Abstract:
Apparatus and methodology employable in an e-learning environment which links with a selected e-learning management system to respond to e-learning benchmarks, and other events relating to e-learning activities, by offering buildable student bank accounts of value points which can be redeemed for various incentive awards that are made known and available to a participating student via a virtual store which is configurable freely to show and describe, and to present values of, such awards. Award inventory, award value, and the relationship which exists between made-available awards and particular benchmarked learning activities, or other events, are freely and widely reconfigurable and modifiable in various ways by a host who manages and configures the system and methodology of the invention.

Description:
GENERAL INTRODUCTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to the so-called field of electronic learning, referred to hereinafter as e-learning, and in particular, to a system, apparatus and methodology for offering, electronically, various incentives for promoting a student&#39;s e-learning activities. While there are many specific settings and applications wherein the present invention has utility, a preferred embodiment and manner of practicing the invention are described herein in the setting, as an illustration, of furnishing learning incentives to corporate sales employees in relation to their improving things such as corporate product-understanding, sales techniques and approaches, and other associated customer-relation and sales skills.  
           [0002]    Included in the invention, from a systemic and apparatus point of view, is interface structure which is designed to be connectable to a conventional e-learning management system, the specific components of which are not per se any part of the present invention. Such a connection is made for the purpose of receiving appropriate information from that learning management system regarding various identified e-learning activities of students who are engaged with one or more e-learning subject areas. For example, information from such a management system might typically report, among a number of other things, that a particular student has, on a certain date, and/or over a certain period of time, and/or in a certain pattern of engagement, participated in and completed certain specified-subject e-learning activities. This information, as well as information (still to be described) relating to other kinds of events and activities, is employed, in accordance with practice of the present invention, to establish a student-specific, point-count “award bank deposit” from which a progressing e-learning student can “withdraw” and “spend” specified numbers of previously deposited points to acquire various incentive awards, such as products, special trips, and other “award items”, as determined by the party hosting and managing the related incentive system. The relationship which exists between an incentivized e-learning activity and an associated incentive award is referred to herein as being a point-count relationship.  
           [0003]    Configuration and management of the incentive system of this invention can be performed to give the system, as far as an engaging student is concerned, various kinds of specific looks and feels. It can be constructed, and modified when desired, to offer an array of different kinds of awards which are keyed to easily selectable and re-designable e-learning accomplishment benchmarks (events which are assigned certain point values), as determined by the configuring and managing, hosting party. System management, according to the invention, includes, among other things, providing for the creation and obtaining of various kinds of event/activity/inventory/etc. reports, such as reports regarding (a) points awarded in some unit of time, (b) points “liability” in terms of “callable” awards, (c) specific inventory levels of various items, (d) “hot” items, (e) “lesser-interest” items, etc. The party performing such management function is referred to herein as a host. Typically, the hosting party will be either third-party provider of incentive-promotion capability, or the employer per se of the student participating in incentivized e-learning activity.  
           [0004]    When a student engaged in an e-learning activity which is being monitored by the incentive structure of this invention completes various particular activities, the interface mentioned earlier receives information (a trigger occurrence) about that student&#39;s progress and accomplishments. In accordance with a point-value schedule which has been determined by the host of the incentive system, the student&#39;s “e-point bank account” is incremented by a certain point value, with the student then having the opportunity, at any moment in time, and through network communication with that bank account, to monitor bank-account point balance, and also to peruse the offerings of incentive awards through a virtual “store” which is made available to participating students. When a student has achieved a point-value accomplishment level which matches with a particular award made available for that level of accomplishment, the student can elect to request that award, which request is appropriately communicated, typically via e-network communication, to a suitable fulfillment “organization” which then delivers the earned and requested award to the student. Redeeming of earned and banked points causes a decrementing withdrawal to take place from the student&#39;s point-value bank account.  
           [0005]    The system and methodology for incentivizing e-learning activities, in accordance with this invention, is highly and very freely re-configurable and manageable to respond to various e-learning accomplishments with various kinds of incentive awards. Preferably the system of the invention is maintained in a condition wherein it is readily coupleable and de-coupleable from one or many e-learning management systems so that it can be prepared to respond appropriately to different kinds and styles of e-learning activities that are “managed” and followed by such an associated learning management system, or systems. It is also possible, of course, for the system and methodology of this invention selectively to become dedicatedly connected, for different periods of time, to particular e-learning management systems, if that is what a user of the invention wishes.  
           [0006]    Various other features and advantages that are offered by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description which now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a block/schematic diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment and manner of practicing the present invention in the setting of a particular external e-learning management system which is designed to follow e-learning activities of various students who are given the opportunity to engage in a particular selection of e-learning activities.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is a block/schematic diagram focusing attention on the internal structure and operation of the e-learning incentivizing portions of the system and methodology of the present invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a block/schematic diagram illustrating generally further details of the two blocks in FIG. 2 which are labeled “Look-Up Activity Table” and “Activity Value”. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]    Turning now to the drawings, and referring first of all to FIG. 1, here, illustrated generally at  10 , is an e-learning environment which includes incentivizing apparatus  12  which is made in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which apparatus is shown in FIG. 1 to be cooperating with a conventional e-learning management system, or structure,  14 . The two arrows which point toward one another at location  16  herein illustrate a circumstance wherein apparatus  12  and management system  14  are connectable and interconnectable with one another, with the double arrow heads being interpretable as reflecting a circumstance where, in fact, these two things are directly connected to one another for cooperation. A bracket  16 A is employed in FIG. 1 to represent another circumstance wherein, in a specialized e-learning environment, apparatus  12  and learning management system  14  are dedicatedly coupled to one another.  
         [0011]    Shown in FIG. 1 by blocks labeled internally 1, 2 and N are three different students who are coupled operatively to learning management system  14  for the purpose of engaging in different selected e-learning activities contained within a block in FIG. 1 which is referenced by number  18 . For the purpose of illustration herein, the various learning activities which are made available to students via block  18  are activities specifically associated with the field of product sales. Each of the illustrated students is offered the opportunity to elect to engage in an e-learning activity selected from within block  18 , which engagement will be monitored by learning management system  14 . A bracket shown at  18 A in FIG. 1 represents an operative interconnection between blocks  14 ,  18 .  
         [0012]    According to the practice of the invention, specific activities that are engaged in by students are reported in various different ways by management system  14  through connection  16  to apparatus  12 . There are many different kinds of activities and/or events which can be reported through this connection and several illustrations include reports that relate (a) to the completion of a particular learning activity by a given student, (b) to the completion of that activity in conjunction with prior completions of other e-learning activities, (c) to the completion of a selected learning activity within a certain period of time, or at a certain particular point in time, (d) to the length of time taken by a student to complete a particular selected learning activity, and so on.  
         [0013]    Included in apparatus  12  in accordance with this invention are a reporting interface structure  20  which is connected to receive information directly from learning management system  14 , and an e-learning incentive generator  22 . A bracket  24  represents the presence of an operative connection  26  between interface  20  and incentive generator  22 .  
         [0014]    Shown immediately adjacent the upper and right sides of apparatus  12  in FIG. 1, are three blocks,  28 ,  30 ,  32  which represent, respectively, (a) a Host for implementing selectable reconfiguration and management, as will shortly be discussed, of and within the character of apparatus  12 , (b) an award fulfillment system which is connected, as shown at  34 , to generator  22  for the purpose of implementing a student or user selection of an e-learning incentivized award, and (c) physical inventory of available awards operatively coupled to generator  22  though a connection shown at  36 .  
         [0015]    Host  28  represents herein two different specific hosting entities, one of which might be a third party (remote) provider of incentivizing award management to a corporate employer subscriber for use of the apparatus embodied in block  12 , or the hosting entity might just as well be that corporate employer (local, or self) per se. Hosting activities include both acts of configuration and management with respect to the character and operation of what is contained in apparatus  12 . An illustration of such hosting activity includes (a) adding to and subtracting from, or modifying, awards that are to be made available for the completions of different kinds of e-learning student activities or events, (b) the variable establishing of point-value counts which will relate to the opportunity provided to an e-learning student for acquiring certain incentive awards, and (c) the establishing of recognizable extraneous events, such as noting that a current e-learning student has referred another student for use of the elements shown in environment  10 . Thus, for example, a student might be entitled to receive a complimentary point count of some selected value simply by having encouraged another prospective student to begin employing apparatus  12  in conjunction with learning activities drawn from block  18 . A hosting party can also make other changes, such as, for example, changes in the overall look and feel of the particular interface or interfaces that are presented to a student user employing the system (and methodology) of this invention. The connection which exists between Host  28  and block  12  is referred to herein as a hosting input. This same connection is also referred to herein both as a structure for assigning reward-item values, and as a structure for assigning e-learning accomplishment values.  
         [0016]    Another aspect of hosting includes enabling and practicing the creation and delivery of different, selectable management reports, such as reports relating to (a) the number of points which have been earned/delivered during a particular time period, (b) the current level of points “liability” regarding earned but yet unredeemed points, (c) current inventory levels of awardable awards, and so on.  
         [0017]    It should be mentioned here that the various different kinds of connections that are shown between certain blocks pictured in FIG. 1 are preferably, though not necessarily, network type connections, including an Internet type connection, and various local area or wider-area network connections. The type of such a connection is not important to implementation and practice of the present invention.  
         [0018]    In general terms, a student who is positioned to engage in selected e-learning activities from block  18 , has what is referred to herein as a point-value bank account created within block  22  for the purpose of collecting value points in relation to completions of activities, such as those which have been mentioned above. When the student, in relation to engagement with an e-learning activity, completes certain tasks, and/or passes certain benchmarks of activity, the connection established between blocks  12 ,  14  results in a report being given to the structure within block  12  which, if related to a student activity for which incentive points can be awarded, causes the right number of such points to be “deposited” in that student&#39;s bank account of incentive value points. At any point in time wherein a student wishes to review, and perhaps make use of, banked value points, that student can easily gain access to his or her “bank account”, note the number of points, and ask to review potentially available awards, and their values, for the purpose of making a selection to receive an award, if the appropriate number of value points are available to do that.  
         [0019]    When a student elects to receive an award based upon having chosen one from those that are available, the user&#39;s determination to do this is communicated to fulfillment block  30 , invocation of which results in the selected award being “delivered” to the student. Selection and redemption of value points for awards causes a particular student&#39;s bank account balance to be decremented by the number of points required to obtain the selected award. The fulfillment block works in conjunction with physical inventory block  32  for the purpose of being certain that a deliverable award in the category requested is available, and also that there is an appropriate interaction with inventory block  32  to adjust the level of available inventory accordingly. The interconnection between blocks  30 ,  32  also, of course, allows the fulfillment block to “know” whether and what awards at any moment in time are available.  
         [0020]    As was mentioned above in the description of the several drawing figures, the componentry illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 further details pieces and parts of the contents of block  12 . One will note in FIG. 1 that block  22  is outlined by dash-dot lines, and that this very same character of outline is shown in FIG. 2 for the purpose of relating the componentry shown in FIG. 2 to the region in block  12  in FIG. 1 where this componentry sits, namely, within incentive generator block  22 .  
         [0021]    What is shown in FIG. 3, and what is surrounded therein by dashed lines, relates to the two blocks in FIG. 2 which are also surrounded by dashed lines—namely, the two blocks labeled “ACTIVITY VALUE” and “LOOK-UP ACTIVITY TABLE”.  
         [0022]    Thus, the several blocks which are directly pictured in FIG. 2 include a Look-Up Activity Table block  38 , an Activity Value block  40 , a User Point Bank block  42 , a Virtual Store block  44 , a Point Account Manager block  46 , an Item/Cost block  48 , and an Available Inventory block  50 . Blocks  38 ,  40  are shown connected through an arrow-headed line  47 . Also illustrated within the confines of the outlined componentry pictured in FIG. 2 is a block  52  which represents an external user interface, such as a web-browser interface, which is operatively connected to the virtual store block by a dashed line  54 . Previously mentioned connections  34 .  36 , and connection  26  originally discussed with respect to FIG. 1, are also generally shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0023]    Referring now specifically to FIG. 3, here, shown within a dashed-line rectangle  56  (which is also so pictured in FIG. 2) are elements which can be thought of as being different parts of blocks  38 ,  40  in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the blocks which are numbered internally 1, 2 and 3, and n represent specific e-learning activities, and associated point values, which have been configured and designated by a host, such as previously mentioned Host  28 . These activities and events directly relate to different categories of awardable, incentivized activities, like those mentioned earlier herein.  
         [0024]    Effectively, when a student user is engaged with, or has just been engaged with, an e-learning activity drawn from block  18 , that fact, and the specific engaged-in activity, are reported through connection  16  and interface  20  (FIG. 1) to block  38  which operates like a look up table to define which if any of the specified and point-valued activities (see FIG. 3) have been engaged in with benchmarks passed. An appropriately designated activity causes a report to be delivered to block  40  on completion of that activity, and a new additional point-value count is deposited in that student user&#39;s bank account, represented by block  42  in FIG. 2.  
         [0025]    Whenever that student/user wishes to ascertain what balance of value points exists in his or her bank account, that student simply calls up for a report from the appropriate bank account, whereupon he or she can see exactly the number of points, and perhaps the categories of points, that are available to that student for use with respect to redeeming incentive awards.  
         [0026]    The student can also gain access to the virtual store represented by block  44  to see just what different awards may be available at that point in time in relation to the bank account value of accumulated points in that student&#39;s bank account. Information provided by the virtual store is based upon, at least in part, information furnished from (a) block  48 , and (b) through block  50  from physical inventory block  32 , thus arming the virtual store to be aware of available inventory, and also to be aware of the associated and assigned point value levels assigned to each such activity.  
         [0027]    Through an appropriate external user interface, such as a web browser interface like that suggested by block  52  in FIG. 2, the student user is enabled, as an illustration, to view the contents available through the virtual store in both imagery and text forms. Accordingly, pictured within block  52  in FIG. 2 are two images  52   a ,  52   b , and text  52   c  which might, for example, generally describe what is shown in that imagery.  
         [0028]    When a student user acts to redeem a certain point value for the purpose of receiving a related award, this wish is communicated via previously mentioned connection  34  to fulfillment block  30  which then, under the management of appropriate fulfillment personnel wherever, responds to that request by fulfilling the redemption “order”.  
         [0029]    It will thus be apparent that the system and methodology proposed by this invention uniquely link award-incentivizing capability to an associated e-learning management system with respect to selected e-learning activities engaged in by various different participating students. The benchmarks, for example, which are decided upon as worthy of incentivizing and linking to awards are freely and widely selectable and configurable at any time by an incentive host. And indeed, the entire complexion, look and feel, internal operating characteristics, etc., of the incentive system of this invention are readily changeable/reconfigurable at any selected time.  
         [0030]    Preferably, the apparatus of this invention is freely coupleable and uncoupleable at will with one or more e-learning management systems, such as system  14 . In certain instances, however, a user of the invention may wish to create a more dedicated, but nevertheless modifiable, connection between a specific e-learning management system and the incentivizing structure of the invention, and this is entirely doable.  
         [0031]    It should be understood that what has been described above with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and  3 , and particularly what has been described in a systemic, apparatus manner, also operates fully to describe the methodology of the present invention. Accordingly, what is pictured in FIGS. 1, 2 and  3  can be viewed as reflecting method components of this invention.  
         [0032]    Also, it will be readily apparent to those generally skilled in the art that there are many different ways to implement, typically by way of software, the structures and activities pictured within FIGS. 1, 2 and  3 , and accordingly, no great detail is given herein with respect to the internal makeup and workings of these various pictured structural and activity blocks.  
         [0033]    Thus, while a preferred embodiment of the invention, and a preferred manner of practicing the same, have been specifically illustrated and described herein, it is appreciated that variations and modifications may be made without departing form the spirit of this invention.