AU2005100154A4 - An online learning system - Google Patents

Description

18- 2-05:17:09 :Davies Collison Cave :61 3 92542808 6/ 39 Rcgulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION PATENT SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventors: Address for Service: Monash University, of Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia Leonard Leslie WEBSTER Kathy Mary BUXTON Kerryn Maree JACKSON DAVIES COLIUSON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, 1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia Innovation Patent specification for the invention entitled: An online learning system The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: QPOrWA WMIw490.D,0oC- I aWS COMS ID No: SBMI-01127966 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-C5;17!0S :Davies ColI son Cave813 24204 7/3 6 1 3 92542800 4 7/ 39 P:%OPZRWflAanguIy~Ik C C) AN ONLINE LEARNING SYSTEM 00

FIELD

The Present invention relates to an online learning systems, and in particular, an online ~learning system which groups users for specific learning tasks and allows individual learners to collaborate with other learners in a holistic learning environment.

o BACKGROUND Online learning systems aim to present courses which are primarily student-centred, by encouraging learners to become constructors of knowledge, focusing on the importance of context in understanding, and reinforcing the essential nature of the learning experience.

The notion of interaction is implicit in such aims, especially for groups of learners, and courses designcd in this way should provide access to shared information and shared knowledge-building tools. Currently, there are learning systems that claim learner engagement and collaboration but still propose a model of management and a collection of tools that require the learner to move contexts repeatedly, possibly encouraging a more segmented and disassociated learning experience.

Online learning may be in the process of being dominated, even constrained, by large-scale learning management systems. Institutions in higher education, for examnple, are opting for the adoption of a network of learning management systems, often purchasing such systems on the assumptions of supportability. perceived efficiencies and market penetration.

However, a subtle but powerful risk is inherent in this decision making. One of those risks is that use of such systems requires teachers to adapt their teaching style to the features and assumptions of the system, in turn 'shaping' the learning environment. This contradicts a basic tenet of educational thought that educational approaches should arise from an analysis of the learning need and a corresponding matching of an appropriate solution, COMSID No: SBMI-01 127968 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 I8- 2-05;17:09 :Davies Collison Cave ;61 3 92542808 8/ 39 NkUtabIetcit 0 o -2- C.oIdeally an online learning system should allow for the development of solutions for oc specific learning needs, thus allowing learning needs to shape the learning environment and vice versa. The challenge for educators making use of online learning environments is to attempt to utilise collaborative learning, that is, to present an integrated framework for students to work within rather than a patchwork of discussion groups and chat rooms.

oTherefore, it is desired to provide an online learning systpin that addresses the above, or at least provides a useful alternative.

SUMMARY

According to the present invention there is provided an online learning system including: a data structure including: task identifiers representing respective tasks; (ii) user identifiers representing respective users; and (iii) at least one group identifier representing a respective group of at least one of said users, said identifiers being associated to define a user as belonging to a group, and a task as belonging to a group; and a user interface for accessing data for said task on the basis of at least one of said identifiers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the present invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of an online learning system; Figure 2 is a diagram of the hierarchical structure of content for a particular subject of the system; Figure 3 is a screen shot of an instructor's work environment interface for a particular subject; COMS ID No: SBMI-01127966 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-05;17!09 :Davies Collisor Cave :61 3 92542208 9/ 39 o-3- C) Figure 4 is a diagram of symbol icons used to indicate submission status; 00 Figure 5 is a diagram of a data structure of the system used for storing group data; Figure 6 is a flow chart showing steps for generating an entry in the data structure; Figure 7 is a flow chart of a process for a user to search for or access materials prepared by users of the same group; oFigure 8 is a diagram of a user interface for accessing a module of the system; oFigure 9 is a diagram of a search user interface of the system; Figure 10 is a diagram of a submission user interface of the system; oFigure I I is a diagram of a response display user interface of the system; Figure 12 is a user interface for an assessment tool of the system; Figure 13 is a user interface for the marking page in the assessment tool; Figure 14 is a flow chart of a process for generating and sending feedback messages to a group of users; and Figure 15 is a flow diagram of a process for monitoring the submission status of a response for a group-based activity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An online learning system 100, as shown in Figure 1, communicates with computer terminals 102, 104 and 106 through a communications network 108, such as an Internet and/or Extranet, using IP protocols. The online learning system 100 provides a structured online learning environment for students and serves content including multimedia.

educational and instructional materials. Students can access materials from the online learning system 100 via the computer terminals 102, 104 and 106.

Figure I also shows the components of the online learning system 100. The online learning system 100 includes a web server 112 (such as Apache, available from <http://www.apache.org>), an application server 114 (such as Zope, available from <htto://www.zope.og>), a database 116 a relational database, such as MySQL, available from <http://wwwy.m ocom>), and a file system 118 (such as NTFS, FAT, and FAT32). The file system 118 serves as a content repository and provides a way to store COMS ID No: SBMI-01127968 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-05:7 09 :Davies Col lison Cave :61 3 92542808 10/ 39 P fPAIWi,~u <vs yidel smi o -4ci ,.files submitted by students, files prepared by instructors, and templates that are used by the 00 application server 114. The components of the online learning system 100 are preferably implemented in software and executed on a standard computer (such as that provided by IBM Corporation <http://www.ibm.corn>) running a standard operating system, such as 5 Unix or Linux. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate the processes performed by the o components can also be executed at least in part by dedicated hardware circuits, e.g., o Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) or Field-Programmable Gate Arrays ^(FPGAs), Students may send or rctricve data to the online learning system 100 using the computer terminals 102, 104 and 106. For example, if a student wishes to request infonrmation, a computer terminal 102, 104, 106 issues a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request that is sent to the web server 112 via the communications network 108. The web server 112 receives the HTTP request, and forwards the request to the application server 114. The application server 114 receives and processes the request, and determines how to respond.

The application server 114 may respond by retrieving and sending predefined data (such as a predefined Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) page) back to the web server 112.

However, for more complex requests, the application server 114 may issue a query in the Sequel (SQL) language) to the database 116 and retrieve specific information. The application server 114 may also retrieve files stored on the file system 118. Based on the information retrieved, the application server 114 generates a customised response a dynamically generated HTML page based on various templates and the information retrieved) and sends this to the web server 112. The web server 112 then forwards data received from the application server 114 to the student computer 102, 104 and 106 that issued the request.

Students are typically enrolled in a course, which requires them to complete one or more subjects in order to qualify for an academic award, such as a diploma or degree. Content for a particular subject on the online learning system 100 is organised into three hierarchical components modules, sections and activities. The content for each subject COMS ID No: SBMI-01127966 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18-2-05:17!09 Dbavies Co H1On Cave s 2458#1/3 ;61 3 92542808 0 11/ 39 includes one or more modules, which in turn includes one or more sections, and which in 00 turn includes one or more activities.

Figure 2 is a tree diagram showing an example of the hierarchical organisation of content for a particular subject provided via the online learning system 100. A course provided by o the online learning system 100 includes one or mare subjects. A subject is one unit of the o online learning system 100, and each subject includes further units corresponding to modules, sections or activities. A module 200 and 202 is the broadest grouping of o Information within the curriculum covered by a subject. Modules 200 and 202 provide a framework for understanding the subject unit, which enables the student to identify an overview. Modules 200 and 202 contain sections 204, 206 and 208 that are related ideas within the concept covered by the module 200 and 202. There is at least one module 200 and 202 in the online learning system 100. Modules 200 and 202 act as "parents" to the sections 204, 206 and 208 Contained within them.

Sections 204, 206 and 208 are logical groupings of informnation within the larger module 200 and 202, and contain the individual activities 210, 212 and 214 which students are required to complete. In addition to the activities 210, 212 and 214, each section 204, 206 and 208 may include an introductory statement that provides the context for the section within the module 200 and 202, objectives and references to reading materials. There is at least one section 204 206 and 208 within each module 200 and 202, which will be the "parent" of the activities 210, 212 and 214 contained within it.

Activities 210, 212 and 214 are the smallest units within the content structure and represent the individual items of work that the students must complete. There is no minimum number of activities 210, 212 and 214 within a section 204, 206 and 208, and the maximum should be determined by the amnount of time that students are expected to devote upon a given concept or area of study within the curriculum. Activities 210, 212 and 214 are designed, either alone or in conjunction with one another, to encourage students to reflect on their own learning and that of their peers (using contextual search access COdS ID Na:SBMI-01 127968 Received by IP Australia: ime 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18 2 05 ;17!Q09 ;D aVi e s Co01 liso0r C ae V6 3 2488*1/ :al 3 92542808 12/ 39 o -6interfaces), such that they benefit from sharing understandings with each other but 4 ultimately develop their own individual understanding.

The online learning system 100 provides four types of activities. The first type of activity is a direction to perform an external task that requires not interaction with the online o learning system 100 instructions for students to read a newspaper article). The second o type of activity is a textbox only acivity, which requires students to type and save a short response to a textbox generated by the online learning system 100 instructions for students to read a newspaper article and to type their thoughts oin the key issues in the textbox, or search a previous activity or student response and type in their reflections or improvements). The third type of activity is a feedback box type activity, which builds on the textbox only type with the student being required to also submit their response to a newsgroup instructions for students to read a newspaper article, type your thoughts on the key issues in the textbox provided and then submit the response to the newsgroup).

The fourth type of activity provided by the online learning system 100 is a file upload activity. This requires students to produce a document of some kind a wordprocessed document, spreadsheet, image, presentation or multimedia file) which is uploaded for review (by an instructor, by all students in a "shared" t activity, or by students in the same group) and/or assessment. A textbox may also be included for students to enter a fur-ther, and perhaps longer, response. For example, the activity may require students to read a newspaper article, type their thoughts on the key issues in the textbox, and draft a letter to the editor in response to the article which is uploaded to the online learning system 100.

Referring to Figure 1, the database 116 and file system 118 stores the content for each subject and also student responses that are submitted for the activities in that subject. For example, the database 116 may include various tables corresponding to the different modules, sections or activities associated with a particular subject. Students may submit a response in the form of a text passage, which is stored in a text field of a table (e.g.

corresponding to a section or activity) in the database 116. Alternatively, the response may be stored as a file in the file system 118S under a folder or subdirectory structure to COMS ID Io: SBMI-01127986 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-O5;*17!9 ;Davies Collisor Cave s 2488#1/3 ;61 3 92542808 13/ 3S MOflM~BWOIa AI O o -7reflect the hiemarchical organisation of modules, sections and activities for that subject.

4 File attachments that are uploaded by students to the online learning system 100 may be stored in the same way on the file system 118. As a fuirther alternative, content may be stored in the file system 118, with a corresponding path to the file being stored in the tables ofithe database 116 o The online learning system 100 generates a separate work environment for each course, kn and each enrolled student, and the arrangement of the information displayed in each work environment the look and feel) can be independently configurable. For example, work environzrents may be generated using predefmced templates files that defines various display configurations for the work environment. Alternatively, the work environment can be configured by having a user select or manipulate predefined options provided via a web interface for the online learning system 100. Similarly, separate configurable work environments can be defined for the each module 200 and 202 or section 204, 206 and 208 of a subject.

Figure 3 is an example of the instructor's work environment interface 300 generated by the online learning system 100 for a particular subject. The instructor's work environment interface 300 shown in Figure 3 is the same as a student's work environment interface, except that students cannot view or acess the "Admin" 302 and "Notices" buttons 303 in the top navigation bar 304. The work environmient interface 300 combines resources (e.g.

306 and 308), communication tools 312 and 314, and activities 310 into the one environment. On first logging in, students are presented with an 'Organiser' view as shown in Figure 3) which provides a visual view of the main components of the subject, including modules 306, sections 308 shown as "topics" in Figure and activities 310 shown as "assessment tasks" in Figure The work environent interface 300 provides a useful and integrated way in which students can quickly identify which assessment tasks they have attempted, submitted or not attempted by the relevant icon next to an activity 3 10. For example, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a cross symbol 400 adjacent to an assessment task activity 316 indicates that the activity has not been attempted.

COMS ID No: SBMI-01127968 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-05H17:0S ;Davies Coi ison Cave !61 3 92542808 14/ 39 hOWenWnurAa Iny-iflS 0 o-8- QSimilarly, a tick symbol 402 indicates that the activity has been attempted, and a balloon OO symbol 404 indicates tbat instructor's feedback for that activity is available, A different work environment for each respective topic 308 can be accessed by clicking on the corresponding topic heading hyperlink 318 on the Organiser page 300. Similar to the Organiser page, Topic pages combine a range of tools which arc grouped into three main _categories the top navigational bar similar to 304 in Figure the activities (e.g.

showing a list of activities only for that topic as shown in 310 of Figure and the general olayout of resources.

The top navigational bar 304 remains in place on each page, and the navigational bar 304 generally includes six links to functions of the system 100: an "Organiser" button providing access directly to the organiser; a "Search" button to browse and view other students' responses to all the online activities embedded in the learning material. A search can be based on groups. For example, a search may cover all shared activities, all group based activities, and/or all individual activities for a student; (iii) a "Contacts" button to access a list of all staff and students enrolled in the subject, as well as links to their email and web pages; (iv) a "Discussion" button, for accessing and contributing to an open structured discussion forum on the subject content, activities and assessment; a "Logout" button; and (vi) Instructors have access to an "Admin" button 302 (to access the management features, such as authoring materials, assessment support and forming groups within the class) and a "Notices" button 303 (for dissemination of formal announcements).

Each topic page is set out to succinctly contain the framework of resources for students, with links to other notes, resources, readings, powerpoint presentation files and/or audio files. The topic page therefore acts as an elaboration of the Organiser page, but without containing too much detail so as to lose the organisational structure for that topic. An advantage of this is that students are deliberately led from an overview and statement of COMS ID No: SBMI-01127966 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 12- 2-05!17109 :Dauias Colison Ca~e :61 3 92542808 4 15/ 39 o-9outcomes for the topic, to the resources they require to complete the activities, to the oc activities and finally to further resources of interest. 00 The online learning system 100 allows the design and operation of particular types of activities and search functionality. Building on a face-to-facc tutorial model, students can Sparticipate in activities that can be shared at a number of levels. For example, the levels of _activity can be defined by the instructor as either "shared" available to all students), "grouped" available to only a predefined group of students), "individual" (i.e.

available only to the student and teacher), or "personal individual" only available to the student for their own personal work). This group feature provides considerable freedom to an instructor in designing online activities that encourage students to work together to develop a response, view others' responses and then modify their answer to represent their newer understanding. This also facilitates online role playing and other group-based activities.

Figure 5 is an example of a data structure 500 used for storing group data. The data contained in the data structure 500 may be derived from one or more tables in the database 116. Alternatively, the data structure 500 may be an object generated based on the data in the database 116) and temporarily stored by the application server 114.

Alternatively, the data structure 500 may be stored as a part of an Extensible Markup Language (XML) data file.

The data structure 500 includes one or more entries, and each entry preferably includes the same set of identifiers. The identifiers in each entry are associated with one another. For example, each entry in the data structure 500 preferably includes at least an activity identifier 506 (shown as "activity_id"), group identifier 508 (shown as "groupid") and a user identifier 510 (shown as "userid"). In this way, each entry defines a relationship where the user a student or instructor) corresponding to the user identifier is associated with a group corresponding to the group identifier, and wherein that group is associated with an activity corresponding to the activity identifier. Furthermore, the data structure 500 also includes a module identifier 502 (shown as "moduleid"), a section COMS ID No: SBMI-01127966 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-05;17!09 ;Davies Corliscr Cave 1392499# 5/ 9 :61 3 92542309 16/ 39 PIMPU'Jh 1. Wbc4Iarn o C)identifier 504 (shown as "section and a status field 522. Associations between the 00 module and/or section identifiers with the activity, group and/or user identifiers can be defined in the same way as described above. The status field represents the submission status of a student or group response to particular activity, and as such, is associated with at least the user identifier 510 and activity identifier 506. For example, a status field value o of 'gIlt 524 and 526 in Figure 5) indicates that the group with group identifier of "01" 0 has submitted a response for the corresponding activity with an activity identifier of hl00".

Similarly, by example, a status field value of 528 and 530 in Figure 5) indicates that the group with group identifier of "02" has received a feedback comments and a mark from the instructor, The value for each different type of identifier 502, 504, 506, 508 and 510 is unique. For example, a module identifier 502 value of "03" should only be used to identify one particular module. Furthermore, although only numeric identifiers ame shown in Figure other types of identifiers can be used instead. In the example shown in Figure 5, four students 512, 514, 516 and 518 are arranged into two groups (with group identifier 508 values of "01" and "02" respectively) for a particular activity (with an activity identifier value of "100").

Figure 6 is a flow chart showing the steps for generating an entry in the data structure (e.g.

as shown in Figure 5) that associates a user a student) with a group for a particular activity. Process 600 is typically executed by a user with supervising or administrative privileges an instructor or administrator user). Process 600 begins at step 602, where a module identifier 502 corresponding to a module is selected, This selects the module within which the group is to be created. At step 604, a section identifier 504 corresponding to a section is selected. This selects the section,'within the selected module, in which the group is to be created. At step 606, an activity identifier 506 corresponding to the activity is selected. This selects the activity within which the group is to be created.

At step 608. a user identifier corresponding to a student) is selected, COMS ID No: SBMI-01 127966 Received by IP Australia: 'rims 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 IS- 2-05:17,09 ;Davies Colison Cave 6 2495#1/3 :61 3 92542808 17/ 39 0 more users may be selected by simply picking those users from a list of users that may be displayed on the graphical user interface. Then,, at step 6101 the one or more selected users are placed into a group by associating their corresponding user identifiers with a particular group identifier. For example, the instructor way create a new group by providing a new o value as the group identifier, and associating the selected one or more student users with IC) that group identifier. Alternatively, the instructor may add one or more student users to a o predetermined group, where the corresponding group identifier for that group is predetermined, and which may be retrieved firomn the database 116.

At step 612, an entry is created and populated in the data structure as shown in Figure which associates at least the activity, group and user identifiers. In effect, the data strcture associates a user a student user) to a group, and associates that group to particular activity or task. If multiple users are selected at step 608, then step 612 generates separate entries in the data structure for each user, with the data in each entry being based on the same group and activity identifiers determined in steps 606 and 610 respectively. Process 600 ends after step 612.

By defining a relationship in the data structure 500 that associates at least the activity identifiers 506, group identifiers 508, and user identifiers 5 10, it is possible to determine which user belongs to which group for a particular activity. In ths way, the data structure 500 is useful for performing various functions, such as searching for material prepared by any user in the same group, communicating to other users of a particular group as a whole group-based broadcast messages), allowing instructors to monitor the progress of each group as a whole, and allowing instructors to review, mark and comment on the deliverables submitted by a group as a whole. Marks and comments for a group can be individually accessed by each group memtber or collectively by all group members based on the group identifier.

COMS ID No: SOMI-Ol 1127966 Received by IP Australia: 'ime 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-05;17!09 ;Davres Coil SOn Cave:5 3924 08# 8/ 9 161 3 92542808 18/ 39 o- 12- C) Figure 7 is a flow chart showing the process for a user (eg. a student) to search for or access materials comments, discussion messages, document fices, multimedia files, presentations, and materials submitted for assessment or review) prepared by users of the same group. Process 700 begins at step 702, where a user identifier is selected. Thbis is automatically done as part of the logan process when a user a student) intially o provides identifications details and authenticates with the online learning system 100.

o Based on the user identifier in step 702, an activity identifier is selected at step 704. This is done by selecting a link from the user interface, which contains a list of activities (e.g.

o for a particular module and section) relevant to the user corresponding to the selected user identifier. At step 706, the online learning system 100 determines the group identifier that is associated with both the selected user and activity identifiers. This is achieved by searching the entries of a data structure the data structure described with reference to Figure 5) for a group identifier that is associated with a particular pair of user and activity identifiers.

If a search is performed, step 706 proceeds to step 708, wherc the group identifier in step 706 is used to filter the results of a search. For example, a student user may use the online learning system 100 to search for all documents prepared in relation to a particular activity.

If the activity is organised into groups, the search results are filtered to show, preferably, only those documents prepared by users of the -same group as the user conducting the search.

Alternatively, if a user does not perform a search, process 700 proceeds from step 706 to step 710. At step 710, a user is granted acess to retrieve materials prepared by users' belonging to the same group. For example, the user interface for a particular activity is customnised for a specific user (based on the activity and user identifiers) so as to display only those documents prepared by users in the same group and hence being associated with the same group identifier.

Documents that are prepared by the instructor for that particular activity documents for all users participating in that activity, and which arc not specifically prepared for, or COMS 10 No: SBMJ-01 127968 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-05;17!09 :Dav ies CollIiscr Cave :61 3 925428# 19/ 39 o -13prepared by, users belonging to a particular group) are displayed in the search results at 00step 70S. Alternatively, at step 710, users are grantd access to such materials prepared by the instructor.

If the user logs in as an instrutor, the search reSults for an instructor at step 708 are not filtered. Similarly, at step 710, an instructor is granted access to all materials without being limited to materials for any particular group. This allows instructors to search, review and access materials prepared by any group.

Any activity within the: online learning system 100 can be made assessable. The assessment tool displays only those activities that havt been made assessable, andialows instructors to provide a student or a group with a mark and/or feedback for each assessable activity. The mark and/or feedback will be available to the student when next they login to the online learning system 100.

The online learning system 100 generates a customised user interface 1200, as shown in Figure 8, for a particular user a student) accessing a module of the system 1004 The main menu bar 1202 includes a "Search" link 1204 which allows the user to access a search user interface, as shown in Figure 9.

The search user interface 1300 of the online learning system 100 allows retrieval of materials responses or deliverables) submitted by users for a particular module. The search user interface 1.300 includes one or more selectable fields or drop down menus 1302, 1304 and 1306 which enables a user to build a search query dynamically by Javascriprt) or define search criteria. Drop downl menu 1302 allows a user to select a user identifier corresponding to a user name as displayed in the menu 1302. Alternatively, the drop down menu 1302 may be a list that ailows a user to select one or more User identifiers corresponding to one or more user names as displayed in the list. In this way, the search retrieves only materials prepared by the users corresponding to the one or more selected user identifiers. The selected one or more user identifiers serve as aL filter in the search, such that only materials prepared by users corresponding to the one or more selected user COMS IDNo: SSMI-01127966 Received by IP Australia: Time (H:rn) 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-05,17!09 !Davies COM ISOn Cave 6 392488#2/3 3 92542809 20/ 3S o -14identifiers are retrieved. The user confirms and executes the search by clicking on the "Search'" button 1310. The search query or criteria is passed as a request to the online learning system 100, wherein the web server 112 forwards the request to the application server 114 to performn the search by querying the database 116 or searching the file system 118S). Search results received by application server 114 is forwarded to the web server 112! which then forwards the results to the user at computer terminal 102) for o display.

oSimilarly, drop down menu 134allows a srto select anactivity identifier N 10 corresponding to an activity name as displayed in the menu 1304. Menu 1304 may allow the selection of one or more activity identifiers by way of a list. The selected one or more activity identifiers serve as a filter in the search, such that only materials prepared for the one or more selected activities arc retrieved. The user confirms and executes the search by clicking on the "Search" button 1312.

Drop down menus 1306 and 1308 enable a user to define multiple criteria for the search.

Menu 1306 allows a user to select a user identifier (similar to menu 1302), and menu 1308 allows a user to select an activity identifier (similar to menu 1304). Menus 1306 and 1308 may each be a list tha allows the selection of onc or more user and activity identifiers from each list respectively. Additional search criteria may be defined in a similar fashion, for example, by way of providing a futher drop down menu or list allowing selection of one or more group identifiers corresponding to groups in a particular activity). The combination of selected user identifiers and/or activity identifiers serve as filters in the search query.

A user interface 1400, as shown in Figure 10, allows a user to submit a response to an activity. The user interface 1400 includes instructions for an activity 1402, a text field 1404 for the user to provide aL response, and a "Save Response" button for the user to confirm and submit the response. The user interface 1400 also includes a hyperlink 1408 fir searching and retrieving ali other responses submitted by any other user in relation to the same activity. Hyperlink 1408 may generate a predefined search query, or trigger the COMS I0 No: SBMI-01 127966 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:20 Date 20D5-02-18 18- 2-06;17!09 ;Davies Colkson Cave:6 392488# 1/ 9 :61 3 92542808 4 21/ 39 POdwnMM ah AAWaA o C) application server 114 via web server 112) to execute a predefined search query. The 00 predefined query may include a search for response submitted by any student based on a particular activity identifier. The search results are then displayed, as showyn in Figure I1I A user interface 1500, as shown in Figure 11, displays all responses that ar relevant to a o specific activity. The userx interface 1500 displays a listing 1502 fbr each response o retrieved, and each listing includes the user name the name of the student) and the response submitted by that user. If one or more listings arc displayed on a single screen, o the usercan scroll down the screen to access any of the listings.

Figure 8 shows the user interface for an assessment tool of the online learning system 100.

Access to the assessment tool is restricted to instructors or support staff for a particular subject. As shown in Figure 8, the assessment tool provides a tabular view 800 of the subject's assessable activities. Students 802 and 804 are listed vertically ini the table and each cell within the body of the table represents the status of a student's response to one activity, Response status is displayed using the symbols described with reference to Figur 4. The response status is determined based on a status field 522 for an entry in the data structure 500. For example, a cross symbol 400 corresponding to a status field value of indicates that the student has not saved a response to the activity. A tick symbol 402 (e.g.

corresponding to a status field value of "I indicates that the student has saved a response to the activity (it does not mean they have submitted their "final" response, but simply that they have saved a response of some kind). A balloon symbol 404 corresponding to a status field value of indicates that the teacher has saved a mnark and/or feedback for the student.

Franm the table 800 an instructor can assess a single student's response to a single activity by clicldg the image in the relevant cell, e.g. 806. An instructor can also assess a single student's response to a activities by clicking the "All activities" link 808 in the last C-OMSID No: SBMI-01127966 Received by IP Australia: Time (H:rn) 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-05fl7t09g ,Davies Col son Cave 6392489#2/9 61 3 92542808 22/ 39 o Qolumn of the table 800. Alternatively, an instructor can assess all student's responses to a single activity by clicking the "All students 1 link 810 at the bottom of the table 800.

Where the enrolled students have been split into multiple groups for a particular activity, the groups are preferably listed in a drop down menu under the relevant activity heading (not shown in Figure To begin assessing the work submitted for a particular group, the o instructor selects a group from the drop down list and clicks the "View" button adjace~nt to on the drop down list. Alternatively, the instructor can switch between different groups osequentially by using the previous group] and [next group links that appear on either side of the drop down list (not shown in Figure 8).

Where a student has recorded a response, the instructor may click on the tick symbol corresponding to the activity to view the marking page, for example, as shown in Figure 9.

The marking page 900 preferably displays the introductory text and activity description that the student was presented, followedi by the student's response. A sample student response with teacher feedback recorded is shown in Figure 9.

The student's response may include text 902 as typed into the activity textbox and/or an uploaded file 904. Accompanying the student's response is the date and time 906 that the response was saved and an approximate number of words 908. The word count 908 refers only to the text the student typed into the textbox. It does not represent any text that may have been included in an uploaded file. The instructor can use the word count feature in a word processor in order to determine word count for uploaded document files.

Where a file has been uploaded as part of the student's response, the file name will be in bold text and a hyperlink 904 is provided for accessing that file, By clicking on the hyperlink 904 in a web browser), the file will either automatically open or a prompt is provided with the option to save or open the file.

To record feedback for the student, the instructor may type comments into the textbox 910 on the marking page 900. The instructor can also record a mark (or srorc) in a separate COMS ID Na:SBMI-01 127966 Received by II' Australia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-05:17!09 :Davies Collisor Cave:6392288#2/3 6 1 3 9254280a 0 23/ 39 8 -17- C) textbox 912. Any marking format is accepted in the textbox 912, which means you can assign a number to the response(s), a percentage or a letter as the studcntts mark. When an instructor has completed his or her comments, and/or has allocated a mark, the instructor then clicks on the "Record mark" button 914. The instructor is then automatically directed S to the assessment tool homepage (sec Figure and the tick symbol 402 in the table 800 for the student's activity that has just been assessed will change to a feedback balloon sybl44 o Similarly, when a student logs in to their Organiser, the tick symbol 402 accompanying the activity name will be replaced by a feedback balloon symbol 404. When the student views the activity, the comments and/or mark provided by the instructor is displayed under the students response to the activity, together with the instructor's name (linked to the instructor's contact email address), and the date and time the feedback was recorded.

As shown in Figure 8. it is possible to assess all responses made by a student to all activities at once by selecting the "All activities" link 808 in the last row of the table 800 corresponding to the student to be assessed. For each activity, a single marking screen is displayed wit segments corresponding to each activity. Each segment includes the introductory text and activity description that the student was presented, followed by the students response and the feedback and marks boxes for the instructor to record feedback.

The instructor may enter text into any of the feedback/mark boxes for each segment in any order. A "Record Marks and Feedback" button is provided at the bottom of the marking screen, which allows the instructor to save all feedback and marks entered for all activities.

To assess all responses to an activity made by all students at once, the instructor can select the "All students" link 810 in the last column of the table 800 that corresponds to the activity to be assessed. A single marking screen is displayed that includes the introductory text and activity description that the students were presented, followed by each students response and a set of feedback and mark boxes for the instructor to record feedback.

Multiple marking screens can be provided, each displaying a limited predetermined or custom selected number of' student responses. The instructor may enter text into any of the COdS ID No: SBMI-01 127986 Received by IP Australia: Time (I-tm) 17:20 Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-05:17.*09 :Davres Callison Cave:6 3824 08#2/ 9 :61 3 92542808 24/ 39 feedback/mark boxes in any order. A "Record Marks and Feedback" button is provided at 00 the bottom of the marking screen, which allows the instructor to save all feedback and marks entered for a the students displayed on the marking page for that particular activity.

Figure 10 is a flow chart of a proces for generating and sending feedback mnessages to a o group of users. Process 1000 begins at step 1002, where a group task is selected for o marking. At step 1004, a feedback message (which may include comments from the instructor and a mark) is generated based on user input. At step 1006, the corresponding o group identifier 508 for the task being marked at step 1002 is selected from data structur 500). At step 1008, the feedback message is forwarded to each student associated on the basis of their corresponding user identifier 5 10 in data structure 500) with the selected group identifier 508.

Figure I I is a flow diagram of a process for monitoring the submission status of a response for a group-based activity. Process 1 100 begins at step 1102, where an activity identifier 506 and group identifier 508 is selected. For example, the instructor may click on links via the user interface to select an activity, and then select a group defined within that activity for marking. At step 1104, a status field 522 is retrieved from the database 116) based on the selected activity and group identifiers 506 and 508. For examiple, the unique combination of selected activity and group identifiers 506 and 508 are used to query a data structure 500 to locate a corresponding status field 522. Then, at step 1106, the submission status is determined from the retrieved status field 522, and the corresponding image for the submission status an icon 400, 402 and 404 as described in relation to Figure 4) is displayed on the user interface.

The online learning system 100 can be used alone to present an entire subject (or a course of study that includes a variety of subjects) in an online environment, making it accessible to both on campus and off-campus students. Alternatively, the online Wearning system 100 can serve as a supplement to print-based materials and/or other online learning environments (such as newsgroups, course management software, library catalogues, or multi-media collections), and can be integrated with face-to-face inte~ractions. F or COMS ID Na:SBMI1127966 Received by IP Australia: rime 17:20 Date 2DO5-02-18 18- 2-05:17:09 :Davres Colison Cave 6 2488#2/3 :61 3 92542808 25/ 39 o .19example, students may be asked to read key articles presented within an online learning 00 environment WebCT) and to maintain their reactions to and thoughts about the readings within an activity provided using the online learning system 100. Students can be encouraged to view others thoughts and to form a shared understanding of the key issues arising fromi the articles. The discussion forum can then be used to provoke discuss or debate about some of these issues. Similarly, multiple-choice quizzes can be provided o using an array of other online tools a of which can be linked to from within a related section of the subject in the online learning system 100. The online learning system 100 o may provide links to any web site, chat room, PowerPoint presentation, video or audio clip that may enhance the teaching/learning: experience for students.

A single module within a subject unit may lend itself to the flexible, collaborative and reflective nature of the online learning system 100. For example, students may be directed to a shared activity requiring them to reflect on their experiences in a work placement program and how they feel they might improve upon their performance. In another activity, students may be asked to review their colleague's responses and report on what they believe to be the essential elements of a good placement experience. An activity may provide hyperlinks to access previous activities in other modules or topics so that students are given the opportunity to reflect on how those earlier responses may be improved.

The online learning system 100 defines date/time parameters, including an "open" 1 date/time and "close" date/time, for each unit module, section or activity). The "open date/time parameter defines the date and/or the time when materials for a unit are available for access by particular types of users students). The "close t date/time parameter defines the date and/or the time when materials for a unit are removed from access by particular types of users students). The use of the "open' and "close' date/time parameters allows content and materials for a module, section or activity to be progressively released (or published) to users in a time-controlled manner. Users who are instructors, or who have administrative privileges, have access to the materials for a unit irrespective of the "open" or "close" date/time parameters.

COMS ID No: SDMI-01127968 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:2D Date 2005-02-18 18- 2-05,17:09 :Davies Collisor Cave :61 3 92542808 26/ 39 0 .0 0) The online learning system 100 includes a content archiving tool which enables particular users instructors or technical assistant staff) to create an archive of material of each 0 unit. Each archive includes the selected content for at least one unit as at the time at which the archive was created. An archive for a unit may be created at any time, as desired. For example, an archive may be created of each subject at the end of each semester. The archive of a unit may include only student responses, student responses with staff feedback oor the entire content of a unit. The system can archive material, such as the student responses, based on date or author order. The archiving tool allows full reconstruction of a unit, if required.

Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.

COMS ID No: SBMI-01127966 Received by IP Australia: Time (H:rn) 17:20 Date 2005-02-18

Claims (1)

19- 2-05;17!09 IDavias Collisor Cave 13 92542808 27/ 39 MUNWOI~A If. wetAW W2MI o -21- THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 00 1. An online learning system including: a data structure including: task identifiers representing respective tasks; (ii) user identifiers representing respective users; and o (iii) at least one group identifier representing a respective group of at least one of said users, said identifiers being associated to define a user as belonging to a group, and a task as belonging to a group; and Clq 10 a user interface for accessing data for said task on the basis of at least one of said identifiers. 2. An online learning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data structure includes a status identifier representing the status of a response for said task. 3. An online system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said status is represented on said user interface by respective status icons reprsenting no response, submission of a response, and submission of a feedback message to a response 4. An online system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including means for generating and sending messages to at least one of said users based on at least one of said group identifiers or said user identifiers. An online system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said data structure includes a module identifier representing respective modules, section identifiers representing respective sections, and said module, section and task identifiers are associated hierarchically, such that a module includes one or more sections, and a section includes one or more tasks. DATED this 18th day of February 2005 MONASH UNIVERSITY By its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE COMS ID No: SBMI-O1127966 Received by IP Auatralia: Time 17:20 Date 2005-02-18