first window of time;

providing a first score if the user identified the first event within the first window of time, and storing the first score in computer readable memory;

causing a first related test to be presented to the user, wherein the first related test is related to the first event;

receiving a user response to the first related test;

evaluating the user response to the first related test;

based at least in part on the evaluation of the user response to the first related test, generating a second score;

storing the second score in computer readable memory; and

presenting at least one score to the user, wherein the at least one score is based at least in part on the second score.

14. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the electronic training system is configured to performing operations comprising:

presenting an icon with a first color to the user during at least a portion of the presentation;

causing the icon to be presented with a second color at least partly in response to the user identifying the first event.

15. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the first event is an error of omission on the part of a first individual in the presentation or an active error committed by a first individual in the presentation.

16. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the first event is an opportunity presented by one of the individuals in the presentation that was not addressed by another individual in the presentation.

17. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the electronic training system is further configured to perform operations comprising:

providing a textual and/or audible notice to the user at least partly in response to determining that the user did not identify the first event within the first window of time,

wherein the notice is presented less than 10 seconds after the first event.

18. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the electronic training system is further configured to perform operations comprising providing substantially immediate feedback to the user when the user correctly completes the first related test.

19. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the electronic training system is further configured to perform operations comprising presenting to the user at least a portion of the first related test a second time if the user does not correctly respond to the first related test the first time.

20. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the electronic training system is further configured to perform operations comprising accessing and presenting a style question stored in computer readable memory, wherein the style question is related to the communication style and/or attitude of at least one of the individuals in the presentation.

21. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the electronic training system is further configured to perform operations comprising assigning an adverse score if the user did not identify the first event within the first window of time.

22. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the first window of time is scheduled based at least in part on the an end of a sentence, phrase or concept being presented.

23. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the electronic training system is further configured to perform operations comprising causing the presentation to be first presented to the user in a non-interactive mode, wherein the user is not asked to identify events during the non-interactive presentation.

24. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, further comprising a user terminal.

25. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the presentation includes both an audio component and a video component.

26. The electronic training system as defined in claim 13, wherein the at least one score is a cumulative score based at least in part on the first score and the second score.