LESSON PLAN PRESENTATION

A computer-implemented method includes identifying a user interface. The method includes identifying a lesson plan. The lesson plan includes a plurality of questions, each of the plurality of questions having associated therewith a correct answer. The method includes receiving an access request for the user interface. The method includes presenting, via the user interface, one of the plurality of questions. The method includes receiving an answer via the user interface. The method is responsive to the answer meeting one or more correctness criteria. The method includes granting the access request. A corresponding computer program product and computer system are also disclosed.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the field of educational questioning software, and more particularly to lesson plan presentation in the context of self-paced questioning systems.

Educational software for teaching or self-learning software may include coursework, assessments, and reference materials, as well as interactive systems that present users with questions on a topic of study, according to a lesson plan. Educational questioning software may be self-paced such that a user determines when he or she utilizes the educational software as opposed to other features of the computing device. Users of self-paced systems face challenges in completing self-learning questions in a diligent manner.

SUMMARY

A computer-implemented method includes identifying a user interface. The method includes identifying a lesson plan. The lesson plan includes a plurality of questions, each of the plurality of questions having associated therewith a correct answer. The method includes receiving an access request for the user interface. The method includes presenting, via the user interface, one of the plurality of questions. The method includes receiving an answer via the user interface. The method is responsive to the answer meeting one or more correctness criteria. The method includes granting the access request. A corresponding computer program product and computer system are also disclosed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the invention in more detail,FIG. 1is a block diagram displaying an exemplary operational environment suitable for operation of at least one embodiment of the invention. An operational environment100includes an access request110, an answer120, a user interface130, a lesson plan presenting program140, and a lesson plan150, which includes an educational content160and a question170, all in mutual communication and interconnected via the operational environment100. The operational environment100may be a cloud-based, virtual, or distributed environment or a remote environment on defined server hardware, or, more generally, the operational environment100may be any type of environment suitable for access by the user interface130of the lesson plan presenting program140.

The user interface130is a space where interactions between a user and a computing device occur. The computing device may be a mobile device, laptop computer, desktop computer, or general computing device. For example, the user interface130may be a touchscreen on a mobile device. The user interface130may include an interface system selected from a group consisting of: a touchscreen, a non-touch sensitive display, one or more mechanical buttons, one or more capacitive buttons, a keyboard, a soft keyboard, a handwriting interface, an external human interface device, a global positioning system receiver, a camera, a microphone, a speaker, a light emitting device, and a light sensor. The interface system includes any way by which the computing device is able to receive input and/or display the question170or the educational content160.

For example, in embodiments where the interface system includes a touchscreen, a mechanical button, a capacitive button, a keyboard, and/or a soft keyboard the computing device is able to receive input responsive to a user touching a particular portion of the computing device. The computing device may also be responsive to various properties of touch, including sensing differences in touch pressure, the presence of multiple touches, touch motions or gestures, and sequences of touches. In embodiments where the interface system includes a non-touch sensitive display, such as a display enabled to understand eye movement or voice commands. In such an embodiment, the computing device may receive input responsive to blinking, eye movement, or sound. Such an embodiment may include a camera, a microphone, and/or a speaker as a part of the interface system. In embodiments where the interface system includes a handwriting interface, the computing device may receive input responsive to a user writing words in a natural language, such as English, and the computing device identifying what words were written. In embodiment where the interface system includes an external human interface device, the computing device may respond to input from a remote source, such as a joystick, or another computing device.

In some embodiments, the user interface130may receive geographical information as input from an onboard global positioning system receiver. For example, a particular education lesson plan may include tracking a user's movement, such as directing the user to follow a particular path. In such an embodiment, the user interface130receives input from the user via the global positioning system receiver, as the user travels. In embodiments where the interface system includes a light emitting device, the user interface130may display the question170or the educational content160via the light emitting device. The light emitting device may be within an interface system including the touchscreen, the non-touch sensitive display, and/or the speaker. In embodiments where the interface system includes a light sensor the user interface130may receive input responsive to a user changing how much light the light sensor is exposed to, such as by tapping in Morse code.

The access request110may be understood as an attempt by a user to use a particular function of the computing device. For example, the access request110may be powering on the computing device. The access request110may be an attempt to open a particular website or social media application. The access request110may be time-sensitive. For example, it may be predetermined that any attempt to access a particular website after 10:00 pm is the access request110whereas attempts earlier in the day are defined not to be the access request110. A user may input the access request110to the lesson plan presenting program140via the user interface130.

The lesson plan150may be understood as a schedule for learning or practicing a particular subject matter area. The lesson plan150may be for a particular school subject, such as math or science, a plan to learn a foreign language, or a plan to learn a particular skill such knitting. The lesson plan150includes the educational content160and the question170. The educational content160is any educational material that can be presented via the user interface130. The educational content160may be in a medium selected from a group consisting of: video content, image content, diagram content, audio content, and text content. The question170is a question expressed in a natural language, such as English, that may be presented via the user interface130. A user may answer the question170via the user interface130by inputting the answer120. The question170is associated with a correct answer and correctness criteria. For example, the question170may be “what color is the sky?” to which the correct answer is “blue.” Correctness criteria may be for the answer120to be the correct answer. Correctness criteria may also be for the answer120to have been inputted via the user interface130within a predetermined timeframe. For example, correctness criteria may include producing a sound, such as a C-major scale or a word in a foreign language. Correctness criteria may include drawing a picture. Correctness criteria may include writing a free response answer.

FIG. 2is a flowchart depicting the operational steps of the lesson plan presenting program140, executing within the operational environment100ofFIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

At step200, the lesson plan presenting program140identifies the user interface130. Identifying may include a user explicitly calling the lesson plan presenting program140from a command line interface using a reference to the user interface130as an argument. Alternatively, receiving may include automated calls to the lesson plan presenting program140, for example, from an integrated development environment or as part of a lesson plan presenting program management system.

At step210, the lesson plan presenting program140identifies the lesson plan150, which includes the educational content160and the question170. The lesson plan150may include more than one education content items and more than one question. Each question included in the lesson plan150is associated with a correct answer.

At step220, the lesson plan presenting program140receives the access request110via the user interface130.

At step230, the lesson plan presenting program140presents the question170via the user interface130. Presenting may include displaying the question170via a user interface display. Presenting may include emitting the question170from a microphone. Presenting may include overriding the access request110such that the access request110is denied or temporarily denied. Presenting may include interrupting the access request110such that the access request110cannot be granted until a correct answer is inputted to the lesson plan presenting program140via the user interface130.

In some embodiments, the lesson plan presenting program140may create an answer history. The answer history may be based on previous responses to previous questions that were posed by the lesson plan presenting program140. The lesson plan presenting program140may catalog and organize which questions a user answered correctly and incorrectly via the answer history. For example, the answer history may include information that the user answers questions about a first topic correctly 95% of the time, but only answers questions about a second topic correctly 50% of the time. The lesson plan presenting program140may select which question within the lesson plan150to present based on the answer history. For example, the lesson plan presenting program140may preferentially select a question that addresses the second topic, because the user has a history of answering questions from that topic incorrectly. In some embodiments, the lesson plan150includes a question bank with questions such as the question170. Each question within the question bank may have properties associated with it, such as topics, sub-topics, or difficulty. The lesson plan150may have a predetermined ordering for the presentation of questions within the question bank. In such an embodiment, the lesson plan presenting program140may update the ordering for the presentation of question within the question bank based on the answer history and the properties associated with each question. In other embodiments, the lesson plan150may randomly present questions from the question bank. In such embodiments, the lesson plan presenting program140may begin preferentially selecting questions from the question bank based on the answer history and the properties associated with each question. The lesson plan presenting program140may begin to preferentially select questions from the question bank after a predetermined number of questions are answered incorrectly. For example, the lesson plan presenting program140may randomly present questions until three are answered correctly. After three questions are answered incorrectly, the lesson plan presenting program140may select a question with a similar topic or sub-topic as the questions answered incorrectly.

At step240, the lesson plan presenting program140receives the answer120via the user interface130.

At step260, the lesson plan presenting program140determines whether the answer120meets the correctness criteria for the question170. The correctness criteria may be that the answer120is the correct answer. The correctness criteria may be that the answer120was inputted within a particular timeframe.

If yes, the answer120does meet the correctness criteria for the question170, the lesson plan presenting program140proceeds to step280. At step280, the lesson plan presenting program140grants the access request110. Granting the access request110may mean fulfilling the access request110. For example, if the access request110was to access a particular social media application, granting the access request110may mean opening the particular social media application. In other embodiments, such as where the access request110was turning on the computing device, granting the access request110may be allowing the user to utilize all features of the computing device uninterrupted.

If no, the answer120does not meet the correctness criteria for the question170, the lesson plan presenting program140proceeds to step270. At step270, the lesson plan presenting program140presents another question, similar but not the same as the question170, via the user interface130. In some embodiments, the lesson plan presenting program140identifies a wait-timer. The wait-timer may be associated with a predetermined amount of time. The lesson plan presenting program140may wait a predetermined amount of time before presenting another question. In some embodiments, the lesson plan presenting program140will be responsive to several answer attempt inputs and only present another question after waiting the predetermined amount of time. The wait-timer may be initiated after the question170is presented. In some embodiments, the lesson plan presenting program140may present another question after waiting the predetermined amount of time. In such an embodiment, the lesson plan presenting program140may present another question even if a user has not directly inputted an answer. In such an embodiment, the lesson plan presenting program140may identify a lack of input from a user as an answer120that does not meet the correctness criteria, similar to leaving a question blank.

FIG. 3is a flowchart depicting operational steps for the lesson plan presenting program140for presenting educational material in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

If, at step360the lesson plan presenting program140determines no, the answer120does not meet the correctness criteria for the question170, the lesson plan presenting program140proceeds to step375. At step375the lesson plan presenting program140presents the educational content160, via the user interface130. As the lesson plan presenting program140is presenting the educational content160, the lesson plan presenting program140may continue to deny the access request110.

In some embodiments, the lesson plan presenting program140may ask another question, such as or similar to the question170, within the lesson plan150after presenting the educational content160. In some embodiments, the lesson plan presenting program140may receive a predetermined number of incorrect answers before presenting the educational content160. For example, the lesson plan presenting program140may give a user three tries to correctly answer a question before presenting the educational content160.

FIG. 4is a block diagram depicting components of a computer400suitable for executing the lesson plan presenting program140.FIG. 4displays the computer400, the one or more processor(s)404(including one or more computer processors), the communications fabric402, the memory406, the RAM416, the cache416, the persistent storage408, the communications unit410, the I/O interfaces412, the display420, and the external devices418. It should be appreciated thatFIG. 4provides only an illustration of one embodiment and does not imply any limitations with regard to the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environment may be made.

As depicted, the computer400operates over a communications fabric402, which provides communications between the cache416, the computer processor(s)404, the memory406, the persistent storage408, the communications unit410, and the input/output (I/O) interface(s)412. The communications fabric402may be implemented with any architecture suitable for passing data and/or control information between the processors404(e.g., microprocessors, communications processors, and network processors, etc.), the memory406, the external devices418, and any other hardware components within a system. For example, the communications fabric402may be implemented with one or more buses or a crossbar switch.

The memory406and persistent storage408are computer readable storage media. In the depicted embodiment, the memory406includes a random access memory (RAM). In general, the memory406may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile implementations of one or more computer readable storage media. The cache416is a fast memory that enhances the performance of computer processor(s)404by holding recently accessed data, and data near accessed data, from memory406.

Program instructions for the lesson plan presenting program140may be stored in the persistent storage408or in memory406, or more generally, any computer readable storage media, for execution by one or more of the respective computer processors404via the cache416. The persistent storage408may include a magnetic hard disk drive. Alternatively, or in addition to a magnetic hard disk drive, the persistent storage408may include, a solid state hard disk drive, a semiconductor storage device, read-only memory (ROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, or any other computer readable storage media that is capable of storing program instructions or digital information.

The media used by the persistent storage408may also be removable. For example, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage408. Other examples include optical and magnetic disks, thumb drives, and smart cards that are inserted into a drive for transfer onto another computer readable storage medium that is also part of the persistent storage408.

The communications unit410, in these examples, provides for communications with other data processing systems or devices. In these examples, the communications unit410may include one or more network interface cards. The communications unit410may provide communications through the use of either or both physical and wireless communications links. The lesson plan presenting program140may be downloaded to the persistent storage408through the communications unit410. In the context of some embodiments of the present invention, the source of the various input data may be physically remote to the computer400such that the input data may be received and the output similarly transmitted via the communications unit410.

The I/O interface(s)412allows for input and output of data with other devices that may operate in conjunction with the computer400. For example, the I/O interface412may provide a connection to the external devices418, which may include a keyboard, keypad, a touch screen, and/or some other suitable input devices. External devices418may also include portable computer readable storage media, for example, thumb drives, portable optical or magnetic disks, and memory cards. Software and data used to practice embodiments of the present invention may be stored on such portable computer readable storage media and may be loaded onto the persistent storage408via the I/O interface(s)412. The I/O interface(s)412may similarly connect to a display420. The display420provides a mechanism to display data to a user and may be, for example, a computer monitor.