Internet-based education support system and methods

• US 20070130339A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackboard Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Blackboard Incorporated
• Inventors: Perian, Scott, Chasen, Michael, Gilfus, Stephen, Cane, Daniel, Alcorn, Robert, Chi, Timothy, Pittinsky, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,558,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• 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

A system and methods for implementing education online by providing institutions with the means for allowing the creation of courses to be taken by students online, the courses including assignments, announcements, course materials, chat and whiteboard facilities, and the like, all of which are available to the students over a network such as the Internet. Various levels of functionality are provided through a three-tiered licensing program that suits the needs of the institution offering the program. In addition, an open platform system is provided such that anyone with access to the Internet can create, manage, and offer a course to anyone else with access to the Internet without the need for an affiliation with an institution, thus enabling the virtual classroom to extend worldwide.

Claims

1-48. -48. (canceled)

49. A method for providing access to courses in an on-line course-based instruction system, comprising the steps of:

defining a plurality of roles, with different roles providing a user with associated respective levels of access to courses in the system, the number of the plurality of roles being configurable; and

for each course for which the user is to have a level of access, assigning the user one of the plurality of roles.

51. A method for providing access to courses in an on-line course-based instruction system, comprising the steps of:

defining a plurality of roles, with different roles providing a user with associated respective levels of access to courses in the system, the number of the plurality of roles being configurable for each of the courses; and

for each course for which the user is to have a level of access, assigning the user one of the plurality of roles.

52. A system for providing to a community of users access to a plurality of online courses, comprising:

a server computer in communication with each of a plurality of user computers over a network, the server computer comprising;

means for storing a plurality of data files associated with a course,

means for assigning a level of access to and control of each data file based on a user of the system'"'"'s predetermined role in a course;

means for determining whether access to a data file associated with the course is authorized;

means for allowing access to and control of the data file associated with the course if authorization is granted based on the access level of the user of the system; and

means for presenting a respective, customizable home page to each user of the system, said customizable home page including information related to one or more of the online courses with which the user is affiliated.

53. A method for providing access to courses in an on-line course-based instruction system, comprising the steps of:

defining a plurality of roles, with different roles providing a user with associated respective levels of access to courses in the system, at least one of the associated levels of access having a set of configurable parameters; and

for each course for which the user is to have a level of access, assigning the user one of the plurality of roles.