Patent Publication Number: US-2003229606-A1

Title: Network-aided instruction system and method

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates to a network-aided instruction system and a method that includes a Web site system to provide online network-aided instructions to a plurality of users.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] The rising of the Internet has accelerated the arrival of information revolution. Availability of broadband networks through which broadband networks can transmit rich and dynamic multimedia information further unveils the coming of “knowledge economic era”. In addition, reading software for multimedia information is well developed and has become mature now. Hence, to transmit dynamic multimedia information through networks is practical and feasible at present. For instance, distant learning that employs networks to transmit video and audio instruction contents to perform multimedia instruction activities is getting more and more common nowadays.  
       [0003] Distant learning is a technique that utilizes far-reaching capability of networks to overcome regional barrier and constraints incurred to traditional learning methods, and adds multimedia instruction materials to enhance learning effect. However, with teacher&#39;s roles virtualized among students and colleagues, true value or effect of distant learning is still a debatable question. While distance learning eliminates the restriction of classrooms, it also tends to distant the relationship between teachers and students. Therefore, how to change the present teaching methods so that advantages of distant learning can be gained without trading off benefits of traditional teachings has become a subject deserving thorough considerations and thought.  
       [0004] Traditional instructions employ blackboards as media to present instruction contents and books as instruction carriers. Teachers write on the blackboards to highlight key points, and each student has a textbook to follow and compare with what teachers have been lecturing. It is not unusual that students could lose what the teachers have been talking while they are busily browsing the textbooks. Another problem that often happens is that teachers write supplemental materials on the blackboards, and students busily jot down on notebooks what have been written on the blackboards. When the teachers have finished writing, some students could be left behind without finishing the writing. In many occasions, teachers cannot afford to waste time by waiting for all of the students to complete writing notebooks, and would start lecturing while some of the students are still writing. Then, those students who have not finished the writing of their notebooks tend to lose the lecturing. Such a type of shortcomings is usually seen in traditional teaching and lecturing. Also, it is easy to see that book-based instruction cannot include multimedia materials and, on the other hand, blackboard instruction cannot present multimedia contents. However, great value of multimedia instruction materials to learning has been well recognized. Such a trend of multimedia instructions can be proved by availability and popularity of video and audio instruction materials in the market. For some traditional teaching institutions that implement multimedia instructions, supplementing instructions with the multimedia-deficient books or blackboards by using audio tape players or TVs becomes popular. In this situation, students have to mingle alternately with materials contained in books, audiotapes and videotapes. Definitely, such a learning style is making confusion and ineffective. Teachers also have to handle and manage frequently among books, audiotapes and videotapes. It thus creates a lot of distractions and the teachers have to spend a lot of energy on non-teaching chores. As a result, effectiveness for both teachers&#39; teaching and students&#39; learning is affected adversely. Therefore, it can be seen that traditional instruction methods need to be radically overhauled so as to meet increasing demands of the information age.  
       [0005] In view of aforesaid disadvantages, some people have employed Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) to overcome those problems. The common type of CAI is an optical disk that can provide multimedia materials and can improve interactive learning functions. However, current teachers rarely use them for teaching. Instead, those CAI materials are mostly used by students as a self-learning tool. Regarding most CAI materials existing in the market, instruction contents are usually not transmitted through networks so that students can only use optical disks individually. Without guidance under teachers, the benefits of those CAI materials to students&#39; learning are limited. Various reasons may cause teachers reluctant to adopt the CAI methods. These reasons include lacking in projecting equipment (due to the cost), limited optical storage capacity, lack of instruction materials and so on. Moreover, the reasons that the conventional CAI methods cannot randomly select contents or search remarks from the accompanying optical disks, operations of searching and retrieving thereof has to follow preset routes and cannot be freely decided by teachers/operators, and instruction directions are set or limited by the contents of optical disks, which are all indicators that there is still room for improving those CAI methods.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] In view of aforesaid disadvantages, the object of the invention is to employ networks as channels of instruction contents, to couple with distant learning for overcoming shortcomings of traditional instruction methods and conventional CAI methods, and to provide an alternative learning method for benefiting the education systems.  
       [0007] The invention employs a Web site system to carry out network-aided instructions. The Web site system has a database to store contents of instruction texts and text remarks, and provides a selection mechanism and an inquiry mechanism. The instruction texts include multimedia contents that can be transmitted through networks to teaching ends. Teachers may lecture by means of projection. During lecturing, teachers can randomly select key contents and freely designate inquiry categories. The selection mechanism can retrieve selected key contents or identification data of the key contents, search and inquire remarks through the inquiry mechanism, and present the obtained remark contents through the networks at the teaching ends for assisting instruction activities. As teaching data are stored in the database, searching and inquiring can be flexible and easy, in which the inquiring can include cross inquiry, linkage inquiry or the likes. Also, almost all allowable methods for searching and inquiring database can be implemented.  
       [0008] The invention utilizes Web pages as the carrier of instruction data. The Web pages may include multimedia contents, and may be projected during lecturing. Students do not need to switch between books and blackboards. Because instruction contents are transmitted through networks, teachers and students do not need to carry optical disks. And, there is no capacity limitation for the database needed to store instruction materials. Methods of employing database techniques to search or inquire remarks become much flexible. Lecturing based on text contents and instant inquiry of remarks can free teachers from a lot of painstaking preparations. Remark contents may be presented on Web pages, thus teachers do not need to write on the blackboards. Teachers can randomly select desired objects to process specific inquiries, and thus can actively control lecturing directions. Inquiry categories are not restricted by preset inquiry routes or paths. Multiple selection of objects may be done to process cross inquiry, hence lecturing under the invention can be proceeded more flexibly and dynamically. In addition, instruction materials are managed in a centralized fashion so as to allow future additions, modifications, updates or deletions of data easily. As data are gathered in one place and inquiry indexes are coded uniformly, inquiry scope can be expanded across different text contents or different remark contents. Taking English teaching as an example, in the event of inquiring related to grammar concepts represented by uniformed codes, the uniformed codes may be used as inquiry indexes to cross different text contents (different books or teaching material contents) or different remark contents (different dictionary or topic libraries) to process inquiries upon the grammar concepts. In addition, the uniformed codes based on the root form of a single word or phrase may also be used to cross different text contents or remark contents while processing remark inquiry for the single word or phrase.  
       [0009] The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0010]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an environment of the invention;  
     [0011]FIG. 2 is a system architecture diagram of the invention;  
     [0012]FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the selection mechanism of the invention;  
     [0013]FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the inquiry mechanism of the invention;  
     [0014]FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the method of the invention; and  
     [0015]FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the apparatus of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0016] The invention aims at providing a network-aided instruction system and method. The Web site system provides at least an instruction text, at least a text remark, a selection mechanism and an inquiry mechanism to a plurality of users to do online network-aided instruction activities.  
     [0017] The instruction text has contents including characters, pictures, audio signals, animations or other multimedia objects. The instruction text further consists of a plurality of text units. Taking English teaching materials as examples, the text units may be dividable units such as paragraphs, sentences, pictures or multimedia objects of the teaching materials. Every text unit is given an identification data and is stored in a database of the Web site system. The text units are transmitted in Web page formats to user ends and are assembled sequentially to their original formats of instruction texts for presentation.  
     [0018] The text remark is a remark for each text unit or keyword that can be stored in the database of the Web site system, and has contents including characters, pictures, audio signals, animations or other multimedia objects. Taking English teaching materials as an example of the instruction text, if the text unit is assigned as each sentence of the teaching materials, the remark related to the text unit can be grouped in various categories such as grammar concept of the sentence, translation of the sentence or test questions related to the grammar of the sentence, etc. If the keyword is a single word or a phrase, then remarks relate to the keyword may also be grouped in various categories, such as meaning of the word, pronunciation, root, prefix or literary references, etc.  
     [0019] The selection mechanism is downloaded to the user ends along with the instruction text Web pages. Users, based on instruction requirements, may choose single (or multiple) selection of the text unit or keyword on the Web page, and designate remark category to search or inquire remark contents. The selection mechanism retrieves the identification data or character strings of the selected keyword of the choosing text unit.  
     [0020] The inquiry mechanism resides in the Web site system end for receiving the remark category designated by the users or the identification data retrieved by the selection mechanism (or character string of the keyword), and searches the remark of the text remark and transfers and presents the obtained remark contents in Web page formats through the networks to the users to enable the users to participate the instruction activities.  
     [0021] Refer to FIG. 1 for an environment of the invention. There are a plurality of users  200 A and  200 B who may logon and access a Web site system  100  through a communication link (such as a network  300 ) to participate network-aided instruction activities.  
     [0022] Refer to FIG. 2 for the architecture of the Web site system of the invention. The Web site system  100  consists of at least a server  102 , a database  104 , a selection mechanism  106 , an inquiry mechanism  108 , and a multimedia broadcasting mechanism  110 .  
     [0023] The database  104  can store at least one instruction text  104 A and one text remark  104 B. The instruction text  104 A is an instruction document such as contents of teaching materials or textbooks, and can include at least one text unit. That is to say that a plurality of text units can be grouped to form the instruction text and can be transmitted in Web page formats through the network to user ends. On the other hand, the text remark  104 B is key point explanation of the instruction text  104 A. in the present invention, users may select the text unit or a keyword on the Web page of the instruction text, and can designate a remark category to search and retrieve required remarks from the text remarks  104 B. In addition, the database  104  may further include other-remarks  104 C to provide users required remarks when searching and inquiring other instructions.  
     [0024] The selection mechanism  106  includes a single selection mechanism  106 A and a multiple selection mechanism  106 B. The selection mechanism  106  may retrieve identification data of the text unit or character strings of the keyword selected by users from the instruction text  104 A, and change style attributes of the selected text unit or keyword to highlight selected conditions of the text unit or keyword. The single selection mechanism  106 A allows users to select only one text unit or one keyword at a time. The multiple selection mechanism  106 B allows users to select multiple text units or keywords at a time, or concurrently single select (multiple selections) a text unit and single select (multiple selections) a keyword. This mechanism may be made by employing Microsoft&#39;s Vbscript language which can be downloaded to user ends along with the Web pages of the instruction text.  
     [0025] The inquiry mechanism  108  is used to receive the identification data of the text unit or keyword character strings obtained by the selection mechanism  106  and based on user&#39;s designated remark category, and can employ database inquiry techniques to search and inquire related remarks in the text remark  104 B. This mechanism  108  may be made by employing Microsoft&#39;s ActiveX Data Objects 2.5 Library and can be installed in the Web site system end.  
     [0026] The multimedia broadcasting mechanism  110  is used for broadcasting multimedia objects. In the event that the instruction text  104 A or text remark  104 B includes multimedia objects, this mechanism  110  may be used to broadcast the multimedia objects including audio signals, animations, films or the likes. This mechanism  110  may be made by employing Microsoft&#39;s Visual Basic language and adopt Lib “winmm.dll” multimedia function library of API (Application Programming Interface) and MCI (Media Control Interface) commands to setup ActiveX objects. To broadcast special multimedia objects, corresponding MCI driver programs must be obtained and used. This mechanism  110  can also be downloaded to user ends.  
     [0027] The instruction text  104 A mentioned above consists of a plurality of text units. Each text unit has an identification data and can be stored respectively in a Table of the database. Related data of every text unit is a record in the Table. The record consists of a plurality of fields. Each field contains identification data (MTid) of the text unit, contents or content index of the text unit, etc. The structure of text format is shown in Table 1. The text units are arranged according to MTid sequence and are presented in their original formats through the network to the user ends.  
     [0028] The text remark  104 B is the remark of the text unit of the instruction text  104 A or the remark of the keyword of the instruction text  104 A. The text remark  104 B includes at least one text remark record. Each record consists of a plurality of fields. Each field includes identification data (CMid) of the remark, contents or content index of the remark, content properties, etc. The structure of the remark format is shown in Table 2.  
     [0029] The identification data (CMid) of every record in the text remark  104 B and the identification data (MTid) of the text unit or keyword in the instruction text  104 A are linked to provide users remarks for inquiring the text unit or keyword. In the event that the instruction text is English teaching materials and the text unit is every sentence of the teaching materials, the text unit related remarks may be divided to different categories, such as translation of the sentence, grammar concept related to the content of the sentence, test questions related to the meaning of the sentence, or instruction activities related to the content of the sentence, etc. The keyword is a single word or phrase of every sentence. Remark category of the keyword may be meaning of the word or phrase, pronunciation, root, prefix or test questions, etc. The structure of the linking format is shown in Table 3, in which the Type is the category of the remark.  
     [0030] The selection mechanism  106  can retrieve the identification data of the text unit users selected or a character string of the selected keyword. The selection mechanism  106  consists of a single selection mechanism  106 A and a multiple selection mechanism  106 B. The flow chart for selection is shown in FIG. 3.  
     [0031] Step A: Instruction text is presented at user ends in Web page formats. The instruction text includes a plurality of text units and each of them has an identification data.  
     [0032] Step B: Users may select a single text unit or multiple text units, or select a single keyword or multiple keywords, or simultaneously select single (or multiple) text unit and single (or multiple) keyword.  
     [0033] Step C: Alter style attributes of the selected text unit or keyword, such as attributes of color or backgrounds to highlight the text unit or keyword being selected.  
     [0034] Step D: Through HTML object models, retrieve the identification data of the selected text unit or character string of the selected keyword.  
     [0035] The inquiry mechanism  108  may receive remark category designated by the user and the identification data of the selected text unit or character string of the selected keyword obtained by the selection mechanism  106 , and may employ database inquiry techniques to search and inquire remarks required by the user from the text remark  104 B.  
     [0036] Taking English teaching materials as an example, if the text unit is every single sentence in the content of the teaching materials, and if a user selects one sentence and designates the remark category of the inquiry to be grammar concept of the sentence, then the inquiry mechanism  108  receives the identification code (MTid) of the sentence obtained by the single selection mechanism  106 A, searches corresponding remark identification data (CMid) from Table 3 according to the remark type, and searches Table 2 to retrieve the corresponding content of the CMid that is the remark content of the grammar concept of the sentence. If the user designates the remark category of the inquiry to be test questions related to the grammar of the sentence, then the corresponding content of the CMid is the content of test questions related to the grammar of the sentence.  
     [0037] The database may further include other remark  104 C to provide users remarks required for inquiring other instructions. The other remark  104 C includes at least one record of the other remark. If the other remark  104 C includes a test question library, the structure of the remark format is shown in Table 4. TPid is the identification code of the test question library, content is the contents of the topic, prop1 is the uniformed code of the grammar related to the test question, and prop2 is the original word related to the test question. If the user chooses the multiple selection mechanism  106 B to select a sentence and a single word and designates inquiry for the related grammar of the sentence and related test questions of the single word, the inquiry mechanism  108  retrieves the identification code MTid of the sentence and character string Keyword of the single word through the multiple selection mechanism  106 B, and retrieves from Table 5 identification data CMid — 1 and CMid — 2 related to remark records based on the MTid and the Keyword. Table 5 and Table 3 have the same properties and are linking forms. The remark content of CMid — 1 is the grammar concept related to the sentence, while the remark content of CMid — 2 is remark of the word related to the keyword. The structure of the remark form is shown in Table 6. Table 6 and Table 2 have same properties and are remark forms. In the Table 6, if prop1 corresponding to Cmid — 1 is the grammar uniformed code of the grammar concept, and prop1 corresponding to CMid — 2 is the original of the word, then related test questions may be retrieved from Table 4. The content of the retrieved test questions relates to the grammar concept of the sentence and also relates to the word.  
     [0038] Thus, users may not only randomly select any object in the instruction text and designate remark category of inquiry (such as designating inquiry for grammar concept or test question set forth above), but may also freely designate inquiry scope (such as designating inquiry for a specific test question library) to search required remarks. Moreover, users may not only select a single object for inquiry, but may also make multiple selection and process cross inquiry or other type of inquiry allowable for other databases to search and inquire required remarks.  
     [0039] In addition, users may not only select objects on the text Web pages and request to inquire remark contents, but may also select objects on the remark Web pages to request inquiry of the remarks related to the objects. This can be accomplished because the selection mechanism  106  can retrieve the identification data of the objects on the remark Web pages, retrieve properties of the objects from Table 2, Table 4 or Table 6, and then search and retrieve other remark contents from the text remark  104 B or other remark  104 C based on the properties (such as prop  1 ).  
     [0040] The inquiry process flow of the inquiry mechanism  108  is shown in FIG. 4, details are as follows.  
     [0041] Step A: Receive from user ends the remark category or identification data (or keyword character string) of the text unit retrieved by the selection mechanism  106 .  
     [0042] Step B: Based on the remark category and employing database, inquiry techniques search and retrieve remarks related to the identification data or keyword character string from the text remark  104 B.  
     [0043] Step C: Present the retrieved remark content in Web page formats through the network to the user ends.  
     [0044] Referring now to FIG. 5, the process flow of the method of the invention is shown as follows.  
     [0045] Step A: Instruction text  104 A is transmitted in Web pages formats through the network to a user end and the selection mechanism  106  is downloaded along the Web pages to the user end.  
     [0046] Step B: The user proceeds to instruction activities according to the instruction text presenting on the Web pages.  
     [0047] Step C: The user, based on instruction requirements, selects a keyword or text unit on the Web pages, and the selection mechanism  106  retrieves keyword character string or identification data of the text unit.  
     [0048] Step D: The user designates remark category.  
     [0049] Step E: Transmit the keyword character string (or identification data of the text unit) and the designated remark category to the Web site system end.  
     [0050] Step F: The Web site system end, through the inquiry mechanism  108 , receives the keyword character string (or the identification data of the text unit), and searches and retrieves related remarks from the text remark  104 B based on the remark category.  
     [0051] Step G: The web site system end transmits the retrieved remark content in Web page formats through the network to the user end to facilitate instruction-aided activities.  
     [0052] The multiple selection mechanism  106 B of the selection mechanism  106  may also be adopted for general office software (such as document process software, spreadsheet software, database software, presentation software, or electronic mail software, and the likes), or electronic book software, Web page browsers, CAI software, electronic dictionary reading software or patch book software of operating system. While the patch book of existing operating systems has multiple selection function, but we cannot tell which objects are the selected ones. Because the software mentioned above can generate only one selection object at a time for one document, the multiple selection mechanism  106 B of the invention can change style attributes of multiple selected objects and highlights selected conditions of multiple selected objects.  
     [0053] The method of the invention may also be implemented through a software program. If the software program including the selection mechanism and the inquiry mechanism is linked to a database and if the database has stored contents of instruction texts, text remarks and other-remarks, the software program becomes a container of the instruction texts. Users may search and inquire related remarks through the selection mechanism and the inquiry mechanism, and the retrieved remark contents also are presented in the container.  
     [0054] In addition, the invention may also be implemented through an apparatus (as shown in FIG. 6). If the apparatus includes a central processing unit  120 , a display device  122  and a database  104 , if the apparatus includes a selection mechanism  106  and an inquiry mechanism  108 , and if the database  104  has stored contents of instruction text  104 A, text remarks  104 B and other-remarks  104 C; the instruction text  104 A is displayed on the display device  122 , users may search and inquire related remarks through the selection mechanism  106  and the inquiry mechanism  108 , and the retrieved remark contents are also presented on the display device  122 . If the apparatus further includes a communication interface  121  connected to a communication link  123 , then all contents in the database  104  may be downloaded to process instruction-aided activities through the communication interface  121 . Or, through the communication interface  121  to download the instruction text  104 A and the selection mechanism  106 , the instruction text  104 A may be presented on the display device  122 . Users may employ the selection mechanism  106  and through the communication interface  121  to call the inquiry mechanism  108  to search and inquire related remarks. Obtained remark contents are presented on the display device  122  through the communication interface  121 .  
     [0055] In fact, the system and method of the invention cannot only be used on network-aided instructions, but also be adopted for publishing digital data on networks. In such an environment, the database stores contents for publishing, the Web pages are the carrier of the contents, and networks are distribution channels for publishing. Nowadays, there are thousands of Wet sites that can provide a wide range of information. So, we can say that information is flooding everywhere. To engage in network publishing in such an information explosive environment, the critical task is no longer how to present a large amount of information, but rather on how to shield or mask less important information, and on how to timely present required information to users. As Web pages provide a digital environment that has “non-linear” sequencing and “interactive” characteristics, presentation of information may be initiated by a theme, and all related contents may be linked and retrieved. The text units and keywords mentioned in the invention can play the roles of linking, and based on inquiry of identification data of the text units and keyword character string to retrieve related contents.  
     [0056] While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.  
               TABLE 1                                                                       
 
     [0057]               TABLE 2                                                                         
     [0058]               TABLE 3                                                                         
     [0059]               TABLE 4                                                                         
     [0060]               TABLE 5                                                                         
     [0061]               TABLE 6