US 5,842,871 A · Electronic testing system for use by multiple students

Abstract

The present invention is an electronic teaching system containing two principal components: a projection frame and a hand-held remote unit. The projection frame mediates the electronic test and holds a transparency on an overhead projector so that the transparency may be projected for an entire class to view. Typically the transparency features a series of questions and possible answers to the questions. The projection frame asks the questions and displays the results of the testing process. In a preferred embodiment the projection frame bears a series of pointers, one for each question. When a given question is asked, the corresponding pointer becomes illuminated. Students participate in the test by matching the correct answer to the appropriate question. The students use the second component of the present invention, the hand-held remote unit which bears a keyboard, to answer the question currently being asked by the projection frame. The hand-held remote unit and the projection frame are in wireless communication so that the projection frame is able to respond to the students' answers by indicating correctness of the answers and by awarding points for correct answers.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An electronic teaching system for simultaneous use by students in a group setting, the system comprising:

a projection unit for use with an overhead projector, the projection unit comprising:
means for holding a transparency containing readable questions so that the overhead projector can project the transparency for students to read;
receiver means for wirelessly receiving data without a physical connection to a source of the data;
processor means for executing a stored program for interpreting the data received by the receiver means and converting said data received by said receiver means into scores and display data, and for operating a display means;
display means for indicating a question on the transparency to be answered next, and for showing said display data and scores;
and
portable answering means for sending data to the projection unit for initializing the projection unit and for sending data representing answers to questions indicated by the projection unit, each portable answering means comprising:
keyboard means for inputting data;
transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting data to the projection unit without a physical connection to the projection unit;
and
microprocessor means for executing a stored program for transmitting data input fiom said keyboard means by way of the transmitting means.

8 more elements

An electronic teaching device for use with a projector to administer a test comprising:

means for holding a transparency containing readable questions so that the projector can project questions for students to read;
display means for indicating a question on the transparency to be answered next and for showing data and scores;
receiver means for wirelessly receiving data from an external data source without having a physical connection to the data source, the data including an answer to the indicated question;
and
processor means for executing a stored program for interpreting the data received by the receiver means, and for operating the display means, the processor means comprising:
means for determining a question code which specifies a number of questions for the test and a correct answer for each of the questions;
means for specifying a mode of operation, the mode controlling a manner of student response to each question;
means for randomly selecting and indicating a next question which has not previously been selected and indicated;
means for determining which students are permitted to answer the next question based on the specified mode of operation and student responses;
means for comparing answers submitted by the permitted students to the correct answer provided by the question code means to determine correctness of each submitted answer;
means for assigning points as a reward for each correct answer;
and
means for displaying a total of points accumulated by each permitted student when all of the questions on the transparency have been answered.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electronic testing system for use by multiple students

Life of this patent

Electronic testing system for use by multiple students

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16