Offline e-learning system

• US 7,237,189 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Krebs, Andreas S., Altenhofen, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Quoc A.
• Application Number:
  US10/414,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20030232318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 715/514, 715/511, 434/276, 434/350, 434/369, 434/118, 703/22, 709/223
• US Class Current: 715/201
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• 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 learning system maintains an account of a student'"'"'s information, courses, skills, and qualifications. The student may take courses offered by the learning system online or offline. To take a course offline course information is downloaded to an offline player at the student'"'"'s location; however, the state of the student in the course is maintained by the learning system (online). A state manager is provided between the offline player and the student'"'"'s account in the learning system. The state manager uses four states to transition between online and offline in order to ensure the integrity and synchronization of the online learner account.

Claims

1. A method of taking a course offline, the method comprising:

transmitting a selection of the course online;

obtaining course content and metadata associated with the course from an online learning system, the metadata comprising learner-independent metadata and learner-specific metadata, the learner-independent metadata corresponding to course content that is not specific to a learner, the course content comprising structural elements that make up the course, and the learner-specific metadata comprising data associated with the course that is specific to the learner, the data corresponding to a learning strategy for selecting structural elements to present in the course, the learning strategy comprising a macrostrategy and a microstrategy, the macrostrategy specifying how to present a first set of the structural elements, the microstrategy specifying how to present a second set of the structural elements;

storing the metadata and course content in storage;

processing a course state associated with the course, the course state being stored as a variable, wherein processing the course state comprises transitioning the variable from an online state to a going offline state to an offline state, the online state indicating that the course is presentable online, the going offline state indicating that the course will be transitioning from online presentation to offline presentation, and the offline state indicating that the course is presentable offline; and

activating an offline player to present the course offline from the storage using the metadata and the course content, the offline player being configured to present the course after the offline state is reached but not during the going offline or online states, the course being presented offline without communication to the learning system during presentation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the course state comprises a central state and a local state, the local state being for a first system that performs the method and the central state being for a second system from which the course content and metadata are obtained;

and

wherein the local state and the central state transition according to the following sequence;

the central state transitions from online to going offline, the local state transitions from online to going offline, the central state transitions from going offline to offline, and the local state transitions from going offline to offline.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising synchronizing a local learner account and a central learner account.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the central learner account and the local learner account are synchronized when the central state and local state are both going offline.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing access to the course if the local state and central state are offline.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing from offline presentation of the course to online presentation of the course, wherein changing comprises transitioning from an offline state to a going online state to an online state, the going online state indicating that the course will be transitioning from offline presentation to online presentation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the course state comprises a central state and a local state, the local state being for a first system that performs the method and the central state being for a second system from which the course content and metadata are obtained;

and

wherein the local state and the central state transition according to the following sequence;

the local state transitions from offline to going online, the central state transitions from offline to going online, the local state transitions from going online to online, and the central state transitions from going online to online.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising blocking access to the course offline if an error occurs while processing the course state.

9. An offline learning station comprising:

a learning interface to select a course to be taken offline;

a communications interface to obtain course content and a learner-specific packaging list for the course from an online learning system, the learner-specific packaging list comprising a generic packaging list and learner-specific metadata, the generic packaging list comprising learner-independent metadata corresponding to course content that is not specific to a learner, the course content comprising structural elements that make up the course, and the learner-specific metadata comprising data associated with the course that is specific to the learner, the data corresponding to a learning strategy for selecting structural elements to present in the course, the learning strategy comprising a macrostrategy and a microstrategy, the macrostrategy specifying how to present a first set of the structural elements, the microstrategy specifying how to present a second set of the structural elements;

an offline player to process the course content and learner-specific packaging list to present the course offline, the course being presented offline without communication to the online learning system during presentation; and

an offline manager to manage a course state associated with the course to allow the offline player to present the course, the course state comprising a stored variable, wherein managing the course state comprises transitioning the variable from an online state to a going offline state to an offline state, the online state indicating that the course is presentable online, the going offline state indicating that the course will be transitioning from online presentation to offline presentation, and the offline state indicating that the course is presentable offline.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the course state comprises a central state and a local state, the local state being for the offline learning station and the central state being for the online learning system;

and

wherein the local state and the central state are transitioned according to the following sequence;

the central state transitions from online to going offline, the local state transitions from online to going offline, the central state transitions from going offline to offline, and the local state transitions from going offline to offline.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the offline player synchronizes local learner account data associated with the offline learning station with learner account data stored in the online learning system when the central state and local state are both going offline.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the offline manager transitions the local state from going offline to offline following successfully synchronizing the local learner account data associated with the offline learning station with the learner account data stored in the online learning system.

13. The station of claim 9, wherein the learner-specific packaging list includes access paths and metadata for files comprising the content of the course.

14. The station of claim 13, wherein the offline manager is configured to determine which of the files to download based on the learner-specific packaging list.

15. A system for presenting a course offline, the system composing:

one or more servers to store information associated with the course;

a learning station to select the course online for offline presentation, the learning station comprising (i) a communications interface to receive a packaging list for the course from the one or more servers, (ii) an offline manager to process the packaging list to present the course offline, the course being presented offline without communication to an online learning system during presentation, and (iii) a state manager to manage a course state, the course state comprising a stored variable;

wherein the packaging list comprises a generic packaging list and learner-specific metadata, the generic packaging list comprising learner-independent metadata corresponding to course content that is not specific to a learner, the content comprising structural elements that make up the course, and the learner-specific metadata comprising data associated with the course that is specific to the learner; and

wherein the state manager is configured to transition the variable from an online state to a going offline state to an offline state, the online state indicating that the course is presentable online, the going offline state indicating that the course will be transitioning from online presentation to offline presentation, and the offline state indicating that the course is presentable offline, the learning station presenting the course after the offline state is reached.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more servers store central learner account information, and the state manager is configured to synchronize offline learner account data and the central learner account information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the state manager is configured to match central learner account information and local offline learner account data, and to provide an indication to the one or more servers to switch a centrally-maintained course state from online to going offline.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the state manager switches the course state from going offline to offline if synchronizing is performed successfully.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the state manager prevents presentation of the course when the course state is going offline or online.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the offline manager prevents access to the course if an error occurs during transitioning.