Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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INTERNET-BASED EDUCATION SUPPORT SYSTEM AND METHODS
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application is based on and claims filing
priority from co-pending U.S. provisional application serial
number 60/141,283, filed on June 30, 1999; co-pending U.S.
provisional application serial number 60/141,864, filed on
July 1, 1999; and co-pending U.S. provisional application
serial number 60/187,890, filed on March 8, 2000, all of
which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to systems and
methods for the exchange of information between instructors
and students in an educational context. More specifically,
the present invention relates to systems and methods in
which an educational instructor interacts with one or more
non-collocated students by transmitting course lectures,
textbooks, literature, and other course materials, receiving
student questions and input, and conducting participatory
class discussions using an electronic network such as the
Internet and World Wide Web. The present invention also
relates to the provision of an infrastructure that allows
for on-line registration and tuition payment of educational
courses.
BACKGROUND ART
The ability of educators, including educational
institutions, private corporations, and institutions of
higher learning, to reach potential students has generally
been limited by geography. In most instances, a potential
student must physically move to within commuting distance or
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onto a campus in order to have access to course instructors,
classes, and materials. Furthermore, potential students and
persons seeking knowledge of all sorts are generally limited
to proximate sources of courses of instruction, tutoring, or
training. Due to these limitations, a prospective student
must either seek to learn a given subject from whatever
local means of instruction is available to her or move her
household in order to be able to access her preferred
sources of instruction. Many prospective students are
deprived of receiving instruction from other, possibly
better-qualified instructors or institutions located outside
of their immediate locale. Similarly, educational
institutions have been limited to serving only those
students located within commutable distance of their
campuses.
The advent of networked computers and communications
has afforded a partial solution to these limitations. In
particular, the widespread use and availability of
electronic networks such as the Internet and the World Wide
Web have made it possible for students and educators to
overcome geographic dispersion and physical location as a
barrier to education. Using this electronic medium,
students and instructors are able to exchange information
including (live or transcribed) classroom lectures, homework
assignments, texts and materials, grading, (live or
transcribed) question and answer interaction sessions, and
other related information to effect a traditional learning
or educational experience regardless of physical location.
However, electronic networks, including the Internet,
are complex technological systems requiring the user to have
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or acquire specialized knowledge in order to use them
effectively. Even graphical user interfaces (GUIs) designed
to enhance simplicity of use, such as that provided by the
World Wide Web, may require specialized knowledge of network
terminology and technical aspects. For example, an Internet
user's ability to access information using that medium is
significantly reduced if the user lacks understanding of how
to use Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) to traverse (i.e.,
navigate) web pages. Slow adoption of new technology and
io lack of technological sophistication have a chilling effect
on the widespread use of the medium in general. Applied
specifically in an educational context, these chilling
factors apply to instructors who, while possessing high
expertise in their respective intellectual or educational
fields, would be required to further attain technological
knowledge necessary to effectively use the Internet to
educate non-collocated students.
Furthermore, the complexity of using the Internet for
educational purposes is compounded as the number of user
choices required at the user interface increases because not
only must the instructor and students acquire technological
competency in the use of the medium, but they must in
addition understand the presentation and consequences of a
plethora of choices required by a particular user interface
(e.g., a web page). The design of the user interface
therefore can be critical in enabling widespread use of the
medium in an educational context. Solutions other than the
present invention may be characterized as.having relatively
complicated and confusing user interfaces. Users, including
both students and instructors, of these other solutions are
confronted with one or more web pages that typically require
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the user to review and select a subsequent web page or
function from among a large array of potential user choices,
thereby complicating the user's task of interacting with the
system.
Further, many educational institutions have existing or
legacy network-based systems which students access to obtain
various types of information (e.g., class schedules). The
addition of yet another network-based system requires the
host or sponsoring institution to incur implementation and
maintenance costs associated with the installation,
integration, administration, and maintenance of a new
network-based system. These costs place limits on the
achieving the widespread use of the medium for educational
purposes.
Further, access, presentation, and aggregation of
information contained in existing networks are provided from
the institution's perspective and not an individual
student's perspective. Typically, a student must access
different locations or web pages of an institution's network
for each datum she wishes to inspect. Further, a student
may have to log-on to multiple networks in order to access
different items of data. For example, a student may wish to
view his financial aid status before registering for an
upcoming course or semester. In existing networks, the
student will have to traverse multiple web pages and
possibly log-on to multiple networks in order to access his
current financial aid status, assess that.information, and
then register online taking into account his particular
information. Many similar situations are commonplace
involving access to grading information, class schedule,
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exam materials, student group meetings, and other such
information. Existing systems, in short, aggregate course,
institution, and student information in an institution-
centric manner. This imposes a time cost upon each
student/user of the existing systems in order to reduce
complexity from the institution's implementation and
maintenance perspectives. However, given that these time
costs are imposed on all students, the sum of these
distributed costs outweigh the cost savings realized by the
institution in the institution-centric approach, resulting
in a net loss.
Further, instructors' teaching techniques are greatly
variable, based on personal preference and the subject
matter being taught. Network-based systems that do not
provide for a significant degree of customization are ill-
suited to address to this need to accommodate diverse
teaching modes in a single system.
Further, a general concern with use of the electronic
network medium is that response time tends to slow as more
users are added to the system. As response time becomes
prohibitive, the time- and cost-effectiveness associated
with using the medium for educational purposes is greatly
reduced.
Many colleges and universities have stayed away from
allowing on-line registration and tuition payment for a
number of reasons, including high initial.setup costs and
incompatible billing practices.
The exception to this rule are so-called virtual
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schools. Virtual schools traditionally charge an enrollment
fee, and then offer free courses. In lieu of paying for
each course taken, a student is subjected to advertising
while viewing on-line course material. While such billing
s and income generation methods may be acceptable for
companies providing on-line training, such methods are not
consistent with traditional college and university billing
practices. Colleges and universities typically charge a low
enrollment fee and bill students on a per-credit or per-
course basis.
Therefore, it is a general object of the present
invention to provide a system and methods that allow users
to interact with a computer network-based education support
system through means of a simplified, easy-to-use user
interface.
A further general object of the present invention is to
provide a system that can be easily integrated with existing
computer network and backend systems with minimal disruption
to existing operations and systems.
A still further general object of the present invention
is to provide a system that is scalable in order to
accommodate increasing numbers of users, such that system
responsiveness is not materially degraded as the number of
users of the system grows to an increasingly large number.
A still further general object of the present invention
is to provide a system and methods that can accommodate a
variety of diverse teaching modes without requiring
substantial modifications to the system.
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A further object of the invention is to provide such a
system that allows multiple types of users to access the
features of the system as a function of their predefined
role within the framework of the system (e.g. student,
teacher, administrator).
It is a further object of the invention to provide such
a system that integrates with the education platform
provided therein value added services and control such as
calendar, task, contact and communication functions.
These as well as other objects of the present invention
are apparent upon inspection of this specification,
including the drawings and appendices attached hereto.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with these and other objects, provided is
a system for providing to a community of users access to a
plurality of online courses, comprising a plurality of user
computers and a server computer in communication with each
of the user computers over a network. Each user computer is
associated with a user of the system having predefined
characteristics indicative of a predetermined role in the
system. Each role provides a level of access to data files
associated with a course, and a level of control over data
files associated with a course. The server computer has
means for storing data files associated with a course, means
for assigning a level of access to each file, wherein the
level of access is associated with the ability of a user to
access the file, means for determining an access level of a
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user requesting access to a file, and means for allowing
access to a file associated with a course as a function of
the access level of the user.
The user roles comprise a student role associated with
a student user, an instructor role associated with an
instructor user, and an administrator role associated with
an administrator user (roles may be mixed; for example when
an instructor of one course is also a student in another
course). The instructor user is provided with an access
level to enable the creation and editing of a plurality of
course files associated with a course. The course files
include an announcement file, a course information file, a
staff information file, a course documents file, an
assignments file, a dropbox file, an asynchronous
communication file, and a synchronous communication file.
The student user is provided with an access level to
enable reading of course files associated with a course.
The student user is also provided with an access level to
enable modification of some of the files associated with a
course. Also, the user may be provided with an access level
to enable creation of a student file associated with a file
for which the student user is able to read. The file that
the student is able to read may be an assessment file
created by the instructor user, and the student file created
by the student user is a response to the assessment file.
The assessment file may be a plurality of examination
questions selected by the instructor user. to assess the
ability of the student user. The examination questions may
be selected by the instructor user from a predetermined pool
of available examination questions. The examination
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questions also may be created by the instructor user
substantially at the time of the creation of the assessment
file and optionally added to the pool. The student file may
be reviewed by the instructor user and assigned a grade,
which would be made available online to the student user.
The instructor user may collate the grades obtained from
reviewing a number of student files, and the collated grades
may be made available online to all student users associated
with the course (e.g.: an average for the class, a pie or
bar chart, etc. ) .
The student will also be able to read an assignment
file created by the instructor user, and the student file
created by the student user is a response to the assignment
file.
The "digital dropbox" may contain a plurality of files
transferred to the server computer from one or more student
users associated with the course. The instructor user may
be provided with access to the files in the dropbox file,
whereby the instructor user may download, edit and upload
the files in the dropbox.
A user may be required to enter a login sequence into a
user computer in order to be provided with access to course
files associated with that user. The user is then provided
with access to all courses with which the user is associated
after entry of the logon sequence. The user is provided
with a web page comprising a plurality of.course hyperlinks,
each of the course hyperlinks associated with each course
that the user has been enrolled either as an instructor or
as a student. Selection of a course hyperlink will provide
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the user with a web page associated with the selected
course; the web page having content hyperlinks and buttons
to various content areas associated with the course. The
content hyperlinks and/or buttons include an announcement
area hyperlink, a course information hyperlink, a staff
information hyperlink, a course documents hyperlink, an
assignments hyperlink, a communications hyperlink, and a
student tools hyperlink. Selection of the announcement area
hyperlink provides a web page including a group of course
announcements. Selection of the course information
hyperlink provides a web page including information
regarding the associated course. Selection of the staff
information hyperlink provides a web page including data
regarding the instructors of the associated course.
Selection of the course documents hyperlink provides a web
page including a listing of documents associated with the
course, which may be active hyperlinks to the documents.
Selection of the assignments hyperlink provides a web page
including a group of course assignments. Selection of the
communications hyperlink provides a web page including
hyperlinks to a group of communication tools including an
asynchronous communication tool and a synchronous
communication tool.
In another aspect if the invention, provided is a
system for providing to a community of users access to
online courses, including a server computer in communication
with user computers over a network, wherein the server
computer has means for creating course user accounts from a
file of existing user accounts associated with an external
computer. In this manner, existing legacy systems having
large members of user accounts stored in memory may be
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integrated with this system without having to re-enter user data
into the system (so-called batch enrollment).
In yet another aspect of the invention, provided is a method
for providing online education, which includes the steps of
establishing a course to be offered online, offering the course to
be taken online to a group of student users; and providing access
over the network to the course files to a student user who has
enrolled in the course. The establishment of the course includes an
instructor user generating a set of course files for use with
teaching the course, then transferring the course files to a server
computer for storage thereat, and then making access to the course
files available to a predefined community of student users having
access to the server computer over a network.
According to a first broad aspect of the present invention
there is disclosed a course-based system for providing to a an
educational community of users access to a plurality of online
courses comprising: a) plurality of user computers, with each user
computer being associated with a user of the system and with each
user being capable of having predefined characteristics indicative
of a multiple predetermined roles in the system, each role
providing a level of access to a plurality of data files associated
with a particular course and a level of control over the data files
associated with a the course, with the multiple predetermined user
roles selected from the group consisting of a student role in one
or more courses associated with a student user, an instructor role
in one or more courses associated with an instructor user and an
administrator role associated with an administrator user, and b) a
server computer in communication with each of the user computers
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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, the
level of access associated with the ability of a user to access the
file[[;]] based on a user of the system's predetermined role in a
course; means for determining whether an access of a user
requesting access to a data file associated with the course is
authorized; means for allowing access to a and control of the data
file associated with a the course as a function of if authorization
is granted based on the access level of the user of the system,
wherein a user is required to enter a login sequence into a user
computer in order to be provided with access to course files
associated with that user; wherein the user is provided with access
to all courses with which the user is associated after entry of the
logon sequence; and wherein the user is provided with a web page
comprising a plurality of course hyperlinks, each of said course
hyperlinks associated with each course that the user has enrolled
in.
According to a second broad aspect of the present invention
there is disclosed a method for providing online education method
for a community of users in a network based system comprising the
steps of: a) establishing that each user is capable of having
redefined characteristics indicative of multiple predetermined
roles in the system and each role providing a level of access to
and control of a plurality of course files; b) establishing a
course to be offered online, comprising i) generating a set of
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course files for use with teaching a course; ii) transferring the
course files to a server computer for storage; and iii) allowing
access to and control of the course files according to the
established roles for the users according to step (a); wherein
allowing access and control of the course files according to the
established roles for the users according to step (a) requiring the
users to enter a login sequence into a user computer in order to be
provided with access and control of the course files, providing the
user with access to all courses with which the users are associated
after entry of the logon sequence, and providing the users with
webpages comprising a plurality of course hyperlinks, each of the
course hyperlinks associated with each course in which the user has
an established role; c) providing a predetermined level of access
and control over the network to the course files to users with an
established role as a student user enrolled in the course; and d)
providing a predetermined level of access and control over the
network to the course files to users with an established role other
t;han a student user enrolled in the course.
Preferably, at least one of the course files comprises a
course assignment, and the student user creates a student file in
response to the course assignment and transfers the student file to
the server computer. The instructor user accesses the student file
from the server computer, reviews the student file to determine
compliance with the course assignment, and the instructor user
assigns a grade to the student file as a function of the
determination of compliance with the course assignment. The
instructor user may post the grade to a file on the server computer
accessible only to the student user with which the grade is
associated. The instructor user may repeat these steps for a number
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of student users that are enrolled in the course, and then perform
a statistical analysis on the grades assigned to the student users.
The results of the statistical analysis may be made available to
the student
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users enrolled in the course.
An asynchronous communication tool accessible to
student users enrolled in the course may be provided for
enabling asynchronous communication amongst the student
users. Likewise, a synchronous communication tool
accessible to student users enrolled in the course may be
provided for enabling synchronous communication amongst the
student users.
The present invention also enhances the prior art by
providing a flexible infrastructure for colleges,
universities, and other institutions wishing to facilitate
on-line registration and tuition payment. More
specifically, the present invention can accommodate
different billing methods, including, but not limited to,
billing on a per-credit-hour basis, and billing on a per-
registrant basis. Tuition may be paid by credit card, debit
card, check, or other verifiable payment method. Payment
verification may be performed by the present invention, or
the present invention may interface with third-parties
providing payment verification services. In addition, the
present invention allows on-line billing information to
easily interface with a college, university, or other
institution's standard billing practices. Integrating with
existing billing practices simplifies transition to
automated systems.
In addition, the present invention may be configured as
an open system wherein anyone can connect to a server over
the Internet and create a course online that may be taken by
anyone else connected over the Internet. Thus, anyone may
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create a virtual classroom available to anyone else,
regardless if they are affiliated with a particular
institution such as a University. For example, a lawyer may
create a course in patent law online, and configure the
system to require entry of a password to enroll. The lawyer
may then disseminate the passwords to desired students who
can enroll in the course. Alternately, the lawyer can
request the system to require payment to enroll in the
course such as by credit card.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Figure 1 is an architectural block diagram of a
preferred embodiment of an education support system
according to the present invention;
Figure 2 describes a preferred embodiment implementing
load balancing to achieve scalability;
Figure 3 illustrates the functioning of a preferred
embodiment of an engine/registry model according to the
present invention;
Figure 4 shows a preferred user interface according to
the present invention;
Figure 5 shows a screen shot of the home page that a
user will view;
Figure 6 is a screen shot of a web page showing the
course list and course catalog available to student users;
Figure 7 is a screen shot of the default view for a
course web site;
Figure 8 is a screen shot of the announcements provided
to a student user;
Figure 9 is a screen shot of the course contents
window;
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Figure 10 is a screen shot of the assignments web page;
Figure 11 is a screen shot of the course documents web
page;
Figure 12 is a screen shot of the communication center
web page;
Figure 13 is a screen shot of the asynchronous
discussion board web page;
Figure 14 is a screen shot of the student tools web
page;
Figure 15 is a screen shot of the student drop box web
page;
Figure 16 is a screen shot of the instructor's control
panel web page;
Figure 17 is a screen shot of the announcements web
l.s page;
Figure 18 is a screen shot of the course information
web page;
Figure 19 is a screen shot of the course tasks web
page;
Figure 20 is a screen shot of the instructor library
web page;
Figure 21 is a screen shot of the digital dropbox web
page;
Figure 22 is a screen shot of the course gradebook web
page;
Figures 23A and 23B are a screen shot of the course
statistics web page;
Figure 24 is a screen shot of the advanced course and
portal manager web page;
Figure 25 is a screen shot of the community web page;
Figure 26 is a screen shot of the services web page;
Figure 27 is a screen shot of the calendar web page;
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Figure 28 is a screen shot of the email web page;
Figure 29 is a screen shot of the create a course web
page;
Figures 30A and 30B are a screen shot of the create
user web page;
Figure 31 is a screen shot of the web resource web
page;
Figure 32 is a further screen shot of a web resource
web page;
Figure 33 is a screen shot of the virtual chat web
page;
Figure 34 is a block diagram illustrating information
passed from a course registration server to a payment
server;
is Figure 35 is a sample of a payment form;
Figure 36 is a block diagram illustrating interaction
between a payment server and a payment validation server;
Figure 37 is a sample of a payment information page;
Figure 38 is a block diagram illustrating post-order
processing;
Figure 39 is an overall block diagram of the system.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Referring to Figure 39, the present invention comprises
a system and methods for the exchange of course content and
related information between non-collocated instructor users
and student users. An instructor user interacts with one or
more non-collocated student users by using the system and
methods of the present invention to, without limitation,
transmit course files including course lectures, textbooks,
literature, and other course materials, receive student
questions and input, and conduct participatory class
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discussions using an electronic network such as the Internet
or World Wide Web. Access to the course file is controlled
by access levels and control logic, to ensure integrity and
security of the system. Also, administrator users have
access to the system to perform administrative tasks as
defined herein.
System Architecture
The system architecture of a preferred embodiment of an
education support system 100 according to the present
invention is presented in Figure 1. Referring now to Figure
1, education support system 100 comprises application
subsystems 110, a web browser 120, a web host server 130, a
database subsystem 140, and core subsystems 150. Web host
is server 130 further comprises a shell service 131.
Applications subsystems 110 further comprise a content
registry 111, a tool registry 112, a course registry 113,
one or more content engines 114, one or more tool engines
115, and one or more course engines 116. Core subsystems
150 further comprise a core engine 151, an access manager
152, a user interface (i.e., UI) manager 153, a user manager
154, a group manager 155, an event manager 156, a log
manager 157, and a connection manager 158.
In a presently preferred embodiment, education support
system 100 is implemented in a client-server network
topology. Users (who may have one or several roles such as
a student, instructor, teaching assistant (TA), or
administrator) access and interact with education support
system 100 via web browser 120. More specifically, a user
accesses application subsystems 110 and core subsystems 150
through shell service 131 servlet providing a standard
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Internet interface including, but not limited to, TCP/IP,
HTTP, SMTP, and FTP to the user via web browser 120 running
on a standard computing platform such as a personal computer
or workstation. Specifically, shell service 131 servlet
uses the URL-encoded information contained in HTTP requests
received from web browser 120 clients to invoke the
corresponding requested application subsystem 110 or core
subsystem 150. Shell service 131 servlet also provides user
authentication and session management.
Application subsystems 110 function in conformance with
an engine/registry model 300 as described in Figure 3.
Generally, engine/registry model 300 comprises one or more
engines 301, a registry 302, and a context factory 303.
Engines 301 include, but are not limited to, content
engine(s) 114, tool engine(s) 115, course engine(s) 116, and
core engine 151. Registries 302 include, but are not
limited to, content registry 111, tool registry 112, and
course registry 113. Course engine(s) 116 creates a course
by associating together a set of educational materials to
which a student user has access, by organizing references to
these informational items as contained in content registry
ill. Specifically, course engine(s) 116 queries content
registry 111 for an index to the content engine 114
associated with a particular resource being requested by a
user.
Content engine(s) 111 includes an assessment engine
that generates quizzes to assist and instruct users in the
use of education support system 100. For example, one such
quiz provided by an assessment engine of education support
system 100 provides step-by-step instructions to an
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instructor for building a course. The quiz is then
administered online to the instructor to allow him to build
a customized course to be provided using education support
system 100.
Unlike content engines 111 which represent actual
course content, tool engine(s) 115 generally comprise
installable programs that provide capabilities available for
use with a plurality of courses and not fixedly associated
with any particular course or courses.
Instructors have different preferred modes of teaching.
Further, the same instructor may emphasize different modes
of teaching depending upon the subject being taught. For
example, some instructors emphasize individual homework
while others prefer a group or collaborative approach.
Education support system 100 supports a variety of teaching
methods. By invoking a particular set of tool engines 115
during interaction with the assessment engine, an instructor
can customize a course offering to conform to her preferred
mode of teaching. An example of a tool engine 115 is the
chat/whiteboard communication tools (synchronous and/or
asynchronous) provided by education support system 100 that
allows for student group interaction and collaboration
associated with a given course. Other tools include, but
are not limited to, announcements for broadcast of group-
oriented messaging, a calendar mechanism for storing date-
related events and information, a discussion board for
posting questions and answers in a threaded discussion
format, notes-editing, group pages, and email services.
Further capabilities provided by education support system
100 include, but are not limited to, a catalog listing of
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all courses available, means for student users to enroll in
either open enrollment or closed enrollment situations,
means for course creation including course templates and
course themes, a course/page editor and viewer, a site page
editor and viewer, means for making and disseminating
announcements, a calendar function, a chat board in the
nature of an online discussion, a white board allowing group
interaction and display of free-form information using, for
example, Microsoft PaintT ", means for sending email between
instructors and students and groups of students, a list of
course members and links to their web pages, a list of
groups and links to their web pages, a file sharing area,
means for providing assignments to student users, means for
conducting a variety of types of student assessments (i.e.,
testing), means for providing lesson material in sequential
format, means for adding and removing users, help documents,
maintaining a grade book and progress tracking, links to
personal web pages or home pages, and a resource library
containing references to all uploaded content. Course
templates allow instructors to easily reuse a course
structure for subsequent courses. Course themes allow the
instructor to affect the look and feel of the course site.
Further, a presently preferred embodiment of education
support system 100 supports a plurality of environments 400
in a single application. Examples of different environments
400 supported include the personalized web page of student-
centric information accessed by a student user and the
administrator's environment used for maintenance of the
system. Certain parts of the education support system 100
application are consistent across all supported environments
400, while the appearance to the user may vary for different
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environments 400. An environment 400 is defined by console
frames that surround the application areas. An example of
an environment 400 defined by a four-frame page as shown in
Figure 4 comprises a console navbar 401, and console top
402, a toolbar 403, and content 404. Console navbar 401 and
console top 402 are controlled by a console frameset, while
toolbar 403 and content 404 are controlled by a separate
frameset. For example, toolbar 403 "buttons" are always
located in the top frame of an application area, regardless
of the environment 400. This approach allows users, and
especially instructors, the ability to customize their
course offerings while conforming to consistent user
interface features that allow application areas to be shared
across environments 400. Student users and instructors
interact with education support system 100 via the same
basic environment 400 format.
Context factory 303 contains information mapping a user
to one or more courses associated with that user.
Access control manager 151 creates an access control
list (ACL) for one or more subsystems in response to a
request from a subsystem to have its resources protected
through adherence to an ACL. Education support system 100
provides multiple levels of access restrictions to enable
different types of users to effectively interact with the
system (e.g., access web pages, upload or download files,
view grade information) while preserving confidentiality of
information.
User manager 154 integrates the student-centric
information with existing network-based systems of an
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associated educational institution. In a presently
preferred embodiment, user manager 154 comprises a runtime
component and a batch component that periodically access and
extract information contained in external institution
databases in order to maintain current student-centric
information. User manager 154 facilitates integration of
education support system 100 with existing or legacy
network-based systems, including proprietary institutional
electronic networks and systems related to grades,
registration, course schedules, financial aid, etc. without
requiring modifications to existing systems or security
procedures.
In a presently preferred embodiment, application
subsystems 110 and core subsystems 150 interface with
database subsystem 140 via the Java Database Connectivity
(JDBC) standard interface to allow use of any relational
database including, but not limited to, SQL and DB2
Universal Database standards.
Scalability is provided by the modular system
architecture described in Figure 1, and, in a preferred
embodiment, through use of a load balancing server 200 as
shown in Figure 2. As users are added to the system and
access the system as web browser 120 clients, additional web
server hosts 130 may be added to the overall system to
provide a matching increase in system capacity. Load
balancing server 200 allocates new web browser clients 120
to the least-busy web server host 130 for servicing. By
thus balancing the load across all web server hosts 130,
education support system 100 prevents response times from
become unacceptably long for any one given user. In a
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presently preferred embodiment, load balancing server 200
maintains one or more metrics concerning the percent
utilization for each web server host 130 and selects the
least-busy web server host 130 based upon application of a
load balancing algorithm to these utilization metrics.
In a presently preferred embodiment, upon logging onto
education support system 100, shell service 131 servlet
renders and presents to the user (via web browser 120) a
personalized web page comprising a student-centric
aggregation of data that may include, without limitation,
personal class schedules, grades, a rolled-up or
consolidated calendar, links to related tools, student group
events for groups of which a particular student is a member,
and class announcements.
Education support system 100 executes on a variety of
computing platforms including, but not limited to, UNIXTM
servers, NTTM servers, SolarisTM, HPTM , and LinuxTM. Education
support system 100 supports popular web browsers including,
but not limited to, Netscape Navigator'" and Microsoft
Internet ExplorerT"", and, in a preferred embodiment, does not
require plug-ins at the web browser client.
In a presently preferred embodiment, an automated
upload or import capability is provided in which a user may
upload a file to the system and system presents or displays
the information contained in the uploaded file in a manner
that preserves the grouping of the information, including
fields and other categorization, based on the file type.
Education support system 100 provides a standard import file
format to accomplish this preservation of native grouping of
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information. In a presently most preferred embodiment, the
automated upload capability imports an uploaded file in both
native and HTML formats, maintaining the file formats
associated with the native format for the native formatted
file and converting the native format into HTML formats for
the HTML formatted file.
Education support system 100 supports a variety of
business models. For example, an institution may charge
io each student for courses taken via education support system
100; or, an instructor may use education support system 100
to process individual student tuition payments by providing
links to e-commerce facilities.
Thus, a system and methods have been shown that that
allow users to interact with a computer network-based
education support system through means of a simplified,
easy-to-use user interface, and that can be easily
integrated with existing computer network and backend
systems with minimal disruption to existing operations and
systems. The disclosed system and methods is scalable in
order to accommodate increasing numbers of users, and can
accommodate a variety of diverse teaching modes.
Three Tier Functionality
The present invention will now be described in further
detail. The invention is embodied in four embodiments that
represent three levels of functionality of the system that
can be provided to and by an institution, and one embodiment
that can be offered to anyone on the Internet. One
embodiment embodies a "first tier" functionality and
incorporates the basic system, referred to as the Course
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Manager. The Course Manager provides course management
system tools that enable instructors to provide their
students with course materials, discussion boards, virtual
chat, online assessments, and a dedicated academic resource
center on the Web. As explained further below, the Course
Manager includes personal information management tools,
course content management tools, course communication and
collaboration tools, assessment tools, academic Web
resources, course management tools, and system management
tools.
A "second tier" embodiment incorporates all of the
functionality of the basic embodiment in an epicentric or
portal model, also known as the Course & Portal Manager.
This embodiment expands beyond the first tier Course
Manager, and provides customized institution-wide portals
for faculty, students, staff, and alumni with access to
numerous personalized news and information services from
across the Web. The platform can be customized with
institutional branding and a tailored look and feel. It
enables institutions to develop online communities, Web-
based email, calendar, announcements and tasks. It also
allows for a central access point to all of the
institution's online services. In addition to the features
of the Course Manager, the Course & Portal Manager includes
enterprise database support, customizable portal modules and
information services, web-based e-mail system, community
management, institutional services management, extended
customization for institutional branding, institution-wide
content sharing and management, and course e-commerce
management.
The third embodiment is a third tier system, known as
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the Advanced Course & Portal Manager. This embodiment
incorporates the complete end-to-end "e-Learning" solution.
In addition to the Course and Portal Manager, this third
tier provides advanced Java-based API's for unifying diverse
online campus systems into one integrated platform allowing
for user-driven single log-in service delivery, as well as
capabilities that allow each school, department or campus
within the institution to maintain its own customized
environment. Thus, this is the fully functional embodiment
io that includes all the features and functionality of the
first and second tiers and adds certain integration
technologies that allow integration of the invention with
existing enterprise systems, such as for downloading student
databases, etc. as defined further below. This includes a
snapshot user management API, an event-driven (real-time)
user management API, an end user authentication (security)
API, and a network protocol for passing user authentication
data.
It is contemplated that each tier would be offered to
institutions in a licensing program that would best suit the
needs and budget of the institution.
A fourth embodiment of the invention is operated as a
publicly available web site on the Internet, that may be
accessed by anyone, whether they are affiliated with an
institution or not. In this embodiment, anyone on the web
can create a course, enroll in a public course, etc. as
explained further below. This provides for widespread
dissemination of tools and utilities that enable anyone to
generate his own course that can be taken by virtually any
student.
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As further explained herein, the course management
tools featured in the present invention allow instructors to
monitor, control and customize their course web sites from a
web browser interface. The Course Control Panel provides a
robust and easy-to-use interface for such course management.
The system allows instructors to customize the names of
course web site navigation buttons to suit their needs and
requirements. The system also allows the instructor to add
or drop individuals or groups of students from a course as
required. The system features extended student enrollment
option, such as a limited-time self-enrollment (e.g. certain
dates only for the self-enroll feature), password-protected
enrollment, and defined course duration (e.g. for self-paced
study). Courses may be recycled between academic terms by
automatically resetting discussion boards, assessment, and
other content areas. In addition, the instructor can track
student progress, grades and content usage through the
system.
As further explained herein, the content management
tools featured in the present invention allow instructors to
post course documents, staff information, assignments, etc.
Text may be typed directly into a form, or existing files
may be accessed and uploaded automatically. Documents such
as word processing files, spreadsheets, slide presentations,
graphics, audio and video clips, etc. may be uploaded in
this manner. Streaming multimedia may provided
interactivity between the student and the course. Pop-up
maps provide easy course site navigation, thus enriching the
teaching and learning environments.
The communication and collaboration tools enhance the
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interaction between the students and instructors with
asynchronous discussion boards as well as synchronous chat
tools. Online discussions may be managed wherein messages
are sortable by date, author, title, etc., and may be
archived and printed. A digital dropbox is a file sharing
utility that allows sharing of documents between users.
Virtual office hours may be held, and even field trips
conducted online with these tools.
The assessment tools in the present invention increase
student preparedness, measure student progress, and
customize lessons by creating and administering quizzes and
surveys. Provided is an easy to use, step by step process
to create the quizzes and surveys, wherein the instructor
may mix and match multiple question types such as multiple
choice, multiple correct, true/false, matching, ordering,
fill in the blank, and essays. Multimedia or other
attachments may easily be included with the assessment
questions. Questions may be randomized and re-used from
assessment pools. Tests provided to students may be
password protected and timed, and may provide instant
feedback to students. Advantageously, statistical reports
may be created from the assessments and student answers.
The personal information management tools in the
present invention allow students, instructors,
administrators and all other users to access basic course,
personal, and institutional data through a user-centric "My
Institution" screen. The user may view announcements from
multiple courses in one central location, and maintain
personal calendar, address book, user directory and to-do
lists.
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The present invention also provides for access to a
plethora of academic resources that supplement the student's
online education experience. The user may browse
discipline-specific information, resources and communities
linked to each course website. These academic resources may
be customized and personalized to fit the users' needs.
The system management tools available with the present
invention allow system administrators to monitor, control
and customize an institution's online teaching and learning
environment from the web browser. The system administrator
may control security permissions and enable/disable features
for numerous user roles. Batch user enrollment (and
unenrollment) may be performed system wide. Preferences and
options may be managed on multiple courses, all from within
a central system administrator panel. The system
administrator may also track and report faculty, student and
course statistics, may plan and manage system hardware
requirements by assigning instructors with pre-assigned disk
quotas for content storage, and may employ system-wide
announcements to broadcast messages to users about system
maintenance or institutional announcements.
In the Course & Portal Manager embodiment, the
enterprise database support provides support for tens of
thousands of users across an entire institution or system of
institutions. User and course data may be managed
efficiently and effectively. Moreover, large volumes of
transactions may be managed efficiently and effectively.
The "My Institution" interface includes portal and community
functionality along with quick access to web email, course
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and institutional announcements, and links to other campus
departments. Administrators may enable or disable portal
modules and establish required and optional modules from the
portal options menu bar. Administrators may also assign
different portal default settings to different user roles
(e.g. students get different portals than instructors).
Course e-commerce management functionality allows
institutions to set prices and charge fees for course
enrollment directly through the "e-Learning" platform.
In the Advanced Course & Portal Manager embodiment, the
snapshot user management tool allows scheduling of one-time
or periodic (i.e. hourly, daily, weekly) data integration
from existing student information systems, automating course
population and keeping the "e-Learning" environment
is synchronized with administrative and student data. Moreover,
the end-user authentication enables a single login
environment for the institution portal for all students,
instructors, administrators and staff, which streamlines all
campus services into a single web portal environment.
The present invention will now be described in further
detail and embodiments. Figure 5 shows a screen shot of the
home page 500 that a user will view, which is customizable
in accordance with the requirements and desires of any user.
The home page may also be institutionally branded, so that
the "Your Institution" logo 504 shown in Figure 5 would
display the name of the institution that has licensed the
product (i.e. "New York University"). The home page also
provides the user with direct access to personal, course,
and institutional tools. As an added feature, the system
enables each user to select from a large number of news and
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information services, so that everyone who uses the system
will have access to the most recent and relevant information
for them. All of this functionality is provided in one
place - the home page - so that the institution can provide
a sense of community on campus, with courses, and with a
view to the external information sources.
By selecting the "Courses" tab 502 shown in Figure 5,
the user will be linked to a Course page 600 as shown in
Figure 6, which provides direct links to the courses that
they teach (602, 604) and/or are enrolled in (606, 608,
610). To access the course website, the user will click on
the course title (and 602, 604, 606, 608 or 610), he is
automatically linked to a web page associated with that
course. The user also has the opportunity to browse the
course catalog 612 by selecting the links on the right side
of the page 600, where courses are listed according to
category. The user may also search through the course
search engine by selecting the Browse Course Catalog Link
614.
For example, by selecting the link 602 for the
Introduction to Music course, which the user in this example
is teaching, the user is shown the web page 700 illustrated
in Figure 7. The default view for the course web site 700
in this embodiment is the Announcements page 702, as shown
in Figures 7 and 8. As seen at the lower part of the screen
in Figure 8, the user has the option of selecting various
types of views by filtering out certain time-based
announcements (i.e. today, last 2 weeks, last month, or all)
by selecting button 802. The Announcements section can also
be linked to after the user has left that page (i.e. is
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viewing another part of the course web site) by simply
clicking the Announcements button 804 on the navigation
toolbar 806 on the left of the web page.
Within the course website environment, the user is able
to access all of the relevant course material and
communication features as shown herein. The entire course
outline may be displayed in a separate browser window 900,
wherein the course contents are available for perusal and
hyperlinking as desired. Figure 8 shows the entire web page
for Introduction to Music in two parts (an upper part and a
lower part, which of course is scrollable as desired). As
can be seen, one of the function buttons provided is labeled
"Course Map" 808, which upon being clicked will popup the
Course Contents window 900 shown in Figure 9 (in an expanded
browser window). As can be seen, the user will be able to
expand or collapse the various headings provided in order to
drill into the entire course contents as currently
configured. So, for example, the user can expand the
Assignments section 902 and get a linkable list of all the
assignments that have been created for the course to date.
Any of the assignments may then be clicked for easy access
thereto. This separate window 900 is especially
advantageous since it allows users to browse the entire
course, regardless of their current location in the web
site.
Thus, by selecting any of the Assignments links 902,
the user would be linked to the web page 1000 set forth in
Figure 10. This web page lists each assignment that has
been compiled for the course, each of which can be linked to
web pages that contain the full details of the particular
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assignment. The assignment page 1000 shown in Figure 10 may
of course also be viewed by clicking the "Assignments"
button 804 on the toolbar at the left of the course home
page shown in Figure 8. In general, any of the functions
that are provided by toolbar buttons on the navigation bar
at the left of the course home page will be available in any
page accessed for that site, so that easy navigation may be
had and the user may jump around and visit any desired
portion of the course web site no matter where the user is
currently located. Likewise, the Course Contents window
provides similar functionality as described above.
As shown in Figure 10, folders that have quizzes and
surveys may be linked to by viewing the assignments web
page. Clicking on these folders will present the student
and/or instructor with a quiz that may be taken online,
wherein the answers may be graded automatically, in real-
time, as soon as the student has finished the quiz. This
assessment functionality will be explained in greater detail
below.
In general, assignments may be provided in virtually
any type of media that he instructor has at his disposal.
For example, shown in Figure 10 is a link 1002 to a
multimedia presentation for "Physics in Music", which will
give the student a content-enriched lesson that will be
useful, prior to the next lesson. Assignments may also be
as simple as a text based file that the student would read
in preparation for the required class session.
In addition to selecting the Assignments page 1000 or
the Announcements page 700, the user may select the Course
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Information button 1004 on the toolbar. This will link the
user to a web page that will list information provided by
the instructor that is useful to the student, such as an
introductory welcome message, links to helpful resources,
etc. Resources otherwise found on other parts of the course
web site may also be shown here if desired by the course web
site developer. Links may be in the form of URLs to other
web pages or resources, or to folders that include groups of
logically related resources.
Selection of the Staff Information navigation button
1006 will provide the user with a web page that will list
each instructor, TA, professor, etc., along with an abstract
listing office hours, address, telephone number, etc. on
each, as well as a link that be clicked to send an email.
This gives the student with quick, easy access to any
instructor as may be desired throughout the course. Images
and other types of multimedia files may also be made
available at this page for enhanced content viewing.
The user may select the "Course Documents" link 1008
shown in the navigational toolbar, after which the web page
1100 on Figure 11 is provided for that course. This
provides the user with immediate access to all documents
relevant to the course. As a student, the user has access
to all of the course materials, including additional links
to information on the web that will enhance the
instructional experience. As an instructor, the user has
the ability to post documents of numerous.file formats and
from disparate locations.
By selecting the "Communication" tab 1010 shown in
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Figure 10, the student is provided with the Communication
Center web page 1200 as shown in Figure 12. In this area,
the user has at his disposal many different ways of
establishing communications with other users of the system
as well as accessing other areas of the system for various
types of information. Thus, the user has access to an email
utility 1202, a student roster list 1204, a list of student
homepages 1206, a discussion board 1208, a virtual classroom
chat 1210, and a group pages link 1212.
Selection of the Send E-Mail link 1202 loads a web page
with various links that allow the user to send email to
individuals registered for the course, to students only, to
instructors only, etc. The email function is accomplished
via web-based email and allows for users to send
attachments, etc. as in many existing email packages
available today. Selection of the Student Roster link 1204
displays a web page that lists all of the students
registered for the course, along with contact information if
allowed by the student (such as phone number, address, email
address, etc.). Selection of the Student Pages link 1206
provides a web page with links to the homepage for each
student in the class.
Another very effective communication tool is the
asynchronous Discussion Board 1300, as shown in Figure 13,
which is displayed by the student selecting the Discussion
Board link 1208 of Figure 12. Here, students can access
this for threaded discussions that are archived for easy
retrieval. By using the discussion board, students can help
each other learn even more easily outside of regular class
hours. It can also be used as an effective method for
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instructors and TAs to use as a tutorial tool for out-of-
class questions and discussions that need to be saved for
the purpose of sharing with the rest of that class. This
utility operates in accordance with techniques well known in
the art.
By clicking on the Virtual Chat link 1210, the student
is provided with a web page 3300 as shown in Figure 33,
labeled "virtual chat". That is, each course has its unique
chat area built into the course site. Students can engage
in chats about the course, collaborate on assignments, and
share information beyond the boundaries of the classroom or
posted materials. The instructor can monitor the chats or
actively engage in discussions. This real-time virtual chat
feature can also accommodate a whiteboard mode.
Selection of the Group Pages link 1212 displays a web
page that lists various groups of users that are grouped by
special interests (such as music lovers, bookworms, sports
fans, etc.). Access to these groups is a definable
parameter that is set by the system administrator.
Selection of the External Links button 1012 will
display a web page that is provided with URLs for relevant
content that the instructor deems may be useful to the
student community. For example, in a law course, links may
be provided to various legal research web sites, a
Congressional web page, etc.
Selection of the Student Tools button 1014 will display
a web page 1400 of associated links as shown in Figure 14.
These links include various tools needed by the student,
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such as the Student Drop Box 1402, Change your Information
1404, Check Your Grade 1406, Edit Your Homepage 1408,
Student Calendar 1410, and the Student Manual 1412.
By clicking the Student Drop Box link 1402, the student
is provided with a web page that will allow control and
access to the student's digital dropbox, which is a folder
of files that the student can exchange with the course
instructor. As shown in Figure 15, the dropbox web page
1500 allows the student to type in box 1502 the resource
location of a file that he wishes to provide to the
instructor, or to browse his computer's hard drive with
button 1504, network drive, etc. in accordance with well
known techniques to locate the file and insert the
is appropriate pointer. Clicking the Send File button 1506
will finish the task of uploading the file. A list 1508 of
uploaded files that exist in the student's dropbox is also
set forth in this page, along with a control link 1510 that
enables the removal of a file. By using this utility, the
student can submit documents such as term papers to the
instructor, who can then read and post comments to the file
for return to the student and review.
Selection of the Change Your Information link 1404
provides the student with a web page that sets forth his
personal data, such as name, address, email, phone number,
password, etc. In addition, certain system preferences may
be set at this location. Similar to this link is the Edit
Your Homepage link 1408, which will allow.the student to
access his homepage and make modifications as he desires
(e.g. change a JPEG picture on the page, change hotlink
list, etc.)
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Selection of the Check Your Grades link 1406 will
deliver a web page that shows the grades that the student
has been assessed in the course, such as for exams, quizzes,
term papers, projects, assignments, etc. The student may be
able to link to the specific exam or paper through this
utility in order to review the exam again, which may be
useful for example in preparing for a final exam. The
instructor may also provide to the student a statistical
review of the entire class so that the student has a better
feel for the grade he may receive (for example, the class
median, mean, curve data, etc.).
The Student Calendar button 1410 will provide well
known PIM (personal information management) functionality to
the student. The Calendar web page can display calendar
events in a graphical display for that course, all the
student's courses, all institution events, as well as
personal calendar events programmed by the user. Thus,
different entities can program calendar events, which can be
selectively displayed by the student by selection of display
functions on the page. For example, the instructor can
program the calendar events for the course, and an
administrator can program calendar events for the entire
campus, and these will be displayed on the student's
calendar since he is registered for the course. This
provides the student with a greater ability to manage his
calendar than has been available in the past.
The final button on the Student Tools web page is the
Student Manual link 1412, which when selected provides the
student with access to an online manual that may be used for
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a "help" reference in navigating the web site.
Located below the navigation button toolbar is a group
of control buttons 1420. The Resources button 1422 links
directly to a web page of related online resources to assist
with course-related issues, as described further below. The
Course Map button 808 gives a separate browser window with
direct access to the course contents, as explained above.
The My Blackboard button 1424 gives access to "My
Blackboard" functionality as explained below. The Search
button 1426 enables the user to search all course materials
by criteria and keyword(s). The Logout button 1428 logs the
user out of the current course. There may also be an Enroll
in this Course button to allow students to register
themselves in courses (this button is only visible when the
student accesses as a guest a course in which he is not
enrolled).
Instructor Functionality
The instructor is provided with essentially the same
functionality and control as is the student user, with
additional functions defined herein. That is, the
instructor is provided with a complete set of navigational
buttons for accessing announcements, course information,
staff information, course documents, assignments,
communication tools, external links, and student tools for a
given course that he is teaching. The control panel is also
given to the instructor to enable display of a set of links
to course management and development tools that are
available to an instructor.
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The instructor's control panel web page 1600 is shown
in Figure 16. This control panel 1602 provides the
instructor with many features that are useful in managing
the course he instructs. The control panel is divided into
Content Areas 1604, Course Tools 1606, Course Options 1608,
User Management 1610, Assessment 1612, and Assistance 1614,
as set forth below.
Content Areas
The Announcement link 1616 displays a web page 1700 as
shown in Figure 17 that will set forth all of the
announcements that have been posted for the course, the
author (i.e. which instructor, if there are more than one
authorized to access this area) of the announcement, and a
modify button 1702 and a remove button 1704. An add
announcement button 1706 is also provided, which displays a
web page with a blank message field that he instructor fills
in and submits to the server. The newly added announcement
will then be posted to all students registered in the class.
The Course Information link 1618 displays a web page
1800 as shown in Figure 18 that will set forth all of the
course information documents or folders that have been
posted for the course, and a modify button 1802 and a remove
button 1804. An add item 1806 or add folder button 1808 is
also provided, which displays a web page with various fields
that the instructor will fill in to define the course
information entry. After submitting the new entry to the
server, the new course information is posted to all students
registered in the class.
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The Staff Information link 1620 displays a web page
that will set forth all of the staff entries (i.e.
instructors, Tasks, etc.) that are involved with the course,
and a modify button and a remove button for each entry
similar to those shown in Figure 18. An add item or add
folder button is also provided, which displays a web page
with various fields that the instructor will fill in to
define the new staff item entry. Fields are also provided
for links to each staff member's email address, web page,
etc. Images of the staff member may also be inserted in the
entry. After submitting the new entry to the server, the
new staff information is posted to all students registered
in the class as explained above.
Similarly, the Course Documents link 1622 displays a
web page that will set forth all of the course documents or
folders that have been posted for the course, and a modify
button and a remove button as discussed above. An add item
or add folder button is also provided, which displays a web
page with various fields that the instructor will fill in to
define the course documents entry. The document may be
uploaded directly to the server for later access by the
student, or a link to an external referenced resource may be
provided (i.e. a URL). After submitting the new entry to
the server, the new course information is posted to all
students registered in the class as explained above.
Likewise, the Assignments link 1624 displays a web page
that will set forth all of the course assignments or folders
that have been posted for the course, and a modify button
and a remove button. An add item or add folder button is
also provided, which displays a web page with various fields
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that the instructor will fill in to define the course
assignment entry. The assignment entry may be uploaded
directly to the server for later access by the student.
After submitting the new entry to the server, the new course
assignment is posted to all students registered in the class
as explained above.
Also, the External Links link 1626 displays a web page
that will set forth all of the external links or folders
that have been posted for the course, and a modify button
and a remove button. An add item or add folder button is
also provided, which displays a web page with various fields
that the instructor will fill in to define the external
links entry. The external links entry may be uploaded
directly to the server for later access by the student.
After submitting the new entry to the server, the new
external link page is posted to all students registered in
the class as explained above.
Course Tools
Under the Course Tools section 1606, the Course
Calendar link 1628 displays a web page that will set forth
all of the calendar events that have been posted for the
course, and a modify button and a remove button. An add
item button is also provided, which displays a web page with
various fields that the instructor will fill in to define
the new calendar item entry (i.e. description, date, time,
etc.). The calendar entry may be uploaded directly to the
server for later access by the student. After submitting the
new entry to the server, the new calendar page is posted to
all students registered in the class as explained above.
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The Course Tasks link 1630 displays a web page 1900 as
shown in Figure 19 that will set forth all of the tasks that
have been posted for the course, and a modify button 1902
and a remove button 1904. An Add Task button 1906 is also
provided, which displays a web page with various fields that
the instructor will fill in to define the new task entry
(i.e. description, date, time, etc.). The task entry may be
uploaded directly to the server for later access by the
student. After submitting the new entry to the server, the
new tasks page is posted to all students registered in the
class as explained above.
The Send Email link 1632 displays a web page that is
similar to the one the user will be provided with in his
email function (i.e. allows selection of individual users
associated with the course, certain predefined groups of
users such as all students, etc.)
The Instructor Library link 1634 displays a web page
2000 as shown in Figure 20 that will set forth all of the
folders and files that have been posted by the instructor
for the course, and a modify button 2002 and a remove button
2004. These materials are accessible to instructors only
(professors, TAs, etc.), and not to students directly. An
Add File button 2006 and an Add Folder 2008 button is also
provided, which displays a web page with various fields that
the instructor will fill in to define the new entry. In
addition, the instructor is able to select the Add From
Institution button 2010 to select a new reference that is
available from a pool of references made available to all
instructors from the institution. The new entry may be
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uploaded directly to the server for later access by the
instructors associated with the course. After submitting the
new entry to the server, the new Instructor Library page is
posted to all instructors associated with the course.
The Virtual Classroom link 1636 displays a web page
that provides a link to either launch a virtual classroom
(and thus participate in real-time, synchronous classroom
sessions), or to view the classroom archives (view previous
classroom sessions and/or download these sessions to the
instructor's computer). Each course includes a Virtual
Classroom, which is a synchronous chat room for student and
group communications. The Virtual Classroom can be used to
hold "live" classroom discussions, TA sessions, and office
hour type question/answer forums. One can even have guest
speakers and subject matter experts talk with the class in
the Virtual Classroom.
A Virtual Classroom contains several distinct areas.
The Whiteboard Space is where web pages are displayed, which
is the large center area. One can also write or draw on this
space using the drawing toolbar. The Menu Bar is used to
change the information that appears on the whiteboard space,
such as selecting a font to use on the whiteboard space and
moving an object on the whiteboard space behind another
object. One can also prepare lessons, navigate slides
displayed on the whiteboard space, and clear the Group
Discussion tab and Questions and Answers tab (refer to the
Tab Panel description for further information on these
tabs). The Application Tool Bar contains tools for
navigating web pages. The Location Field is used to enter
the URL of a web page the user would like to use during the
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Virtual Classroom session. The web page is then displayed on
the whiteboard space. Users can also write or draw on the
web page with the drawing toolbar. The Drawing Toolbar is
used to write and draw on the whiteboard space. The Status
Region is where status messages are displayed at the bottom
of the Virtual Classroom window. The Tab Panel is used to
chat with students, respond to students' questions, control
classroom behavior, and view information about the students
in the Virtual Classroom.
The following panels are available:
Name of Tab Purpose
Group Discussion Use this tab to talk with the
students in the Virtual Classroom.
Questions and If a student uses his/her Questions
Answers tab to submit a question to the
instructor, the instructor can then
answer the question using the
Incoming Questions tab. Thereafter,
the instructor can view a log of
their dialogue regarding the
question on the Questions and
Answers tab.
Participant Use this tab to learn about the
Information students in the Virtual Classroom,
such as their names.
Slides Use this tab to prepare and present
a series of slides. (See Options in
Preparing Lessons). The tab is only
available to the Instructor.
Incoming If a student uses his/her Questions
Questions tab to submit a question to the
instructor, the instructor can then
answer the question using the
Incoming Questions tab. Thereafter,
the instructor can view a log of
their dialogue regarding the
question on the Questions and
Answers tab. The Incoming Questions
tab is only available to the
instructor.
Access Control Use this tab to control students'
ability to conduct the four Virtual
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Classroom activities: Question,
Chat, Drawing, and Navigating. The
tab is only available to the
instructor.
Selection of the Discussion Board link 1638 displays a
web page that provides links to the available discussion
boards that are associated with the course. A discussion
board is another communication tool to use in a classroom
setting. This feature is similar to Virtual Chat, but is
designed for asynchronous use, so users do not have to be
available at the same time to have a conversation. An
additional advantage of the discussion board is that user
conversations are logged and organized. Conversations are
grouped into forums that contain threads and all related
replies.
Selection of the Digital Dropbox link 1640 displays a
web page 2100 as shown in Figure 21 that lists the files
that exist in the digital dropbox. The Digital Dropbox is a
tool that the instructor and students can use to exchange
files. The Dropbox works by "uploading" a file from a disk
or a computer to a central location. A participant can then
come and "download" it to work locally. The Digital Dropbox
is used to exchange materials between a single student and
the instructor. Information that needs to be posted for all
students should be placed in the Course Documents area using
the Page Editors.
Individual student access to the Dropbox is available
from the File Transfer Area located in Student Tools area on
the Course. Students also have group access to a private
dropbox from a group homepage.
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The web page 2100 displayed lists the current
files in the dropbox, which are the files that
participants have sent to the user. Files posted here
can be accessed and saved. The Send File 2102 to the
s Student area is where files are uploaded and sent to
specific students. The user can also delete files that
are no longer needed.
Course Options
The Course Options area 1608 includes a Course
Options link 1642 that will display a web page to the
instructor that has the links for Button Availability,
Tool Availability, Course Availability, Course
Duration, Enrollment Options, Enrollment Fees, and
Guest Access. Selection of the Button Availability
link will display a web page that will allow the user
to set and configure the buttons that are used by
students in that course, including enabling or
disabling them, or making them secure (i.e. only
accessible by enrolled students). Selection of the Tool
Availability link will display a web page that will
allow the instructor to enable or disable the student
tools and communication functions for that course (i.e.
email, discussion board, virtual chat, student roster,
group pages, student dropbox, edit homepage, personal
information, calendar, grades, tasks, electric
blackboard, student manual, and course search).
Selection of the Course Availability link will display
a web page that will allow the instructor to enable or
disable the availability of the course to students
(i.e. it can be kept unavailable until the course site
is finished). Selection of the Course Duration link
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will display a web page that will allow the instructor
to select the duration of the course (continuous, start
and end dates, or number of days from the date of
enrollment). Selection of the Enrollment Options link
will display a web page that will allow the instructor
to select the enrollment options as either "instructor
led", which allows students to email enrollment
requests to the instructor, or "self-enrollment", which
will specify the start and end dates and optionally
require entry by the student of an access code to
enroll. Selection of the Enrollment Fees link will
display a web page that will allow the instructor to
specify if fees should be charged for enrollment in the
course, and what the fees should be. Selection of the
Guest Access link will display a web page that will
allow the instructor to specify if guests may access
the course.
Selection of the Course Properties link 1644 in
the Course Options area 1608 displays a web page that
enables the instructor to add and/or edit course
properties, including the course name, a description of
the course, and a subject area for categorization
purposes.
Selection of the Course Utilities link 1646 in the
course options area 1608 displays a web page that
enables the instructor to select a Course Recycler
link, an Export Course Link, or an Import Course
Cartridge link. The Course Recycler link enables the
instructor to recycle the course by selectively
removing areas of the course, which are displayed as
check boxes next to various content categories (course
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documents, course information, textbooks, assignments,
etc.), various staff areas (staff information,
faculty), and external web links. The instructor can
also choose to recycle other areas such as discussion
boards, gradebook, assessments, etc. The Export Course
link enables the instructor to export all, or specific
sections, of the course (i.e. content, users,
assessments, and/or discussion boards). The Import
Course Cartridge link enables the instructor to
download and install a course cartridge (if they have
an access key).
Selection of the Course Images link 1648 in the
course options area displays a web page that enables
the instructor to select a Button Style link (to set
the button styles for the course) and to select a
Course Banner link (to add or remove a course banner on
the first page of the course).
Selection of the Academic Web Resource link 1650
in the course options area displays a web page that
enables the instructor to select an Enable/Disable
Academic Web Button link (to enable or disable the
resources button the course homepage) or a Customize
Academic Web Button link (to designate the Academic
Resources for the course, wherein the instructor can
customize the number of links and the content that is
available for the students).
User Management
Selection of the Add Users link 1652 in the user
management area 1610 displays a web page that enables the
instructor to select a Create User link, an Enroll Existing
User link, or a Batch Add User link. The Create User link
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displays a web page that will enable the instructor to
create a new user account and enroll him in the course, by
inputting name, address, etc. of the user, designating the
user's role (student, instructor, TA, grader, etc.) and
providing a password if desired. The Enroll Existing User
link displays a web page that enables the instructor to
enroll a user in the course. The Batch Add Users link
displays a web page that enables the instructor to create
all of the user accounts by uploading a text file containing
the user data.
Selection of the List/Modify Users link 1654 in the
user management area 1610 displays a web page that enables
the instructor to list and/or modify the users of the
ls course, while selection of the Remove Users link 1656
displays a web page that enables the instructor to remove a
user if desired from the course. Selection of the Manage
Groups link 1658 enables the instructor to create and edit
certain user groups (e.g. gifted students, remedial
students, etc.).
Assessment
Within the course, instructors are able to bring
quizzes, tests, and surveys online. Included may be essay,
true/false, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, or matching
questions. The questions can include text, graphics or
multimedia. For the student, instant feedback is provided
through automatic grading functionality. For the
instructor, there is the ability to randomize the tests,
time them, and create statistical reports of outcomes.
Assessments within this system are an optimal way to
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increase student preparedness for class and to track and
compare student progress over time. The Assessment area
1612 of the control panel 1602 allows the instructor to
select an Assessment Manager link 1660, a Pool Manager link
1662, an Online Gradebook link 1664, or a Course Statistics
link 1666.
Selection of the Assessment Manager link 1660 in the
assessment area 1612 displays a web page that enables the
instructor to create, edit and otherwise manage the
assessment content areas. For example, the instructor may
create an assessment by entering an assessment name, a
description, and setting certain parameters including Show
Detailed Results (shows the students the results for each
question instead of simply their final grade), Reveal
Correct Answer (shows the students the correct answer for
each question), Feedback Enabled (allows students to view
the feedback that the instructor has entered for each
question), Allow Multiple Attempts (allows students to take
the assessment more than once), Set Time for Quiz (sets a
timer that is shown to the student during the exam), and
Password Protect (allows only those students with the
entered password to take the test). By clicking the Modify
option, a web page is displayed that enables the instructor
to modify the assessment by adding items. An item is added
by selecting the type of question (multiple choice,
true/false, fill in the blank, etc.), typing in the question
text and possible answers (i.e. if it is multiple choice)
with an indication of the correct one, specify the order of
answers, etc. The order of the questions can be changed in
this web page as well.
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Selection of the Pool Manager link 1662 in the
assessment area 1612 displays a web page that enables the
instructor to Add Pool, Import Pool, Search Pool, or Export
Pool. Pools are predefined groups of questions and answer
sets that are logically linked, usually by subject matter,
so that an instructor may draw from a pool to obtain
existing questions and answers sets from other courses,
instructors, semesters, etc. and not have to "recreate the
wheel" every time they generate or modify a test. Thus, by
clicking the Add Pool button, the instructor can add a new
pool to the list of pools displayed on the Pool Manager web
page. He will have to type in the name of the new pool and
a description of it on this form. By clicking the Import
Pool button, the instructor will enter the name of an
existing pool to import, or alternatively browse a disk
drive to find the pool to import. By clicking the Search
Pool button, the instructor is presented with a web page
that will enumerate various available pools that can be
searched for questions of interest for importing. The
entire pool can be previewed by selecting a preview mode,
and all of the available questions in that pool may be
viewed. By clicking the Export Pool button, a pool may be
selected for exporting purposes. For the list of available
pools set forth on the Pool manager page, the instructor may
modify the pool, in which case a web page is displayed that
lists all of the questions (and associated answer sets) that
are in the pool. Each question in the pool may be modified
in the same manner as explained above with respect to the
assessment manager. Likewise, questions may be deleted
entirely from a pool, and new questions may be added to the
pool as described above with respect to the assessment
manager.
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Selection of the Online Gradebook link 1664 in the
assessment area displays a web page that enables the
instructor to perform various functions with respect to the
online course gradebook. Figure 22 illustrates a web page
2200 entitled "Course Gradebook", which provides a variety
of information including consolidated grades, individual
assignment/test scores, direct access to specific
assignments or tests by student, or a look at a specific
test with aggregated results. This allows the instructor to
organize the grade information so that it is meaningful. It
provides insight into the effectiveness of certain
assignments and provides a bridge for allowing instructor-
assessment of assignment and class content. The functions
provided on the Online Gradebook web page in the assessment
area of the control panel include Report By User (used to
find a specific user and view statistics, assessment
results, and modification of any scores for a user), Report
By Item (used to view information about a specific gradebook
item), Spreadsheet View (standard gradebook view as shown in
Figure 22, the instructor can modify, add or remove
gradebook entries as well as view assessment results), and
Export Gradebook (exported as a comma-delimited file).
Selection of the Course Statistics link 1666 in the
assessment area displays a web page that enables the
instructor to set parameters and view certain statistics for
their course. Most instructors want to analyze their class
by how much their online materials are being accessed, but
very few have the opportunity to take the time or the effort
to determine these numbers. By using the course statistics
web page 2300 shown in Figures 23A and 23B, the system
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provides a rich tool set for instructors to evaluate the
relative statistics of their courses. These statistics may
be valuable for evaluating online versus non-online courses
to determine the relative efficacy of online materials and
how they are enhancing the course. Thus, the Course
Statistics web page has input fields for selecting a report
filter, which will yield a report with Overall Summary of
Course Usage, Main Content Areas report, Communication Areas
Report, Group Areas Report, or Student Areas Report. The
time period must be specified, which may be all dates or
between a beginning date and an end date. The users must be
selected, which will be either all users or a selected
subset thereof. Other options include Total Number of
Access per Area 2302, Number of Accesses over Time 2304,
User Accesses per Hour of Day 2306 (or Day of Week 2308),
and Total Accesses by User 2310. The data, charts and
graphs as shown in Figures 23A and 23B will then be
displayed to the instructor.
Assistance
Finally, there is an Assistance area 1614 defined in
the Control Panel, which sets forth links that will provide
the instructor with various types of help. Selecting the
Online Manual link 1668 will bring up an HTML based
Instructor Manual in a separate browser window. The Online
Support link 1670 will bring up a web page with contact info
for sending an email to a support person, and the Contact
Admin link 1672 will bring up a web page with contact info
for sending an email to an administrative contact.
Administrator Functionality
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The Administrator Panel 2402, shown in Figure 24, gives
the system administrator complete access to all of the
features of the system including portal features, course and
club creation and management, institution and system tools,
e-commerce features, user management, and other various
institutional options. This is accessed by selecting the
Enterprise Administration tab 2404 shown on the homepage.
The Administrator panel 2402 includes a Portal Areas
group 2406 of functions, a System Tools area 2408, an
Enterprise Tools Area 2410, a System Options Area 2412, a
Course and Community Management area 2414, a User Management
Area 2416, an E-Commerce Area 2418, and an Assistance area
l.s 2420, as explained further below.
Portal Areas
Selection of the My Institution tab 2422 in the Portal
Area 2406 provides a web page that lists four hyperlink
selectable options: Customize Institution Tab, Institutional
Module Options, All Module Options, and Off-Campus
Institution Partnerships. The Customize Institution Tab
link will provide a web page that allows the user (the
enterprise administrator, in this case) to enable/disable
the appearance of the "My Institution" tab for all users, as
well as enable/disable a Welcome Message that may be
displayed at logon. The user may also select an image for
the tab, as well as the name, and providea predefined URL
that will be associated with the tab when selected by the
end user.
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The Institutional Module Options refers to the default
layout is the set of modules that new users sees the first
time they log in to the portal. This allows the enterprise
administrator to enable/disable and/or set as required the
following modules: My Courses, My Organizations, Today's
Announcements, Today's Tasks, Today's Calendar, School
Services, Student Module, Faculty Module, Staff Module,
Alumni Module, Perspective Student Module, Guest Module,
Other Module, Institution Newspaper Module, and Blank Module
(a blank module that can be customized).
The All Module Options link allows the user to
enable/disable and/or set as required the following modules:
Bookmark, Calculator, Channels, Clip, Comment Clip, Custom
Search, Directory, Discussion Boards, various co-branded
portal links (such as EXCITE news, entertainment features,
stock prices, sports updates, maps, etc.), shopping site
links, yellow pages links, etc.
The Off-Campus Institution Partnerships link allows the
user to add, modify, and edit hyperlinks to web sites with
which the institution has formed various partner or other
types of arrangements; for example, a partnership with an
off-campus bookstore may be provided as a means for
supplementing the on campus bookstore.
Selection of the Course tab 2424 in the Portal Area
provides a web page that lists four hyperlink selectable
options: Customize Courses Tab, Enable/Disable Course
Creation, Course Catalog Options, and Off-Campus Learning
Partnerships. The Customize Courses Tab link will provide a
web page that allows the user (the enterprise administrator,
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in this case) to enable/disable the appearance of the
"Courses" tab for all users. The user may also select an
image for the tab, as well as the name, and provide a
predefined URL that will be associated with the tab when
selected by the end user.
Selection of the Enable/Disable Creation Option link
provides a web page that allows the enterprise administrator
to select an option to not allow users to create courses, to
allow users to create courses, or to allow the user to send
an email request for course creation. Selection of the
Course Catalog Options link provides a web page that allows
the enterprise administrator to select the use of a default
course catalog or to specify the use of an internal course
catalog and the URL of its location. The Off-Campus
Learning Partnerships link allows the user to add, modify,
and edit hyperlinks to web sites with which the institution
has formed various learning partner arrangements; for
example, a link to the KAPLAN or TUTORNET web sites.
Selection of the Community tab 2426 in the Portal Area
provides a web page that lists five hyperlink selectable
options: Customize Community Tab, Enable/Disable User
Creation of Organizations and Discussion Boards,
Organization Catalog Options, Manage Discussion Boards, and
Off-Campus Community Partnerships. The Customize Community
Tab link will provide a web page that allows the enterprise
administrator to enable/disable the appearance of the
"Community" tab for all users. The user may also select an
image for the tab, as well as the name, and provide a
predefined URL that will be associated with the tab when
selected by the end user.
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Selection of the Enable/Disable User Creation of
Organizations and Discussion Boards link provides a web page
that allows the enterprise administrator to select options
to allow or disallow instructors and students to generate
general organizations and discussion boards from the
Community Tab or limit organization/discussion board
creation to the system administrator.
Selection of the Organization Catalog Options link
provides a web page that allows the enterprise administrator
to select the use of a default club catalog or to specify
the use of an internal club catalog and the URL of its
location. The Manage Discussion Board link provides a web
page that allows the user to set various parameters and
otherwise add and manage various discussion boards on the
system. The Off-Campus Community Partnerships link allows
the user to add, modify, and edit hyperlinks to web sites
with which the institution has formed various arrangements.
Selection of the Services tab 2428 in the Portal Area
provides a web page that lists three hyperlink selectable
options: Customize Services Tab, Institution Services, and
Off-Campus Service Partnerships. The Customize Services Tab
link will provide a web page that allows the enterprise
administrator to enable/disable the appearance of the
"Services" tab for all users. The user may also select an
image for the tab, as well as the name, and provide a
predefined URL that will be associated with the tab when
selected by the end user.
Selection of the Institution Services tab allows the
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user to create and manage links to other relevant parts of
the campus intranet. The Off-Campus Service Partnerships
link allows the user to add, modify, and edit hyperlinks to
web sites with which the institution has formed various
service arrangements.
Under the System Tools area 2408 of the Portal Manager
web page, various links are provided to web pages that allow
the enterprise administrator to manage Announcements 2410,
the Institution Calendar 2412, the Institution Tasks 2414,
and Send E-Mail 2416 in a manner similar to what was
described with respect to similar tabs in the previously
described sections above.
Under the Enterprise Tools area 2410 of the Portal
Manager, links are provided to web pages that allow the
enterprise manager to Manage Institution Library 2418, and
View Published Requests. The Manage Institution Library web
page allows the user to add new items from local disk or his
inbox into the institution library, edit items, remove
items, etc. The View Published Requests web page allows
users to view, approve and reject instructor published files
for the Institution Library.
Under the System Option area 2412 of the Portal
Manager, the user is provided with links to Gateway Options
2424, System Settings 2426, System Statistics 2428,
Institution Properties 2430, Colors and Images 2432, and
Course Marketing 2434. The Gateway Options link 2424
provides a web page that will determine whether the login
button, course catalog, and new user account button appears
on the gateway page. The System Settings link 2426 provides
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a web page with links to Button Overrides (sets which button
areas can be used throughout the system), Tool Overrides
(sets which tools can be used throughout the system), System
Settings/Overrides (set overrides for course and club tools
and properties across the entire system), and Course Disk
Quotas (sets file system disk quotas for courses).
The System Statistics link 2428 provides a web page
with links to a System Reports web page (which allows the
enterprise administrator to view reports covering the system
and its usage), an Auto-Reporting Options web page (which
sets various options for automatically reporting statistics
to a service provider), and a Send System Statistics web
page (which will send the statistics to the service provider
on demand).
The Institution Properties tab 2430 provides a web page
that allows the enterprise administrator to view system
information such the current version of the software, the
registration page, and email contacts. The Colors and
Images link 2432 allows access to a web page that allows the
administrator to modify the aesthetic properties of the web
site.
The Course and Community Management area 2414 of the
Portal Manager provides hyperlinks for Create Course 2436,
Manage Courses 2438, Course Utilities 2440, Course Catalog
2442, Create Organization 2444, Manage Organization 2446,
Organization Utilities 2448, and Organization Catalog 2450.
The Create Course web page 2900 is shown in Figure 29.
There, the administrator will enter the requested
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information about the desired course; i.e. the course name,
and ID, and a textual description. The administrator can
then specify properties of the buttons that will be used
along with the course to match his aesthetic concerns. The
administrator can then specify various options, such as the
subject area of the course, whether guests may access the
course, if the course is currently available, if a course
cartridge may be obtained and its URL and access key, and
the instructor ID for the course.
The Manage Courses web page allows the administrator to
list and/or modify courses, remove them from the system, and
set certain default tools (email, Discussion Board, Virtual
Chat, Roster, etc.) and buttons (Announcements, Course
Information, Staff Information, Virtual Classroom, etc.) to
be used with each course in the system. The Course
Utilities web page allows the administrator to select a Copy
Course link (to make a copy of a course with a new course
ID), an Import Course link, an Export Course link, and a
Batch Create Courses link. The Course Catalog link allows
the user to categorize course and otherwise manage the
course catalog.
The Create Organization, Manage Organization,
Organization Utilities, and Organization Catalog links allow
the user to obtain similar control and functionality with
organizations as with courses as described above.
The User Management area 2416 of the Portal Manager
provides hyperlinks for Create User 2452, Manage Users 2454,
and User Utilities 2456. The Create User web page 3000
(Figures 30A and 30B) allows creation of a user entry by
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entering personal information such as name, address, etc.,
and a user name and password. The role of the user is set
at this time, which may be a Student, Faculty, Staff,
Alumni, Guest, etc. Also, the user may be given an
administrative role at this point by selecting the
appropriate option that is available (None, System Admin,
System Support, Course Creator, Account Admin). The role of
the user will determine the access and control of the system
that the user will have as explained throughout this
document. Once a user is created, the Manage User web page
allows listing, modification, and/or removal of users. The
User Utilities link 2456 allows the system administrator to
Batch Create Users (upload a file of user data in predefined
formats compatible with the system), Batch Enroll Users
(import a file to enroll users in courses and clubs that
exist in the system), and Batch Remove Users (import a file
to remove users from the system).
The E-Commerce area 2418 of the Portal Manager provides
links to web pages for Sponsorships 2458, Partnership
Program 2460, and Course E-Commerce 2462. The Sponsorship
web page has links to Primary Site Sponsor web page a "My
Institution" Area Sponsor, a Course Area Sponsor, a
Community Area Sponsor, and a Services Area Sponsor. These
links allow the user to designate if a sponsor is used in
each of these capacities, an image of the sponsor link,
etc.). The Partnership program page allows the
administrator to enroll the institution in the service
provider partnership program, which can bring additional e-
commerce opportunities to the portal environment. The Course
E-Commerce page provides links to Enable/Disable Course and
Club E-Commerce (to select e-commerce options for charging
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fees for the courses or clubs, allow administrators to set
prices, allow club leaders or instructors to set prices,
etc.), and a Price Course link to manage or set the cost of
enrolling in courses or organizations.
Other Utilities and Functions
One of the key elements to college and university life
is the ability to socialize and take advantage of the human
element on campus. The system's "Community" tab 2502
provides the web page 2500 shown in Figure 25, which allows
students to interact and be involved in all aspects of
campus life from fraternities and sororities to off-campus
communities that enhance the learning experience. Many
campuses also provide rich services such as job availability
through the community function. The Community center is the
web equivalent of the student union building.
Most students are so conversant in online services that
they prefer to have campus administrative services available
all the time on the web. The system provides an enterprise
level teaching and learning system that allows tight
integration into student information systems and other
campus systems to provide anytime, anywhere administrative
services. The Services web page 2600 shown in Figure 26
(selected by tab 2602) enables users to register, add, drop,
check records, or even pay parking tickets while online at
anytime.
The system also provides a calendar 2700 that
incorporates personal as well as institutional information
in a single view, as shown in Figure 27. The calendar
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utility gives students and teachers access to all calendar
events for each of the courses they are enrolled in, as well
as institutional calendar events.
Since email is the single most popular application on
the Internet today, and the leading reason that most people
purchase personal computers, email has been integrated with
the system, as shown by the web page 2800 in Figure 28.
Within a personalized home page, the user will be able to
access complete email capabilities. The email system sits
on top of the existing POP or IMAP server and offers a web-
based front end so that the user may access messages from
any machine at any time.
Figures 31 and 32 show web pages 3100 and 3200 that can
be accessed by tab 3102 to provide links that allow students
and teachers to find and access academic resources and
content. These resources are also context-sensitive to the
course discipline. For example, if one accesses the
academic web resources from an accounting course, he is
automatically directed to news and information sources that
are relevant to accounting. The user has access to news,
web links, reference works, and search engines that enhance
the ability to locate relevant information quickly.
In another aspect of the invention, provided is a
system and method for applying E-commerce to education.
Specifically, this aspect of the invention allows users
visiting a web site to register and pay for courses provided
by a college, university, or other institution.
Figure 34 is a block diagram illustrating information
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passed from a course registration server to a payment
server. As a current or prospective student reviews courses
offered by a college, university, or other institution, a
student may add courses of interest to a list, or "shopping
cart".
When a student has selected courses for which they
would like to register, a student may proceed from a
registration or review area (Block 100) to a "checkout" area
(Block 110), as illustrated in Figure 34. When a student
proceeds to a checkout, information, such as, but not
limited to, name, address, cost of courses, order
identifier, order description, and a page to which a user is
to be returned when an order is complete, is passed on.
Information passed from a registration or review area may be
used to generate a payment form.
Figure 35 is a sample of a payment form. A payment
form may consist of an introductory paragraph 210, a
purchase summary 220, a payment information area 230, and
the like. An introductory paragraph 210 may be used to
instruct a student in requirements at each stage of the
payment process. A purchase summary 220 may include
services and products selected, per-unit prices, quantities
requested, inventory numbers for each product or service
selected, an invoice or purchase number, a total price, and
other, similar information.
A payment information area 230 can be used to collect
payment information from a student. A student may be
required to enter some information manually, such as, but
not limited to, credit card type, credit card number, credit
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card expiration date, name on credit card, credit card
billing address, check number, checking account number, bank
routing number, debit card number, and personal
identification number ("PIN code").
If a student has previously used the present invention,
some information may be automatically entered based on
previously submitted forms. Information transferred from a
registration server may also be used to fill in some form
fields. When a student has reviewed entered information, a
form may be submitted for processing by activating a button
or other interface element.
Figure 36 is a block diagram illustrating interaction
between a payment server and a payment validation server.
After a student has entered necessary information into a
payment form and submitted the form (Block 300), some
information, such as, but not limited to, amount of
purchase, credit card number, name on credit card, check
number, bank routing number, or billing address, may be
transmitted to a payment validation server (Block 310). A
payment validation server may be maintained as part of the
present invention, or payment validation servers may be
maintained by one or more third parties, such as, but not
limited to, CyberCash, Inc.
A payment validation server processes transmitted
information, contacts a bank or other institution issuing
the credit card or other payment form, and verifies that a
payment of the amount requested is authorized. If payment
of the requested amount is authorized, authorization
information, including, but not limited to, a confirmation
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number, may be transmitted to a payment server.
If payment of the specified amount is not authorized, other
information, such as a declination code, may be transmitted
to a payment server. If payment is not authorized, a
s payment error message similar to Block 320 may be displayed.
Figure 37 is a sample of a payment information page. A
student may print or otherwise record information displayed
on a payment information page for his or her records.
A payment information page can include a thank you,
confirmation, or other message (Block 410). A payment
information page may also include information such as, but
not limited to, confirmation or declination information;
goods, services, and classes purchased; and total price
charged (Block 420). In addition, a payment information
page may include a button or other interface element which a
user can activate to continue processing. The exact
behavior of this interface element may be determined by the
referring system through the URL or other data element which
is illustrated in Figure 34.
Figure 38 is a block diagram illustrating post-order
processing. As previously stated, a payment information
page may also contain a button or other interface element
which, when activated, causes a web page to be displayed or
performs other processing steps. Activating the button or
interface element may also cause some authorization/
declination information to be transferred to a college,
university, or other institution's accounting department for
processing (Block 530).
Open Web Environment
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The present invention may be used as an open platform
environment, where anyone with access to the Internet may
register as an instructor to create, administer, and make
available a course to anyone else with Internet access.
Thus, by entering a publicly available website such as
www.blackboard.com, a user may register as an instructor and
be provided with an instructor control panel for creating
course as described herein. To create the course, the user
will define course parameters such as a description,
enrollment options, announcements, assessments, course
materials, etc., and provide them in the various web pages
as described above. The user can then let others know about
the availability of the course online, and a potential
student may access the publicly available web site to enroll
in the course. In this manner, anyone can create a virtual
classroom without the need to be affiliated with an
institution, and disseminate knowledge through the course as
previously unavailable.
While the preferred embodiment and various alternative
embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and
described in detail herein, it may be apparent to those
skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail
may be made therein without departing from the spirit and
scope thereof. In addition, titles and descriptions
included in the Figures are included to disclose the best
mode contemplated by the inventor at the time of filing, and
should not be construed as limiting the invention.
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