RO137798A2 - COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING SYSTEM AND METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a computer-assisted learning system and associated method. According to the invention, the system is connected to the Internet and it comprises a configuring unit (Ucts) for setting the duration of functional units, by a coordinator, a learning process coordinating unit (VirTran) which coordinates a number of customized learning units (Upai_1, Upai_2, Upai_3, Upai_v) equal to the number of real students (Stud_1, Stud_2, Stud_3) which is also set by configuration by the main trainer and a virtual student (Stud_v), having inside a base of disputable cases (BSD) to be used, at the end of the learning session, by an interpretation unit (Usc&int), in order to assess the activity of each participant followed by centralized communication thereof via a communication unit (Ucomm) as a personalized report. The method, as claimed by the invention, consists in preparing the system which is configured by the main trainer and controlling the learning coordination unit configured by the autonomous students' activity of publishing problems, solutions to said problems and unconformity incident reports and by assessments of allotting quantitative indices values or written reports.

Description

Computer-assisted learning system and method

The invention relates to a computer-assisted learning system and method for building activities dedicated to the assimilation of knowledge and skills or group creation, in the most different forms, with the most different subjects and independently of the language used.

In general, the teacher is a common and traditional person in the world of school and environments in which learning or the transmission of knowledge is supposed. Without exception, his image corresponds to an individual with a thorough training, able to create situations in which those around him acquire new knowledge or skills that raise their standard of representation, manipulation and generation of the means of materialization and operation with products of creativity.

The conventional school model involves a group of individuals, generally called students, a person, generically called a teacher who is responsible for organizing the group and organizing the learning activity with the aim of acquiring, within a given time frame, a predetermined volume of knowledge and skills. Traditionally, the activity of the group and the teacher takes place in a common space, called a classroom. It is also assumed that the teacher establishes the theme of the activity, the applied problems to be solved, stimulates and mediates the learning activity, he is the one who establishes the bibliography and he also appreciates the solutions offered to the proposed problems. Based on the results and responses of the students, the teacher makes their individual evaluation.

The evolution of information processing technology, the democratization of access to writing, the development and spread of media resources allowed young people early and non-institutionalized access to the same resources that were previously only used by teachers (Isoc and Isoc, 2010), and led to multiple attempts to change or improve the essence of school.

A number of authors have attempted to diagnose the failures of the education system and the essence of their conclusions point the finger at the teacher-student relationship. In a simplified formulation, true learning occurs when the process is "student-directed".

Weimer's paper outlines the paths of action for "...learning-oriented instruction...", a concept proposed instead of "student-oriented instruction...":

a) achieving a new redistributed balance of power that distorts the learning project;

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b) rethinking the relationship between the content to be learned and the learning process with the aim of bringing learning closer and more aware;

c) the need to change the role of the teacher in activating the learning process. The teacher's role must be a passive one, without interventions, and the student is the one who discovers the path to learning through his actions.

d) the responsibility for learning lies solely with the student;

e) assessment must have a purpose and this purpose must serve learning. (Weimer, 2002)

There is also a collaborative learning system (US 8,019,718) that involves a number of users who can intervene by modifying the learning problem through actions of addition, modification, elimination. In its structure, the system involves a collaboration engine, a reconciliation engine, a management engine. The system also includes an application for analyzing electronic sources with the role of identifying similarities. The volume of information thus constructed is entrusted to the teacher who appeals to conventional presentation and teaching techniques with the aim of assimilating it by the learners.

The disadvantages of the method are manifested in the relativity of the construction of the learning topic with respect to a declared goal and in the fact that it amplifies the individual efforts of the teacher who is subjected to an unpredictable volume of knowledge to process, understand and transmit for assimilation.

Collaboration among learners is seen primarily as a quantitative assessment (Weimer, 2002). Such a system assists users in carrying out common tasks and then disseminating the results of their work.

The disadvantage of this method is that the initiative of the learners is limited, that their efforts are not evaluated, and that the target of the learning process is not specified or identified.

Most learning methods are based on the principle of finding an expected solution to a given problem (US 5,577,919). Based on the solution selected by the student from a group of possible solutions, an assessment of an apparent level of knowledge acquisition or understanding of a problem under discussion is made.

The disadvantages of these methods consist in the significant effort of the instructor to find credible sets of representative problems and possible solutions and in the neglect of the student's efforts to learn from other activities related to the process of associating solutions to the problems presented for learning and assessment.

A representative solution for the traditional school includes a group student base, a learning materials base and an assessment base (US 6,915,104). The skill level of each student can improve during operation. The duration of learning is limited and the assessment is made on the basis of specially developed assessment material. The treatment of students involves

Mandatory: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL a set of individual personal information. The coordination of the learning process is done under the action of the teacher. Testing is done based on a set of problems made by the teacher.

The disadvantages of this solution consist in avoiding connections between students intended to emphasize collaborative learning and the accumulation of autonomous work skills directed by solving real problems.

Collaborative learning delivery systems are also known (US 9,971,753, US 10,573,194) which present learning material on connected terminals for students. Students can make comments which are distributed within the learning group. The processing unit associated with each student evaluates the comments in relation to the learning material with a predetermined threshold or sets up questionnaires to check the acquisition of knowledge.

The disadvantage of the solution is that the evaluation is done in relation to the presented and previously known text of the learning material.

A common, technical and pedagogical direction is the problem-solving method (US 5,940,817, US 5,878,214). In general, the existence of this technique ensures significant behavioral flexibility. When applied, to find a plan, we talk about a set of solutions that meet for a set of problems and the technical solution aims for an optimal association. Problem-solving methods involve collaboration within a working group. Collaboration develops under the coordination of a facilitator who also ensures the initiation of dialogue through which the resulting solutions are explained.

The disadvantage of the solution is that it assumes only sets of correct problem-solutions and omits the existence of cases where the matching relativity is high, situations often encountered in real life.

A solution that evaluates how learning occurs is based on how elements of a given set of elements are identified (US 6,419,496 Bl). This creates a hierarchy of recognition times that could be a measure of learning.

The disadvantage of the solution is the limited and repetitive nature of the learning process, which has no connection with a natural intention to broaden the learning horizon.

The learning process is integrated into teaching activity management systems (US 8,187,004) in which each student, instructor or administrator accumulates information that can give an image of the school's activity.

The disadvantage of these solutions is that the integration has a formal character in which the functional student-instructor relationship is treated superficially.

A solution for automating the learning process calls on the concepts of adaptive technical control in which the role of the teacher is essentially preserved but a series of new requirements are assigned to him/her.

Agent: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL (Isoc and Isoc, 2010).

The functional disadvantages of the suggested ensemble appear as a consequence of preserving the student-teacher structure of the traditional school.

The problem that the invention solves is the construction of a functional assembly with information processing resources that coordinates the autonomous activity of a group of students in the learning process and is intended for the integration and automation of group learning techniques through problem solving and collegial collaboration.

The assisted learning system according to the invention eliminates the above disadvantages because:

- To assist learning, a unique structure of activities is used consisting of a set of problem writing and publishing - analysis of the published problem - solution of the published problem - analysis of the solution to the published problem.

- To automate the learning assistance action, the interaction of the participants is separated in such a way that the learning process is configured by the main instructor through thematics, technical support, the composition of the learning group and the planning of the stages of the learning session, after which the learning process is fully coordinated by a learning coordination unit until the generation of evaluation reports of each participant's activity.

For the personalized active participation of each member of the learning group in the training process, the participants' interventions were exclusively in written form, in the form of unmodifiable files (pdf) from the moment of upload and publication.

- To access the assistance system facilities in conditions where users have established multiple roles with interspersed interventions, authentication to access the system application leads active users to an adaptive control panel that has detailed operating elements in relation to the activated facilities and the time at which the intervention takes place depending on the configured reference moments of the session.

To assist learning, participants are authorized to intervene in relation to the previously performed activity for each activity, in such a way that any favoring or unethical influences are eliminated from the start.

- To assist learning, it is organized into episodes called learning sessions with predefined activities and configurable time durations at the initiative of the main instructor. To orient learning towards the student, the assistance system offers personalized interfaces that allow active user access to contributions published by all participants, i.e. problem texts, analysis reports and problem solutions and ways of expressing personal options as numerical values of appreciation of each quality, problem opportunity, solution usability or incident severity for these contributions.

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- To evaluate the efforts and results of each student during a learning session, the assistance system offers the possibility of automatically integrating individual options and interpreting them in the form of rules with a uniform format.

- To assist learning, the system provides, through reports communicated by email for each learning session, for each participant, the results of the completed activities so that there is an image of the entire team with personalization for the recipient participant.

- To restrict the instructor's access to the learning activity, the system provides him with the facilities of a random student, known as a virtual student, and his activity is evaluated in the same uniform way as that of the other students.

The advantages of the invention are that it reduces the teacher-student relationship to an instructor-student relationship through which only the characteristics necessary for the learning process are preserved, that the instructor's efforts are significantly reduced, that the learning process is intensified and oriented towards the real requirements of the student in relation to the training topic, that through social accountability interventions, learning becomes more complete, that the process of simultaneous automatic evaluation of all students becomes unitary, objective and effective.

An embodiment of the invention is given below and in connection with Fig. 1 ... Fig. 35 showing:

Fig. 1 - explanation of the reticular structure of the learning process using the assisted learning service.

Fig. 2 - explanatory note on the definition of the arbitrated disputable situation used in assisted learning.

Fig. 3 - example of logical interaction of participants in the learning process according to the stages of the session and the way of forming active teams in servicing a standard disputable situation SDS.

Fig. 4 - block diagram of the learning assistance system.

Fig. 5 - explanation of the relationship between the stages of the learning session, the actors of the activities and the moments of activity planning in the process under the control of the assisted learning system.

Fig. 6 - temporal evolution of all work stages of a learning session, including the stages of arbitration and personal valorization.

Fig. 7 - example of a schedule with multiple interventions in stage El and the distribution of interventions among the students of the learning team.

Fig. 8 - control panel of the active user with multiple roles (learning provider, guest instructor, authorized instructor, virtual student, authority instructor);

Fig. 9 - control panel of the active user with the student role in conMandatar: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL figured and/or launched learning sessions;

Fig. 10 - block diagram of a customized Upai_i interface unit of the assistance system.

Fig. 11 - example of a learning interface when launching the E4 intervention, before selecting the disputable work situation with the detailing of its component elements.

Fig. 12 - example of learning interface when launching intervention E4, after choosing a selectable disputable situation.

Fig. 13 - example of a learning interface when launching the E4 intervention, after choosing a selectable disputable situation and an operation specific to the ongoing intervention.

Fig. 14 - example of learning interface when launching intervention E4 after choosing a selectable disputable situation, with activation of an operation allowed in the ongoing intervention and launching of the operation steps bar.

Fig. 15 - example of learning interface when launching intervention E4, after selecting the disputable work situation, with the activation of an operation allowed in the ongoing intervention and the launch of the steps in progress bar to confirm the activated steps.

Fig. 16 - example of a learning interface when launching the E4 intervention, after completing the ongoing operation with the entry in the image panel of the information entered by the active user.

Fig. 17 - general sequence of actions of a learning session stage intervention.

Fig. 18 - flow chart of the interactions within a learning session.

Fig. 19 - inclusion of the assisted learning system in an automatic learning system, with human adaptation, piloted.

Fig. 20 - interactions of the upload-publish and problem management intervention;

Fig. 21 - interactions of the intervention of problem analysis of published contributions;

Fig. 22 - interactions of the upload-publishing intervention and management of published contributions;

Fig. 23 - interactions of arbitration intervention - validation of the group's opinion on a reported incident of non-compliance;

Fig. 24 - interactions of the upload-publish operation of a contribution;

Fig. 25 - interactions of the operation to remove a published contribution;

Fig. 26 - interactions of the index assignment operation in a stage of analysis of a published contribution;

Fig. 27 - interactions of the operation of reporting a compliance incident regarding a published contribution;

Fig. 28 - interactions of the arbitration-validation operation of the learning group's opinion regarding an incident reported in a published contribution;

Fig. 29 - an example of centralizing the results of a learning session.

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Fig. 30 - example of completing the session results for the SI student in the El stage.

Fig. 31 - example of completing the session results for the SI student in stage E2.

Fig. 32 - example of completing the session results for the SI student in stage E3.

Fig. 33 - example of completing the session results for the SI student in stage E4.

Fig. 34 - explanatory note for generating the set of rules for interpreting the learning session.

Fig. 35 - sequence of steps for building the learning session status interpretation report.

1. Terminology, notations

Learning session: scheduled duration of a process of assisted assimilation of knowledge and skills from the moment the topic offered by an instructor becomes accessible until the moment when the learning process can be evaluated.

Session stage: a well-defined time segment of a session that has a specific purpose in organizing the learning process. A learning session has several stages.

Intervention: a sum of individual assisted efforts that is delimited by a voluntary entry and exit from the assisted learning system. A session stage may have one or more interventions.

Activity: a sum of individual efforts assisted with a specific purpose and which allow for a score according to the principles of the assisted learning system.

Operation: the technical way in which the assisted learning system facilitates the performance of an activity.

Action: a sum of individual and assisted efforts that have an expected effect for the functioning of the assisted learning system. An operation is decomposed into actions.

Session support: written document specifying the theme of a learning process and details on how to write the problems and/or solutions that students participating in this process can identify, as well as other work norms specific to the field of activity to which the learning refers (notation, Supp).

Teacher: a qualified person who teaches an educational subject and who uses lecturing to students and guidance in his or her work.

Principal instructor: qualified person empowered with the organization of a learning process for a team of students (notation M_tra). The empowerment may come from an institution or organization of some kind or may constitute an individual's own assumption. The instructor, whatever his rank, does not necessarily have the task of presenting the subject to be learned to the students through lectures, except for written recommendations of an indicative nature.

Facilitator: person responsible for the activity of a team of collaborators.

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Opportunity index: numerical value in the range [0..1] by which a person expresses interest in a specific advertised topic (notation, Opp).

Usability index: numerical value in the range [0...1] associated by a person with the satisfaction with the way he understands a solution developed for a presented problem (notation, Usa).

Severity index: numerical value in the range [0...1] by which a person assesses the degree of seriousness of a reported and argued antisocial act (notation Sevp, for severity for the problem, respectively Sevs, for severity for the solution).

Incident: a situation that violates compliance norms or other explicit norms specified in writing by the main instructor regarding the conduct of a learning session. Depending on the nature of the situation, we speak of a problem incident (Pi) or a solution incident (Si), respectively, according to whether the object referred to is a problem or a solution contained in a disputable situation.

Intervention: a sequence of actions that the active user performs between accessing the system through authentication and voluntarily leaving it, at the same stage of the learning session.

Operation: a predefined set of elementary interactions, chosen by the active user, with the aim of achieving a desired, predefined effect.

Operation step: an elementary interaction commanded by the service and actually performed by the active user.

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Learning team: a set of real people Stud_l, Stud_2, Stud_3,... together with a virtual student Stud_v who aim to acquire knowledge and skills that each of them desires with a personal motivation.

Operation area: the surface of the learning interface where the active user can engage options or actions. The operation area consists of the image panel, the operation bar, the Logout option (the option to exit the service). The option bar is part of an operation together with the Cancel option to exit the current operation.

2. Operating principles

The assisted learning system refers to a team of people who are involved in a learning process and achieve the acquisition of the desired information or skills through individual efforts, piloted by the topic imposed by the main instructor M_tra and directed by the convergent actions of the other team members.

In Fig. 1 a functional reconfiguration of the conventional relationship between teacher and students in the assisted learning process is presented. The reconfiguration is possible if we take into account that a traditional teacher actually plays three roles that can be functionally separated: a role of main instructor M_tra, who ensures the organization of the learning process, a role of authority instructor A_tra who arbitrates the activity in which decisions are imposed within the learning team and a role of virtual student, Stud_v for situations in which the instructor is integrated into the actual learning relationships.

Thus the conventional teacher is replaced by a unit of coordination of the learning process, VirTran, and his person is integrated into the learning process through the role of virtual student, Stud_v. The communication relations with reference to all the members of the team, i.e. Stud_l, Stud_2, Stud_3, including the virtual student Stud_v, become determinant and the entire learning process appears as a reticular structure. This new configuration is devoid of a rigid hierarchy by eliminating secondary and hierarchical communication relations during the learning process.

The VirTran learning process coordination unit ensures all bidirectional functional transfers between the participants Stud_l, Stud_2, Stud_3, Stud_v, separately, with the authority instructor A_tra and a unidirectional connection with the main instructor M_tra.

In Fig. 2, the assisted learning activity is described as a way of dealing with, stimulating, and exploiting disputable situations. A disputable situation SDS represents a way of presenting a specific problem-solution pair used by problem-solving learning techniques. The learning activity is based on a theme and a duration of work called a learning session.

Assisted learning requires a specific organization of the basic learning activity. For this, learning is organized in uniform activity modules in which each student performs in turn, in the desired volume, in relation to the stated learning subject a) an identification of the aspects to be learned followed by an elaboration of problems, by publishing them in an accessible format, an activity to which an automatic work stage is associated, called stage El, b) an analysis of published problems, an activity to which an automatic work stage is associated, called stage E2, c) an elaboration of solutions for certain selected problems, an activity to which an automatic work stage is associated, called stage E3, d) an analysis of solutions for published problems, an activity to which an automatic work stage is associated, called stage E4. The set of the arbitrated learning activity Sda is formed on the basis of a standard disputable situation, Sds.

In the real assisted learning session, we work with arbitrated disputable situations, Sda. The assisted learning session includes two types of activities. The assisted learning session includes the basic activities that refer to a standard disputable situation, Sds, and a set of

Mandatory: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL io support learning activities. The support learning activities are the arbitration-validation of the published problem analysis, also called E2x, the arbitration-validation of the published problem solution analysis, also called E4x, and the personal valorization, also called E5.

The E2x and E4x arbitration stages aim to strengthen the E2 and E4 analysis activities in particular situations where the latter make use of incident reports.

The E5 personal valorization stage aims to effectively inform students participating in the assisted learning process.

The chain of stages of assisted activity comprises two distinct sequences. These sequences are made up of stages El and E2, respectively stages E3 and E4, between which stages E2x, respectively E4x and E5 are interspersed. The interspersion occurs with the interruption of neighboring activities followed by their resumption.

As a way of achieving this, stages El, E2, E3, E4 and E5 are addressed by the students participating in the learning process, and stages E2x and E4x are the responsibility of the authoritative instructor.

The effects of the learning session stages are published for the knowledge of all authorized participants.

In Fig. 3 the interaction of a set of participants, such as Stud_l, Stud_2, Stud_3, Stud_v, is represented in the process of dealing with a standard disputable situation, Sds.

The construction of a disputable situation is conditioned by the relationship of an individual, through his individual preparation, with an imposed learning theme. Faced with an imposed learning theme, the individual identifies in the session support or in its vicinity, subthemes that he does not know or does not master. These subthemes, formulated or individualized, become problems and determine a disputable situation within a given learning team.

The handling of a standard SDS disputable situation is conditioned by the activity of the participants in the learning process, the way these activities are synchronized, and then by the evaluation of the participants' contribution to the learning effort.

Table 1. The set of rules that condition the relationships of a Stu participant in the learning session with the activities he can perform.________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Rule Rule statement Rule 1: Any participant, Stu has the right to propose any number of P problems. Rule 2: The Stu participant has the right to analyze the published problem P and to make the conclusions public, if he is not the author of this problem. Rule 3: Participant Stu does not have the right to offer a solution S for problem P if he is the author of this problem. Rule 4: Participant Stu does not have the right to analyze the solution S for problem P if he is the author of this problem. Rule 5: For a published problem P, any participant, except the one who is the author of the problem P, has the right to formulate any number of solutions S, which will become disputable situations Sds derived. Rule 6: The set of rules applies in full and without exceptions to all participants in the learning process.

yl

The interaction occurs under the coordination of a set of rules of a logical unit of action equivalent to the assistance system, Uloge. This unit acts to select the set of participants through some switches, Kell, Kel2, Kel3, Kelv, then Ke21, Ke22, Ke23, Ke2v and still Ke31, Ke32, Ke33, Ke3v, respectively Kevl, Kev2, Kev3, Kew to form active teams of the members of the learning team who have the right to participate in the activities of the stages of the standard disputable situation, Sds according to the rules in Table 1.

As an example, it can be considered that a problem P can at some point be published by a student belonging to the learning team, consisting of Stud_l, Stud_2, Stud_3, and Stud_v, respectively, let him be Stud_l. According to Rule 2, Stud_l cannot be in the active team E2, and according to Rule 3 he cannot be in the active team E3 of this problem. According to Rule 4, student Stud_l can analyze any of the solutions offered for problem P. According to Rule 2, students Stud_2, Stud_3, Stud_v from the learning team can analyze problem P and then, according to Rule 5, they can offer any number of solutions SOI, S02, S03,... for this problem. According to Rule 4, students Stud_2, Stud_3, Stud__v cannot analyze any of the solutions SOI, S02, S03, that they offered for problem P and that belong to them.

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Table 2. Example of formation of active teams in the initial learning team according to the authors of the contributions of the previous stage.

Current stage The contribution Active students Next step The team is active in the later stage He P01 Study 1 E2, E3, E4 Study 2, Study 3, Study 4, Study v E2 P02 Study 2 E3,E4 Study 1, Study 3, Study 4, Study v E3 P03/S01 Study 3 E4 Study 1, Study 2, Study 3, Study v

The logical activation unit Uloge, of dealing with the disputable situation Sds, operates based on the rules in Table 2 that condition the relationships of the participants in the learning session.

3. Learning assistance system - structure

In Fig. 4 the principle diagram of the learning assistance system is represented.

The SCIA assisted learning system is configured to serve a number of learning action personalization units Upai_l, Upai_2, Upai_3, Upai_v that correspond to each of the students of the learning team made up, for example, of real students, Stud_l, Stud_2, Stud_3, to which a virtual student, Stud_v, is added each time.

The essential element of the SCIA assistance system is a learning process coordination unit, VirTran. Inside VirTran there is a disputable situation base BSD that is created and updated for each configured and launched learning session. Each personalized learning action unit, such as Upai_l, Upai_2, Upai_3, and Upai_v, is connected to this situation base, BSD. In order to approach and coordinate a learning session, a learning session configuration unit, Ucis, acts on VirTran.

Through this unit, Ucts, the main instructor M_tra introduces the learning team, the topic of the learning session, the learning activity support and work instructions and the temporal work parameters for a planning and synchronization unit Up&s. By configuration, a number of personalized units Upai_k is activated equal to the number (k-1) of real students of the learning team, to which a unit k is added for the virtual student. The temporal work parameters are the durations of the work stages established by the main instructor, namely Tel, Te2, Te3, Te4. According to the planning of the learning session stages, it is possible to intervene with the authority instructor with a role in the arbitration-validation of the problem and solution analyses, respectively, through the authority unit Uauth. The intervention occurs on the updated content of the BSD disputable situations database.

The planning and synchronization unit, Up&s, has the role of issuing the signals corresponding to each active stage of the learning session and ensuring the working conditions for this session. Synchronization occurs by referring to the clock signal Xclk.

The end of the learning session activates a scoring and interpretation unit, Usc&int. Scoring allows the association of a numerical value, commonly called a grade, for each intervention planned, allowed and carried out by the learning team. This unit also analyzes the numerical components of the score and makes an interpretation transposed into a set of rules through which a characterization of the learning session activity is obtained. This characterization is transmitted to the main instructor in order to guide the activities of the following sessions.

The SCIA system includes a Ucomm communication unit which ensures the internet connection, through the electronic mail service, for each real student Stud_l, Stud_2, Stud_3 and the main instructor M_tra, with his roles as virtual student Stud_v and authoritative instructor, A_tra.

During system operation, the identity signals of students in the learning group IStudl, IStud_2, IStud_3, IStud_y are used to activate personalized learning action units and access the BSD disputable situations database.

3.1. Operating cycle

In Fig. 5 the set of relationships that exist between the learning activities, the learning support activities and the learning session configuration activity is presented. The assisted learning activities, represented by the stages El, E2, E3, and E4, respectively, are accessible to the real students Stud_l, Stud_2, Stud_3 and the virtual student Stud_v. They are grouped on the elaboration of problems, El and E2, for the durations Tel and Te2, respectively, and then on the solving of problems, E3 and E4, for the durations Te3 and Te4, respectively. Upon completion of the two sets of work stages, the activity

Mandatory: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL the learning session is stopped and the A_tra authority instructor is activated who covers the E2x support stages, during Te2x, respectively E4x, during Te4x. Upon completion of the learning support stages, control is returned to the student team.

The sequence of the stages is ensured by the planning and synchronization unit Up&s of the assisted learning system, and their duration is established in the duration Tcs of a configuration duration located before and outside the learning session. From the point of view of the global planning of the learning session, this is between TO and Tf.

In Fig. 6 the basic functional cycle of the SCIA assistance system is presented. The sequences of stages of the learning session are represented. Reporting is done at the initial time TO at which the learning session begins with the duration Ts. The sequence of stages, coordinated by the learning process coordination unit, VirTran, begins with the stage El, of loading-publishing the problems, with the duration Tel. The completion of the stage El, means the launch of the second stage E2, of analyzing the published problems, with the duration Te2. The sequence of stages allows the opening of the stage E2x, of validating the analysis of the problems, with the duration Te2x. Continuing the sequence opens the stage E3, of loading-publishing the solutions for the published problems, with the duration Te3, and subsequently opens the stage E4, of analyzing the solutions to the published problems, with the duration Te4. After an interval (Tel+Te2+Te2x+Te3+Te4) the state of the learning process coordination unit becomes E4x, validating the analysis of the solutions to the published problems, which lasts Te4x, at the end of which the E5 state is activated, summarizing-personal valuation, with a duration of Te5. In this way, it is found that the duration of the entire learning session is defined by the relationship (1).

Ts = (Tel + Tel + Telx + Te3 + Te4 + TeÂx + Te5) (1)

Note that by building the VirTran learning process coordination unit, its operation is ensured only if the temporal components of the sum Ts are known.

Fig. 7 details the temporary arrangement of student interventions involved in the learning process, within the stages.

The stages of the learning session are accessed in interventions by each participant in the learning process, according to their own intentions and needs. The number of interventions is independent of the assistance system, as is their duration.

With reference to stage El and the situation in Table 3, the sequences of interventions are grouped by the participants who perform them.

In Table 3, student Stud_l uploads a problem P01 in an intervention El.l, student Stud_2 uploads in an intervention E1.3 then a problem P03 and in another intervention E1.4 another problem P04, student Stud_3 does not upload any problem and does not make any intervention, at

Mandatary: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL like the virtual student Stud_v. In an intervention El.5, the student Stud_3 uploads a problem P04. The temporary arrangement of the interventions is thus detailed. Thus, by analyzing the representations, it is found that duration(El.l) < duration(E1.2); duration(El.l) < duration(E1.3), where El.3 represents the third intervention that occurs in the El stage. It is also found that the student Stud_l has a single intervention in the El stage. In each intervention of the El stage, the participant can upload the desired number of problems for publication. Thus, the participant Stud_3 has two interventions E1.3 and E1.4 in which, for example, problems P03 and P04 are uploaded, respectively.

Table 3. An example of a detailed description of the relationship between interventions within the El stage and their authors, the students of the learning team.________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stage Intervention Learning Team Study 1 Study 2 Study 3 Study v He He.l P01 El.2 P02 E1.3, E1.4 P03, P04 E1.5 P04

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3.2 Control panels and general interaction

The main control panel of the assisted learning system is shown in Fig. 8. The main control panel is where the active user with organizational responsibilities is directed after authentication.

This panel contains chained options that allow the human factor to interact with the assistance system modules.

Through the Ml option, the active user manifests himself as a learning service provider and configures an order including making a payment. Making a payment activates the list of instructors authorized to configure learning sessions using the service resources and informs the system of the number of sessions available to the instructor team. Each session configuration action is completed by reducing the number of available sessions from the number of purchased sessions.

The M6 option is active as long as there are still purchased sessions available. By using it, the learning service provider can add new members to the list of authorized instructors.

Once the list of authorized instructors exists or is updated, any of these users is recognized by the service following authentication and has the ability to use the M3 option to configure a learning session.

Through the configuration operation, the assistance system is informed for students, regarding the topic of the learning session and the guidance support of the supposed activities, for the interactions of the assistance system regarding the list of people who are participants in the learning session and the electronic addresses of these people, for the evolution of the learning process coordination unit regarding the durations of the stages of the learning session.

The active user can also unconditionally use the M2 option through which he can access the guest instructor facility that allows the configuration of the learning session in the same way as by using the M3 option. The difference between the two situations is the way in which the session report is finalized, namely in the case of free work the names of the participants in the session activities are partially legible.

Once the learning session setup is complete, the assistance system transfers full control to the VirTran learning process coordination unit. Options M4 and M5 allow the active user access to the learning interface for arbitration interventions and validation of the team analysis, respectively access for interventions as a Virtual Student.

Options M4 and M5 can be accessed by default, during the session, directly from the learning interface, if the active user does not leave it between two successive interventions.

In Fig. 9 the student control panel is presented. Any student who is in the group in the configuration of a learning session is directed to this panel at any time when he tries to enter the assisted learning system, if he has left the learning interface and becomes an active user after a new authentication. On the control panel there is a service clock and a list of sessions currently running in which the active user appears in the student position.

The sessions currently running can be in a wait state or in a state accepting user access with SI (join). With the SI option, the user is directed to the learning interface, which they can leave with Logout or remain in until the learning session is completed.

Agent: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL

3.3 Custom Interface Unit

In Fig. 10 the scheme of the adaptation unit of the learning activity personalization module Upa_i is given. The activity of the student, Stud_i, i=l, 2, 3, v, who has become an active user of the assistance system following authentication, is decided by the set of distinct positions, commanded by a learning interface control unit Uc2i which manages the access regimes to the disputable situations on the image-panel P3i, Kid, to the inspection-knowledge resources of the contributions Kip, to the operations bar BaO, Kio, respectively to the elementary actions bar of the activated operations, Kis.

During work, the instructor's role and intervention rights are managed by a Uap customization mode adaptation unit commanded by the database content.

J

BSD through the set of signals X3 depending on the signal XI generated by the learning activities unit Uai.

Through the Kid switch, the active student can access the disputable situations on the P3i image panel of the database which includes for all students all existing contributions and for each student the values of the parameters that belong to them.

During the access mode to the planned stages commands, Kio, the operations bar BaO is accessible. Selecting an operation causes the active student to switch to the access mode to the elementary actions bar of the activated command Kia.

Access to the action bar also allows the active student access to a set of access contacts to contributions Kcl, Kc2, Kc3, and Kc4, respectively, and other access contacts to parameters Kpl, Kp2, Kp3, and Kp4, respectively.

By activating the contacts from each student Stud_i of the learning team, the learning session contribution files and the values of the parameters assigned by the student are directed from their own stimulated RPS resource base to the local memory unit Umi of the assistance system.

Session contributions are non-editable files in pdf format, FP, for the problem contribution, FRAP, for the problem analysis report, FS for the problem solution contribution, FRAS the problem solution analysis report and the analysis parameter values are Opp J for opportunity, Sevpi for the problem incident severity, Usai the usability value of the problem solution and Sevsi for the solution incident severity.

By validating the activities associated with the operation steps, the information set X4, consisting of the contributions and parameters entered by student Stud_i related to the ongoing intervention, is loaded into the BSD disputable situations database.

The Up&s planning and synchronization unit controls the intervention stages of the learning session El, E2, E2x, E3, E4, E4x, as temporary access windows XI and as a way of chaining the elementary actions that make up the operations selected in these access windows by the active user through the X2 signal.

3.4 Description of the learning process coordination unit interface

In Fig. 11 the learning interface is presented that allows the active user to access the resources of the assisted learning system. The interface consists of an operating area with a P3i image panel of the system information base and an inspection button bar Bal, an operation button bar, BaO and an operation elementary actions bar, BaA. The operation bar

Mandatory: Sc Integrator Consulting operations, BaO includes in all situations the option to leave the system, Logout, and the BaA action bar includes the option to cancel the last activated operation, Cancel.

The P3i image panel is organized in columns. Each column contains fields that correspond to the description of a published disputable situation, Sds, completed to an arbitrated disputable situation, Sda. Each published situation, in the order of publication, has the name Dxy, where x and y represent. Vertically, the situations have a field CI, which refers to the identification of the disputable situation introduced in the learning process, a field C2 that refers to the problem of the situation, a field C3, which refers to the opportunity value associated with the problem, a field C4, which refers to the criticism of the problem through a problem incident report, a field C5, which refers to the severity value associated with the problem incident report, if it exists, a field, C6, which refers to a solution that can be associated with the problem of the disputable situation, a field, C7 associated to the usability value assigned to the solution of the problem of the disputable solution, a field, C8 associated to a problem solution incident report, a field, C9 associated to the severity value assigned to the problem incident report. The fields are the same and in the same number, for any published disputable situation, Dxy, but differ in their content.

The IPI learning interface is personalized for the current active user. Personalization refers to the parameter values associated with each published disputable situation that appear in the image panel, P3i. Information in P3i that refers to the learning session contributions, i.e. problems, solutions and any incident reports, are common to all interfaces for all participants in the learning process.

The inspection button bar Bal allows viewing the existing file names of the contributions of the selected disputable situation, be it DOI, D02, D03,... respectively P00, for problem, PiOO, for the type of problem incident report, S00, for published problem solution, SiOO, for the type of published problem solution incident.

The example concerns the work stage that follows the launch of an intervention, be it E4 when the active user is informed about the disputable situations that arise through the gray buttons that he can access according to his previous actions, i.e. D02, respectively D05.

In Fig. 12 the learning interface situation corresponding to the action of selecting the disputable situation D05 is presented. When a disputable situation is selected, its elements are highlighted. Also, the names of the contributions previously saved in the BSD database of the assistance system appear on the inspection bar Bal and can be inspected as pdf files.

Fig. 13 shows the state of the learning interface after the active user chooses a disputable situation and selects an operation of the activated intervention, for example, in stage E4, be it "Incident reporting".

Agent: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL

In Fig. 14 the learning interface is presented after activating a value selection action of the selected operation on BaA, be it "Incident reporting" of the active user's intervention in a planned stage, E4.

Fig. 15 shows the working example of the learning interface when the active user has selected one of the accessible situations, be it DOS. The information for the other accessible situations is dropped and their access fields become white.

In Fig. 16'the next step of the learning interface is described where selecting the incident reporting operation causes the launch of the BaA elementary actions bar customized to the operation with the first execution step. After selecting the desired operation, the fields that the launched operation would modify are highlighted on the P3i image panel. Below the elementary actions bar there are texts that provide brief indications on the role of the buttons on the bar.

Trustee: Sc Integrator Consulting S

3.3.General work sequence of an intervention

Fig. 17 shows the general way of interaction of the active user with the learning interface of the assistance system during a launched intervention. The interaction involves both the operation of the assistance system, often called the machine, and the initiatives of the active human user who has authenticated and been identified by the learning system.

Under these conditions, if it is found at step InlOO that the active user's intervention is within the session plan, the assistance system customizes in step Ini 10 the components of the learning interface, i.e. the image panel P3i, the operations bar BaO and the elementary actions bar of the selected operation BaA related to the specific operation launched.

Any intervention begins if there are, as in step Inl20, disputable situations accessible to the active user. A situation is accessible to the extent that none of the specific exclusion conditions are violated. As long as there are accessible disputable situations, the user can decide after step Inl30 and approach them one by one as in step In 140.

Under normal conditions, after selecting the accessible situation, the user will activate the operation according to his/her own interest with Inl60. Activating the operation determines at step Ini70 the launch of the elementary actions that the user is invited to approach as in Inl90 until exhaustion. If the list of actions is exhausted by the confirmation step In200, then the system proceeds to update the image panel P3i and directs the user to the operations bar, BaO where the resumption of the operation or the approach of another operation with the elements of the same disputable situation selected is expected.

The user can give up the actions of the activated operation sequence at any time and with step In220 the BaO operations bar is reached without any action on the P3i image panel with step In230.

From the operations bar, BaO, the exceptional waiver of the ongoing intervention can be made, permanently at the user's disposal through step Inl30, step Inl40, Inl50, the system updates the learning assistance information base through step In240 and then exits the system through step In250.

A new intervention is possible with a new user authentication, provided that it concerns the duration of the current stage or in the future stage of the current session.

In Fig. 18, the entire sequence and interaction method during a learning session is represented in a sequence of steps from 100 to 270. Such a learning session is configured by the main instructor between two time points T0, respectively Tf. The learning session involves a series of activities characterized by nature and duration. By nature, the series of activities involves the interaction of some of the participants in the learning session with the VirTran learning process coordination unit through its interface. Since each activity of the participants is conditioned by a launch moment and a certain duration, the name of the activity is common to the time interval and bears the name of the stage of the learning session. The stages El, E2, E2x, E3, E4, E4x, respectively E5 are identified.

At step 100, the main instructor M_tra, authorized by the system signal Xc, ensures the configuration of the session within a duration controlled by step 110 until the action is exhausted.

From the participants in the learning session, a team accepted by the authorization signal Xel starts at step 120 stage El. The duration of the stage is supervised by step 130 and as long as Tel is not exhausted, specific interventions of loading and publishing disputable situations take place.

The exhaustion of the duration of the stage El determines at step 140 the interventions of the participants accepted by the authorization signal Xe2 which each time form the team of the stage E2. The duration Te2 of the stage E2 is monitored by step 150 until all possible interventions are completed.

The exhaustion of the duration of the E2 stage determines at step 160 the opening of the E2x stage of arbitration of existing problem analyses through the activity of the authority instructor, A_tra. The duration of this stage is supervised by step 170 and as long as Te2x is not exhausted, the authority instructor can continue his activity.

The exhaustion of the duration of the stage E2x determines at step 180 the interventions of the participants accepted by the authorization signal Xe3 which each time form the team of the stage E3. The duration Te3 of the stage E3 is supervised by step 190 until all possible interventions are completed.

The exhaustion of the duration of the stage E3 determines at step 200 the interventions of the participants accepted by the authorization signal Xe4 which each time form the team of the stage E4. The duration Te4 of

Mandatory: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL stage E4 is supervised by step 210 until all possible interventions are completed.

The exhaustion of the duration of the E4 stage determines at step 220 the opening of the E4x stage of arbitration of the existing solution analyses through the activity of the authority instructor, A_tra. The duration of this stage is supervised at step 230 and as long as the Te4x duration is not exhausted, the authority instructor can continue its activity.

The exhaustion of the duration of the stage E4x determines at step 240 the interventions of the participants accepted by the authorization signal Xe4 which each time form the team of the stage E4. The duration Te4 of the stage E4 is supervised by step 250 until all possible interventions are completed.

Once the interactions of the students and the authority instructor with the assistance system are completed, in step 260 the individual scores of the submitted activity and its qualitative interpretation are constructed.

At step 270 the system communicates to each participant the score and interpretation of the activity with which the configured learning session is completed. A new learning session is possible by a new configuration and triggering of the configured session.

3.4 Automatic system configuration

In Fig. 19 the SCIA assisted learning system is presented in the configuration of an automatic system. For this, it is considered that the learning process coordination unit VirTran includes the learning session in a loop achieved by communicating the results to the student team, Stud_l, Stud_2, Stud_3, respectively Stud_v and, separately, to the main instructor M_tra. The numerical results that are delivered by the internal learning control unit are also sent to a session results interpretation unit Uirs that converts them into verbal rules. In this way, the main instructor M_tra can modify the support and planning of the next session and thus adapt the learning process to the specifics of the work team.

Learning assistance method - interactions with students

The interactions of the learning session occur in such a way that any student assigned to the session can intervene at any time, according to his/her wish, with interventions appropriate to the current stage through any number of operations for which he/she is entitled to do so in relation to his/her relationships with the author of the contributions of the disputable situation. All these relationships are presented on the P3i image panel so that the active user can select the disputable situations for which he/she will act.

4.1 His intervention in publishing issues

In Fig. 20 an intervention from stage El is presented, intended for building the base of disputable situations of the assisted learning system. The intervention comprises the operation of loading-publishing

Mandatory: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL which of the problem and the operation of eliminating a problem of the same participant. loading a problem determines the generation of a disputable situation. Eliminating a problem does not determine the elimination of the previously generated disputable situation.

The construction of the BSD disputable situations base is done through the autonomous and voluntary action of any of the interested participants of the learning group.

If at step El.100 it is found that the active user's intervention is performed in step El, it is possible to activate the operation as at step El.110.

If the Eli upload-publish operation is activated as in El.120, then the El elementary actions bar is launched from step El.130.

If a situation Sda is selected as in step El.140, it is possible to activate the operation E12 to eliminate the problem as in step El.150 which, as in step El.160, also produces the launch of the elementary action bar E12a.

After the execution of the elementary actions, the selected situation is released as in step El.170.

The user can continue the intervention with a new operation activation as in step El.110.

If the stage is other than El, proceed to perform its specific operations as in step El.180.

The learning assistance system controls the duration of the stage and determines its abandonment at the end of the configured time.

The intervention also involves access to the exit option as an alternative autonomous operation. Leaving the interface is done without any intervention on the image panel.

4.2 E2 problem analysis intervention

In Fig. 21 the set of interventions that allows the analysis of the problems of a published arbitrated disputable situation, Sda, is presented. These interventions, in an unspecified number, available to the active user, are allowed and occur in stage E2 or stage E4 of the learning session.

The analysis involves three categories of operations, optional for the user: an opportunity/usability value assignment, a reporting of a compliance incident, and a severity value assignment for a problem/solution severity incident reported by another participant.

The intervention always refers to a problem/solution that belongs to a disputable situation. On the other hand, the E2/E4 stage is divided into two sub-stages E2.1/E4.1 and E2.2/E4.2 respectively. As in step E2.100, it is verified that the intervention occurs within the first duration of the stage.

If the intervention is in the first part of the stage, E2.1/E4.1, a situation must be selected

Agent: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL disputable Sda work as in step E2.110.

Once the disputable situation has been selected, it proceeds to the optional activation of intervention operations.

If the operation E21 of assigning quantitative index, opportunity/usability, as appropriate, is activated, as in step E2.150, the elementary action bar E21a is also launched.

If the operation E22 of reporting a non-compliance incident is activated, as in step E2.170, then the elementary action bar E22a is also launched.

In both situations, upon completion of the execution of the activated operation as in step E2.190, the selected situation is released.

In the same semi-step E2.1, the user's activity can continue by selecting a new situation and resuming the activation of an available operation.

If the current moment corresponds to substep E2.2, the user is invited at step E2.210 to select a disputable situation Sda and then activate the operation E23 of assigning a severity value which also determines the launch of the action bar E23a.

At the end of the cycle of elementary actions, the selected disputable situation is released as in step E2.250 and it is possible to resume the analysis with another situation.

If the stage is other than E2, proceed to perform its specific operations as in step E2.260.

The learning assistance system controls the duration of the stage and determines its abandonment at the end of the configured time.

The intervention also involves access to the autonomous exit option as an alternative autonomous operation. Leaving the interface is done again without any intervention on the image panel.

4.3 E3 intervention to publish problem solutions

Fig. 22 shows the working method of an intervention in stage E3 coordinated by the assistance system and which can be returned to at any time until the working time allocated by configuration is exhausted or the active user chooses to leave the assisted learning system application.

If at step E3.100 it is found that the active user's intervention is carried out in step E3, the selection of a disputable situation accessible to the user is required as at step E3.110.

If the selection exists, then the user can activate the operation E31 of loading-publishing the solution to the situation problem as in step E3.140 or removing the selected solution as in step E3.160. Activating the operation E31 means launching the elementary action bar E31a as in step E3.150.

Agent: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL

If the selection exists and the operation E32 of eliminating the solution to the selected situation is activated, as in step E3.160, the elementary action bar E32a is also launched.

After the execution of the elementary actions, the selected situation is released as in step E3.180.

The user can continue the intervention with a new selection of disputable situation as in step E3.110 and another activated command.

If the stage is other than E3, proceed to perform its specific operations as in step E3.180.

The learning assistance system controls the duration of the stage and determines its abandonment at the end of the configured time.

The intervention also involves access to the exit option as an alternative autonomous operation. Leaving the interface is done without any intervention on the image panel.

4.4 Ex intervention for arbitration-validation of compliance incident analysis

Fig. 23 presents the interactions of the arbitration intervention - validation of the opinion of the learning group participants in a problem non-conformity incident as at the E2x stage, respectively of problem solution, as at the E4x stage.

If the user intervenes in the targeted stage, Ex, as in step Ex.100, then it is necessary to select a disputable situation Sda that has not been previously arbitrated as in Ex.110. The user then activates as in Ex.130 the arbitration-validation operation which launches the bar of elementary actions specific to Exa.

The completion of the set of elementary actions determines, as in Ex.150, the release of the selected situation. The selected and arbitrated situation cannot be resumed in a new subsequent selection in the same session.

The user can continue the intervention with a new selection of disputable situation as in step Ex.110 and another activated command.

If the stage is other than Ex, proceed to perform its specific operations as in step E3.160.

The learning assistance system controls the duration of the stage and determines its abandonment at the end of the configured time.

The intervention also involves access to the exit option as an alternative autonomous operation. Leaving the interface is done without any intervention on the image panel.

4.5 Elementary operations

In Fig. 24 the working method of a loading operation of a conMandatar: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL is presented.

problem/solution type contributions in the image panel of the learning interface.

Once the upload-publish operation is activated as in steps Ea.100 and Ea.110, the elementary actions of selecting the contribution file from the working directory Ea.1, respectively of confirming the sequence of actions Ea.1, are launched. After confirmation, control is transferred to the system which, as in Ea.120, opens/updates the selected or next Sda.

As in step Ea.130, the system returns to the operating panel of the learning interface.

The Cancel option has an autonomous action with which the user can intervene at any time to abandon the ongoing action bar.

In Fig. 25 the principle of removing a selected contribution is presented. To remove a problem/solution type contribution, the situation that includes the contribution is selected, then the basic actions bar is launched and, as in Eb.100 and then Eb.110, the actions of displaying the contribution and confirming the selection are performed.

Control is transferred to the system that produces the neutralization of the contribution selected on the image panel as in step Eb.120, whereby the contribution will no longer be the object of an operation, after which it returns to the operating area of the learning interface.

The Cancel option has an autonomous action with which the user can intervene at any time to abandon the ongoing action bar.

The user is then brought to the operating area where he can continue the ongoing intervention operations.

In Fig. 26 the operation of assigning a numerical value for an analysis index which can be of opportunity, usability or severity is presented.

Once the operation is activated, the elementary actions bar is launched as in step Ec.100 for selecting the numerical value with the Ec.1 action, followed as in the Ec.2 action by confirming the first action.

Control is transferred to the system which updates the index value on the image panel as in step Ec.l20 and then as in step Ec.l30 takes the user to the operation area for a new operation.

The autonomous Cancel operation activated between elementary actions again abandons the action bar and returns the user to the operating area.

The values of the analysis indices updated on the image panel are accessible only to the currently active user. These values are averaged and become public at the end of the processing of problems, respectively problem solutions.

Fig. 27 shows how to perform the operation of reporting a compliance incident, whether it is a problem or a solution to a problem.

The activation of the incident reporting operation occurs after launching the action bar and executing the elementary actions step by step with the active user's guidance. The execution and guidance actions allow through Ed.1 to select the file with the incident description report, then Ed.2 to select the incident type, Ed.3 to fill in the proposed severity value and complete the sequence with the acceptance of the completed actions with Ed.4.

If the sequence is completed, control is transferred to the system which updates the image panel and then returns to the operating panel.

The autonomous Cancel action allows the user to abandon the action bar at any time and return to the operating panel of the learning interface.

Fig. 28 shows the processing flow of the arbitration-validation operation of a problem incident or problem solution incident analysis.

Launching the arbitration-validation operation causes the launch of the action bar in the sequence Ee.l, Ee.2, Ee.3, Ee.4, which drives the introduction of the sequence of validation information.

At step Ee.120, the situation arises where the user as an authority instructor does not recognize the severity value. In this situation, the user is required to upload a supplement to the incident report.

After confirming the basic actions of the operation, control is transferred to the system that updates the image panel, after which it remains in the operating panel of the learning interface.

The autonomous Cancel action allows the user to abandon the action bar at any time and return to the operating panel of the learning interface.

TO

Agent: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL

Learning assistance method - synthesis of a learning session

In Fig. 29 the summary of the completed activities of a learning session is presented. The summary table is organized for a group of three real students and the virtual student. Each participant passes, according to the mode of operation of the assistance system, through all the planned stages with the durations configured by the main instructor, i.e. El, E2.1+E2.2, E3, E4.1+E4.2.

By going through a planned stage, a participant can act in such a way as to upload a contribution, i.e. a problem, a problem or solution incident report, a solution or to select the value of a synthetic index such as the opportunity, Opp, usability, Usa, severity for the problem incident, Sevp, respectively severity for the solution incident, Sevs. In relation to the implemented logic of the assistance system, the synthesis table contains moments in which the participant's action is in the voluntary situation of lack of activity, marked with n/a or in the imposed situation of deprivation of the right of action, marked with n/r.

In the table, P01 is used to refer to a problem, Pij/Skl is used to refer to the solution kl to problem ij, Pij/ipk is used to refer to a problem incident with number k from the list of predefined problem incidents for problem number ij, and Pij/isk is used to refer to a solution incident with number k from the list of predefined solution incidents for problem number ij.

A particularity of the integral situation description table related to the learning session is that each student associates his contributions and index values with a disputable situation, Dmn. A disputable solution is generated when the user uploads and the system publishes a problem and every time the participant uploads a new solution subsequent to the first one for a problem attached to a situation. When a new disputable situation is introduced, knowledge about the previous stages becomes strictly informative and is no longer taken into account in the scoring and interpretation of the results.

The logic of completing the summary table is in the order of the stages of the learning session and by respecting the conventional order of the team of participants. It must be taken into account every time that any modification in the table occurs through interventions that are dependent on the place of activation. This detail is not captured in the situation table and is of no importance at this level of use.

Trustee: Sc Integrator Consulting S

In order to correctly interpret the description of a session's situation, it is necessary to enter the description and incident notation convention as in Table 4.

The index numbers refer, the first to the student's serial number, and the second to the disputable situation to which they refer.

Table 4. Incident description.

Incident code Incident description iOp iOS Incident type: identity disclosure; Description: assumes the existence of any indication that could allow the procedural identity to be disclosed. Depending on the seriousness of the situation, it determines the elimination of the culprit from the learning session with a zero score. ilp its Type of incident: plagiarism; Description: - involves any taking of a text fragment without indicating the source. i2p i2s Incident type: multiple contribution Description: involves writing that does not comply with a standard form stated by the principal instructor. Notes: requires additional initial information regarding the second disputable situation referred to. i3p i3s Incident type: non-compliance with the norm; Description: involves writing that does not comply with a standard form stated by the principal instructor.

i4p i4s Incident type: drafting incoherence; Description: involves the existence of logical constructions lacking necessary elements or with elements insufficient for understanding. i4p i4s Incident type: improper use of writing language; Description: implies the presence of mistakes or incorrect, careless or impermissible linguistic constructions in the text of the contribution.

In Fig. 30 the activity of student SI in the El stage is detailed. It is noted that he publishes problems P01 and P3. Simultaneously with him, however, problems P03 and P04 are also published in the assistance system. These problems are published by other participants, respectively by students S2 and Sv. Each problem determines the initiation of a disputable situation. All contributions are contained in the image panel and are accessible to all participants.

In Fig. 31, the problem analysis activity is detailed by publishing problem incident reports, regardless of who publishes them, and the values of the analysis indicators associated with the SI student's problems are displayed. These values are published and visible only to the nominated participant, in this case, the SI student.

In Fig. 32 the activity of the SI student in the problem solving stage is presented. This activity is simultaneous with any other problem solving activity regardless of the participants who make the publication. Any disputable situation admits a solution related to the existing problems. If a problem such as P02 receives a new solution, such as S02, then together with the solved problem this constitutes a new situation, D05.

For the new disputable situation, the displayed issue is accessible only for inspection and all issue fields are not accessible for completion.

In Fig. 33 participants in the learning process have the possibility of solution analysis by reporting a solution incident or by filling in the usability values for the solution of the selected situation or by the severity value for the solution incident reported for the same selected situation. Here too, the contributions are accessible to all participants but the index values are given only for the use of the participant considered, in this case the SI student.

Learning assistance system - individual scoring and session interpretation

Individual scoring is done as in (2) depending on each student's contribution to covering the components of disputable situations through the activity, as a fixed value respectively through the assessments made through the learning session configuration stage and as a variable value through the individual values of the opportunity, usability and severity indices for problem incidents, respectively problem solution.

sdj = wp*(Fp_i + Vp_i) + wip*(Fip_i + Vip_i) + ws*(Fs_i + Vs_i) + wis*(Fis_i + Vis_i) (2)

The evaluation score of a disputable situation is (2) as follows where: i is the ordinal number of the disputable situation analyzed,

Agent: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL

Fpi, Vp_i are the fixed component of the score for submitting the problem of situation i, respectively the variable component of the score for analyzing the problem of situation i,

- Fip i, Vipi are the fixed component of the score for submitting an incident report of the situation problem i, respectively the variable component of the score for analyzing the reported incident of the situation problem i,

- Fs_i, Vs_i are the fixed component of the score for submitting the solution to the problem of situation i, respectively the variable component of the score for the solution to the problem of situation i,

- Fisi, Visi are the fixed component of the score for submitting an incident report of the solution to the problem of situation i, respectively the variable component of the score for analyzing the reported incident of the solution to the problem of situation i.

- wp, wip, ws, wis are weights with which the partial scores related to the contributions of student activity intervene in the score sd_i assigned to the disputable situation i.

In turn, the variable components are functions expressed by values collected by the VirTran learning process coordination unit as in (3)... (6).

Vp_i = Vp_i(Mopp_i, Msepi)(3)

Vip_i = VipfMsepi, Sepi)(4)

Vs i = Vs_i(Musa_i, Mses_i)(5)

Vis i = Vis_i(Mses_i, Ses i)(6) where

- Moppi is the average value of the opportunity of the problem of situation i collected by the VirTran learning process coordination unit from the active students of the problem team;

- Musa i is the average value of the usability of the solution to the problem of situation i collected by the VirTran learning process coordination unit from the active students of the problem team;

- Msep i is the average value of the incident severity of the problem situation i collected by the VirTran learning process coordination unit from the active students of the problem team;

- Mses i is the average value of the incident severity of the solution of the problem of situation i collected by the VirTran learning process coordination unit from the active students of the problem team;

Finally, the score scJ for student j results from summing the partial scores for each situation i as in (7) where nd represents the number of disputable situations generated for the completed learning session.

ScJ=(sc_l + sc_2 + sc_3 + ... scnd) (7)

Trustee: Sc Integrator Consulting S

In Fig. 34 the plan of disputable situations generated during a learning session is represented, be they Dk, k=l ...nd and each situation is made up of a complete or incomplete problem-solution set. In this way we can speak of np problems and ns solutions. Each pair Dk={Pk, Sj} can be represented as a point in the plan of disputable situations, and the coordinates of the situations are the opportunity values, oppk, respectively, usability usaj associated through the assessment activity of the N students of the learning team.

In the situation plan, the median situation of the learning session is defined, Dm(Do, Du).

In Fig. 35 a sequence is given that describes how to complete a learning session by interpreting the results of the voting of the activity participants. For this, it is assumed that it would be a learning session in which a team of N=5 students participates, that through the activity a set DOI, D02, D03, D04, D05, respectively D06 disputable situations are generated, each consisting of a pair of contributions problem i - solution j, Dxy (Pi, Sj).

Before building the session results interpretation report, at step RinlOO the session report is built using quantitative indicators that take into account the fact that the problems were published by Nap=3 students, that there are Nas=4 students who authored solutions, that there is a total number Ns of solutions. It is also taken into account that following the session stages for each problem of a situation an average opportunity value could be determined and for each solution an average usability value, so that D01(0.54; 0.74), D02/0.33; 0.64), D03(0.84; 0.84), D04(0.24; 0.00), D05(0.74; 0.54), D06(0.64; 0.84).

The quantitative indicators of the learning session are determined based on the relationships:

a. Apparent degree of participation, Nap 7 N = 3/5 (Nap/N < 1, low participation; l<Nap/N<2, marginal participation; 2<Na/N, normal participation, where Nap is the number of problem authors in the learning session, N is the number of students in the learning team);

b. Degree of active participation, Nas /N = 4/5 (Nas/N<l, insufficient active participation; Nas/N =7 normal active participation, where Nas is the number of distinct solution authors, N is the number of students in the learning team).

c. Apparent degree of activity. Nas / Nap = 4/6 (Nas/Nap < 1, apparent degree of insufficient activity; Nas/Nap > 1, apparent degree of satisfactory activity, where Nas is the number of solution authors in the learning group; Nap is the number of problem authors published in the learning session).

d. Gross degree of approach to the learning dispute Nd/N = 6/6 (Nd/N < 1, insufficient approach; Nd/N = 1, borderline approach; Nd/N <2 sufficient approach; Nd/N> 2 active approach, where Nd is the number of disputable situations, N is the number of students in the learning team);

Agent: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL

Session results interpretation report.

In the situation plan, the median situation of the learning session is defined at step Rinl20, Dm(Do, Du) where

Do =

°PPk

Go =

door _k

Example: Do = (0.54 + 0.33 + 0.84 + 0.24 + 0.74 + 0.64) / 6 = 0.555; Du = (0.74 + 0.64 + 0.84 + 0.54 + 0.00 + 0.84) / 5 = 0.72.

At step Rinl40, the plan of disputable situations of the session is divided into characteristic regions defined by the relations:

— {Ac} |0.00 < opp _k < Do, 0.00 < usa _k < Du(8)

P ₁₂ ⁼ |θ·00 < opp _k < Do, Du < usa _k < 1.00(9) ^21 = {Dk} °PPk 1-00,0.00 < usa _k < Du(10) ^22 = {AJ °PPk 1-00, Du < usa _k < 1.00(11)

Example: R _u = {D _k }|0.00 < opp _k < 0.555,0.00 < usa _k <0.72; R ₁₂ = {D _fc } 10.00 < opp _k <

0.555; 0.72 < usa _k <1.00; R ₂₁ = {AJ10.555 < opp _k <1.00; 0.00 < usa _k <0.72; R ₂₂ = {D _k }|0.555 < opp _k <1.00; 0.72 < usa _k < 1.00.

At step Rinl60 the set of resulting situations of the learning session are classified according to the relationships with the boundaries of the specific regions in the set of sets Ml 1, Ml2, M21, and M22, respectively.

Example: For the set of disputable situations DOI(0.54; 0.74), D02(0.33; 0.64), D03(0.84; 0.84), D04(0.24; 0.00), D05(0.74; 0.54), D06(0.64; 0.84) it is obtained by classification Mll={D02, D04}, M12={D01}, M21={D05}, M22={D03, D06} for which the number of situations included is determined respectively n _n = cardțM^} = card{D02,004} = 2; n ₁₂ = card{M ₁₂ ] = card{O01} = 1; n ₂₁ = card{M ₂₁ ] = card{D05} = 1; n ₂₂ = card{M ₂₂ ] = card{D03,006} = 2.

In turn, at step Rinl80, then step Rin200, Rin220 and Rin240, verbal descriptions are compiled for the four aspects of the interpretation report, exemplified in the given case:

Example:

Aspect 1: Ml 1={DO2, D04}, K11=2/6.

For all participants display the situations in and Kll

Diagnosis: The problems in Ml 1 are not timely or are poorly conditioned and have inconsistent solutions. Effect: Learning session without results.

Recommendation for students: a) Identify problems and formulate them correctly. Choose the problems to solve carefully, b) Request the instructor's intervention, c) Request a change in the topic of the session.

Recommendation for the instructor: Reconstruct the topic and adapt the learning session for this type of situation.

Agent: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL

Aspect 2:

For all participants display Ml2={DOI}, K12=l/6.

Diagnosis: weakly conditioned problems, with apparently consistent solutions.

Effect: Inconclusive learning session for learning.

Recommendation for students: Construct problems more systematically and completely.

Recommendation for the instructor: a) Reconstruct the topic, b) Adapt the next learning session to the deficiencies, c) Modify the composition of the learning team.

Aspect 3:

For all participants it displays M21={D05}, K21=l/6.

Diagnosis: well-conditioned problems with inconsistent solutions.

Effect: Announces the precarious state of the learning session.

Recommendation for students: a) Construct the problems more systematically and completely, b) Request the instructor's intervention.

Recommendations for the instructor: a) Reconstruct the topic, b) Adapt the next learning session, c) Modify the composition of the learning team.

Aspect 4:

For all participants it displays M22={D03, D06}, K22=2.

Diagnosis: well-conditioned problems, with consistent solutions.

Effects: Learning session in optimal conditions.

Recommendation for students: Maintain learning conditions.

For the instructor: Adapt the next learning session.

Agent: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL

IU

Bibliographic references

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[3] COLLINS, D.L., BLOCKER, A.S. Method and apparatus for automated leaming and performance evaluation. US Patent 5,577,919. Deposit date: July 25. 1995.

[4] DESENSI, Jr„ F.J„ DESENSI, III, F„ HAGAN, J.R. System and method of education administration. US Patent 8,187,004, Date of filing: Sept. 3, 2004.

[5] WEIMER, M. Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice. John Wiley & Sons. 2002.

[6] ISOC, D., ISOC, T., A new adaptive teaching method for engineering school, Journal Plus Education, 6(2), 2010, pp.124—131.

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[8] BATARSEH, L, GARIBAY, O. Computer system providing collaborative leaming features and related methods. US Patent 9,971,753. Date of deposit: June 6, 2006.

[9] MATTOS LIMA, A.B., CARDONHA, C.H., GUIMARAES, R.L., SANTANA, V.F.D. Leaming systems and automatic transition between leaming systems. US Patent 10,573,194. Date of deposit: March 31, 2017.

[10] GILLIAM, T.K., R.A. HARRIMAN, Computer-based group problem solving method and system, US Patent 5,878,214, Filed: July 10, 1997.

[11] VAUGHAN, Jr., W. , Leaming method, US Patent 6,419,496 Bl, Date of patent: July 16, 2002.

[12] KISHI, K„ TSURUTA,S., OSHIMA, T„ EGUCHI, T„ Problem solving method and system, US Patent 5,940,817, Patent date: August 17, 1999.

Agent: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL

[13] Ho, C.F., Tong, P.P., Computer-aided group-leaming methods and systems, US Patent 6,029,043, Date of Patent: February 22, 2000.

[14] Ho, C.F., Tong, P.P., Computer-aided leaming system and method, US Patent 6,139,330, October 31, 2000.

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[16] Chao, D., Chang, H.T., Tong, P.P., Computer-aided leaming method and systems matching students with instructors, US Patent 6,325,632, Patent Date: December 4, 2001. [17] Remschel, R., Computer assisted leaming system, US Patent 6,411,796, Patent Date: June 25, 2002.

[18] Waughan, Jr., W., Leaming method, US Patent 6,419,496, Date of Patent: July 16, 2002.

[19] Ho, C.F., Del Favero, Jr.,J.P, Tong,P.P., Inexpensive computer-aided leaming methods and apparatus for leamers, US Patent 6,685,478, Date of Patent: February 3, 2004.

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Claims (13)

demand 1. Computer-assisted learning system and method intended to automate the process of assimilation of knowledge and skills is characterized by the fact that it works connected to an Internet network where each participant can act autonomously, in compliance with a program of functional units with the durations established by activity coordinator through a configuration unit (Ucts) and that it consists of a learning process coordination unit (VirTran) that looks at a number of personalized learning units equal to the number of real students (Upa_l, Upa_2, Upa_3 ) also set by configuration by the main instructor (M_tra) and a virtual student (Upa_v) and which internally possesses a base of disputable situations (BSD) which at the end of the learning session is used by a scoring and interpretation unit (Usc&int) for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of the activity submitted by each participant and its centralized communication through a communication unit (Ucomm) in the form of a personalized individual report so that it includes the situation of the entire group but only the recipient's name is clear. 2. Assisted learning system as in claim 1 is characterized by the fact that the role of the teacher is decomposed into three functions implemented separately: the virtual student function (Stud_v), with restricted rights to formulating problems, performing analyzes and solving problems and without authority attributes, the role of master instructor (M_tra) with rights restricted to setting the topic and planning of the learning session, and the role of authority instructor (A_tra) with rights restricted exclusively to refereeing and validating the analysis performed by the students of the learning group through incident reports. 3. Assisted learning system as in claim 1 is characterized in that it comprises a personalized interface unit (Uipi) configured according to the identity of the active user and according to his previous activity in other interventions of the launched learning session, as well as according to the stage and ongoing intervention and consisting of a driving block (U2i) that interacts with an image panel (P3i), with a published contribution inspection bar (Bal), a bar for accessing interface operations (BaO) and a bar of detailed elementary actions (BaA) of each operation, activated in a unitary sequence, active bar piloting the active user who can load through some actuated contacts (Kcl, Kc2, Kc3, Kc4) some desired contributions, published for all participants or maybe update, through other contacts (Kpl, Kp2, Kp3, Kp4), parameter values necessary for the learning activity from the user Trustee: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL active publish only for the current user until the average values calculated by the assistance system are determined. 4. Assisted learning system as in claim 1 and 2 is characterized by the fact that the elementary temporal unit is the learning session that is processed based on a theme initially imposed a set of standard disputable situations (Sds) composed each in a unitary manner and generically called contributions , with well-specified duration, around a problem constructed by a student (stage El), followed by an analysis of the problem (stage E2), then a solution coming from a student other than the author of the problem (stage E3) and an analysis of solution (stage E4), that all contributions are written and published, on the learning interface (Uipi) of the assistance system, for consultation available to all participants, that the entire process of evaluating contributions is done by collecting and processing to all participants, by averaging two numerical indices, problem opportunity for assessing interest in a problem, respectively solution usability for assessing solution quality. 5. Assisted learning system as in claims 1, 2 and 4 is characterized by the fact that the elementary temporal unit can be completed by adding two additional stages intended for the intervention of an authority instructor (A_tra) who through the facilities of the learning interface (Uipi) makes the arbitration, respectively the validation of the problem analysis (E2x), respectively the problem solution analysis (E4x) through which the standard disputable situation (Sds) becomes an arbitrated disputable situation (Sda). 6. Assisted learning system as in claims 1, 2 and 4 is characterized in that, following the completion of the learning session, the results are sent electronically to the participants (Stud_l, Stud_2, Stud_3, respectively Stud_v) and, separately, to the main instructor (M_tra) both in numerical form and in the form of interpretation in the form of rules that allow the modification of the support and the planning of the next session so that he can adapt the learning process to the specifics of the work team. 7. Assisted learning system as in claims 1, 2 and 4 is characterized in that it has a main control panel of the assisted learning system that centralizes the basic roles of authenticated users as well as temporary roles acquired by configuring and activating sessions learning in action. 8. Assisted learning method is characterized by the fact that the core of the learning activity is the set of predefined interactions that students ensure by exploiting the interface Mandatory: Sc Integrator Consulting SRL for learning (Uipi) for the duration of certain work stages predetermined by configuration and by sets of operations broken down into elementary actions followed, in progress mode and completed by publishing the effects on the panel - image of the information (P3i) under in the form of files with non-modifiable content in pdf format or in the form of numerical values of evaluation parameters, on the learning session. 9. Assisted learning method as in claim 8 is characterized by the fact that the direct interaction of the human instructor (M_tra) with the learning group includes exclusively the activity of configuring the learning session through which the assistance system is specified the information regarding the topic of work, session support, learning composition and how to plan the session and in specific interventions, as a virtual student, where the activity is limited only to assignments identical to those of real students, i.e. publishing problems, publishing problem solutions and reporting incidents of non-compliance. 10. Assisted learning method as in claim 8 is characterized in that for the problem development and publication stage (El), each student in the learning team prepares the desired number of problems identified by him in the information support provided by the instructor of the process activity learning, uploads each problem under control that the system publishes to the service image panel (P3i) after changing the name for anonymization. 11. Assisted learning method as in claim 8 is characterized in that for the published problem analysis step (E2) each student in the learning team has the possibility to access the anonymized problem texts and then assign an opportunity value to the problems selected, value that is also displayed on the image panel (P3i) of the learning interface. 12. Assisted learning method as in claim 8 is characterized in that for the analysis stage of the published problem solutions (E2) each student in the learning team has the possibility to access the anonymized texts of the solutions and problems and then assign a value of usability for selected solutions, value also displayed on the image panel (P3i) of the learning interface. 13. Assisted learning method as in claim 8 is characterized in that all active participants in the learning process act by interventions with predetermined action, uniformly, without any assumed sign of identity.