Electronic profile based education service

• US 8,597,030 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): GEBREMICHAEL, BRUK A
• Application Number:
  US10/955,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20060040248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,351 Days
• Field of Search: 434/323, 434/350, 434/365, 434/118, 434/322
• US Class Current: 434/322
• 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

An electronic education service module identifies a target education topic for a user and obtains user profile information associated with the user from a database communicatively coupled to the electronic education service. A plurality of tasks to provide the target education topic are identified based on the identified target education topic and the obtained user profile information. Execution of actions by application service providing modules, other than the electronic education service, to carry out the identified tasks is requested to provide the target education topic to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing electronic education service to a user, comprising:

identifying a target education topic for the user;

obtaining user profile information associated with the user from a database communicatively coupled to the electronic education service;

identifying a plurality of tasks to provide the target education topic based on the identified target education topic and the obtained user profile information, said identifying comprising;

identifying tasks to generate an education plan for the target education topic;

identifying at least one resource for educational materials specified by the education plan; and

identifying tasks to provide the target education topic to the user based on the education plan;

requesting execution of actions by application service providing modules executed by a computer processor, other than the electronic education service, to carry out the identified tasks to provide the target education topic to the user;

receiving status information from the application service providing modules based on the execution of actions by the application service providing modules; and

updating the education plan based on the received status information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a target education topic for the user comprises receiving a request for the target education topic from the user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a target education topic for the user comprises:

receiving information identifying educational material available from a resource related to an education topic;

identifying a candidate education topic for the user based on the received information from the resource and the user profile information;

suggesting the candidate education topic to the user; and

receiving a request from the user designating the candidate education topic as the target education topic.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein requesting execution of actions includes requesting acquisition of the educational materials specified by the education plan from the identified at least one resource.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the status information includes information related to completion of portions of the target education topic by the user and wherein updating the education plan includes updating the user profile information associated with the user based on the information related to completion of portions of the target education topic.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying tasks to generate an education plan further comprises identifying a task to obtain approval, from an authorized user different from the user, for providing the target education topic to the user based on the user profile information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying tasks to provide the target education topic to the user includes identifying tasks to obtain input from the user and/or provide output to the user and wherein the method further comprises associating one of a plurality of available personalities with the electronic education service and wherein identifying tasks to obtain input from the user and/or provide output to the user comprises identifying tasks to obtain input from the user and/or provide output to the user based on the associated one of the available personalities.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the associated one of the available personalities defines at least one of an accent, a communication syntax, a vocabulary, a sense of urgency, a speed of communication, a timing pattern of communication, a level of detail of communication and/or a preciseness of communication by the electronic arranger to the user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying tasks to generate an education plan includes:

identifying a type of the target education topic; and

identifying tasks to generate the education plan based on the target education topic; and

wherein the method further comprises generating the education plan.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein generating the education plan comprises:

selecting a plan framework from a plurality of predetermined plan frameworks based on the identified type of the target education topic;

determining modifiers for the selected plan framework based on the obtained user profile information; and

generating the education plan based on the selected plan framework and the determined modifiers.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a context for the electronic education service; and

updating the context based on the identified target education topic; and

wherein the method further comprises generating the education plan based on the determined context of the electronic education service.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining sharing rules limiting sharing of the education plan; and

providing the education plan to a requesting user based on the determined sharing rules.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a plurality of tasks and/or requesting execution of actions further comprises:

obtaining information regarding prior requests for provision of target education topics to the user; and

identifying the plurality of tasks and/or requesting execution of actions based on the obtained information regarding prior requests.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a context for the electronic education service; and

updating the context based on the identified target education topic; and

wherein identifying a plurality of tasks further comprises;

determining a plurality of options for the plurality of tasks based on the context;

prioritizing the plurality of options;

requesting dynamic context information from the application service providing modules; and

identifying one of the plurality of options as the plurality of tasks based on the requested dynamic context information.

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein the context for the electronic education service comprises detailed internal conditions, indications, and/or assessments at one or more points and/or hierarchies within the framework.

16. A computer program product for providing an electronic education service to a user, the computer program product comprising computer program code embodied in a computer-readable medium, the computer program code configured to perform the method of claim 1.

17. A computer system that is configured to perform the method of claim 1.