 |
Description  |
|
|
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to computerized systems for producing instructional,
tutorial, and testing materials in an on-line computer usable form.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Educators, government administrators, and policy makers have recognized the
great value of computers in education, and computers are becoming ever
more present in the classroom. To date, the approach in producing
educational materials for computers has been highly inefficient and
expensive. Instructional designers and software engineers have been
charged with the task of designing and implementing instructional
materials from the ground up.
Some efforts have been made to use authoring software to produce
instructional materials, such as the software sold under the trademarks
AUTHORWARE and DIRECTOR by Macromedia, Inc. (San Francisco, Calif.).
Similar software has been sold by Asymetrix Corp. (Seattle, Wash.) under
the trademark MULTIMEDIA TOOLBOOK. Although such software has improved the
process somewhat, it has not eliminated the need for software engineers.
The authoring software available to date has in essence been a computer
language which has required special expertise to use. Accordingly, the
production of computer usable instructional materials with such software
has involved investments of large sums of money for even relatively small
projects.
What has been missing in the art is an efficient and inexpensive procedure
for converting educational materials to on-line computer usable form. A
common feature of most educational materials, whether they be used for
instruction or testing, is the presentation of questions and the recording
of responses in a paper and pencil form. Examples of this educational
approach begin in elementary school and continue to the highest levels of
education. Literally millions of pages of workbooks and tests exist having
this form, and more are being created every day. The current approaches to
creating computer usable educational materials have no practical way of
accessing this base of existing materials. The present invention is
directed to solving this important problem in the art.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a computerized system for efficiently transforming educational
materials composed of questions and answers into an on-line computer
interactive form.
The invention achieves this object by creating interactive computer
readable "books" composed of computer readable "pages" which contain
questions to be answered by a user. The computer readable books can exist
on diskettes, CD-ROMS, portions of a hard drive, the INTERNET, or the
like. The books and pages thereof are "computer readable" in that they can
be read by a computer and presented to a reader on-line. In accordance
with the invention, such books are produced by:
(a) creating a computer readable image of a page of textual and/or
graphical material for the computer readable book, said page including at
least one question requiring an answer by a user;
(b) displaying the computer readable image created in step (a) on a video
monitor;
(c) selecting an answer format from a plurality of answer formats;
(d) modifying the computer readable image by applying the answer format to
that image;
(e) identifying a correct answer to the at least one question; and
(f) storing the modified computer readable image and the correct answer in
a computer storage medium.
Step (a) allows the author of a computer readable book to use existing
"paper and pencil" type instructional materials. Specifically, in
accordance with this step, all that the author needs to do is to scan
existing materials in to a computer system to create computer readable
images. Alternatively, the author can create a computer readable image
using a word processing program, a graphics program, or a spreadsheet
program. The computer readable image comprises a bit map, a metafile, or a
similar data format capable of both display on a video screen in step (b)
and modification in step (d). For ease of reference, the computer readable
image of step (a) will be referred to as a "captured image" and the
modified computer readable image of step (d) will be referred to as a
"modified captured image."
Step (b) allows the author to view the captured image in real time and to
modify it while on a video screen to make it on-line computer interactive.
A variety of video monitors now known or developed in the future can be
used to display the captured image.
Step (c) is a critical part of the invention which allows the author to
select an answer format appropriate to the particular question which is
being made computer interactive. Examples of answer formats include
underlining, placing a circle, placing an "X", placing a box,
highlighting, filling in a blank, filling in a blank from a set of
choices, moving a portion of the image, connecting two portions of the
image by a line or curve, and annotating a portion of the image. Other
answer formats now known or subsequently developed can be used in the
practice of the invention. The answer formats are presented to the author
in, for, example, a list from which the author selects an appropriate
format for the particular question or group of questions which he or she
is working on.
In step (d), the selected answer format is made a part of the captured
image thus transforming that image into a modified captured image. A
variety of approaches can be used to make this transformation. For
example, in a WINDOWS environment, the transformation can be made using
such commands as Rectangle, Arc, Polyline, BitBlp, CreatePen,
CreateSolidBrush, CreateCompatibleDC, and CreateBitMap to modify the
captured image. Being part of the modified captured image, the answer
format is provided to the user at the time the instructional material is
used interactively. None of the prior art uses of computers in connection
with the generation of instructional materials has included the capability
to apply answer formats to instructional materials so as to convert those
materials to computer interactive form.
In step (e), a correct answer is associated with each of the questions
which has been converted to computer interactive form. Such a correct
answer is needed during the use of the computer readable book so that the
user's responses can be scored. The invention allows correct answers to be
associated with computer readable pages at the time of the creation of
those pages so that correct answers are always readily available for
further processing.
In step (f, the modified captured image and the correct answer(s) are
stored on a computer storage medium, e.g., a hard disk, a floppy disk, an
optical disk, or the like. Preferably, the modified captured image and the
correct answer(s) are stored in a common file, although more than one file
can be used for this purpose if desired.
The computer storage medium, or a copy thereof, is subsequently used in the
on-line administration of the interactive instructional material to the
user. If desired, control of the number of uses made of the interactive
instructional material can be achieved in accordance with the procedures
of Loiacono, U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,422, the relevant portions of which are
incorporated herein by reference.
Preferably, as the instructional material is being used, a record is made
of the user's responses in a computer storage medium, which preferably is
the same computer storage medium used for the computer readable book, but
can be a different storage medium, e.g., the computer readable book can be
on an optical disk and the user's responses can be recorded on a hard
drive or other magnet storage medium. The recordation of the user's
responses allows an instructor to monitor a user's progress and to prepare
progress reports as needed.
In addition to associating correct answers with the questions of the
computer readable book, video and/or audio outputs can also be associated
with specific questions and/or specific pages of the book. In this way,
the instructor can communicate with the user by means of modalities other
than text and graphics.
Textual material, e.g., instructional categories and scoring weights, can
also be associated with specific questions and/or specific pages of the
computer readable book. Such textual material can assist the instructor in
planning and tracking the educational progress of individual students and
groups of students using the interactive computer readable books.
In short, the invention for the first time provides a practical method for
creating on-line computer interactive instructional materials and, in
particular, provides a practical method for transforming existing
instructional materials, e.g., classical "paper and pencil" type
materials, to the modern educational environment.
The process of the invention is practiced on a digital computer system
configured by suitable programming to perform the various operational
steps.
The computer system can comprise a general purpose computer and its
associated peripherals, such as the multi-media personal computers and
peripherals currently being sold by Dell, Gateway, Compaq, Texas
Instruments, Apple, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and the like. Preferably, the
computer system should include at least 4 megabits of RAM, a color monitor
having at least VGA graphics, at least 10 megabytes of disk storage, and a
486 or higher processor, e.g., a PENTIUM processor. The system should also
include an optical scanner and associated software for inputting "paper
and pencil" type materials and may also include a CD-ROM drive, as well as
capabilities for creating a CD-ROM master. The system's basic software
preferably includes an operating system of the graphical type, e.g., a
WINDOWS or MACINTOSH type system, which supports input through a mouse, a
word processing program, a spreadsheet program, a graphics program, and
programs which support audio and video input and output.
Software embodying the process of the invention can be written in various
programming languages known in the art. A preferred programming language
is the C language which is particularly well-suited to a graphical
operating environment. Other languages which can be used include VISUAL
BASIC, PASCAL, C.sup.++, and the like.
For purposes of distribution and use, software written to practice the
invention can be embodied as an article of manufacture comprising a
computer usable medium, such as a magnetic disc, an optical disc, or the
like, upon which the software is encoded.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows an example of raw instructional material which can be used in
the practice of the invention.
FIGS. 2-18 illustrate various screen displays generated during the practice
of the invention.
FIGS. 19-38 are flow charts illustrating procedures for practicing various
steps of the invention.
The foregoing drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of
the specification, illustrate the preferred embodiments of the invention,
and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the
invention. It is to be understood, of course, that both the drawings and
the description are explanatory only and are not restrictive of the
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As discussed above, the present invention relates to the preparation of an
on-line interactive computer readable book through the application of an
answer format to a computer readable image.
FIGS. 1 to 7 illustrate a typical embodiment of the invention wherein a
page of a computer readable book is created. In particular, these figures
show the creation of a page of a computer readable book where the answer
format applied to a computer readable image constitutes connecting
portions of the image by lines, in particular, straight lines. The
specific instructional material used in these figures involves the
identification of state capitals for various states, it being understood,
of course, that this instructional material is presented only for purposes
of illustration and is not intended to limit the invention in any way.
FIG. 1 shows the raw material from which the computer readable image is
created. The content of FIG. 1 could, for example, exist in paper and
pencil form as part of a pre-existing set of instructional materials which
a teacher has used in his or her teaching activities. In such a case, the
paper and pencil form of the instructional material is scanned into a
computer system using standard scanning equipment and software which
creates a computer readable image (captured image) of the paper and pencil
version of the instructional material. The computer readable image is
preferably in a bitmap (BMP) format or an equivalent graphical format
which is device independent, i.e., a format which can be used with a
variety of screen resolutions.
Alternatively, the teacher can create the content of the instructional
material using a stand-alone word processor, such as, MICROSOFT WORD,
LOTUS WORDPRO, or the like. The stand-alone word processor should support
the clipboard function so that a computer readable image can be produced
by blocking the desired instructional materials and copying same to the
clipboard. Preferably, the image copied to the clipboard is in a Metafile
format. Alternatively, the format at the clipboard, e.g., a rich text
format (RTF) format, can be converted to, for example, a Metafile format,
by reading the RTF clipboard image into an intermediate file and then
converting to a Metafile format which will then constitute the computer
readable image used in later steps of the invention. Although the Metafile
format is preferred because it presently constitutes an industry standard,
other computer readable formats or formatting procedures now known or
subsequently developed can be used in the practice of the invention, e.g.,
the OLE embedded document procedure.
Rather than a stand-alone word processor, a specialized word processor can
be used in the practice of the invention to create the raw instructional
material. Such a specialized word processor need not have all of the
features of stand-alone word processor, e.g., footnoting can be omitted.
Conversely, a specialized word processor can optionally have enhanced
versions of some features which are useful in creating instructional
materials, e.g., preset item numbering/bulleting and column generation for
producing instructional material of the type shown in FIG. 1. As with the
stand-alone word processor, a computer readable image must be produced
from the output of the specialized word processor. This can be done in a
manner invisible to the user by means of the clipboard function or in
other ways known in the art, e.g., using a software development kit (SDK)
for programming in WINDOWS which contains the appropriate Metafile
commands.
Once the computer readable image (captured image) has been created, it is
displayed to the user on a video screen. FIG. 2 shows the result of
applying this step of the process to the raw instructional data of FIG. 1.
As can be seen in FIG. 2, the raw instructional data of FIG. 1 is now
surrounded by computer screen borders which contain tool bars by which the
user can interact with the image on the screen.
In order to apply an answer format to the computer readable image displayed
on the screen, the user activates the "Define Item" button of the tool bar
at the bottom of the screen. FIG. 3 shows the pop-up menu that appears
when this button is activated. That pop-up menu contains a plurality of
available answer formats which can be applied to the computer readable
image displayed on the screen. For FIGS. 4-6, it has been assumed that the
user (teacher) has selected the "connect a line" format from this list of
available formats. FIGS. 11-18, discussed below, illustrate the
application of the remaining formats of FIG. 3 to a test directed to a
student's knowledge of state capitals (FIGS. 11-16 and 18) or a test of a
student's knowledge of United States history (FIG. 17).
FIGS. 4-6 illustrate the process by which the user (teacher) applies the
chosen answer format to the computer readable image so as to modify that
image. In particular, in FIG. 4, the user selects an item from the left
hand column (e.g., the state of Alaska) using a pointing device, e.g., a
mouse. More specifically, the user "boxes" the chosen item by moving the
pointing device around that item. Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the user
selects the correct answer for the chosen item of the left hand column
from the right hand column (e.g., Juneau), again by boxing that item using
a pointing device. Once the two boxes are complete, a line between those
boxes is automatically applied to the image on the screen by "clicking"
the pointing device within the space defined by either of the boxes. This
step completes the interaction of the user with the image on the screen
for this item. See FIG. 6.
The same process is repeated for each of the other items in the left hand
column, the final result being shown in FIG. 7, where each state and each
state capital has been boxed and the correct combinations have been
connected by lines. FIG. 7 thus shows the final modified computer readable
image obtained from the original computer readable image shown in FIG. 2.
(Note that modifications to the identification of correct answers can be
made at any point in the process by reversing the procedure by which the
existing correct answer was created.)
The modified computer readable image can be stored in the user's computer
system in various ways. A preferred storage strategy comprises storing the
computer readable image of the raw instructional material in its original
form, e.g., as a Metafile, as one record of a file and storing the answer
format type and the screen coordinates of the specific graphical icons and
correct answers applied by the user (e.g., the boxes and lines of FIG. 7)
as a separate overlay record in the same file. The combination of these
two records then constitutes the modified computer readable image.
When the modified computer readable image is subsequently presented to a
user, this separate overlay record is accessed in tandem with the record
containing the computer readable image of the raw instructional material.
The user at this point can be either a teacher or a student. The images
provided to the teacher and the student will, in general, be different,
the teacher being shown the modified computer readable image with all the
correct answers, and the student being shown only the questions.
Accordingly, different portions of the separate overlay record are used
depending upon the particular version of the image, e.g., a teacher image
versus a student image, which is being displayed.
The use of a separate overlay record in the storage of the modified
computer readable image has a number of advantages. For example, this
strategy reduces storage requirements since only a relatively small record
is needed to store the answer format type and the screen coordinates of
the specific graphical icons and correct answers applied by the user in
creating the modified computer readable image. Along these same lines, the
use of a separate overlay record allows the original image to be presented
in different ways to different users (e.g., to the teacher and the
student) without the need to store entire copies of those different images
in memory. In some cases a teacher may wish to apply different answer
formats to different portions of the computer readable image, e.g., the
teacher may want the top portion of the image to employ a "connect the
line" format while the bottom portion of the image uses a "fill in the
blank" format. By using multiple overlay records in the file for the
modified computer readable image, such multiple answer formats can be
readily accommodated.
In some cases, the user may wish to associate an audio output, a video
output, and/or textual material, e.g., an instructional category and/or a
scoring weight, with the modified computer readable image or a portion
thereof, e.g., with specific questions and answers. A convenient way of
providing this option is through double clicking of the left button of a
conventional mouse when the cursor is within the icon area corresponding
to a correct answer. Such double clicking can bring up a pop-up menu (not
shown) containing such choices as "multimedia file," "instructional
objective code", "scoring weight", etc. The user can then click on one or
more of these choices and provide appropriate information which is stored
in the overlay record for use in connection with the modified computer
readable image. Such a pop-up menu can also conveniently include a
"remove" option to eliminate an incorrect answer which may have been
written to the overlay record. FIGS. 33-36 illustrate the steps involved
in implementing these options.
With regard to FIG. 35, it should be noted that some jurisdictions, e.g.,
Texas and Florida, have coded curricula. In such cases, the codes assigned
by these jurisdictions can be used in the practice of the invention.
Specifically, these codes can be stored in an external file which is
accessed as the steps of FIG. 35 are executed. In cases where coding has
not previously been performed, an external file which codes the relevant
curriculum is prepared and that file is accessed as the steps of FIG | | |
