Recovery of polled data after an online test platform failure

• US 9,892,650 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• 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): Frisby, Kesha
• Application Number:
  US11/853,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20080096178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,808 Days
• Field of Search: 434118, 434322, 434323, 434365, 434350
• 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 method comprising:

logging a test taker into an online testing platform prior to beginning an online test;

using a web browser in association with a computing facility;

polling the web browser to obtain polled data relating to the test taker'"'"'s progress in the online test; and

saving the polled data in preparation of an online testing platform failure event and providing the polled data to a recovery facility, forming recovered data, for recovering partial test results indicative of the test taker'"'"'s progress leading up to the failure event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the polled data is related to the number of completed test questions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the polled data represents a check of test taker status.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the polled data represents the test taker'"'"'s idle time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the polled data represents aspects of a network connectivity between the online testing platform and the computing facility.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the polling data represents an indication of the test taker requesting a proctoring action.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the recovered data are presented to the test taker.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the recovered data are presented to a proctor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the testing progress is based at least in part on a number of questions completed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the testing progress is based at least in part on a duration of time that expired during a testing session up to the failure event.

11. A non-transitory machine readable medium, the medium having program instructions stored thereon, the instructions when executed performing the method comprising:

logging a test taker into an online testing platform prior to beginning an online test;

using a web browser in association with a computing facility;

polling the web browser to obtain polled data relating to the test taker'"'"'s progress in the online test; and

saving the polled data in preparation of an online testing platform failure event and providing the polled data to a recovery facility, forming recovered data, for recovering partial test results indicative of the test taker'"'"'s progress leading up to the failure event.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the polled data is related to the number of completed test questions.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the polled data represents a check of test taker status.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the polled data represents the test taker'"'"'s idle time.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the polled data represents aspects of a network connectivity between the online testing platform and the computing facility.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the polling data represents an indication of the test taker requesting a proctoring action.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the recovered data are presented to the test taker.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the recovered data are presented to the test proctor.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the testing progress is based at least in part on a number of questions completed.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the testing progress is based at least in part on a duration of time that expired during a testing session up to the failure event.