Agent based instruction system and method

A computer readable medium comprising instructions for performing a method of operating an agent based instruction system for interactive instruction of a student over a plurality of instructional sessions, said method comprising:

• (a) presenting interactive instruction to said student by executing one or more materials on a computer accessed by said student for a current instructional session;
• (b) monitoring said interactive instruction of said student during said current instructional session;
• (c) storing information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session for use during subsequent instructional sessions;
• and
• (d) outputting information on said computer to guide said student in said interactive instruction, said output information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session and to said stored information responsive to said monitoring of said student during previous instructional sessions;
• whereby said system acts as a virtual tutor adapted to said student, said virtual tutor guiding said interactive instruction of said student.

A method of operating an agent based instruction system for interactive instruction of a student over a plurality of instructional sessions, said method comprising:

• (a) presenting interactive instruction to said student by executing one or more materials on a computer accessed by said student for a current instructional session;
• (b) monitoring said interactive instruction of said student during said current instructional session;
• (c) storing information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session for use during subsequent instructional sessions;
• and
• (d) outputting information on said computer to guide said student in said interactive instruction, said output information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session and to said stored information responsive to said monitoring of said student during previous instructional sessions;
• wherein said output information further comprises an utterance, and wherein the step of outputting further comprises a step of selecting said utterance from one or more candidate utterances, and a further step of outputting said utterance as text or speech;
• whereby said system acts as a virtual tutor adapted to said student, said virtual tutor guiding said interactive instruction of said student.

A method of operating an agent based instruction system for interactive instruction of a student over a plurality of instructional sessions, said method comprising:

• (a) presenting interactive instruction to said student by executing one or more materials on a computer accessed by said student for a current instructional session;
• (b) monitoring said interactive instruction of said student during said current instructional session;
• (c) storing information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session for use during subsequent instructional sessions;
• and
• (d) outputting information on said computer to guide said student in said interactive instruction, said output information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session and to said stored information responsive to said monitoring of said student during previous instructional sessions;
• wherein said responsive output information further comprises a display behavior, and wherein the step of outputting further comprises a step of selecting said display behavior from one or more candidate display behaviors, and a further step of outputting said display behavior;
• whereby said system acts as a virtual tutor adapted to said student, said virtual tutor guiding said interactive instruction of said student.

A method of operating an agent based instruction system for interactive instruction of a student over a plurality of instructional sessions, said method comprising:

• (a) presenting interactive instruction to said student by executing one or more materials on a computer accessed by said student for a current instructional session;
• (b) monitoring said interactive instruction of said student during said current instructional session;
• (c) storing information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session for use during subsequent instructional sessions;
• and
• (d) outputting information on said computer to guide said student in said interactive instruction, said output information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session and to said stored information responsive to said monitoring of said student during previous instructional sessions;
• wherein said one or more materials further comprise a material engine and one or more materials data, and wherein said step of presenting interactive instruction by executing one or more materials further comprises executing said materials engine which references said one or more materials data;
• whereby said system acts as a virtual tutor adapted to said student, said virtual tutor guiding said interactive instruction of said student.

A method of operating an agent based instruction system for interactive instruction of one or more students over a plurality of instructional sessions, said method comprising:

• (a) presenting interactive instruction to one of said students by executing one or more materials on a computer accessed by said student for a current instructional session;
• (b) monitoring said interactive instruction of said student during said current instructional session;
• (c) storing information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session for use during subsequent instructional sessions;
• (d) determining an affect responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session and to said stored information responsive to said monitoring of said student during previous instructional sessions;
• and
• (e) outputting information on said computer to guide said student in said interactive instruction, said output information responsive to said affect, to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session, and to said stored information responsive to said monitoring of said student during previous instructional sessions, said output information comprising a visual display;
• whereby said visual display is responsive to said affect and to said interactive instruction in a life-like manner.

An agent based instruction system for interactive instruction of one or more students, said system comprising:

• (a) one or more computers having interactive input/output devices and interconnected by a network;
• (b) one or more materials executable on said one or more computers, each said material for presenting interactive instruction to said one or more students and for generating monitoring information that monitors said interactive instruction;
• and
• (c) one or more agents executable on said one or more computers, each said agent associated with exactly one of said students and each said student associated with exactly one of said agents, each said agent comprising
• (i) action processing for controlling said one or more materials to instruct said associated student, said controlling being responsive to said monitoring information that monitors said interactive instruction of said associated student, and
• (ii) behavior processing for outputting information to guide said associated student, said outputting being responsive to said monitoring information that monitors said interactive instruction of said associated student;
• whereby said system acts as a virtual tutor to each of said students and said interactive instruction of each of said students is individualized to each student.

An agent based instruction system for interactive instruction of one or more students, said system comprising:

• (a) one or more computers having interactive input/output devices and interconnected by a network;
• (b) one or more materials executable on said one or more computers, each said material for presenting interactive instruction to said one or more students and for generating monitoring information that monitors said interactive instruction;
• and
• (c) one or more agents executable on said one or more computers, each said agent associated with exactly one of said students and each said student associated with exactly one or said agents, each said agent comprising
• (i) utterance generation processing for selecting an affect and an utterance to guide said one associated student, said selecting of said affect and said utterance being responsive to said monitoring information that monitors said interactive instruction of said one associated student, and
• (ii) visual display generation for selecting a visual display to guide said one associated student, said selecting of said visual display being responsive to said affect, to said utterance, and to said monitoring information that monitors said interactive instruction of said associated student, and
• (iii) output processing for outputting to said associated student said selected utterance and said selected visual display;
• whereby said selected visual display and said selected utterance are responsive to said affect and to said interactive instruction in a life-like manner.

A method of operating an agent based instruction system for instruction of a plurality of students, said method comprising:

• (a) executing one or more materials on a computer for presenting interactive instruction to one student of said plurality of students, said computer being one computer of a plurality of computers interconnected by a network, each computer of said plurality having interactive input/output devices;
• (b) generating monitoring information that monitors said interactive instruction presented to said student;
• and
• (c) outputting information on said computer to guide said student in said interactive instruction, said outputting information responsive to said monitoring information of said interaction instruction of said student;
• (d) controlling said one or more materials to instruct said student, said controlling being responsive to said information monitoring the interactive instruction of said student;
• (e) selecting an utterance and an affect from one or more utterance tables in a manner responsive to said controlling step;
• and
• (f) selecting a visual display from one or more tables of display behaviors in a manner responsive to said utterance, said affect, and said controlling step;
• whereby said interactive instruction is individualized to each student of said plurality of students and said system acts as a virtual tutor adapted to said student, said virtual tutor guiding said interactive instruction of said student.

A method of operating an agent based instruction system for instruction of a plurality of students, said method comprising:

• (a) executing one or more materials on a computer for presenting interactive instruction to one student of said plurality of students, said computer being one computer of a plurality of computers interconnected by a network, each computer of said plurality having interactive input/output devices;
• (b) generating monitoring information that monitors said interactive instruction presented to said student;
• and
• (c) controlling said one or more materials to instruct said student, said controlling being responsive to said information monitoring the interactive instruction of said student and in accordance with one or more tables of rules;
• wherein said one or more tables of rules further comprise a policy filter table, a decision weight table, and a selection criteria table, and wherein said controlling step controls said one or more materials according to one or more determined controlling actions, and wherein said controlling step references said policy filter table for determining one or more candidate controlling actions, references said decision weight table for ranking said one or more candidate controlling actions, and references said selection criteria table for selecting one or more controlling actions from said ranked candidate controlling actions;
• whereby said interactive instruction is individualized to each student of said plurality of students.

A method of operating an agent based instruction system for instruction of a plurality of students, said method comprising:

• (a) a step for executing one or more materials on a computer for presenting interactive instruction to each student, said computer being one computer of a plurality of computers interconnected by a network, each computer of said plurality having interactive input/output devices;
• (b) a step for generating monitoring information that monitors said interactive instruction presented to each student of said plurality of students;
• (c) a step for controlling said one or more materials to instruct each student, said controlling being responsive to said information monitoring the interactive instruction of each student;
• and
• (d) a step of outputting information to each student in order to guide each student in said interactive instruction, said outputting step responsive to said information monitoring the interactive instruction of each student and responsive to said controlling step;
• whereby said interactive instruction is individualized to each student of said plurality of students and acts as a virtual tutor individualized to each student.

An agent based instruction system for instruction of a plurality of students, said system comprising:

• (a) means for presenting interactive instruction to each student by one or more materials;
• (b) means for generating monitoring information that monitors said interactive instruction presented to each student;
• (c) means for controlling said one or more materials to instruct each student, said controlling being responsive to said information monitoring the interactive instruction of each student;
• and
• (d) means for outputting information to each student in order to guide each student in said interactive instruction, said means for outputting being responsive to said information monitoring the interactive instruction of each student and responsive to said means for controlling;
• whereby said interactive instruction is individualized to each student and said acts as a virtual tutor individualized to each student.

A system for agent-based, interactive instruction of one or more students over a plurality of instructional sessions, said system comprising:

• (a) means for presenting interactive instruction to one of said students by executing one or more materials on a computer accessed by said student for a current instructional session;
• (b) means for monitoring said interactive instruction of said student during said current instructional session;
• (c) means for storing information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session for use during subsequent instructional sessions;
• and
• (d) means for outputting information on said computer to guide said student in said interactive instruction, said output information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session and to said stored information responsive to said monitoring of said student during previous instructional sessions;
• whereby said system acts as a virtual tutor adapted to said student, said virtual tutor guiding said interactive instruction of said student.

A system for agent-based, interactive instruction of one or more students over a plurality of instructional sessions, said system comprising:

• (a) means for presenting interactive instruction to one of said students by executing one or more materials on a computer accessed by said student for a current instructional session;
• (b) means for monitoring said interactive instruction of said student during said current instructional session;
• (c) means for storing information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session for use during subsequent instructional sessions;
• (d) means for determining an affect responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session and to said stored information responsive to said monitoring of said student during previous instructional sessions;
• and
• (e) means for outputting information on said computer to guide said student in said interactive instruction, said output information responsive to said affect, to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session, and to said stored information responsive to said monitoring of said student during previous instructional sessions, said output information comprising a visual display;
• whereby said visual display is responsive to said affect and to said interactive instruction in a life-like manner.

A computer readable medium comprising instructions for performing a method of operating an agent based instruction system for interactive instruction of a student over a plurality of instructional sessions, said method comprising:

• (a) presenting interactive instruction to said student by executing one or more materials on a computer accessed by said student for a current instructional session;
• (b) monitoring said interactive instruction of said student during said current instructional session;
• (c) storing information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session for use during subsequent instructional sessions;
• and
• (d) outputting information on said computer to guide said student in said interactive instruction, said output information responsive to said monitoring of said student during said current instructional session and to said stored information responsive to said monitoring of said student during previous instructional sessions;
• whereby said system acts as a virtual tutor adapted to said student, said virtual tutor guiding said interactive instruction of said student.