US 12,223,855 B1Granted

System and data structure for guided learning

AssigneeEducation Research & Consulting, Inc.

InventorAmanda M. VanDerHeyden

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A software platform creates and maintains a data structure in the form of a decision tree, with each location or node of the decision tree being associated with certain action steps that are automatically initiated, or are initiated in response to student assessment scores. The “trunk” of the decision tree includes a plurality of screening skills, while a plurality of branches extend outwards from each screening skill, with each branch node being a subsequent skill associated with the screening skill. Entire classes or individual students may traverse the tree based upon periodic time intervals (e.g., weekly assessment of screening skills) and results of prior assessments. Scores indicating mastery of assessed material will traverse the taker towards the trunk, while poor scores will traverse the taker away from the trunk into follow-up assessments. Interfaces are provided for teachers and administrators to monitor progress and generate materials for each node.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A guided learning system comprising:

(a) a server comprising one or more processors;
(b) a data structure comprising a plurality of screening nodes, wherein:
(i) each screening node is associated with two or more skill nodes as an origin node;
(ii) each screening node is associated with a general skill, from among a plurality of general skills, where the general skill associated with the screening node [that] is unique to that screening node;
(iii) each of the two or more skill nodes is associated with (A) a score range and (B) three or more response actions that correspond to sections of the score range;
and
(iv) each of the three or more response actions is associated with a sub-skill from among a plurality of sub-skills;
(c) a user interface configured to be displayed to a user device of an educator;
(d) a database configured to store:
(i) a set of school data comprising a set of students and a set of classes, and
(ii) a plurality of problem types, wherein each of the plurality of problem types is associated with one of the plurality of sub-skills or one of the plurality of general skills;
wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
(i) for each of the set of students and each of the set of classes, maintain a current location that identifies a node or a response action where that student or that class is located on the data structure,
(ii) on a repeating time interval, produce a custom assessment for that student or that class by:
(A) selecting a set of assessment problem types from the plurality of problem types based on the general skill or the sub-skill associated with the current location corresponding to the one of the plurality of sub-skills or one of the plurality of general skills, and
(B) automatically creating a set of custom assessment problems based on the set of assessment problem types and a random generation of integers,
(iii) receive a result score for the custom assessment, and
(iv) traverse that student or that class to a subsequent node or a subsequent response action based on the result score and the score range of the current location, and then update the current location prior to the next repeating time interval.

15 more elements

A method for providing guided learning, comprising:

(a) at a server, storing a data structure comprising a plurality of screening nodes, wherein:
(i) each screening node is associated with two or more skill nodes as an origin node;
(ii) each screening node is associated with a general skill, from among a plurality of general skills, where the general skill associated with the screening node is unique to that screening node;
(iii) each of the two or more skill nodes is associated with (A) a score range and (B) three or more response actions that correspond to sections of the score range;
and
(iv) each of the three or more response actions is associated with a sub-skill from among a plurality of sub-skills;
(b) providing a user interface to a user device of an educator;
(c) storing a set of school data comprising a set of students and a set of classes, and a plurality of problem types, wherein each of the plurality of problem types is associated with one of the plurality of sub-skills or one of the plurality of general skills;
(d) for each of the set of students and each of the set of classes, maintaining a current location that identifies a node or a response action where that student or that class is located on the data structure;
(e) on a repeating time interval, producing a custom assessment for that student or that class by:
(i) automatically selecting a set of assessment problem types from the plurality of problem types based on the general skill or the sub-skill associated with the current location, and
(ii) automatically creating a set of custom assessment problems based on the set of assessment problem types and a random generation of integers;
(f) receiving a result score for the custom assessment;
and
(g) traversing that student or that class to a subsequent node or a subsequent response action based on the result score and the score range of the current location, and then updating the current location prior to the next repeating time interval.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/006,056Filed 28 Aug 2020
Granted: 11 Feb 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G09B 3/02
Manually or mechanically operated teaching appliances working with questions and answers: of the type wherein the student is expected to construct…
G06F 16/9024
Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures: graphs; Linked lists
G06N 5/01
Computing arrangements using knowledge-based models: dynamic search techniques; Heuristics; Dynamic trees; Branch-and-bound
G09B 7/02
Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers: of the type wherein the student is expected to construct…

Family

No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key