U.S. patent application number 11/924844 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-27 for lock in training system with retention round display.
Invention is credited to Dennis R. Berman.
Application Number | 20080076107 11/924844 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33555813 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080076107 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Berman; Dennis R. |
March 27, 2008 |
LOCK IN TRAINING SYSTEM WITH RETENTION ROUND DISPLAY
Abstract
A Lock-In Training system. The Lock-In Training system can
include an appropriately programmed Web site and a user computer.
The Lock-In Training system can also include an appropriately
programmed stand-alone computer. Some embodiments of the invention
allow student users to efficiently learn materials by taking
Lock-In Training courses. A Lock-In Training course may include one
or more Lock-In Training sessions. These sessions may include one
or more Lock-In Training parts. These parts can include a group of
questions and answers. The answers can include one or more
keywords. A student user can lock-in material by entering keywords
in response to questions. The questions may be presented in
Introductory rounds and/or Retention rounds on one or more training
days.
Inventors: |
Berman; Dennis R.; (Irving,
TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HOYT A. FLEMING III
P.O. BOX 140678
BOISE
ID
83714
US
|
Family ID: |
33555813 |
Appl. No.: |
11/924844 |
Filed: |
October 26, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10815330 |
Mar 31, 2004 |
|
|
|
11924844 |
Oct 26, 2007 |
|
|
|
10653748 |
Sep 2, 2003 |
RE39435 |
|
|
11924844 |
Oct 26, 2007 |
|
|
|
10613564 |
Jul 2, 2003 |
|
|
|
11924844 |
Oct 26, 2007 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
434/323 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09B 7/02 20130101; G09B
19/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
434/323 |
International
Class: |
G09B 7/00 20060101
G09B007/00 |
Claims
1-74. (canceled)
75. A method comprising: storing, in a computer, a question; then
displaying, on a computer display that is coupled to the computer,
a complete answer to the question, the complete answer including a
first word, followed by a second word having m characters, followed
by a third word, followed by a fourth word having n characters,
where m and n are both greater than 1; then displaying, on the
computer display, the question; simultaneously displaying, on the
computer display with the question, a partial answer to the
question, the partial answer including the first word and the third
word, the partial answer not including the second word or the
fourth word, the partial answer including m locations for each of
the m characters in the second word, the m locations positioned in
the partial answer after the first word in the partial answer and
before the third word in the partial answer, the partial answer
including n locations for each of the n characters in the fourth
word, the n locations positioned in the partial answer after the
third word in the partial answer; then displaying in a first font
the m characters of the second word at the m locations in the
partial answer; then receiving a first character from a user, the
first character not being equal to the first character of the
fourth word, the first character being equal to another character
of the fourth word; then not displaying in the first font any of
the n characters of the fourth word in any of the n locations of
the partial answer; then receiving a second character from the
user, the second character received from the user being equal to
the first character of the fourth word; then displaying in the
first font the first character of the fourth word at the first of
the n locations in the partial answer.
76. The method of claim 75, wherein the first word of the partial
answer and the third word of the partial answer are displayed in a
second font.
77. The method of claim 75, wherein the first word of the complete
answer and the third word of the complete answer are displayed in a
second font and wherein the second word of the complete answer and
the fourth word of the complete answer are displayed in the first
font.
78. The method of claim 77, wherein at least a portion of the
question is displayed in the second font.
79. The method of claim 75, wherein the first word of the partial
answer, the first word of the complete answer, the third word of
the partial answer, and the third word of the complete answer are
displayed in a second font and wherein the second word of the
complete answer is displayed in the first font.
80. The method of claim 79, wherein at least a portion of the
question is displayed in the second font.
81. The method of claim 75, wherein the first word of the partial
answer, the first word of the complete answer, the third word of
the partial answer, and the third word of the complete answer are
displayed in a second font and wherein the second word of the
complete answer, and the first character of the fourth word of the
partial answer are displayed in the first font.
82. The method of claim 75, wherein the m locations for each of the
m characters in the second word of the partial answer each includes
an underline character.
83. The method of claim 75, wherein the m locations for each of the
m characters in the second word of the partial answer each includes
a non-continuous underline character.
84. The method of claim 75, wherein the displaying, on a computer
display, a question, includes displaying a web document.
85. The method of claim 75 further comprising displaying an
indication that the first character received from the user is not
equal to the first character of the fourth word.
86. The method of claim 75, further comprising receiving a
character from the user before receiving the first character
received from the user and receiving an additional character from
the user after receiving the first character received from the user
and before receiving the second character received from the
user.
87. The method of claim 75, wherein the complete answer includes an
additional word between the first word of the complete answer and
the second word of the complete answer.
88. The method of claim 75, further comprising displaying an error
message.
89. The method of claim 75, wherein receiving the first character
from the user includes receiving data from a computer keyboard.
90. The method of claim 75, wherein receiving the first character
from the user includes receiving data from a computer mouse.
91. The method of claim 75, wherein receiving the first character
from the user includes receiving data from a microphone.
92. The method of claim 75, wherein receiving the first character
from the user includes receiving data from a touch pad.
93. The method of claim 75, wherein receiving the first character
from the user includes receiving data from a touch screen.
94. The method of claim 75, wherein receiving the first character
from the user includes receiving data from a number pad that is
utilized to input non-numeric characters.
95. The method of claim 75, further comprising displaying a hint
object.
96. The method of claim 95, further comprising receiving an
indication that the user selected the hint object and then
displaying the second character of the fourth word in the second of
the n locations in the partial answer.
97. The method of claim 95, further comprising receiving an
indication that the user selected the hint object and then
displaying the n characters of the fourth word in the partial
answer.
98. The method of claim 95, further comprising receiving an
indication that the user selected the hint object and then
displaying the second character of the fourth word in the second of
the n locations in the partial answer and displaying the second
character of another word in the partial answer.
99. The method of claim 95, further comprising receiving an
indication that the user selected the hint object and then
displaying the consonant characters of the fourth word in at least
two of the n locations in the partial answer.
100. The method of claim 95, further comprising receiving an
indication that the user selected the hint object and then
displaying the vowel characters of the fourth word in at least two
of the n locations in the partial answer.
101. A method comprising: storing, in a computer, a question; then
displaying, on a computer display that is coupled to the computer,
a complete answer to the question, the complete answer including a
first word having m characters, followed by a second word, followed
by a third word having n characters, where m and n are both greater
than 1; then displaying, on the computer display, the question;
simultaneously displaying, on the computer display with the
question, a partial answer to the question, the partial answer
including the second word, the partial answer not including the
first word or the third word, the partial answer including m
locations for each of the m characters in the first word, the m
locations positioned in the partial answer before the second word
in the partial answer, the partial answer including n locations for
each of the n characters in the third word, the n locations
positioned in the partial answer after the second word in the
partial answer; then displaying in a first font the m characters of
the first word at the m locations in the partial answer; then
receiving a first character from a user, the first character not
being equal to the first character of the third word, the first
character being equal to another character of the third word; then
not displaying in the first font any of the n characters of the
third word in any of the n locations of the partial answer; then
receiving a second character from the user, the second character
received from the user being equal to the first character of the
third word; then displaying in the first font the first character
of the third word at the first of the n locations in the partial
answer.
102. The method of claim 101, wherein the second word of the
partial answer is displayed in a second font.
103. The method of claim 101, wherein the second word of the
complete answer is displayed in a second font and wherein the first
word of the complete answer and the third word of the complete
answer are displayed in the first font.
104. The method of claim 103, wherein at least a portion of the
question is displayed in the second font.
105. The method of claim 101, wherein the second word of the
partial answer, and the second word of the complete answer are
displayed in a second font and wherein the first word of the
complete answer is displayed in the first font.
106. The method of claim 105, wherein at least a portion of the
question is displayed in the second font.
107. The method of claim 101, wherein the second word of the
partial answer, and the second word of the complete answer are
displayed in a second font and wherein the first word of the
complete answer, and the first character of the third word of the
partial answer are displayed in the first font.
108. The method of claim 101, wherein the m locations for each of
the m characters in the first word of the partial answer each
includes an underline character.
109. The method of claim 101, wherein the m locations for each of
the m characters in the first word of the partial answer each
includes a non-continuous underline character.
110. The method of claim 101, wherein the displaying, on a computer
display, a question, includes displaying a web document.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/815,330, entitled "LOCK-IN TRAINING SYSTEM"
by inventor Dennis R. Berman, which was filed on Mar. 31, 2004.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of patent
application Ser. No. 10/653,748, which was filed on Sep. 2, 2003,
and patent application Ser. No. 10/613,564, which was filed on Jul.
2, 2003, each of which is incorporated by reference.
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to a system and method for a memory
building and retention process and, more particularly, to a method
and system for helping a user to learn, memorize, and retain
unfamiliar materials.
2. BACKGROUND
[0003] Learning is an ongoing process in life that requires
continuous memorization and retention of new concepts, ideas,
terms, names, etc. Although a variety of methods have been
developed for building memory, it is a constant search for finding
a and effective and faster way for enhancing people's memorization
process for their daily uses.
[0004] Learning by reading and/or by classroom instruction has been
the conventional learning method for centuries. A provided learning
material may contain sufficient explanatory contents to help a
learner to understand and memorize the subject matter. However,
purely reading the learning material and/or receiving classroom
instruction related to the material is not the best way to quickly
memorize the new concepts contained because a huge portion of the
learning material is used not for helping the learner to memorize
the concepts, but for helping the learner to understand the
concepts. Therefore, the learner may be distracted in her learning
process to grasp the gist of the learning material. It is thus not
uncommon that although, in a learning process, the concept may have
to be explained in detail paragraph after paragraph, the gist of
the concept may only hinge on a few keywords. Consequently, to
learn or to memorize the new concept depends on how well a learner
can memorize the keywords. Therefore, a learning platform designed
to help the learner to quickly grasp and master the new concepts
extracted from the learning material will significantly speed up
the learning process.
[0005] Further, in the context of training, after the learners are
expected to have memorized concepts conveyed in the learning
material, it is very difficult to benchmark how much of the
learning material the learners have actually mastered. For example,
a multiple-choice test may be designed and given to the learners to
check how well the learners have learned. However, it is well known
that it is a common practice for the learner to guess the answer
when she encounters a subject that she knows very little about
during a multiple-choice exam. She might lack the knowledge to
answer the question, but she may be lucky to get the answer right.
Further, she may also get some of the answers right just because
the answer is clearly shown in the provided choices and she is
hinted. As such, the value of the multiple-choice exam is only good
to a certain extent. When it is required that the learners must
know all the material being taught, or a testing authority must be
assured that certain concepts in the learning material must be
mastered by the learner, the multiple choice test is obviously not
the best choice.
[0006] What is needed, therefore, is a method and system for
learning and retaining unfamiliar materials for short- and
long-term immediate recall.
3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] One embodiment of the invention is a Lock-In Training
system. The system can include an appropriately programmed Web site
and a user computer. The Lock-In Training system can also include
an appropriately programmed stand-alone computer. Some embodiments
of the invention allow student users to efficiently learn materials
by taking Lock-In Training courses. A Lock-In Training course may
include one or more Lock-In Training sessions. These sessions may
include one or more Lock-In Training parts. These parts can include
a group of questions and answers. The answers can include one or
more keywords. A student user can lock-in material by entering
keywords in response to questions. The questions may be presented
in Introductory rounds and/or Retention rounds on one or more
training days.
[0008] Other embodiments of the invention include the computer
programs and databases that enable student users to take efficient
training courses as well as the methods performed by the computer
systems during the training courses.
4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0009] FIG. 1A presents a block diagram illustrating the primary
components of a system that operates in accordance with some
embodiments of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 1B presents a database.
[0011] FIG. 2 presents a registration screen display.
[0012] FIG. 3 presents another registration screen display.
[0013] FIG. 4 presents yet another registration screen display.
[0014] FIG. 5 presents still another registration screen
display.
[0015] FIG. 6 presents a screen display that allows a student user
to select a Lock-In Training course.
[0016] FIG. 7 presents a screen display that allows a student user
to select a Lock-In Training session.
[0017] FIGS. 8 through 16 present screen displays from an
Introductory round of a Lock-In Training course.
[0018] FIG. 17 presents a screen that informs a student that the
student user has completed an Introductory round of a Lock-In
Training course.
[0019] FIGS. 18 through 22 present screen displays from a Retention
round of a Lock-In Training course.
[0020] FIG. 23 presents a block diagram illustrating the primary
components of a system that operates in accordance with some
embodiments of the present invention.
5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] The following description is presented to enable any person
skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided
in the context of a particular application and its requirements.
Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily
apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles
defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be
limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest
scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed
herein.
5.1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS
[0022] The following terms and acronyms are used throughout the
detailed description:
[0023] ASP (Active Serve Page). An HTML page that includes one or
more small embedded programs, known as scripts, which are processed
on a Web server before the HTML page is served to a Web browser.
Typically, the Web server utilizes data from a database to build
the HTML page before serving the HTML page to the Web browser.
[0024] Cookies. A technology that enables a Web server to retrieve
information from a consumer's computer that reveals prior browsing
activities of the consumer. The informational item stored on the
consumer's computer (typically on the hard drive) is commonly
referred to as a "cookie." Many standard Web browsers support the
use of cookies.
[0025] Database. A collection of information organized in such a
way that a computer program can store, and/or retrieve desired
pieces of information.
[0026] Dynamic HTML. HTML extensions that enable a Web document to
react to user input without sending requests to a Web server.
[0027] Element. In markup languages such as HTML, the combination
of a set of tags, any content contained between the tags, and any
attributes the tags may have. One example of an element is an
object.
[0028] Foreign key. A column or combination of columns whose values
match the primary key of some other table. See (Primary key and
Database).
[0029] HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). A standard coding
convention and set of codes for attaching presentation and linking
attributes to informational content within documents. During a
document authoring stage, the HTML codes (referred to as "tags")
are embedded within the informational content of the document. When
the Web document (or HTML document) is subsequently transferred
from a Web server to a Web browser, the codes are interpreted by
the Web browser and used to parse and display the document.
Additionally, in specifying how the Web browser is to display the
document, HTML tags can be used to create hyperlinks to other Web
documents. For more information on HTML, see Ian S. Graham, The
HTML Source Book, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1995 (ISBN
0471-11894-4).
[0030] HTTP (Hypertext Transport Protocol). The standard World Wide
Web client-server protocol used for the exchange of information
(such as HTML documents and client requests for such documents)
between a Web browser and a Web server. HTTP includes a number of
different types of messages that can be sent from the client to the
server to request different types of server actions. For example, a
"GET" message, which has the format GET <URL>, causes the
server to return the document or file located at the specified
URL.
[0031] Hyperlink. A navigational link from one document to another,
or from one portion (or component) of a document to another.
Typically, a hyperlink is displayed as a highlighted word or phrase
that can be selected by clicking on it using a mouse to jump to the
associated document or portion.
[0032] Hypertext System. A computer-based informational system in
which documents (and possibly other types of data entities) are
linked together via hyperlinks to form a consumer navigable
"web."
[0033] Internet. A collection of interconnected (public and/or
private) networks that are linked together by a set of standard
protocols (such as TCP/IP and HTTP) to form a global, distributed
network. (While this term is intended to refer to what is now
commonly known as the Internet, it is also intended to encompass
variations that may be made in the future, including changes and
additions to existing standard protocols.)
[0034] Intranet. A network belonging to an organization, usually a
corporation, accessible only by the organization's members,
employees, or others with authorization. An intranet's Web sites
look and act just like any other Web sites, but a firewall
surrounding an intranet fends off unauthorized users.
[0035] Object. Any item that can be individually selected and/or
manipulated. An object can include hyperlinks, shapes and pictures
that appear on a display screen, as well as less tangible software
entities.
[0036] Primary Key. In databases, the column or combination of
columns that serve(s) as the unique identifier of a specific row in
a database table.
[0037] URL (Uniform Resource Locator). A unique address which fully
specifies the location of a file or other resource on the Internet.
The general format of a URL is "protocol://machine
address:port/path/filename." The port specification is optional,
and if the consumer specifies none, the Web browser defaults to the
standard port for the protocol. For example, if HTTP is specified
as the protocol, the Web browser will use the HTTP default port of
80.
[0038] Web Site. A computer system that serves informational
content over a network using the standard protocols of the World
Wide Web. Typically, a Web site corresponds to a particular
Internetor Intranet domain name, such as "www.trivac.com," and
includes the content associated with a particular organization. As
used herein, the term is generally intended to encompass both (i)
the hardware/software server components that serve the
informational content over the network, and (ii) the "back end"
hardware/software components, including any non-standard or
specialized components, that interact with the server components to
perform services.
[0039] World Wide Web ("Web"). Used to refer generally to both (i)
a distributed collection of interlinked, viewable hypertext
documents (commonly referred to as Web documents or Web pages) that
are accessible via the Internet, and (ii) the client and server
software components that provide consumer access to such documents
using standardized Internet protocols. Currently, the primary
standard protocol for allowing applications to locate and acquire
Web documents is HTTP, and the Web pages are encoded using HTML.
However, the terms "Web" and "World Wide Web" are intended to
encompass future markup languages and transport protocols that may
be used in place of (or in addition to) HTML and HTTP.
5.2 SYSTEM COMPONENTS
[0040] FIG. 1A illustrates a simplified block diagram of a user
computer 105 and a Lock-In Training Web site 110, both of which are
linked together by the Internet 115 or an Intranet (not shown).
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the block diagram of
FIG. 1A is simplified to illustrate only those functional elements
of interest in describing the present invention.
5.3 USER COMPUTER
[0041] The user computer 105 is conventional. The user computer 105
may be any type of computing device that allows a consumer to
interactively browse Web sites on the World Wide Web via a Web
browser. For example, the user computer 105 may be a personal
computer (PC) that runs an operating system, such as a MICROSOFT
WINDOWS operating system, an APPLE computer, that runs an APPLE
operating system, a Web appliance, a hand held computer, or even a
telephone. The user computer 105 typically includes a Web browser
120, such as MICROSOFT's INTERNET EXPLORER, which uses the HTTP
protocol to communicate with Web servers. As is well known, the Web
browser 120 can request, receive, and display Web documents 125 as
well as other data entities, such as audio, video, and/or image
documents. If printing of Web documents or other documents is
desired, then the user computer 105 may also include a printer
130.
5.4 LOCK-IN TRAINING WEB SITE
[0042] Generally, the Lock-In Training Web site 110 provides
functionality for allowing users to learn, memorize, and retain
unfamiliar materials. More specifically, the Lock-In Training Web
site 110 includes a Web server 140 that allows a user to retrieve a
plurality of Web documents 150. The Lock-In Training Web site also
contains a computer program 145 that posts a series of Web
documents 150, such as HTML documents and/or Dynamic HTML
documents. In some embodiments of the invention, the Lock-In
Training Web site generates HTML documents and Dynamic HTML
documents from ASP documents and one or more databases, such as
database 155. The Lock-In Training Web site 110 is a web site that
allows users to enter and receive data as will be discussed more
fully below. The computer program 145 and the database 145 can be
stored in program storage devices such as hard disk drives, floppy
disk drives, flash memory, DVD disks, CDROM disks, etc.
5.5 COURSES, SESSIONS, PARTS, AND ROUNDS
[0043] Generally, the Lock-In Training Web site allows a number of
users to take Lock-In Training courses. A Lock-In Training course
typically relates to a general subject area. For example, a course
may relate to the Presidents of the United States. Such a course
can include one or more Lock-In Training sessions, which often
relate to more specific subject areas. For example, a course
related to the Presidents of the United States could include a
first session related to the Presidents before the Civil War and a
second session related to the Presidents after the Civil War.
[0044] A Lock-In Training session may include one or more parts. A
part typically includes a group of "questions" and "answers." For
example, a question may be "Who was the first President?"
Similarly, an answer may be "The first President was George
Washington." Each answer can include one or more keywords, i.e.,
significant words within the answer that may be utilized to convey
the answer. The keywords in the above answer are "first" and
"George Washington."
[0045] When a student user utilizes the Lock-In Training Web site,
the user can be introduced to the material to be learned in an
Introductory round. In the Introductory round, a student user
typically reviews questions and answers, re-types the answers, and
then answers the question with or without hints.
[0046] After the student user completes the Introductory round, the
student user can take one or more Retention rounds. The purpose of
the Retention rounds is to lock-in the material into the user's
long-term memory. In a Retention round, the student user typically
answers the questions with or without hints. As will be discussed
below, in order to complete the Retention rounds, the student user
must successfully answer the questions according to pre-defined
criteria.
5.6 LOCK-IN TRAINING WEB SITE DATABASE
[0047] As shown in FIG. 1A, the Lock-In Training Web site 110 can
include a database 155. This database 155 can contain a number of
tables. One example of database 155 is shown in FIG. 1B. In FIG.
1B, the table names are italicized. In addition, the table primary
keys are bolded and the table foreign keys are underlined. As
discussed, in Section 5.1, a primary key provides a unique
identifier of a specific row in a database table. Similarly, a
foreign key is a database column whose value matches the primary
key of another table.
[0048] One table in the database shown in FIG. 1B is the "Clients"
table. This table can be utilized to store information about
Lock-In Training clients. Typical clients may include employers,
training institutions, elementary schools, middle schools, high
schools, colleges, government agencies, and military branches,
among others. The "Clients" table shown in FIG. 1B contains a
primary key, "ClientID." The "Clients" table contains three
columns. The first column, "ClientName," can store the name of a
client, such as "IBM," "STARBUCKS," "Palo Alto School System," etc.
The second column, "SessionDays," can store the number of days of
training that a student must take to fully complete a Lock-In
Training session or course. For example, a session that includes
three days of training could have "SessionDays" set to three.
Alternatively, a session that takes four days to complete could
have "SessionDays" set to four. Lower values of "SessionDays"
require less student time, while higher values of "SessionDays"
ensure higher retention of learned materials. Depending upon client
preferences, a client can specify, via "SessionDays," the desired
number of training days for courses or sessions taken by the
client's students. The third column, "DaySessions," can be used to
control the training sequence of several multi-day sessions. For
example, a Lock-In Training course may include three sessions, such
as sessions A, B and C, each of which are taken over a number of
days. For such a course, a "DaySessions" value of two could
indicate that a student must complete the first training day of
sessions A and B before taking the second training day of either
session A or session B. However, the student could take the first
training day of session C before taking any training days of either
session A or B. On the other hand, if the "Day Sessions" value was
three, then the student could not take the second training day of
sessions A, B, or C until the student has completed the first
training day of sessions A, B, and C. Similarly, if the "Day
Sessions" value was zero, then a student could take all of the
training days of session A before taking any days of sessions B or
C.
[0049] Another table in the database shown in FIG. 1B is the
"Courses" table. This table is utilized to store information about
Lock-In Training courses. The table contains a primary key
"CourseID" and two columns. The first column, "CourseName," can
store names of a Lock-In Training course. Example course names
include "Presidents of the United States," "Governors of the
States," and "Largest Cities in Texas." The second column,
"CourseGroup," can store course groupings. For example, the above
three courses could be grouped by a client administrator or by a
system administrator under "American History."
[0050] Yet another table in the database shown in FIG. 1B is the
"ClientProfiles" table. The "ClientProfiles" table can be utilized
to customize the graphical user interface of Lock-In Training
courses for clients. The "ClientProfiles" table contains a primary
key "ClientProfile" and four columns. The first column is a foreign
key, "ClientID." The second column "ActiveProfile," can store data
indicating whether a client has an active graphical user interface.
For example, if a client desires a customized graphical user
interface, then "ActiveProfile" could be set to "true." On the
other hand, if a client does not desire to utilize a custom
graphical user interface, then "ActiveProfile" could be set to
"false." The third column, "HeaderImage," can store a file name
that contains a customized image. This customized image can be
utilized to create a portion of a customized graphical user
interface, such as a custom header. The fourth column,
"HeaderLocation," can store horizontal and vertical screen
locations that can be utilized to position the customized image on
the computer screen of the user computer 105. Other embodiments of
the database include columns for other images, such as footer
images, other image locations, background images, custom color
schemes, custom fonts, custom font sizes, custom text, custom
objects, and other graphical user interface elements.
[0051] Still another table in the database shown in FIG. 1B is the
"ClientCourses" table. This table contains information related to
Lock-In Training courses that are associated with a particular
client. As shown in FIG. 1B, the "ClientCourses" table contains a
primary key "ClientCourse" and two foreign keys: "ClientID" and
"CourseID."
[0052] Another table in the database shown in FIG. 1B is the
"Sessions" table. The "Sessions" table provides information about a
Lock-In Training session. The "Sessions" table contains a primary
key "SessionID." In addition, the table contains five columns. The
first column is a foreign key, "ClientID." The second column
"SessionNum," can store the number of a session. For example, the
first, second, and third sessions of a Lock-In Training course
could be indicated by "SessionNum" values of 1, 2, and 3. The third
column "SessionTitle," can store titles of sessions. For example, a
title of a session could be "Presidents of the United States before
the Civil War." The fourth column "SessionDescription," can store
descriptions of sessions. For example, a session description could
be "The names of the sixteen Presidents of the United States before
the Civil War." The fifth column "LockoutPeriod" can be utilized to
inactivate sessions until a specified period of time has passed so
that spaced repetition of training sessions can be assured. More
specifically, "LockoutPeriod" can store the length of a time period
that must transpire between portions of sessions. For example,
"LockoutPeriod" could indicate the required time between the
completion of a prior day's session and the beginning of a current
day's session. Alternatively, "LockoutPeriod" could indicate the
required time between the beginning of a prior day's session and
the beginning of a current day's session. Thus, "LockoutPeriod" can
be utilized to ensure that a student does not take portions of
Lock-In Training sessions too rapidly. If such a time period has
not transpired, then a session (or a course) can be inactivated so
that the student cannot take the remaining portions of the sessions
until the "LockoutPeriod" has transpired. As will be discussed
below, long-term retention of materials can be increased if spaced
repetitions of Lock-In Training sessions occur.
[0053] Still another table in the database shown in FIG. 1B is the
"Users" table. This table can be utilized to store information on
users of the Lock-In Training system. Typical users include private
and public employees, elementary students, middle school students,
high school students, college students, military personnel and law
enforcement personnel. The "Users" table contains a primary key
"UserID." In addition, the table contains fifteen columns. The
first column is a foreign key, "ClientID." The second and third
columns, "FirstName" and "LastName," can store the first and last
names of a user. For example, FirstName could store "John" and
"LastName" could store "Smith." Other embodiments of the database
155 could include an additional column for storing the middle name
or the middle initial of users. The fourth and fifth columns
"UserName" and "Password," can be utilized to rapidly login a user
into the Lock-In Training system. For example, a user named John
Smith could utilize "jsmith" and "Monsoon1$" to rapidly login into
the Lock-In Training system. Other embodiments of the invention
could also include other columns that contain information utilized
to login a user into the Lock-In Training Website. For example, the
table could contain columns holding user's biometric information,
such as fingerprints, voice patterns, eye patterns, etc. The sixth
column, "UserType," can be utilized to indicate whether the user is
a student, a client administrator, a system administrator, or
another type of user. Student users take Lock-In Training sessions.
As discussed below, the rights and privileges of users can depend
upon the user's UserType. Client administrators typically have the
ability to configure Lock-In Training courses, add or remove
student users, and assign Lock-In Training courses to student
users. Similarly, system administrators typically have the ability
to add or remove clients and some or all of the rights and
privileges of client administrators. The seventh column,
"Inactive," can be utilized to indicate inactive users, such as
users that are no longer employed by a client. Such users may
include, for example, users that have not accessed the Lock-In
Training Web site for a predetermined period of time or users that
have a "ClientID" associated with a delinquent client. The eighth
and ninth columns of the "Users" table, "ResetPW" and Registered,"
can be utilized to store user administrative data. For example,
"ResetPW" can be utilized to indicate if the computer program 145,
a client administrator, or a system administrator assigned the
user's password or alternatively if the user has reset the user's
password. Thus, if the user has reset the user's password, then
"ResetPW" value could be set to "true;" otherwise, the "ResetPW"
value could be set to "false." In addition, "Registered" can be
utilized to indicate whether the user has registered with the
Lock-In Training Web site 110. The remaining columns in the "Users"
table can hold various information about the user, such as: the
user's email, telephone number, street address, city, state, and
zip code.
[0054] Still another table in the database shown in FIG. 1B is the
"UserCourses" table. This table contains a primary key,
"UserCourse," and eight columns. The first two columns are foreign
keys: "UserID" and "CourseID." The third column, "CourseOrder," can
be utilized to sequence courses for student users. For example,
student users may have a number of different courses assigned to
them, such as: American History I, American History II, and
American History III. These three courses may be assigned
"CourseOrder" values of one, two, and three respectively. Thus, the
"CourseOrder" values could be utilized to ensure that the student
takes American History I before American History II, or American
History III. Alternatively, if the courses could be taken in any
order, then "CourseOrder" for those courses could be set to zero.
The fourth column in the "User Courses" table is "Activated." The
"Activated" value can be utilized to indicate whether a particular
course is available to a user. The fifth column in the "User
Courses" table is "Completed." The "Completed" column can be
utilized to indicate whether a user has previously completed a
course. The final three columns can be utilized to store course
enrollment dates, course start (begin) dates, and course completion
dates.
[0055] Yet another table in the database shown in FIG. 1B is the
"UserSessions" table. The "User Sessions" table can be utilized to
store information regarding a user's training session activities.
The "User Sessions" table contains a primary key "UserSession." In
addition, the table contains eight columns, which include two
foreign keys, "UserID" and "SessionID." The third column, "DayNum,"
can store information relating to the user's training activities.
For example, if the user has completed a session's first day of
training, then "DayNum" could be one. Similarly, if the user has
completed a session's first and second days of training, then
"DayNum" could be two. The next two columns, "StartTime" and
"EndTime," could store the start and end times of a user's session
activities. These columns could be utilized to determine if a user
has complied with a session's "LockoutPeriod" requirement. The
seventh column, "Timeouts," could store the time period since the
user has entered any information into the user computer 105, via
computer keyboard, mouse, trackball, touch pad, touch screen,
microphone, or otherwise. The final column, "Cancelled," could
indicate that a user's session has been canceled because, for
example, the user's "Timeouts" exceeded a predefined time
period.
[0056] Another table in the database shown in FIG. 1B is the
"Parts" table. This table can store information related to a
Lock-In Training session's parts. This table contains a primary key
"PartID." In addition, the table contains three columns, one of
which is a foreign key, "SessionID." The second column, "Part Num,"
can be utilized to sequence the parts within a session. For
example, a Lock-In Training session may include a number of
different parts, such as: "U.S. Presidents 1-8" and "U.S.
Presidents 9-16." These parts may be assigned "PartNum" values of
one and two respectively. Thus, the "PartNum" values could be
utilized to ensure that the student user takes "U.S. Presidents
1-8" before "U.S. Presidents 9-16." Alternatively, if the parts can
be taken in any order, then they both could be assigned a "PartNum"
of zero. The final column in the Parts table, "Part Title," can be
utilized to store the title of a part, such as "U.S. Presidents
1-8."
[0057] Still another table in the database shown in FIG. 1B is the
"Questions" table. This table can store information related to
questions and answers that will be presented to student users. The
"Questions" table includes a primary key, "QuestionID." In
addition, the table includes six columns. The first column is a
foreign key, "PartID." The next three columns can be utilized to
store question numbers, question titles, and questions. Thus,
question number 1 could have a title "The first President of the
United States." Similarly, "Question" number 1 could be "Who is the
first President of the United States?" The fifth column, "Answer,"
can be utilized to store the answers to questions. The "Answer" to
"Question" number 1 could be "The first President of the United
States was George Washington." The last column in the "Questions"
table, "Keywords," can be used to store the keywords of a question.
The keywords for the above "Answer" could be "first," "George," and
"Washington." In some embodiments of the invention, the "Answer"
includes one or more codes that indicate the keywords. For example,
the "Answer" to "Question" number 1 could be "The %% first
President of the United States was %% George %% Washington." In
this embodiment of the invention, the "%%" characters could be
utilized to indicate a keyword. In such embodiments of the
invention, a separate "Keywords" column is not needed because the
keywords are identified in the "Answer."
[0058] The last table in the database shown in FIG. 1B is the
"UserPart" table. This table can be used to store information
related to users' activities related to taking a Lock-In Training
part. This information, combined with the information stored in the
"UserSessions" table, can be utilized to allow student users to
resume their training at the question, round, part, and session
where they previously stopped training. The table includes a
primary key, "UserPart," and thirteen columns. The first two
columns, "UserID" and "PartID," are foreign keys. The third column,
"DayNum," can store information relating to the user's training day
activities. For example, if the user has completed the first
training day of a part, then "DayNum" could be one. Similarly, if
the user has completed the first and second training days of a
part, then "DayNum" could be two. The next two columns, "StartTime"
and "EndTime," could be utilized to store the start and end times
of a user's part training activities. These columns could also be
utilized to determine if a user has complied with a session's
"LockoutPeriod" requirement. The table's sixth column, "RoundNum,"
can store a student user's current round. For example, "RoundNum"
could be zero if the student user is in an Introductory round.
Similarly, "RoundNum" could be one if the student user is in a
Retention round. In some embodiments of the invention, "RoundNum"
could also indicate the number of "Retention" rounds that a user
has taken. For example, if the student user has completed the first
Retention round, then "RoundNum" would be one. Similarly, if the
student user has completed the third Retention round, then
"RoundNum" could be set to three. The seventh column, "QNum," can
store a student user's current question number. "RoundNum" and
"QNum" can be utilized to determine a student user's location in a
particular Lock-In Training part so that the user can efficiently
resume training at that location. The eighth column, "Retries," can
store the number of times a student user retried each question in
an Introductory round or a Retention round. Thus, "Retries" could
be utilized to determine the relative difficulty levels of various
questions. The ninth column, "Hints," can store the total number of
times that a student user utilized a hint to answer a question in
round. The tenth column "CompFinish1," can store the Retention
round number in which a student successfully answered a question
without a hint in that round. Similarly, the eleventh column,
"CompFinish2," can store the Retention round number in which a
student user successfully answered each question a second time
without a hint in that round. The twelfth column, "Timeouts," could
store the time period since the user has entered any information
into the user computer 105. The final column, "Cancelled," could
indicate that a user's part has been canceled because, for example,
the user's "Timeouts" exceeded a predefined time period.
[0059] Some embodiments of the computer program 145 may utilize
multiple databases to store the above information, while other
embodiments of the computer program 145 utilize only one database,
such as the database 155 shown in FIG. 1B, to store such
information.
5.7 FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY LOCK-IN TRAINING WEBSITE
5.7.1 Logging in Users
[0060] One function that the Lock-In Training Web site 110 may
perform is logging in users into the Lock-In Training Web site 110.
For example, the Lock-In Training Web site's computer program 145
and Web Server 140 may serve a login Web document to a user
computer 105. The login Web document may request a user to enter a
username and a password. After the user enters a username and a
password into the user computer 105, the user computer's Web
browser 120 transmits the username and the password to the Lock-In
Training Web site 110. After the Lock-In Training Web site 110
receives the username and password, the computer program 145
compares the username and password to data stored in a database.
For example, the computer program 145 may compare the username and
password to values in the "Username" and "Password" columns of the
Users table in the database shown in FIG. 1B. If the username and
password are not found in the database, then the Lock-In Training
Web site 110 may serve another login Web document to the user
computer 105.
[0061] On the other hand, if the username and password are found in
the database, then the computer program 145 may retrieve user
information from the database, such as for example, "UserType,"
"FirstName," "LastName," "ResetPW," "Registered," "Email," "Phone,"
"Address," "City," "State," and Zip" values from the "Users"
table.
5.7.2 Registering Users
[0062] If the information retrieved from the database indicates
that the user is not registered, then the computer program 145 may
serve a Web document, such as Web document 200 shown in FIG. 2, to
the user computer 105. Web document 200 allows a user to enter the
user's e-mail address, phone number, street address, city, state
and zip code. The information entered by the user is then typically
stored in a database, such as for example in the "Users" table of
the database shown in FIG. 1B. In addition, after the user has
entered the above information, data would typically be stored in
the database 155 indicating that the user has been registered.
[0063] In some embodiments of the invention, the graphical user
interface of Web document 200 may be based upon data stored in a
database. For example, if a user's "ClientID" is STARBUCKS, the
"Client Profiles" table of the database of FIG. 1B may be accessed,
using the STARBUCK'S "ClientID." As a result, the computer program
145 can retrieve one or more graphic images, image locations,
background images, custom color schemes, custom fonts, custom font
sizes, custom text, and/or other graphical user interface elements
that are unique to STARBUCKS. Then, the graphical user interface of
Web document 200, and optionally other Web documents, may include
some or all of the retrieved graphical user interface element(s).
Similarly, if the user's "ClientID" is IBM, then the graphical user
interface of Web document 200 and following Web documents may
include graphical user interface elements that are unique to
IBM.
[0064] If the information retrieved from the database indicates
that the user has not previously reset the user's password, then
the computer program 145 and the web server 140 may serve a Web
document, such as Web document 300 shown in FIG. 3, to the user
computer 105. Web document 300 allows a user to enter and confirm a
new password. If the two entered passwords match and optionally
meet certain password criteria, such as password length, number of
unique character sets in the password, password quality, etc., then
the entered password can be stored in the database. In addition,
data would typically be stored in the database that indicates that
the user's password has been reset. Some embodiments of the
invention store the password in plain text. However, other
embodiments of the invention store the password in an encrypted
format to increase the security of the password. As shown in FIG.
3, Web document 300 may also display previously entered user
information. Some embodiments of the invention also allow the user
to correct or update any displayed user information.
[0065] For the convenience of the user, some embodiments of the
invention display a Web document, such as Web document 400 shown in
FIG. 4, that displays the student name, username, and password.
Using the printer 130 attached to user computer 105, this Web
document may be printed and securely stored by the user.
[0066] In some embodiments of the invention, the computer program
145 and the web server 140 serve a Web document, such as Web
document 500 shown in FIG. 5, that provides the user with a
background and an overview of the Lock-In Training process.
Similarly, in some embodiments of the invention, the computer
program 145 and the web server 140 serve a Web document that
displays the terms-of-use of the Lock-In Training Web site. In such
embodiments of the invention, the user may be required to click on
a button indicating that the user has read and agreed to the
terms-of-use before the user is allowed to take any training
courses. In some embodiments of the invention, the Web document
that displays the terms-of-use also lists relevant patent numbers
that cover various portions of the Lock-In Training Web site and
other proprietary information.
5.7.3 Selecting Courses
[0067] Another function that the Lock-In Training Web site 110 may
perform is selecting Lock-In Training courses. For example, the
Lock-In Training Web site's computer program 145 and Web server 140
may serve a Web document, such as Web document 600 shown in FIG. 6,
that allows a user to select a particular Lock-In Training course.
The Web document may include a number of objects. For example, Web
document 600 includes a "Presidents of the United States (2
Sessions, 43 Questions)" object that could be selected by a user to
indicate that the user desires to take a Lock-In Training course
relating to learning the Presidents of the United States.
Similarly, Web document 600 includes "Governors of the States (3
Sessions, 50 questions)" and "Largest Cities in Texas (1 Session,
10 Questions)" objects.
[0068] In some embodiments of the invention, the list of Lock-In
Training courses displayed in Web document 600 would be determined
by retrieving information from a database. For example, the
computer program 145 could retrieve the course names from the "User
Courses" and "Courses" tables shown in the database of FIG. 1B. The
retrieved courses could then be inserted into a Dynamic HTML Web
document by the computer program 145, which would then be served to
user computer 105.
[0069] Some embodiments of the invention also indicate to the user
the status of Lock-In Training courses. For example, as shown in
FIG. 6, if a user has previously completed a Lock-In Training
course, as indicated in a "Completed" value in a "User Courses"
table, then a check icon 610 could indicate the status of the
course. Similarly, if a course is available, as indicated in an
"Activated" value in the "User Courses" table, then an unlocked
padlock icon 620 could indicate the status of the course. Likewise,
if a course is unavailable, then a locked padlock icon 630 could
indicate the status of the course. A course may be unavailable
because a user has recently completed another course or another
session. In some embodiments of the invention, the time that a user
has completed a prior session or course is stored in the database.
In addition, in some embodiments of the invention, the database
stores a lockout period for each course and/or each session. If the
time that has elapsed since the user completed a prior session or
course is less than the lockout time, then a course may be
unavailable.
[0070] In some embodiments of the invention only courses having a
certain status would be included in the Web document that was
served to the user. For example, some embodiments of the invention
would only include available courses in Web documents. In other
embodiments of the invention, which serve Web documents that
include unavailable courses, if the user selects an unavailable
course, then a Web document is served that includes an error
message explaining that the course is not available and,
optionally, the reason for the course's unavailability. Similarly,
in some embodiments of the invention, if the user selects a
completed course, then a Web document containing (a) an message
explaining that the course has been completed and/or (b) a message
asking if the user would like to review the course material.
5.7.4 Selecting Sessions
[0071] Another function performed by some embodiments of the
invention is selecting a session. After the user has selected a
Lock-In Training course, such as the "Presidents of the United
States" course, the computer program 145 could retrieve course,
session, part, and question information from database table(s). For
example, the sessions of the course, the number of parts in each
session, and the number of questions in the session could be
retrieved. In addition, the number of training days that the user
has completed for each session and the total number of training
days for each session could be retrieved. Further, the status of
the session (available, unavailable, or completed) may be
retrieved. After retrieving the above information, the computer
program 145 and the Web server 140 could serve a Web document, such
as Web document 700 shown in FIG. 7, that allows the user to select
a session. The Web document may include a number of objects. For
example, Web document 700 includes a "Presidents of the United
States before the Civil War" object and a "Presidents of the United
States after the Civil War" object. By clicking on one of the above
objects, the user could select a Lock-In Training session. In
addition to the two session objects, Web document 700 includes a
"Return to Main Menu" object. If the user selects that object, then
the Lock-In Training Web server 140 and computer program 145 could
serve a Web document, such as Web document 600, that allows the
user to select a Lock-In Training course.
[0072] Some embodiments of the invention also indicate to the user
the status of Lock-In Training sessions. For example, if a user has
previously completed a Lock-In Training session, then a check icon
could indicate the status of the session. In addition, if a session
is available, and hence unlocked, then an unlocked padlock could
indicate the status of the session. Similarly, if a session is
unavailable, then a locked padlock could indicate the status of the
session.
[0073] A session may be unavailable because a user has recently
completed another session or another course. In some embodiments of
the invention, the time that a user has completed a prior session
is stored in the database. In addition, in some embodiments of the
invention, the database stores a session lockout period for each
course and/or each session. If the time that has elapsed since the
user completed a prior session is less than the session lockout
time, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 36,
or 48 hours, then the session may be unavailable.
[0074] Similarly, in some embodiments of the invention, the number
of sessions that a user has either begun or completed within a
predetermined time period is stored in a database. If the number of
sessions begun or completed within a predetermined time period,
such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 36, or 48
hours, is greater than a predetermined number, such as 1, 2, 3, or
4, sessions, then new sessions may be unavailable to the user.
[0075] In some embodiments of the invention only sessions having a
certain status would be included in the Web document that was
served to the user. For example, some embodiments of the invention
would only include available and completed sessions in Web
documents. In some embodiments of the invention, which serve Web
documents that include unavailable sessions, if the user selects an
unavailable session, a Web document is served that includes an
error message explaining that the session is not available and,
optionally, the reason for the session's unavailability. For
example, if a user has completed two sessions in the last 24 hours
and the user selects another session, then a Web document may be
served that includes an error explaining that the user must wait a
day to take another session because the user has already completed
two sessions in one day.
5.7.5 Introductory Round
[0076] After a user has selected a Lock-In Training session by
clicking on a session object, the computer program 145 can query a
database to determine if the user had previously completed a
portion of the session. If the student user had previously
partially completed a Lock-In Training session, then the computer
program 145 may retrieve information that identifies the last part
and the last round in which the student user answered a question.
In addition, the computer program 145 may retrieve information
identifying the last question that the student user answered. Then,
using the retrieved information, the computer program 145 and the
Web server 140 may serve a Web document that allows the user to
continue the user's training session in the same part, round, and
question that the student user utilized when the student user
ceased training. Thus, for example, if a student user stopped a
prior Lock-In Training session while working on a particular
question in a particular part and round, then the student user
could resume the session at that same question, part, and
round.
[0077] On the other hand, if the student user had not previously
completed a portion of a session, then the computer program 145 and
the Web server 140 may serve an HTML Web document or a Dynamic HTML
Web document, such as Web document 800 shown in FIG. 8, which
allows the student user to begin the user's training session. As
shown in FIG. 8, Web document 800 presents the student user with
the current session title, "Presidents of the United States before
the Civil War," and the current session number, "1." In addition,
Web document 800 presents the user with the current and total
number of parts and the current and total number of questions in
the current part. Further, Web document 800 informs the user that
the user is currently training in an "Introductory Round." As
discussed in Section 5.5, the purpose of the introductory round is
to introduce the user to the material that the user will be
learning.
[0078] Web document 800 also includes one or more elements that
present the user with a question: "Who was the first President?"
Similarly, Web document 800 includes one or more elements that
present the user with an answer: "The first President was George
Washington." Notice that "first" and "George Washington" are
displayed in a bold font in Web document 800. The bold font is
utilized to indicate that "first," "George" and "Washington" are
keywords. As discussed in Section 5.5, keywords indicate the
essence of an answer. Thus, by learning the keywords of an answer,
a user will have learned the answer. In some embodiments of the
invention, Web document 800 identifies the keywords by using a
different font color, a different font size, a different font style
(bold, italic, underline, etc.), and/or a different font family
(Times Roman, Arial, etc.) than are used for non-keywords in the
answer. In some embodiments of the invention, Web document 800
identifies the keywords by placing a graphic object around or near
the keywords, such as a box or an oval. To continue the Lock-In
Training session, the user would typically select the "Press
`Enter` to Continue" object. Alternatively, the user could select
the "Return to Main Menu" object to return to Web document 600.
[0079] If the user selects the "Press `Enter` to Continue" object,
then Web document 900 shown in FIG. 9 could be displayed on the
computer display of the user computer 105. Web document 900
presents the first question and the complete first answer to the
student user. However, Web document 900 also presents a partially
completed first answer to the student user. In some embodiments of
the invention, as shown in FIG. 9, the partially completed first
answer replaces the keywords with continuous underlines. In other
embodiments of the invention, the keywords are replaced with
non-continuous underlines. Thus, "first" would be replaced with
"______." The advantage of utilizing non-continuous underlines is
that the non-continuous underlines provide the user with a small
hint: the number of characters in each keyword. Thus, a user seeing
"______" would understand that the keyword contains 5 characters.
In some embodiments of the invention, non-continuous underlines are
utilized only in the Introductory round, while continuous
underlines or no underlines are utilized in the Retention
rounds.
[0080] Next, the student user enters the keywords into the user
computer 105 using the completed answer as a guide. In some
embodiments of the invention, the student user types characters
into a keyboard attached to user computer 105. In other embodiments
of the invention, the user utilizes a mouse to select keys that are
displayed on a simulated keyboard on a computer display. In still
other embodiments of the invention, the student user utilizes a
number pad to enter the key words. For example, a user may type "4"
to enter "G," "44" to enter "H," and "444" to enter "I." The use of
such keyboards to enter characters may be particularly useful when
the user computer 105 is a telephone. In still other embodiments of
the invention, the student user would enter the keyword via a
tablet and handwriting recognition software and/or via a microphone
and voice recognition software. Regardless of the method utilized
to enter information, the student user would enter "first" into the
user computer 105. FIG. 10 presents a Web document 1000 into which
the user has entered "first." In some embodiments of the invention,
Web document 1000 identifies the entered keywords by using a
different font color, a different font size, a different font style
(bold, italic, underline, etc.), and/or a different font family
(Times Roman, Arial, etc.) than are used for non-keywords in the
answer. In some embodiments of the invention (not shown), the Web
document could identify the entered keywords by placing a graphic
object, such as a box or an oval, near or around the keywords.
[0081] Next, the user would typically enter the keyword "George."
However, if the user enters an incorrect character, such as "r" for
the first character of the next keyword, then as shown in Web
document 1100 in FIG. 11, the incorrect character "r" may be
displayed by using a different font color, a different font size, a
different font style (bold, italic, underline, etc.), and/or a
different font family (Times Roman, Arial, etc.) than are used for
correctly entered characters. For example, a Dynamic HTML Web
document may display incorrectly entered characters in red, and may
display correctly entered characters in blue. As shown in Web
document 1100, the character "r" is displayed in an italic bold
font while correctly entered characters are displayed in a regular
bold font. In addition, as shown in Web document 1100, when the
user has entered an incorrect character, the Dynamic HTML Web
document could display an error message, such as "Check the
spelling, letter, or number."
[0082] In some embodiments of the invention, only one incorrect
character will be displayed. Thus, after a user types "Thomas" for
the keyword "George," then the Web document would display "s_"
because only the last incorrectly entered character would be
displayed. However, in other embodiments of the invention, 2, 3, 4,
5, or all incorrect characters could be displayed. Thus, if all
incorrect characters were displayed, then after the user enters
"Thomas" for the keyword "George," the Web document would display
"Thomas."
[0083] In some embodiments of the invention, the Web document would
display characters that are entered for a keyword in a
predetermined combination of upper and lower case characters
regardless of the case of the entered characters. For example, if a
student user enters "GEORGE" for the keyword "George," then the Web
document would display the entered characters as "George."
Similarly, if the student user enters "Washington" for the keyword
"Washington," then the Web document would display the entered
characters as "Washington."
[0084] In other embodiments of the invention, when a user has
correctly entered a character of a keyword, depressing the
backspace and/or the delete keys does not remove the correctly
entered characters. However, in other embodiments of the invention,
depressing one or both of those keys would remove the correctly
entered characters from the user computer's display.
[0085] In some embodiments of the invention, the student user is
required to enter a space between key words. Thus, the student user
would be required to enter a space between "George" and
"Washington." However, in other embodiments of the invention, the
student user would not be required to enter a space. Thus, in such
embodiments of the invention, the student user could enter
"georgewashington" and the Web document would display "George
Washington." Similarly, a student user may not be required to enter
a space between "first" and "george" in Web document 1100.
[0086] In some embodiments of the invention, a student user can
"jump" between keywords. For example, if a user desires to type
"first" and then "Washington," but not "George," then the student
user could type "first[Tab][Tab]Washington." The [Tab] characters
would allow the student user to skip over the second keyword.
Similarly, after typing "first" the student user could utilize the
mouse to select the first character in the third keyword. Allowing
a student user to enter the information that the user knows and
then using that information to enter the remaining keywords can
increase the long-term retention of the student user.
[0087] After a user has correctly entered all the keywords in an
answer, then, as shown in Web document 1200 in FIG. 12, the Dynamic
HTML Web document may display a message indicating that the user
has correctly entered the keywords. In some embodiments of the
invention, after a user has correctly answered a question, a
database in the Lock-In Training Website 110 is updated to indicate
the successful answer, together with the current part, round, and
session. In other embodiments of the invention, this information is
stored on a cookie on the user computer 105. This information,
regardless of whether it is stored on the Lock-In Training Web site
110 or the user computer 105, can be utilized to allow the student
user to easily resume training at a later time.
[0088] As shown in FIG. 12, after the successful answer of a
question, a "Press `Enter` to Continue" object is displayed. This
object allows the student user to continue the student user's
training. A student user would typically then select the "Press
`Enter` to Continue" object.
[0089] After the user selects the "Press `Enter` to Continue"
object, a Web document, such as Web document 1300 shown in FIG. 13,
could be displayed. Note that Web document 1300 displays the first
question and an incomplete first answer. Web document 1300 does not
include a complete answer as did Web document 1200. Instead, Web
document 1300 includes a "Hint" object.
[0090] The "Hint" object provides the user with one or more hints
to enable the user to easily enter the keywords. For example, in
some embodiments of the invention, such as shown in FIG. 14, if the
user selects the "Hint" object a single time, the Web document
would display the first character in each keyword. In some
embodiments of the invention, such as shown in FIG. 15, if the user
selects the "Hint" object a second time, the Web document would
display the first character in each keyword and the consonants in
each keyword. Similarly, if the user selects the "Hint" object a
third time, the Web document would display all the keywords.
[0091] The above description includes three hints: the first letter
of each keyword, the consonants of each keyword, and the complete
keywords. Other embodiments of the invention may include fewer or
more hints. Such hints could include:
[0092] 1) First character in the xth keyword, where x increases
with each selection of the "Hint" object;
[0093] 2) Consonants in the xth keyword, where x increases with
each selection of the "Hint" object;
[0094] 3) Complete xth keyword, where x increases with each
selection of the "Hint" object;
[0095] 4) Vowels in all keywords;
[0096] 5) Vowels in the xth keyword, where x increases with each
selection of the "Hint" object;
[0097] 6) First xth letters in one or more keywords, where x
increases with each selection of the "Hint" object;
[0098] 7) Every xth keyword, where x is 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6;
[0099] 8) Complete or partial image hints, where the image is
associated with one or more keywords (For example, an image of
George Washington would be associated with the keywords "George
Washington");
[0100] 9) Complete or partial sound hints, where the sound is
associated with one or more keywords (For example, an audio segment
"Fourscore and seven years ago" played via the user's computer
speakers would be associated with the keywords "Abraham
Lincoln");
[0101] 10) Replacing no underlining of keywords or continuous
underlining of keywords with non-continuous underlines; and
[0102] 11) Replacing no underlining of keywords with continuous
underlining of keywords.
[0103] Some embodiments of the invention would automatically
display one of the above hints if the student user enters a certain
number of incorrect characters. For example, if a student user
enters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 incorrect characters, then the
Web document will display a hint. Similarly, if the student user
enters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 incorrect characters, then the Web
document will display another of the above hints.
[0104] Some embodiments of the invention continue to display prior
hints when successive hints are displayed. However, other
embodiments of the invention display only a limited number of prior
hints, such as 1, 2, 3, or 4 prior hints. In still other
embodiments of the invention, no prior hints are displayed. In
addition, in some embodiments of the invention, the order of hints
can vary. Thus, in such embodiments of the invention, selecting the
"Hint" object of a particular question will not always display the
same hint. In still other embodiments of the invention, the order
of hints for particular questions is stored in a database. Thus,
hints may be optimized for particular questions. For example, the
order of hints could be stored in a "Questions" table in the
database shown in FIG. 1B.
[0105] In some embodiments of the invention, the user cannot
advance to other questions unless the user has correctly entered
the keywords in the answer to a current question without using any
hints. In other embodiments of the invention, the user cannot
advance unless the user has correctly typed in the keywords using
less than 2, 3, 4, or 5 hints. In still other embodiments of the
invention, the user cannot advance unless the user has correctly
typed in the keywords x times without using any hints, where x is
1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. As shown in FIG. 16, after a student user has
correctly entered the keywords without using a hint, whether
requested by selecting a hint object or automatically generated
because of incorrect entries, Web document 1600 displays an
indication that the student user has correctly answered the
question. In addition, Web document 1600 displays a "Press `Enter`
to Continue" object.
[0106] In some embodiments of the invention, when a student user
selects the "Press `Enter` to Continue" object, the student user
advances to a second question in the Introductory round. Thus, Web
documents similar to Web documents 800 through 1600 will be
displayed for the second question. In some embodiments of the
invention, the information required to generate the Web documents
for a second question, such as "Questions" table information, will
have been downloaded to the user computer 105 before the user
selects the "Press `Enter` to Continue" object of FIG. 16. Thus,
the responsiveness of the training system will be optimized. After
the student user has correctly answered the second question the
required number of times with less than the required number of
hints, then, similar Web documents for the remaining questions in
the part will be displayed. After the user has completed all the
questions in the part, then the student user will have completed
the Introductory round for that part. If the Lock-In Training
session contains another part, then Web documents similar to Web
documents 800 through 1600 will be displayed for the questions in
the other part(s). After the user has completed all the questions
in all the parts, then the student user will have completed the
Introductory round.
5.7.6 Retention Round
[0107] After the student user has completed the Introductory round,
then the student user may continue to the Retention Rounds. While
the purpose of the Introductory round was to introduce the material
to the student users, the purpose of the Retention rounds is to
lock-in the material into the student user's long-term memory. In
some embodiments of the invention, a retention round begins by the
computer program 145 and the Web server 140 serving a Web document,
such as Web document 1700 shown in FIG. 17. Web document 1700
informs the student user that the user has completed the
Introductory round and has begun the Retention rounds. In addition,
Web document 1700 provides the student user with the requirements
to complete the Retention rounds. In some embodiments of the
invention, the completion requirements are obtained from a
database. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the completion
requirements may be answering each question twice without using the
hint button. Thus, if a student user utilizes a hint for a question
in a Retention round, then that question will be included in a
future Retention round. On the other hand, if a student user has
answered a question twice without using a hint, then that question
will not be included in future Retention rounds. The student user
will continue taking Retention rounds until each question has been
answered twice without using any hints. In other embodiments of the
invention, the requirements of completing the Retention rounds may
be answering each question a different number of times, such as 1,
3, 4, or 5, without using any hints. Similarly, in other
embodiments of the invention, the requirements of completing the
Retention rounds may be answering each question a predetermined
number of times using less than a predetermined number of hints,
such as 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.
[0108] After a student user has reviewed Web document 1700, then
the user would typically select the "Press `Enter` to Continue"
object. Then, the computer program 145 can query a database to
determine if the user had previously completed a portion of a
Retention round. If the user had previously completed a portion of
a Retention round, then the computer program 145 may retrieve
information that identifies the location that the student user
stopped training. Then, using the retrieved information, the
computer program 145 and the Web server 140 may serve a Web
document that allows the user to continue the user's training
session. Thus, for example, if a user stopped a prior session while
working on a particular question in a particular Retention round on
a particular day of training, then the user could begin the session
at that same question, round, and training day.
[0109] On the other hand, if the user had not previously completed
a portion of a Retention round, then the computer program 145 and
the Web server 140 may serve a Web document, such as Web document
1800 shown in FIG. 18, which allows the user to begin the user's
Retention rounds. As shown in FIG. 18, Web document 1800 includes
an element that presents the user with the current session title,
"Presidents of the United States before the Civil War," and the
current session number, "1." In addition, Web document 1800
presents the user with the current and total number of parts.
Further, Web document 1800 informs the user that the user is
currently in a "Retention Round." Web document 1800 also includes a
"Hint" object. The "Hint" object provides the student user with one
or more hints, as did the "Hint" in the Introductory round.
[0110] Unlike the Web documents utilized in the Introductory round,
Web document 1800 includes a dynamic process bar 1810. The dynamic
process bar 1810 can indicate the completion status of the
Retention rounds. For example, the Retention rounds' completion
criteria may be to answer each question two times without the use
of a hint. For such a completion criteria, a dynamic process bar
could indicate that (1) a question has not been answered without a
hint, (2) a question has been answered once without a hint, and (3)
a question has been answered twice without a hint. Similarly, if
the Retention rounds' completion criteria is to answer each
question three times without the use of a hint, then a dynamic
process bar could indicate that (1) a question has not been
answered without a hint, (2) a question has been answered once
without a hint, (3) a question has been answered twice without a
hint, and (4) a question has been answered three times without a
hint.
[0111] Referring to FIG. 18, the dynamic process bar 1810 includes
sixteen different circles. Each circle has a number directly above
the circle that corresponds to a question number. Thus, the circle
with "1" above it corresponds to question one. The pattern within
the circle corresponds to the status of the question. As shown on
the bottom left of FIG. 18, a circle pattern with lower-left to
upper-right lines indicates that a question "has not been answered
without a hint." Similarly, as shown on the bottom center of FIG.
18, a circle pattern with horizontal and vertical lines indicates
that a question has been "answered once without a hint." Likewise,
as shown on the bottom right of FIG. 18, a circle pattern with
diagonal crossing lines indicates that a question has been
"answered twice without a hint." Thus, because all of the circles
in the dynamic process bar 1810 have patterns with lower-left to
upper-right lines, the dynamic process bar indicates that none of
the sixteen questions have been answered without a hint. The
dynamic process bar 1810 can also indicate the current question
number. For example, the disk that surrounds circle "1," indicates
that the current question is question one.
[0112] FIG. 19 presents a Web document 1900 with another dynamic
process bar 1910. This dynamic process bar 1910 indicates that
questions one through six have been "answered twice without a
hint." The dynamic process bar 1910 also indicates that questions
seven through ten have been "answered once without a hint" and that
questions eleven through sixteen have "not been answered without a
hint." In addition, the dynamic process bar 1910 indicates that the
current question is question "10."
[0113] While the dynamic process bars of FIGS. 18 and 19 utilize
different patterns within circles to indicate question status,
other graphical elements could be utilized. For example, different
colors of solid circles or circle sizes could indicate question
status. Similarly, different graphical shapes, such as rectangles,
squares, quadrilaterals, triangles, or ellipses, could be utilized
to indicate question status. Similarly, text within a graphical
shape could be utilized to indicate question status. For example, a
circle surrounding a "1" could indicate that the question has been
answered once without a hint and a circle surrounding a "2" could
indicate that the question has been answered twice without a
hint.
[0114] Web document 1900 includes two confirmation images 1920 and
1930. These confirmation images 1920 and 1930 could correspond to a
Retention round completion requirement of answering a question
correctly twice without using a hint. Confirmation image 1920
indicates that the student user has answered the current question
once without using a hint. The confirmation image 1930 indicates
that the student user still needs to answer the question without
using a hint one additional time.
[0115] After a student user has completed a Retention round in
which the user utilized a hint to answer a question, a Web
document, such as Web document 2000 shown in FIG. 20, allows the
student user to review the student user's progress toward
completing the Retention rounds. For example, the Retention rounds'
completion criteria may be to answer each question two times
without the use of a hint. Thus, element 2010 provides the student
user with the number of questions that have been answered once
without a hint. Similarly, element 2020 provides student users with
the number of questions that the student user has answered twice
without a hint.
[0116] Web document 2000 also allows the student to review the
student's progress in the last Retention round. As shown in FIG.
20, Web document 2000 contains a "Results for Round 2" chart 2030.
This chart 2030 contains an entry for each question answered in the
last Retention round. The chart 2030 contains an entry for sixteen
questions. Thus, the last Retention round included sixteen
questions. The chart 2030 also contains a question status indicator
for each question. A star indicates that a question was answered
without a hint and an "X" indicates that a question was answered
with a hint. As shown in FIG. 20, Web document 2000 also contains a
dynamic progress bar 2040.
[0117] In some embodiments of the invention, a student user may
review questions by selecting either the question number or the
question status indicator in the chart 2030. Thus, for example, if
a user selects the star 2050 with a mouse, for example, then a Web
document, such as Web document 2100 shown in FIG. 21, could be
displayed on the user computer 105. Web document 2100 allows the
student user to spend time learning the answer to question one
before beginning Retention round 3. After the student user has
completed reviewing question one, then the user can redisplay Web
document 2000 by selecting the "Press `Enter` to Continue" object
of Web document 2100. If the student user desires to review
additional questions, then the user may select other question
status indicators. When the student user has reviewed the desired
questions, and is ready to take the next Retention round, then the
student user could select the "Press `Enter` for Next Round"
object. Then, the student user could answer the remaining questions
(with or without hints).
[0118] After the student user has completed the third Retention
round, then, in some embodiments of the invention, the student user
can review the student user's progress in that round by reviewing a
Web document, such as Web document 2200 shown in FIG. 22. This Web
document indicates that two questions have been answered without a
hint once and that eight questions have been answered without a
hint twice. Note that chart 2230 only includes question numbers and
question status indicators for questions seven through sixteen.
Questions one through six are not included in the chart 2230
because the prior Retention round did not require the student user
to answer those questions as those questions had already been
answered twice without hints in the first two Retention rounds. The
chart 2230 indicates that the student user answered questions seven
and eight without a hint in the last round. Thus, the student user
is making progress toward the completion of the Retention
rounds.
[0119] Typically a student user would continue taking Retention
rounds until the student user has met the Retention rounds'
completion criteria.
[0120] After the completion of the above-described rounds, the
student user would typically take additional parts, sessions, or
courses.
5.8 TRAINING METHODOLOGY
[0121] As discussed in Section 5.5, the purpose of the Retention
rounds is to help the student user lock-in material into the
student user's long-term memory. Thus, the Retention rounds utilize
repetition to efficiently train student users. However, the
repetition that is emphasized is repetition by the student and not
by a teacher. It has been found that a student is more likely to
retain material if the student repetitively enters answer
keyword(s) into a computer as opposed to hearing a teacher
repetitively provide the answer. In addition, it has been found
that requesting a student to enter complete answers takes
significantly more training time than requesting the student to
just enter the keywords of an answer.
[0122] It has also been found that students are more likely to
retain material if the answer contains keywords of the question and
well as keywords of the answer. For example, a student is likely to
retain the answer to "Who was the first President of the United
States?" if the student enters the underlined keywords in the
following answer: "the first President of the United States was
George Washington." On the other hand, a student it not likely to
retain the name of the first President of the United States if the
student enters the underlined keywords in the following answer:
"George Washington." While entering such keywords may allow the
student to retain the name of a United States President, it will
not likely help the student retain the name of the first President
of the United States.
[0123] A Lock-In Training session typically includes up to
twenty-five questions. Similarly, a Lock-In Training part typically
includes up to ten questions. However, the number of questions can
vary above those values. As shown in FIG. 7, the session entitled
"Presidents of the United States before the Civil War" includes
sixteen questions. Thus, that session may include only one part of
sixteen questions. However, that session could possibly contain two
parts of eight questions each. Smaller numbers of questions are
often appropriate if the material is more complex. Similarly,
larger numbers of questions are often appropriate if the material
is less complex. In some embodiments of the invention, a client
administrator or a system administrator determines the number of
questions in each part and then stores such information in a
database, such as the database shown in FIG. 1B.
[0124] It has been found that student users can efficiently retain
material when they enter answer keywords into a computer in spaced
intervals. A student is less likely to retain material if the
student enters keywords into a computer in rapid succession.
However, if time intervals are inserted between the entering of
keywords, then the student is more likely to retain the material.
The time intervals need not be too small or too large. Thus, by
selecting an appropriate number of questions in a part, the
efficiency of training can be increased.
[0125] In other embodiments of the invention, intervening events
are utilized to increase the time intervals between the entering of
keywords. Examples of such intervening events can include: reading
material; watching a movie; listening to audio; viewing an image;
or attending to an event occurring between successive questions. As
a result, some embodiments of the invention utilize intervening
events between question answers. For example, after entering
keywords to answer a first question, the user computer may display
a short movie, output a short audio stream, and/or display one or
more images to the user. In such embodiments, the student user may
not be permitted to enter additional keywords until the movie
and/or audio stream has terminated. Similarly, in some embodiments
of the invention, the user may not be permitted to enter additional
keywords until a predetermined period of time has elapsed, such as
for example, 30 seconds or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10
minutes.
[0126] Because the time period between answering questions should
not be too long, a Lock-In Training part that contains fifty
questions is not likely to lead to long-term retention. The
decreased retention results from the fact that the time period
between the entering of keywords to a particular question is too
long.
[0127] In addition to careful selection of the number of questions
in each part, the training environment should be structured, if
possible, to control the time intervals between questions. Recall
that the time intervals need not be too large. If the training
environment includes too many distractions, such as telephone
calls, emails, pager pages, and/or conversations, then the
efficiency of training may decrease.
[0128] One advantage of the Lock-In Training system is that no
tests are required at the completion of training. It has been found
that if a student user successfully completes a properly configured
Lock-In Training course, as discussed in Section 5.9 below, then
the student user will have learned the material in the course.
Thus, there is no need to require the student user to take a
separate test. By eliminating the testing requirements, student
users are likely to be more relaxed and have increased long-term
retention of the material.
[0129] Another advantage of the Lock-In Training system is that
slow learners can take as much time as they need to take Lock-In
Training courses. In addition, fast learners can spend only as much
time as they need to take the courses. However, regardless of the
time taken to complete the Lock-In Training courses, both the slow
learner and the fast learner will have learned the course
materials.
[0130] Still another advantage of the Lock-In Training system is
that the system allows student users to efficiently relearn any
materials that the student user may have forgotten after taking a
Lock-In Training course. For example, if a student user has
forgotten the 2.sup.nd President of the United States, then the
user could retake the Introductory round and/or the Retention
rounds of a "Presidents of the United States" Lock-In Training
course to rapidly relearn the 2.sup.nd President. The time to
retake a Lock-In Training course to relearn forgotten material is a
fraction of the time that it takes to initially take the Lock-In
Training course. Thus, the student user can rapidly relearn the
needed material.
5.9 TRAINING DAYS
[0131] Section 5.8 discussed how spaced repetition within a Lock-In
Training session increases long-term retention of material.
Long-term retention can be further increased by spaced repetition
of sessions. For example, answering questions on a first day, then
re-answering the same questions on second and third days has been
found to increase long-term retention of the answers. Thus, as
discussed in Section 5.6, some embodiments of the invention allow a
client administrator or a system administrator to enter the number
of training days that a student must complete in a Lock-In Training
session or course. Thus, in order to compete a Lock-In Training
course, a student user may be required to answer the same questions
on 2, 3, 4, 5 or more days. In some embodiments of the invention,
the days must be consecutive. However, in other embodiments of the
invention, the days need not be consecutive. In such embodiments of
the invention, consecutive training sessions may be required to be
completed within a predetermined number of days, such as 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, or more days, to count toward the completion of a Lock-In
Training course.
[0132] In some embodiments of the invention, each training day is
configured similarly. For example, if a client administrator enters
information into a database that requires three identical training
days, then student users may be required to take an Introductory
round and successfully complete the Retention rounds on each of the
three days. Similarly, a student user may only be required to
successfully complete the Retention rounds on each of the three
days.
[0133] In other embodiments of the invention, the training days are
configured differently. For example, a student may be required to
take an Introductory round and successfully complete the Retention
rounds on the first training day. Then, on the second, third, and
forth training days, the student user would only be required to
successfully compete the Retention rounds.
[0134] By configuring the number of training days and the
requirements of each training day, a client administrator or a
system administrator can optimize the configuration of a Lock-In
Training course.
5.10 STAND ALONE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0135] The above embodiments of the invention utilize a user
computer 105 that is coupled to a Lock-In Training Web site 110 via
a communications link such as the Internet or an Intranet. Such
embodiments of the invention are particularly useful for corporate
and government training in which the Lock-In Training courses are
configured by client administrators and/or system
administrators.
[0136] Another embodiment of the invention is a stand along
computer system that allows a student user to take a Lock-In
Training course without being coupled to another computer. One
example of such a computer system is shown in FIG. 23. The computer
system 2300 shown in FIG. 23 includes a computer 2310. Examples of
such computers include personal computers currently manufactured by
DELL COMPUTER CORPORATION, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES,
HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY and APPLE COMPUTER CORPORATION.
[0137] The computer 2310 includes a conventional audio system 2320.
The audio system 2320 is operable to convert a digital data stream
into an analog electrical signal that can be output by a speaker,
such as a computer speaker or a headphone. Because of the
significant size of digital data streams, such streams are commonly
compressed and stored in compressed audio streams. Such digital
data streams, whether compressed or uncompressed and whether stored
in memory or on a disk drive, will be referred to as "audio
streams." The audio system 2320 also includes the ability to
convert audio electrical signals from a microphone (not shown) into
a digital data stream. This digital data stream can be processed by
voice recognition software executing on computer 2310.
[0138] The computer 2310 is coupled to one or more input devices
such as a mouse 2330 or a keyboard 2340. The computer 2310 may also
use alternative input devices such as touch screens, touch pads,
and/or microphones (not shown). The computer 2310 may also be
coupled to a display device such as a computer monitor 2350. Other
computer systems may not be coupled to a display device. For
example, such a computer system may output information to a user
via a speaker 2360 and/or a printer 2370.
[0139] The computer 2310 can also be coupled to one or more
speakers 2360. The speakers 2360 may be stand-alone computer
speakers such as are commonly utilized with desktop computer
systems. Alternatively, the speakers 2360 may be integrated into
the computer 2310 as is common with modern laptop computer systems.
In addition, the speakers 2360 may be headphone speakers that are
typically worn by a user. The speakers 2360 are operable to convert
an electrical signal, which is output from the computer 2310, into
audible tones.
[0140] The computer 2310 may also include a number of other
subsystems that are typical in modern computers. For example, the
computer 2310 may include a network device 2375, such as an
Ethernet card or a modem, that is operable to transfer data to and
from other computer systems and/or servers. In addition, the
computer 2310 may include one or more program storage devices, such
as Random Access Memory (RAM) 2380, a floppy disk drive 2385, a
hard disk drive 2387, a CD disk drive 2390, and/or a DVD disk drive
2395. Additional program storage devices include flash memory (not
shown), floppy disks (not shown), CDROM disks (not shown), and DVD
disks (not shown). Each of the above program storage devices can be
utilized to store computer programs, databases, audio streams,
movies, and/or images. In some embodiments of the invention, the
computer 2310 is running an operating system such as a MICROSOFT
WINDOWS operating system, a UNIX operating system, a LINUX
operating system, or an APPLE operating system.
[0141] In some embodiments of the invention, one or more program
storage devices store a computer program. The computer programs may
be downloaded from other computer systems via network device 2375
or may be included in program storage devices, such as floppy
disks, flash memory, CDROM disks, or DVD disks, that are inserted
into the computer 2310.
[0142] The computer programs may include or reference one or more
Lock-In Training courses, each of which may include a number of
sessions, parts, questions, and answers. In addition, the computer
programs may include or reference movies, audio streams, and/or
images to ensure appropriate time intervals between question
answers. The computer programs include computer instructions, that
when executed by computer 2310, allow the user to take one or more
Lock-In Training courses, each of which include one or more
Introductory rounds and/or Retention rounds. Thus, the computer
programs, when executed by the computer 2310 typically display
computer screens, such as those shown in FIGS. 2 through 22 on the
computer monitor 2350. The computer program may generate and/or
display Web documents. Alternatively, the computer program may
display windows that have similar functionality without using HTTP
protocols. For example, the computer program may be a C++ program
that utilizes graphical routines such as DIRECTX or OPENGL graphics
routines to display text and graphics on computer monitor 2350.
[0143] The computer programs may also receive information from the
user via the mouse 2330, the keyboard 2340, or another input
device, such as microphone, number pad, or touch pad, and update
computer screens in response to the received information. For
example, if a user enters keywords via the keyboard 2340, then the
computer program receives the keywords and updates computer screen
displays in response to those keywords. As a result, the user can
select and take Lock-In Training courses at the computer 2310 when
the computer 2310 is not connected to any other computer.
[0144] In some embodiments of the invention, computer 2310 may
store information related to the student user's training
activities. Thus, the student user can utilize such information to
confirm the student user's training activities. For example, after
completing a Lock-In Training course, the student user may provide
a file that contains some or all of the information stored in the
"User Course," "User Sessions," and "User Part" tables of the
database shown in FIG. 1B to the student user's teacher.
Alternatively, computer 2310 may send such information to the
teacher's computer or website via network device 2375. After
reviewing the information, the teacher can confirm that the student
user successfully completed the assigned Lock-In Training
course(s).
[0145] The computer 2310 is not required to have a Web browser.
However, if the computer 2310 does include a Web browser and a
network device 2375, then the computer 2310 could replace the user
computer 105 in the Lock-In Training system shown in FIG. 1A.
5.11 OTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0146] In some embodiments of the invention, student users may be
required to timely enter personal information to insure that the
student, as opposed to another individual, is taking the Lock-In
Training course. For example, the student user may be requested to
enter the student user's birthday when taking an Introductory
round. Similarly, the student user may be requested to enter the
student user's mother's maiden name when taking a Retention
round.
[0147] In still other embodiments of the invention, the computer
program may utilize biometric identifiers during training to insure
that the student, as opposed to another individual, is taking the
Lock-In Training course. For example, a computer program could take
a digital picture of the student user using a digital camera (not
shown) when the student user is entering in keywords. Similarly,
the student user could be requested to periodically place the
student user's finger in a fingerprint reader. In addition, the
digital images could be utilized to ensure that the student is not
copying answers from another source of information in the Retention
rounds.
5.12 CONCLUSION
[0148] The foregoing descriptions of embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and
description only. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to
limit the present invention to the forms disclosed. Accordingly,
many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners
skilled in the art. For example, while the above description
utilized questions and answers that included only words, the
Lock-In Training system could be utilized with graphics, symbols,
numbers, and/or sounds. For example, a question for an elementary
school student could be to make the sound that corresponds to a
graphic image of a cow. The student could then successfully answer
the question by making a "mooing" sound into a microphone attached
to a user computer. Similarly, the answer to a question could
include words other than English words and/or symbols, such as "!,"
and "@" Additionally, the above disclosure is not intended to limit
the present invention.
[0149] The above descriptions of embodiments of the present
invention include words such as "first," "then," and "next." These
words indicate a sequence of acts. Many of the sequences can be
modified within the scope of the invention. Thus, unless the result
of a first act is required for a second act, then the language
indicating a sequence should not be considered to be a limitation
to the invention. Similarly, the phrase "for example," is intended
to be illustrative and not limiting.
[0150] Many of the numerous embodiments described above can be
combined to form a very powerful training system. Such combinations
are intended to be within the scope of the invention. For example,
combining an Internet based Lock-In Training system with a
standalone Lock-In Training system would provide a powerful
training system.
[0151] While the invention has been described above with reference
to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, these
embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not
to limit the scope of the invention. Accordingly the scope of the
present invention is defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *