Patent ID: 8239478

Claim:
A distributed assessment comprising: network enabled portable computers, each including: a housing having a screen; at least one sensor port physically connectable to an external sensor that senses an experimental parameter received during conduction of a guided experiment; a data logging processor coupled to the at least one sensor port to receive and log the experimental parameter; interactive e-book software operative to provide prompts to a student conducting the guided experiment, to receive said experimental parameter from said external sensor and to display a visual representation of said experimental parameter on the screen; at least one network communicator for receiving assessment materials, providing assessment results via a computer network, and presenting on the screen said assessment materials to a person undergoing assessment; an assessment controller communicating via said computer network with said portable computers and operative to synchronize the timing of presentation of said assessment materials to multiple persons undergoing assessment using said portable computers; and an experimentation control and logging server communicating with said portable computers via said computer network and being operative to log said experimental parameter and said visual representation of said experimental parameter.