Organizing online test taker icons

• US 9,536,441 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HMH Education Company
• Original Assignee: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co. (Private Equity))
• Inventors: Rogers, Timothy A., Bosko, John, O'Brien, Corey S., Mutum, Raghubir S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/877,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20080254435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,360 Days
• Field of Search: 434/322, 434/350, 434/323
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/205 Education administration or guidance
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/06 of the multiple-choice answer-type, i.e. where a given question is provided with a series of answers and a choice has to be made from the answers

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention relates to an online test platform adapted to facilitate the development, delivery, and management of educational tests with interactive participation by students, teachers, proctors, and administrators even when some or all of them are remotely located. The platform may include administrator interfaces, test proctor interfaces, and test taker (e.g. student) interfaces to allow each participant to view, navigate, and interact with aspects of the online test platform that are intended to meet their needs.

Claims

1. A memory containing computer executable code for organizing test taker icons, which when executing on at least one computing device performs the steps of:

representing a plurality of test takers using a plurality of test taker icons, wherein each icon of the plurality of icons represents one of the plurality of test takers, each of the plurality of test takers being at one of a plurality of test stations;

presenting the plurality of test taker icons within an online test proctoring interface;

polling each of the plurality of test stations throughout a test session to determine a status for each of the plurality of test takers;

polling one of the plurality of test stations to determine that a test session communication has been interrupted;

polling the one of the plurality of test stations to determine that the test session communication has been reestablished, and if so, exchanging information about a test session with a server; and

polling the one of the plurality of test stations to determine that the test session has resumed with the server; and

updating the online test proctoring interface, in response to the polling, throughout the test session, so that each icon reflects the status of the one of the plurality of test takers.

2. The memory of claim 1, wherein the test taker icons comprise interactive test taker icons.

3. The memory of claim 1, wherein the status is waiting to take an exam.

4. The memory of claim 1, wherein the status is currently taking an exam.

5. The memory of claim 1, wherein the status is finished taking an exam.

6. The memory of claim 1, wherein the status is needs assistance.

7. The memory of claim 1, wherein the status is a special need.

8. The memory of claim 1, wherein the status is an accommodation.

9. The memory of claim 1, wherein the status is a summary of test questions answered or a summary of test questions not answered.

10. The memory of claim 1, wherein the status is available on a handheld or wireless computing device.

11. The memory of claim 1, wherein the status is time left for a test taker to complete a test.

12. The memory of claim 1, wherein the status is elapsed time during a test.

13. The memory of claim 1, wherein the organization within the interface is accomplished by a drag-and-drop interaction with a test taker icon.

14. The memory of claim 1, wherein the information about the test session facilitates load distribution by enabling the server to resume the test session, which began at another server.

15. A memory containing computer executable code for organizing test taker icons, which when executing on at least one computing device performs the steps of:

representing a plurality of test takers using a plurality of test taker icons, wherein each icon of the plurality of icons represents one of the plurality of test takers, each of the plurality of test takers being at one of a plurality of test stations;

presenting the plurality of test taker icons within an online test proctoring interface;

polling each of the plurality of test stations throughout a test session to determine a status for each of the plurality of test takers;

polling one of the plurality of test stations to determine that a test session communication has been interrupted;

polling the one of the plurality of test stations to determine that the test session communication has been reestablished, and if so, exchanging information about a test session with a server;

polling the one of the plurality of test stations to determine that the test session has resumed with the server; and

updating the online test proctoring interface, in response to the polling, throughout the test session, so that each icon reflects the status of the one of the plurality of test takers.

16. The memory of claim 15 wherein the test taker icons comprise interactive test taker icons.

17. The memory of claim 15 wherein the status is elapsed time during a test.

18. The memory of claim 15, wherein the status is needs assistance.

19. The memory of claim 15, wherein the status is a special need.

20. The memory of claim 15, wherein the status is an accommodation.