DIGITAL ASSIGNMENT ADMINISTRATION

• US 20130224719A1
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gove N. Allen
• Original Assignee: Gove N. Allen
• Inventors: Allen, Gove N.
• Granted Patent: US 10,417,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/350
• 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

A digitally administered assignment includes a workspace for a student and an internal automated grading code hidden from and not accessible by the student, the internal automated grading code configured to execute on the student'"'"'s local computing device and to evaluate work performed by the student in the workspace. A method for digital assignment administration includes making an assignment with internal automated grading criteria available to a student and evaluating the assignment using the internal automated grading criteria on the student'"'"'s local computing device.

Claims

1. A digitally administered assignment comprising:

a workspace for a student; and

an internal automated grading code hidden from and not accessible by the student, the internal automated grading code configured to execute on an end user computing device to evaluate work performed by the student in the workspace.

2. The assignment of claim 1, wherein the internal automated grading code in the assignment executed on the end user computing device is a local computing device of the student that is configured to generate evaluation data to be submitted to an external computing device.

3. The assignment of claim 2, wherein the internal automated grading code in the assignment executed on the local computing device of the student is configured to provide a precheck of the assignment for completeness prior to automated evaluation of work performed by the student in the workspace.

4. The assignment of claim 2, wherein the internal automated grading code is configured to independently provide feedback to the student on work performed by the student in the workspace.

5. The assignment of claim 1, further comprising a task guide incorporated into the assignment, the task guide comprising instructions for tasks in the assignment.

6. The assignment of claim 5, further comprising tools in the task guide for navigating assignment tasks, in which a tool in the task guide is configured to allow the student to mark when a task is complete with the task guide.

7. The assignment of claim 1, further comprising a hidden unique student identifier embedded in the workspace, such that copying material from a first student'"'"'s workspace into a second student'"'"'s workspace also copies the hidden unique student identifier, thereby allowing the source of the copied material in the second student'"'"'s workspace to be traced.

8. A method for digitally administering an assignment comprises:

making an assignment with internal automated grading criteria available to a student; and

evaluating the assignment using the internal automated grading criteria on a local computing device of the student.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, by a server, evaluation data produced by the internal automated grading criteria executed on the local computing device of the student.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising logging actions taken by the student to complete tasks in the assignment, in which logged actions are included in the evaluation data.

11. The method of claim 8, in which the internal automated grading criteria comprises code in the assignment that is in hidden from and cannot be accessed by the student.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising inserting a hidden unique student identifier in each assignment distributed to the student.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising verifying student integrity by checking the hidden unique student identifier included in the evaluation data to determine if information has been copied from a first assignment to a second assignment.

14. A computer program product for digital assignment administration, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code to define a workspace for a student; and

computer readable program code for execution by a local device of the student to automatically evaluate work performed by the student in the workspace.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program code to define the workspace for the student comprises a hidden unique identifier in the workspace that is configured to be copied when work is copied from the workspace, wherein the hidden unique identifier provides evidence of the origin of work in the workspace.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising computer readable program code to define a task guide configured to sequentially display instructions for tasks in the assignment, indicate specific regions of the workspace that are to be used to accomplish the tasks, and allow the student to check off a task when complete and to move to the next task.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising computer readable program code configured to precheck an assignment of the student prior to submission, display status of the assignment of the student including incomplete or incorrect tasks, and to submit the assignment, in which submission of the assignment includes a hidden submission identifier.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program code to automatically evaluate work performed by the student comprises:

editable rules to be applied to work performed by the student in the workspace; and

prefill values to replace values in the workspace of the student to test the generality of the students work,

19. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising computer readable program code to submit performance data from students to a centralized repository and display the submitted data including an overall score, a score code, and number of steps taken by the student to perform the assignment.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising computer readable program code defining editable assignment templates and an assignment navigator to view and modify the editable assignment templates.

21. The computer program product of claim 14, in which the assignment navigator comprises an interface for globally and individually adjusting points in an assignment.