Abstract:
The creation of course content for college and university courses, seminars, lectures, and other pedagogical activities has in the past relied heavily on a textbook. Using a textbook for course content creation creates a static, rigid course framework that fails to consider timely, relevant real world information that is dynamic and changing. This results in courses that are stagnant and hot well rounded. The present invention, and the various embodiments thereof, describes a computer based system and method for the creation and access of dynamic course content and associated media products. The present invention utilizes dynamic current content sources such as news, web sources, blogs, podcasts, user generated content, and other sources to create media products such as slides, videos, audio and the like. The media products of the present invention are keyed to the static framework of a textbook or textbooks, and are searchable, by textbook structure media structure, key terms, date range, and the like.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to educational course Content development, and more particularly to a computer based system and method for the creation and access of dynamic course content and associated media products. 
         [0003]    2. Description of related art 
         [0004]    Traditional courses that are taught in, for example, a college or university environment, often rely heavily on a textbook for course content. Over the years, many courses have been taught based on a chapter to chapter approach to learning. This approach has been proven to work well with static, and often times mature technical fields. With the continued growth in knowledge dissemination technologies driven by computers and networking, many fields of endeavor today change and evolve fairly quickly, leaving the static textbook model of course content development lacking current and timely information. In addition, textbooks are still largely bound and printed materials, which makes changes and updates difficult and costly. This disparity between, the need for current and timely information and the static confines of traditional textbooks has forced many textbook publishers to add supplemental materials to their textbook offerings. These supplemental materials may include videos, slides, supplements and addenda, course packs, ancillaries, and other such add-ons. The offering of supplemental materials by textbook publishers, while an improvement over the static nature of the textbook itself, is still, however, static. Although publishers have begun to provide a number of online resources in the form of online quizzes and interactive flash cards, for example, these are targeted at students and for the most part still remain fixed in nature, and do not adequately address the need for fresh, dynamic material in course content development. 
         [0005]    The addition of dynamic and current material to ah otherwise static textbook approach to learning has been recognized by many innovative faculty members, professors, and course instructors. Not only does the addition of such dynamic and current material add to the overall learning experience, but the use of current, real world applications of theoretical course concepts also captures the interest and attention of students, making classroom time more effective and productive. 
         [0006]    The task of locating, reviewing and using dynamic and current material in the development of course content has been relegated to those instructors who have the time, determination and energy to seek out relevant articles, news clippings, and other timely and current media information. Once appropriate content is found, it is often times out of date by the time a course is taught in subsequent quarters or semesters. This creates a burden on the instructor to continually seek out timely and relevant information for each upcoming class. The ongoing search for relevant and timely course content has in the past been very labor intensive, and as a result is often times not done with consistency and thoroughness. 
         [0007]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for the creation and access of dynamic course content. It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method for the creation and access of dynamic course content that correlates the structure of a selected textbook with current content media information. It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method for the creation and access of dynamic course content that correlates media products to current content. It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method for the creation and access of dynamic course content that has a search function for finding media products based on user search criteria. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a system and method for the creation and access of dynamic course content that can be accessed through a network. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a system and method for the creation and access of dynamic course content that allows a user to download media products based on user defined search and selection criteria. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for the creation of a dynamic course syllabus where current content is correlated to events in a course. These and other objects of the present invention will become evident to one skilled in the art after a review of this specification, claims, and the attached drawings. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a system and method for the creation and access of dynamic course content having a computer program for correlating textbook structure data and course concepts with media products, a user interface for interaction with the computer program, a database of textbook structure data and course concepts operatively coupled to said computer program, at least one dynamic content source used in the creation of said media products, and a search utility. 
         [0009]    The foregoing paragraph has been provided by way of introduction, and is not intended to limit the scope of this invention as defined by this specification, claims, and the attached drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0010]    The invention will be described by reference to the following drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements, and in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a diagram depicting a prior art approach to course content development; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a top level block diagram of course content development using the system of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a functional block diagram depicting the various logical components of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a top level data access diagram of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart depicting a typical user session of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a screenshot of one embodiment of the present invention showing a media search session by textbook structure; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a screenshot of one embodiment of the present invention showing a media search session by key term; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a screenshot of one embodiment of the present invention showing a media view following a media search session. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a flowchart depicting the syllabus creation routine of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIGS. 10-17  are various exemplary screenshots of the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0021]    The present invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment; however, it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the invention to the embodiment described. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by this specification, claims, and the attached drawings. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever. 
         [0023]    For a general understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals have been used throughout to designate identical elements. 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is a diagram  100  depicting a prior art approach to course content development. A basic understanding of a common prior art approach to course content development will aid in understanding the present invention and its various embodiments thereof. Referring to  FIG. 1 , static material such as a textbook, as well as ancillaries, course packs, and other material, as shown in block  101 , is often times used by an instructor, professor, faculty member, teacher, or other individual, to prepare course content for an upcoming course, seminar, class, session, lecture, or the like. The use of a textbook as the basis for course content has, in years past, been the de facto standard for course content development. The addition of instructor added materials  105  provides up-to-date, timely, and custom course content to the static textbook baseline. 
         [0025]    This need to supplement static materials continues to grow. As information exchange has become faster and more streamlined through progress in the communications arts (computers, television, video and audio sources, and the like), the textbook by itself for many disciplines has become mostly insufficient for course content development. Publishers of textbooks and others reacted by offering ancillary materials to supplement textbooks, course packs, and other material. This was all offered up to the individual preparing the course content  103 . The disadvantage to such an approach is that this supplemental material is still primarily static in nature, and still does not represent timely, current real-world information. In addition, keeping these ancillary materials up to date is itself a chore. 
         [0026]    The instructor, professor, faculty member, teacher, or other individual preparing the course content was driven to seek out supplemental, timely real-world materials. These miscellaneous instructor-added materials  105  were added to the course content  103  in an attempt to keep course content fresh, current, and interesting, There were also those instructors who would abandon the static textbook model altogether, and instead prepare course content strictly from materials located, gathered, and prepared by the instructor. Of course, the prior art processes described by way of  FIG. 1  were, and still are, inefficient, time consuming, and in need of a better system for course content development. 
         [0027]    Turning now to  FIG. 2 , a top level block diagram  200  of course content development using the system of the present invention is depicted. Static material  201  such as a textbook, ancillaries, course packs and other material is mapped to a computer program  207 . The mapping uses the data relationships contained in the static material, such as title, chapter, author, publisher, ISBN number, year of publication, key terms, and the like. Current content  205 , such as business news, web sources, podcasts, blogs, and user generated content, is also received by the computer program  207 . The current content  205  is used, in some embodiments of the present invention, to generate media products (not shown in  FIG. 2 ). The current content  205  is dynamic, and is updated on a regular basis either through the computer program  207 , manually, or through an external mechanism. The mapping, of static material  201  with dynamic current content  205  by way of the computer program  207  produces the useful and tangible output of course content  203 . The course content  203  produced by way of the present invention is enriched over course content developed by prior art approaches such as those described in  FIG. 1 . The present; invention further contains functional elements that are described by way of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0028]    In  FIG. 3 , a functional block diagram  300  depicting the various logical components of the present invention is illustrated. The various logical components described are contained either in, or operatively coupled with, the application software  301 . A database or other data schema containing textbook structure  303  is used to map or otherwise correlate key terms, course concepts and information contained in a static textbook or textbooks with media products and current content. This mapping or correlation facilitates ease of course content development and maintains the existing textbook-based foundation of many courses. The textbook structure  303  contains information such as, for example, title, chapter, author, publisher, ISBN number, year of publication, and other identifiers. Operatively coupled to the application software  301  is, in some embodiments of the present invention, a database or other data schema containing key terms  323 . Key terms are words, phrases, course concepts, and other elements that, may be used in conjunction with a search to aid a user in locating relevant and timely information that is suitable for their purposes. Also operatively coupled to the application software  301  is, in some embodiments of the present invention, current content  319  such as business news, web sources, podcasts, blogs, and user generated content. The current content  319  may be resident within the system of the present invention, or, in some embodiments, may be located on a separate system or systems and connected by way of networking techniques that are known to those skilled in the art. In addition to current content  319 , in some embodiments of the present invention videos  321  may be operatively coupled to the application software  301 . The videos  321  may be resident within the system of the present invention, or, in some embodiments, may be located on a separate system or systems and connected by way of networking techniques that are known to those skilled in the art. A database or other data schema containing slides  305  and the structure of the slides is also operatively coupled to the application software  301 . The slides may be, for example, Microsoft PowerPoint™ formatted slides, Apple Keynote™ slides, and the like. The structure of the slides may include, for example, slide title, article title, publication source, date of publication, notes, publication author, digital image, and other identifiers. The slides  305  are compiled based on current content, and may include, for example, summaries of current content articles and news stories. The slides  305  are updated regularly, and are accessible through the application software  301 . The slides  305  are used to supplement static content in the preparation of course content, and are searchable by way of the slide, structure elements, key terms, relationship to textbook structure, and the like. A search utility  307  is also coupled to the application software  301 , and provides a user with a multitude of search options designed to efficiently locate and download relevant and timely dynamic course content. Such utility is of paramount importance in the preparation of course content where relevant and timely information adds value and interest to a class, course, seminar, and the like. Searches using the search utility  307  may look for key terms, textbook structure, key elements in the slides, current content, videos, and other media products. In addition, full text searching may be performed where all media is searched for a selected term or phrase. As part of the search utility  307 , users will be able to filter their search results in a number of ways, for example, by date, media type, major subject, and the like. A user may, in certain situations, desire to run or otherwise display the media through live classroom use  306 . This allows the user to directly use the media in a classroom setting without the need to download the media. An appropriate software player may be used depending on the nature of the media (video, audio, presentation slides, text, and the like). The application software  301  also, in some embodiments of the present invention, has network connectivity  313  by way of a network  315  and user access  317 . Such network connectivity may include, for example, the internet, a local area network, a private network, a virtual private network, an optical network, a radio communications network, and the like. The system Of the present invention also has a user interface  311  to allow a user to interact with the various functions of the application software such as search, download, browse, and the like.  FIGS. 6 ,  7 , and  8  depict an example of several screens of the user interface of the present invention. Also coupled to the application software  301  is a download utility  309  that allows a user to transfer media products such as slides, video, audio and the like. Download of media and other data is optional, and often at the discretion of the user. The user, in some embodiments of the present invention, may preview and then select desired media products, place them in a temporary storage location such as a virtual shopping cart, and then check out with the selected items using the download utility  309 . Payment processing may include credit card, fixed monthly, quarterly or periodic fees, and the like. If the user does not wish to download media or information, but wishes to flag the media for future reference, a save/mark media function  310  can be used. The save/mark media function  310  allows a user to mark media using a checkbox, highlighting, or the like. In addition, in some embodiments of the present invention, the media can be saved in a temporary location such as a folder, an album, or the like. The user can also use the saved or marked media without downloading by running the media by way of a network connection. 
         [0029]    Continuing to refer to  FIG. 3 , the MySyllabi function  312  is a customization feature that allows users to map the textbook and chapters to specific weeks (e.g., week 1, week 2 . . . week 8). This allows the system to then “suggest” media for review or playback in specific weeks of the course. The syllabus is the organizing focus of all courses. As part of the syllabus, instructors include a weekly schedule of readings and assignments. So, for example, students might need to read chapters 1 and 2 in week 1, chapter 3 in week 2 and so on. This provides a great opportunity to suggest media to instructors based on their syllabus textbook reading assignments. MySyllabi is a customization option that allows instructors to map a textbook and specific chapters to weeks in the semester or quarter. From that, the system presearches new slides and video and suggests them to the instructor. Course Instructors will need to create a mapped textbook syllabus in New Syllabus Setup and perform the following: 
         [0030]    Select textbook from dropdown list 
         [0031]    Map specific chapters to specific weeks 
         [0032]    Name syllabus 
         [0033]    Date of syllabus (actual date, semester/quarter/year) 
         [0034]    Copy syllabus (for next time they teach this course. Optional) 
         [0035]    Assign specific slides/videos/media from suggested media to specific weeks (optional). This should include drag and drop capabilities. 
         [0000]    A flowchart depicting the interaction of a user with the MySyllabi functionality can be referred to in  FIG. 9 , a description of which is provided later in this specification. 
         [0036]    By way of example, and not limitation, Use Cases for the Application Software (INCLASSMEDIA)  301  are as follows: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Description 
                 What a user sees and is able to do 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 Login 
                 This is the page the user comes to when they go to 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 www.inclassmedia.com. They can either: 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Sign-in with a username and password which takes them 
               
               
                   
                 to the default/home page or 
               
               
                   
                 Register for the first time. 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 They will see some thumbnails with the option to see an 
               
               
                   
                 enlarged image. 
               
               
                   
                 They should also see a streaming video or animated explanation 
               
               
                   
                 of what inclassmedia allows them to do. 
               
             
          
           
               
                 2 
                 Default/Home 
                 This is the page users come to once they&#39;ve signed in. 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Page 
                 They see rows of thumbnail images in LIFO order 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 representing either slides or videos that they can preview 
               
               
                   
                 or mark for some further action. 
               
               
                   
                 They see several SEARCH options 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Textbook/chapter search: 
               
               
                   
                 Key term/full text search: 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 They see several tabs at top of page: 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Saved Media (or myMedia) 
               
               
                   
                 mySyllabus 
               
             
          
           
               
                 3 
                 Thumbnail Actions 
                 Thumbnails represent slides, videos, or other media (e.g., 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 podcasts). Users can 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Mouseover the thumbnail to see the notes section of the 
               
               
                   
                 slide or the description of the streaming video or other 
               
               
                   
                 media. 
               
               
                   
                 Left click on the slide to see full slide or to launch a 
               
               
                   
                 player to preview the video or other media. 
               
               
                   
                 Add the media to user&#39;s saved media (myMedia); users 
               
               
                   
                 should be able to add by dragging the thumbnail to the 
               
               
                   
                 saved media tab or by clicking a plus or add button. 
               
               
                   
                 Add the media directly to a specific virtual presentation 
               
               
                   
                 (Week 1, Pricing, etc.) 
               
               
                   
                 Remove the media from user&#39;s saved media 
               
               
                   
                 Rate the media 
               
             
          
           
               
                 4 
                 SEARCH Actions 
                 Users have several search options: 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Textbook/chapter search: where they can select their 
               
               
                   
                 textbooks from a dropdown box and then select the 
               
               
                   
                 chapter to search. 
               
               
                   
                 Key term/full text search: this is a suggestible search 
               
               
                   
                 for terms that would appear in textbooks. Users can also 
               
               
                   
                 search for any other term (e.g., Starbucks, China). 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Users should be able to filter results by 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Date (e.g., last week, month, 6 months, year) 
               
               
                   
                 Media type: slide, video, podcast/mp3, etc. 
               
               
                   
                 Major subject (e.g, Marketing, Strategy, Global 
               
               
                   
                 Business, etc.) 
               
             
          
           
               
                 5 
                 Registration 
                 There should be several registration options: 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Simple registration: 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 First name 
               
               
                   
                 Last name 
               
               
                   
                 Email address 
               
               
                   
                 Password 
               
               
                   
                 School (database/lookup) 
               
               
                   
                 Instructor status 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Fulltime 
               
               
                   
                 Adjunct 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Customize Profile 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Primary Subject Interest 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Marketing 
               
               
                   
                 Strategy 
               
               
                   
                 Global Business 
               
               
                   
                 Introduction to Business 
               
               
                   
                 Organizational Behavior 
               
               
                   
                 MIS 
               
               
                   
                 Finance 
               
               
                   
                 Accounting 
               
               
                   
                 Other 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Notification Options 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Email alerts when new material is added to 
               
               
                   
                 INCLASSMEDIA (when and how often) 
               
             
          
           
               
                 6 
                 Sign-in 
                 Sign-in requests username and password. Also optionally 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 authentication. 
               
               
                   
                 Schools whose libraries have subscribed to full text database 
               
               
                   
                 services check authentication before allowing click-thru to 
               
               
                   
                 content provider database via proxy server. 
               
               
                   
                 If on campus, instructor gets passed through automatically (for 
               
               
                   
                 example, check IP address of machine on campus or domain 
               
               
                   
                 name); if off-campus, users are asked to input college userid 
               
               
                   
                 and password. 
               
             
          
           
               
                 7 
                 Saved Media 
                 Users will be given storage space on server to save selected 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 (myMedia) 
                 media. 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 They will access this from tab on top of page or link on page. 
               
               
                   
                 Users will save media after browsing thumbnails, with option to 
               
               
                   
                 save them from thumbnail image or from full slide or streaming 
               
               
                   
                 video view. 
               
               
                   
                 Saved media space has organizing functionality offering several 
               
               
                   
                 views. Over time users can save many slides, videos, and other 
               
               
                   
                 media (or pointers to those). 
               
               
                   
                 These are presented to users as thumbnail views in LIFO order 
               
               
                   
                 similar to the default/home page view. 
               
               
                   
                 Users primarily will want to 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Preview slides, videos, and other media to decide if they 
               
               
                   
                 should use them in class 
               
               
                   
                 Organize media into virtual presentations for classroom 
               
               
                   
                 playback/viewing. For example, selecting 3 or 4 slides 
               
               
                   
                 in a particular order to “play” in class 
               
               
                   
                 Name the virtual presentations (e.g., Week 2, Pricing, 
               
               
                   
                 etc.) 
               
               
                   
                 Remove them from saved media storage (i.e., un mark 
               
               
                   
                 them) 
               
               
                   
                 If they have many saved slides, they will want to search 
               
               
                   
                 through them using the same search options as they have 
               
               
                   
                 with the larger database of media. 
               
             
          
           
               
                 8 
                 mySyllabus 
                 The syllabus is the organizing focus of all courses. As part of 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 the syllabus, instructors include a weekly schedule of readings 
               
               
                   
                 and assignments. So, for example, students might need to read 
               
               
                   
                 chapters 1 and 2 in week 1, chapter 3 in week 2 and so on. This 
               
               
                   
                 provides a great opportunity to suggest media to instructors 
               
               
                   
                 based on their syllabus textbook reading assignments. 
               
               
                   
                 mySyllabus is a customization option that allows instructors to 
               
               
                   
                 map a textbook and specific chapters to weeks in the semester 
               
               
                   
                 or quarter. From that, the system presearches new slides, 
               
               
                   
                 videos, and other media, and suggests them to the instructor. 
               
               
                   
                 Instructors will need to create a mapped textbook syllabus in: 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 New Syllabus Setup: 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Select textbook from dropdown list 
               
               
                   
                 Map specific chapters to specific weeks 
               
               
                   
                 Name syllabus 
               
               
                   
                 Date of syllabus (actual date, semester/quarter/ 
               
               
                   
                 year) 
               
               
                   
                 Copy syllabus (for next time they teach this 
               
               
                   
                 course) 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Associate specific slides/videos/media from suggested 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 media to specific events such as virtual presentations, 
               
               
                   
                 specific weeks, etc.. This should include drag and drop 
               
               
                   
                 capabilities. 
               
             
          
           
               
                 9 
                 Admin 
                 Admin comprises a number of activities: 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 a. Add Media/Edit Media 
               
               
                   
                 b. Add/Edit Topics 
               
               
                   
                 c. Add/Edit Key terms 
               
               
                   
                 d. Add/Edit Source Publications 
               
               
                   
                 e. Add/Edit Textbooks 
               
               
                   
                 f. Add/Edit Users 
               
               
                   
                 g. Add/Edit Schools 
               
               
                   
                 h. Reports/Analytics 
               
             
          
           
               
                 9a 
                 Add Media/Edit 
                 Add media. Need to upload media to server and define it for the 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Media 
                 system. Media will have a number of fields that define it: 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Title 
               
               
                   
                 Type 
               
               
                   
                 Source (journal/publication name) 
               
               
                   
                 Date (publication date) 
               
               
                   
                 Date entered into the system 
               
               
                   
                 Key terms 
               
               
                   
                 Topics (topics are a higher-level hierarchical level in the 
               
               
                   
                 database schema). All key terms when they get entered 
               
               
                   
                 in the system need to be associated with one or more 
               
               
                   
                 topics. 
               
               
                   
                 Illustrates. A field in the notes section of slides or added 
               
               
                   
                 as description with video and other media to tell the 
               
               
                   
                 instructor why this is relevant. Instructor can use this 
               
               
                   
                 verbatim in discussing the media in class. 
               
               
                   
                 Article Context: this is also part of the notes section of 
               
               
                   
                 the slides. 
               
               
                   
                 Link to full text article. This is what the library calls a 
               
               
                   
                 “persistent link” or a URL that gets passed through the 
               
               
                   
                 library&#39;s proxy server directly to the content provider&#39;s 
               
               
                   
                 database to pop the full text of the article in another 
               
               
                   
                 browser window. 
               
               
                   
                 Image (such as jpeg) for the thumbnail. 
               
             
          
           
               
                 9b 
                 Add/Edit Topics 
                 Topics are high-level business concepts that include many key 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 terms. They tend to be equivalent in many cases to chapter 
               
               
                   
                 headings (e.g., Pricing, Distribution, Advertising, etc), their 
               
               
                   
                 primary purpose is to better manage thousands of key terms. 
               
               
                   
                 For example, when adding key terms to a particular slide, it is 
               
               
                   
                 easier to select key terms from a shorter more relevant list 
               
               
                   
                 associated with a topic (Pricing, for example, which might 
               
               
                   
                 include a list of 30 key terms), rather than from the entire list of 
               
               
                   
                 thousands of key terms. 
               
               
                   
                 Key terms are associated with at least one topic 
               
             
          
           
               
                 9c 
                 Add/Edit Key 
                 When media get added to the database, they are assigned key 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Terms 
                 terms. These terms are searchable and correspond to terms of 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 the same name that are entered in the database when textbooks 
               
               
                   
                 are added. (Terms are added to chapters during the textbook 
               
               
                   
                 input process.) 
               
               
                   
                 This is a key concept in the ICM value proposition and allows 
               
               
                   
                 instructors to find very relevant media. It also allows the 
               
               
                   
                 system to suggest media in mySyllabus (above). 
               
               
                   
                 The easiest way to add new key terms is to have the system 
               
               
                   
                 recognize them when a slide is uploaded to the database. If the 
               
               
                   
                 key term already exists (i.e., it was added during textbook setup 
               
               
                   
                 or manually earlier), fine; if not, the system flags this as a new 
               
               
                   
                 key term and requires that the admin associate the term with a 
               
               
                   
                 topic and textbook chapter. 
               
             
          
           
               
                 9d 
                 Add/Edit Source 
                 Each slide is derived so to speak from an article in the business 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Publications 
                 press (Wall St. Journal, New York Times, The Economist, etc.). 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 When slide is created, admin needs to associate it with a source 
               
               
                   
                 publication. 
               
               
                   
                 Users might search for media based on this source. 
               
               
                   
                 Slide shows source attribution at bottom of every slide. 
               
               
                   
                 Admin also enters publication date. 
               
             
          
           
               
                 9e 
                 Add/Edit 
                 Users have the option to search for media by selecting a 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Textbooks 
                 textbook and chapter from a drop down list. 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Textbook creation or input includes: 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Adding/Deleting Textbook Information 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Textbook title 
               
               
                   
                 Textbook authors 
               
               
                   
                 Textbook publisher 
               
               
                   
                 Textbook edition 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Adding/associating Chapters with textbooks 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Chapter title 
               
               
                   
                 Chapter number 
               
               
                   
                 Assigning Key Words 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Editing Chapters 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Adding or deleting key words 
               
               
                   
                 Changing chapter titles or numbers (not likely 
               
               
                   
                 unless mistake) 
               
             
          
           
               
                 9f 
                 Add/Edit Users 
                 Users will be automatically added during the registration 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 process. 
               
               
                   
                 Admin will need to add users or deny access, or review and 
               
               
                   
                 modify user information; i.e., admin access to user data. 
               
               
                   
                 Customer data will be available for reports and analysis 
               
             
          
           
               
                 9g 
                 Add/Edit Schools 
                 Registration requires inputting of college/university. This is 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 best done through a drop down list. 
               
               
                   
                 Admin will enter or edit this list. 
               
             
          
           
               
                 9h 
                 Reports/Analytics 
                 Number of users 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Number of media 
               
               
                   
                 Media Usage 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Most popular 
               
               
                   
                 Usage by media type 
               
               
                   
                 Usage by school 
               
               
                   
                 Usage by users 
               
               
                   
                 Usage by primary subject area 
               
               
                   
                 Usage by date (day, week, month) 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Saved Media (myMedia) 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Number of saved media accounts 
               
               
                   
                 Number of media saved 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Number of mySyllabus accounts 
               
               
                   
                 Number of virtual presentations 
               
               
                   
                 Searches by 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Textbook/Chapter 
               
               
                   
                 Key terms 
               
               
                   
                 Other full text terms 
               
               
                   
                 Most popular search terms 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0037]    Turning now to  FIG. 4 , a top level data access diagram  400  of the present invention is shown. The application software  301  delivers various media products  305  such as slides, videos, audio, and the like by mapping static textbook structures to current dynamic content. Current content used to create the media products includes, for example, business news  401  (with sources such as CNN, Business Week, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and the like), blogs  403 , web sources  405 , podcasts  407 , other categories  409 , and user generated content  411 . The application software  301  may also provide, in some embodiments of the present invention, access to current content directly or through an intermediary provider, system or network. The media products  305  are often based on current content, and may be created by individuals and placed on or within the application software  301 , or may be created by users themselves, or may further be created by way of software of a combination of software and individual or group efforts. The media products  305  may also, in some embodiments of the present invention, be procured from third parties or content providers. The application software is searchable using search  307  and network access  315  techniques. The search may look for key terms, textbook structure, key elements in the slides, current content, videos, and other media products. In addition, full text searching may be performed where all media is searched for a selected term. As part of the search utility  307 , users will be able to filter their search results in a number of ways, for example, by date, media type, major subject, and the like. Network access  315  may include, for example, the internet, a local area network, a private network, a virtual private network, an optical network, a radio communications network, and the like. 
         [0038]    Turning now to  FIG. 5 , a flowchart  500  can be seen that depicts a typical user session of the present invention. At the start of the session  501 , a user is prompted to search by textbook data in decision  503 . If the user does not desire to search by textbook data, they may in step  511  perform a full text search, search by keyword, browse most recent media, or select other search criteria. Once their search is completed in step  511 , they will receive a listing of relevant media in step  509 , have the ability to optionally sort the media by date range, media type, major subject, key term, etc. in step  513 . In step  515 , they will view the desired media in the application, and in step  517 , the user will save or mark the desired media, or optionally download the media in step  518 . If no media is saved, marked or downloaded in steps  517  or  518 , the user can run another search in step  521 . Similarly, once the desired media is saved, marked or downloaded in steps  517  Or  518 , the user can also run another search in step  521 . If, in decision  503 , the user desires to search by textbook data, they may select the textbook title in step  505 , select the textbook chapter in step  507 , and receive a listing of relevant media in step  509 . The user also has the ability to optionally sort the media by date range, key term, etc. in step  513 . In step  515 , they will view the desired media in the application, and in steps  517  or  518 , the user will save, mark or download the desired media. If no media is saved, marked or downloaded in steps  517  or  518 , the user can run another search in decision step  521 . Similarly, once the desired media is saved, marked or downloaded in steps  517  or  518 , the user can also run another search in step  521 . To terminate the process, if another search is, not elected in decision step  521 , the session is ended in step  523 . The steps described by way of  FIG. 5  are by example, and not limitation. Other similar and additional steps may be known to those skilled in the art, and are not intended to be a departure from the fundamental attributes of the present invention as defined herein. 
         [0039]    Turning now to  FIGS. 6 ,  7 , and  8 , several screen shots of one embodiment of the present invention are depicted. 
         [0040]      FIG. 6  shows a media search session by textbook structure. As can be seen, a textbook title is selected from a drop down list, and the chapters of the selected textbook also appear in a drop down list. The user may search for media products such as slides that are mapped to the selected title and chapter of the textbook selected. A preview of each of the media products is then displayed, as can be seen in  FIG. 6 , and the user can select the desired media products for retention and subsequent download. As seen in  FIG. 6 , a search may also include date range and or key terms. 
         [0041]      FIG. 7  further depicts a media search session with a drop down list of key terms displayed. 
         [0042]      FIG. 8  depicts a media view following a media search session. A close up of the selected media, in this example slides, is shown along with a notes field at the bottom of the slide. 
         [0043]    Referring now to  FIG. 9 , a flowchart depicting the syllabus creation routine of the present invention is shown. As previously described by way Of  FIG. 3 , the MySyllabi functionality allows users to map their selected textbook and chapters to specific weeks of the course, with the application then returning suggested media for review or playback in specific weeks of the course. 
         [0044]    When a user selects the MySyllabi functionality, they can either view syllabi that currently exists in step  903 , view suggested media in step  905  that is provided by the application, or elect to create a dynamic syllabus in step  907 . If they elect to create a syllabus in step  907 , the user can optionally assign syllabus name(s)  909 . The application then collects course information in step  911  such as the course number, course name, and start date. The user then selects the textbook they plan to use in step  913 , and then the user maps textbook chapters to specific weeks in step  915 , and saves the syllabus they have created in step  917 . In step  919 , media relevant to the course are returned to the user, and the user previews the media in step  921  and creates associations between the media and the syllabus, as well as other variables such as week, event, presentation, and the like. In step  923 , if the user elects to create another syllabus, they are returned to step  907 . Should they not elect to create another syllabus, the routine is ended and they may return home in step  925 . 
         [0045]    Lastly, to provide a complete understanding of the present invention and the various embodiments described herein,  FIGS. 10-17  are various exemplary screenshots of the present invention. These, exemplary screenshots are not intended to be limiting in any way, but rather, are intended to provide examples of one embodiment of the present invention that, when taken with this specification and the remaining drawings, will provide one skilled in the art with an adequate understanding of the present invention such the present invention and its various embodiments can be made and used. 
         [0046]    It is, therefore, apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the various objects of the present invention, a computer based system and method for the creation and access of dynamic course content and associated media products. 
         [0047]    While the various objects of this invention have been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of this specification, claims, and the attached drawings.