Proctor action initiated within an online test taker icon

• US 9,536,442 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co. (Private Equity))
• 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:
  US11/877,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20080102436A1
• 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 initiating proctor actions within a test taker icon, which when executing on one or more computing devices performs the steps of:

representing a test taker using an interactive test taker icon;

presenting the interactive test taker icon within an online test proctoring interface;

enabling a proctor action relating to the test taker, wherein the icon is adapted to facilitate the proctor action;

displaying an indication of the proctor action on an interface of a test taker station after the test taker station polls a server associated with the online test proctoring interface to receive new display instructions for the test taker station; and

responding to a poll from the server after a test session communication has been interrupted and then reestablished, wherein responding to the poll indicates to the server that the test session communication has been reestablished with a second server,

wherein the display instructions are at least one of compiled computer animation code and compiled HTML, code.

2. The memory of claim 1, wherein the interactive test taker icon comprises an image of the test taker.

3. The memory of claim 1, wherein the proctor action is start a test.

4. The memory of claim 1, wherein the proctor action is pause a test.

5. The memory of claim 1, wherein the proctor action is restart a test.

6. The memory of claim 1, wherein the proctor action is end a test.

7. The memory of claim 1, wherein the proctor action is void a test.

8. The memory of claim 1, wherein the proctor action is add time to a test session.

9. The memory of claim 1, wherein the proctor action is subtract time from a test session.

10. The memory of claim 1, wherein the proctor action is to text message a test taker.

11. The memory of claim 10, wherein the text message relates to assisting a test taker.

12. The memory of claim 1, wherein the proctor action is initiated using an action button within the icon.

13. The memory of claim 1, wherein presenting the interactive test taker icon includes automatically scaling the tester taker icon within the online test proctoring interface.

14. The memory of claim 13, wherein automatically scaling includes presenting the adapted icon in its entirety on one display screen of the proctoring interface.

15. The memory of claim 1, wherein the proctor action is entering and storing information.

16. A system for proctor actions initiated within a test-taker icon, comprising:

an interactive test taker icon that represents a test taker, the interactive test taker icon adapted to facilitate a proctor action;

an online test proctoring interface that presents the interactive test taker icon; and

a server associated with the online test proctoring interface, wherein the server is configured to;

serve, in response to a poll from a test taker station, new display instructions for displaying an indication of the proctor action, the new display instructions being at least one of compiled computer animation code and compiled HTML code; and

poll the test taker station to determine whether a test session communication has been interrupted;

poll the test taker station to determine whether the test session communication has been reestablished;

poll the test taker station to determine that a test session has resumed with a second server; and

exchange information about the test taker station with the second server.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the proctor action is start a test.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the proctor action is initiated using an action button within the icon.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the online test proctoring interface is adapted to automatically scale the interactive test taker icon.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the proctor action is entering and storing information.