WO2001055995A1

WO2001055995A1 - Remote education supporting device, teacher device, remote education supporting system, and remote education supporting method

Info

Publication number: WO2001055995A1
Application number: PCT/JP2001/000453
Authority: WO
Inventors: Norihiko Fujisawa
Original assignee: Norihiko Fujisawa
Priority date: 2000-01-25
Filing date: 2001-01-24
Publication date: 2001-08-02

Abstract

A system for teaching a student remotely in a man-to-man way, especial teaching a foreign language to a student over two countries the languages of which are different by using a server and terminal connected to the Internet. A system for automatically adopting teachers through the Internet is build in a country where the language to be taught is the mother language to prepare a multiple of teachers. As a result, it is possible for teachers to teach students foreign languages by using terminals in real time in a man-to-man way even though they are in their respective countries. A server controls the quality of the teachers by examining the collected evaluations of teachers by students and also controls the quality of the students by examining the collected evaluations of students by teachers, thereby providing a higher-quality foreign language education.

Description

Documents Distance learning support device, student device, instructor device,

Technical field of distance education support system and distance education support method

The present invention relates to a distance education support device, a student device, a lecturer device, a distance education support system, and a distance education support method. More specifically, the present invention relates to automatic recruitment of instructors, The present invention relates to a distance education support device for performing evaluation and student evaluation, a student device, an instructor device, a distance education support system, and a distance education support method. Background art

In a one-on-one foreign language education system known in the past, a lecturer and a student face each other at a designated place and time, and the lecturer generally gives a lecture to the student. Such lectures are held in a limited area, and students who wish to take the course need to reserve time for the course in advance.

In addition, instructors who provide lectures using the traditional one-on-one foreign language education system are those who are citizens of the same country as the students who have acquired the foreign language to be educated by learning (that is, Most of the foreigners whose native language is the foreign language of which they are educated and who live in the country where the student resides, all of which are students The requirement is that the person be within the distance of being able to talk to the person. Therefore, the number of instructors residing in a geographical area where students can be taught in a one-on-one manner was overwhelmingly small relative to the number of students, and there was a chronic shortage of instructors.

In view of such circumstances, the development of technologies related to distance education that can provide learning content from remote locations has been attempted, or some technologies have been implemented in practice. ing. For example, in a place equipped with an educational broadcast that provides education through TV at specified times, or a video conferencing system that uses video, educators and learners can watch each other's faces and screens through the video while learning. This technique falls under such a technique.

However, distance education using educational broadcasting is more than a one-way lecture from teachers to students, and does not allow close communication between lecturers and students as in one-on-one education. In addition, the distance learning method using a video conference room can reduce location restrictions to some extent, but requires the use of a special system environment called a video conference system. It is difficult to establish close communication between instructors and students as in formal education, and the cost of running such video conferences is currently expensive and uncommon. There is a problem.

In recent years, a remote education support system using a communication network represented by the Internet has been developed as a technology for minimizing the problems of such systems related to foreign language education. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-13428 discloses a technology relating to a distance education method that allows a user to receive a distance education service by connecting to a distance education server device via the Internet. It is disclosed. According to this technology, a server device that provides an educational program incorporates a function for managing a user's learning progress and achievement degree based on learning evaluations, and differentiates educational contents so as to meet the capabilities of each user.

However, such technology provides education by providing learning contents from a server, performs an examination, performs scoring when the results are input, and based on the results, provides a scoring of the educational contents for each user. Differentiation is performed. Therefore, there was a problem that flexible teaching, which was enabled by close communication as in a man-to-man lecture, and a detailed evaluation of learning for students was not possible. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a distance learning support device, a student device, a lecturer device, a distance learning support system, and a distance learning system capable of minimizing restrictions on place and time and eliminating chronic instructor shortage. It is to provide a support method.

According to the present invention, recruitment, recruitment, and acceptance of lecture requests for instructors are performed via the Internet in a country where the foreign language that is the subject of language education is the native language. The system for accepting recruitment, recruitment, and lecture requests is located on the server (for recruiting teachers) of the foreign language education company installed in the country where the teachers live. Since the process of conducting language education by the server of this foreign language education company is automated, a large number of processes can be processed without being affected by the lecture reception time.

On the other hand, in countries where the target language of the language education is not the native language, a server of a foreign language education company is set up to recruit students who study the language via the Internet. This server (for student recruitment) accepts requests for attendance from the server (for recruitment of instructors) of a foreign language education business operator located in a country where the language to be educated is the native language. Receive a list with the instructors who are present and the data of the evaluation results of those instructors. Then, the instructor selection list to which the instructor's evaluation result data is added is displayed on the student device so that the student can select the instructor.

Disclosure of the invention

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a distance learning apparatus according to the present invention uses both an instructor device and a student device connected to the Internet. A distance education support device for supporting distance education in which a lecture is provided by bidirectional communication, comprising: a storage unit storing information on a plurality of instructors; and a request for a lecture attendance request from the student device. An instructor information providing means for providing information on a plurality of instructors stored in a storage means, and the instructor selection information transmitted from the student device in response to the information provided by the instructor information providing means. Receiving means for receiving a response from the instructor who has accepted the desired lecture; and instructor equipment used by the instructor who has accepted the desired lecture received by the receiving means with respect to the student device. Instruction means for instructing connection.

Here, after completion of the desired lecture, evaluation receiving means for receiving an evaluation from the instructor device regarding the student who has taken the course using the student device, and based on the received evaluation, the student Determining means for determining the qualification of the student using the device for taking the lecture.

Here, the connection instruction may be an instruction for directly transmitting at least one of an image, a sentence, and an audio data in real time between the student device and the instructor device. it can.

Here, the information processing device may further include information providing means for providing information for proceeding with the desired lecture to the student device instructed by the instruction means.

Here, the information for proceeding with the desired lecture may be an image, a Z, or a text necessary for the lecture.

Here, the information on the lecturer stored in the storage unit may include information on the degree of difficulty of the lecture given by the lecturer.

Here, the information on the instructor stored in the storage unit may include information indicating whether or not the instructor is currently giving a lecture.

Here, the instructor information providing means may provide information on the instructor stored in the storage means in the form of a Web page.

Here, the information on the instructor includes the IP address of the instructor device used by the instructor, and the instruction unit uses the instructor used by the instructor who has accepted the desired lecture on the student device. May provide the IP address of the device.

Here, the distance education may be a foreign language education. In a second aspect of the present invention, a student device according to the present invention includes a transmitting unit for transmitting a request for a lecture attendance request to the above-described distance education support device, Connecting means for connecting to the instructor device.

In a third aspect of the present invention, a distance education support system according to the present invention includes the above-described distance education support device, a transmission unit that transmits a request to take a lecture to the distance education support device, A student device having connection means for connecting to the instructor device in response to an instruction from the instruction means.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, the distance education support device according to the present invention is a distance education support device that supports distance education performed using a lecturer device and a student device connected to the Internet. A support device, comprising: a receiving unit for receiving a request for providing a lecture from the instructor device; and transmitting a problem for employing a user of the instructor device as an instructor in response to the received request. Question means, and determination means for determining adoption of the instructor in accordance with the answer to the question created by the user transmitted from the instructor device.

Here, the determination unit may include a voice receiving unit that receives voice data of the lecturer from the lecturer device, and may determine the adoption of the lecturer based on the received voice data.

Here, at the time of the determination, the determination unit may evaluate at least one of a conversation speed, a dialect, pronunciation, and accent from the received voice data.

Here, an instruction receiving means for receiving an instruction for preparing a lecture to the instructor adopted by the determination means, and an instructor device used by the employed instructor based on the received instruction, the instructor device for the student. Instruction means for instructing connection with the device.

Here, the instruction for preparing for the lecture includes the IP address of the student device, and the instruction means transmits the IP address to the instructor device used by the employed instructor. To provide information about the address.

Here, the connection instruction may be an instruction for directly transmitting image, text, and audio data between the connected instructor device and student device in real time.

Here, the instructor device instructed by the instruction means may further include information providing means for providing information for proceeding with the lecture.

Here, the information for proceeding with the lecture can be an image and / or Z or text necessary for the lecture.

Here, the distance education may be a foreign language education.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, an instructor device according to the present invention is an instructor device used by a user who gives a lecture to a student who uses the student device with the assistance of the above-mentioned distance education support device. Request transmission means for transmitting a request to provide a lecture to the distance education support device; and transmitting the user from the distance education support device in response to the transmission of the request. Problem receiving means for receiving a question to be adopted as an answer; and answer transmitting means for transmitting an answer to the received question created by the user.

In a sixth aspect of the present invention, a distance education support system according to the present invention includes: a distance education support device described above; and a request transmission unit that transmits a request to provide a lecture to the distance education support device. Problem receiving means for receiving a problem for employing the user as an instructor, transmitted from the remote education support device in response to the transmission of the request, and an answer to the received problem created by the user And an instructor device having an answer transmitting means for transmitting the answer.

In a seventh aspect of the present invention, a distance education support method according to the present invention provides a distance education in which a lecture is given by two-way communication using an instructor device and a student device connected to the Internet. A distance education support method using a distance education support device for supporting a lecture, wherein the method is stored in a storage means in response to a request from the student device for a request to attend a lecture. Providing information on the plurality of instructors remembered and receiving a response from the instructor who accepted the desired lecture based on the instructor selection information transmitted from the student device in response to the provision of the information on the instructor. The instructor instructs the student device to connect to the instructor device used by the instructor who has accepted the received desired lecture. Here, further, after the end of the desired lecture, an evaluation regarding the student who attended using the student device from the instructor device is received, and based on the received evaluation, the student device is The student to use may determine the eligibility to take the lecture.

Here, the connection instruction may be an instruction for directly transmitting at least one of image, text, and audio data between the student device and the instructor device in real time.

Here, the information for proceeding with the desired lecture may be provided to the student device that has instructed the connection.

Here, the information for proceeding with the desired lecture may be an image and / or a text necessary for the lecture.

Here, the instructor information may provide information on the instructor stored in the storage unit in the form of a Web page.

Here, the information on the instructor includes the IP address of the instructor device used by the instructor, and the instructor who has accepted the desired lecture on the student device at the time of the connection instruction is provided. It may provide the IP address of the instructor device to be used.

Here, the distance education may be a foreign language education. In an eighth aspect of the present invention, the distance education support method according to the present invention supports distance education in which a lecture is provided by two-way communication using a lecturer device and a student device connected to the Internet. A distance education support method using a distance education support device, comprising: receiving a request to provide a lecture from the instructor device, and employing a user of the instructor device as an instructor in response to the received request. A question to be sent to the instructor is transmitted, and recruitment of the instructor is determined according to the answer to the question created by the user transmitted from the instructor device.

Here, the determination of recruitment may include receiving the audio data of the instructor from the instructor device and determining the recruitment of the instructor based on the received audio data.

Here, the adoption determination means may evaluate at least one of a conversation speed, a dialect, pronunciation, and accent from the received voice data.

Here, further, an instruction for preparing a lecture for the hired instructor may be received, and the instructor device may be instructed to connect to the student device based on the received instruction. it can.

Here, the instruction for preparing the lecture includes the IP address of the student device, and the connection instruction provides the information of the IP address to the instructor device used by the employed instructor. Things.

Here, information for proceeding with the lecture may be provided to the instructor device that has instructed the connection.

Here, the information for proceeding with the lecture may be an image and / or a text necessary for the lecture. Here, the distance education may be a foreign language education.

In a ninth aspect of the present invention, a recording medium according to the present invention is a remote education support program for supporting a remote education in which a lecture is provided by two-way communication using an instructor device and a student device connected to the Internet. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein, the program provides information on a plurality of instructors stored in a storage means in response to a request to attend a lecture from the student device, On the basis of the instructor selection information transmitted from the student device in response to the provision of the information about the instructor, a response from the instructor who has accepted the desired lecture is received, and the received Instructed to connect to the instructor device used by the instructor who accepted the desired lecture.

In a tenth aspect of the present invention, a recording medium according to the present invention is a computer-readable medium storing a remote education support program for supporting distance education performed using an instructor device and a student device connected to the Internet. A recording medium capable of receiving a request to provide a lecture from the instructor device, and employing the user of the instructor device as the instructor in response to the received request. Is transmitted, and the recruitment of the instructor is determined in accordance with the answer to the above-mentioned problem created by the user transmitted from the instructor device.

In the eleventh aspect of the present invention, a computer program according to the present invention is a remote education program for supporting a remote education in which a lecture is provided by two-way communication using an instructor device and a student device connected to the Internet. A support program for providing information on a plurality of instructors stored in a storage means in response to a request to attend a lecture from the student device, and On the basis of the instructor selection information transmitted from the device, a response from the instructor who has accepted the desired lecture is received, and the instructor who has accepted the received received lecture is used for the student device. To connect to the instructor's device.

In the 12th aspect of the present invention, a computer program according to the present invention comprises: A distance education support program for supporting distance education conducted using an instructor device and a student device connected to the Internet, and a request to provide a lecture from the instructor device. In response to the received request, a problem for recruiting a user of the instructor device as an instructor is transmitted, and in answer to the problem created by the user transmitted from the instructor device, The recruitment of the instructor is determined accordingly.

In a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, a remote education support system according to the present invention provides a remote education support system using a student terminal, an instructor terminal, and at least one server connected to each other on the Internet. In the education support system, the server manages information transfer between the instructor terminal and the student terminal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a distance education support system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server of a foreign language educational company installed in a country where the language to be educated according to the present invention is the native language.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a server of a foreign language education company installed in a country that recruits students of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the student terminal and the instructor terminal of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the instructor request receiving process according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the instructor recruitment determination process of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process of accepting a student's request for attendance according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a lecture preparation process for the lecturer terminal of the present invention. FIG. 9A is a flowchart showing a lecture content evaluation process of the lecturer terminal of the present invention. FIG. 9B is a flowchart showing the lecture content evaluation processing of the instructor terminal of the present invention. FIG. 9C is a flowchart showing the lecture content evaluation processing of the instructor terminal of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a lecturer terminal selection receiving process. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a lecture preparation process for a student according to the present invention. FIG. 12A is a flowchart showing a student attitude evaluation process of the student terminal of the present invention.

FIG. 12B is a flowchart showing a student attitude evaluation process of the student terminal of the present invention.

FIG. 12C is a flowchart showing the student terminal attendance evaluation process of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the remote connection process of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a lecture reception screen of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a lecture content evaluation screen of a lecturer using the lecturer terminal of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the instructor selection screen of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the attendance attitude evaluation screen of the student using the student terminal of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the lecture screen of the present invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a distance education support system to which the present invention is applied. Distance learning The education support system consists of servers 101 and 102 of foreign language education companies, which are communicably connected via the Internet, instructor terminals 103 used by instructors of foreign language education, and And a student terminal 104 having an educational lecture.

The server 101 is installed in or managed in a country where the language to be used for education is the native language, and receives a request for instructor request from the instructor terminal 103 and adopts it according to the request. Determines Z rejection and receives lectures. Also, the server 101 accesses the lecturer terminal 103 for preparing for the lecture, receives the student's terminal 104, receives the evaluation of the contents of the lecture using the lecturer terminal 103, analyzes, Based on the analysis result, the instructor evaluates the instructor using the instructor terminal 103 and determines the instructor qualification.

The server 102 is located in or managed in the country where students are recruited, receives the selection result of the instructor terminal 103 from the student terminal 104, and controls the student terminal 104. Prepare for the lecture. Also, the server 102 receives and analyzes the evaluation of the student's attitude at the student terminal 104 from the instructor terminal 103, and analyzes the student's eligibility to use the student terminal 104 based on the analysis result. Make a decision. Note that these two servers function as the distance education server of the present invention. The instructor terminal 103 is a terminal used by instructor applicants or instructors of foreign language education, and is used by the server 101 to apply for recruitment of instructors, to send receipts for student requests, and to send student terminals. The lecture information is transmitted to the server 104, and the evaluation of the student's attitude toward the student who operates the student terminal 104 is transmitted to the server 102.

The student terminal 104 is a terminal used by the student. The student terminal 104 applies for a student recruitment conducted by the server 102, transmits a request for attendance to the server 102, and responds to the instructor terminal 104 about a lecture. Of the lecture and the contents of the lecture using the lecturer terminal 103 are evaluated.

A general-purpose personal computer is used for these servers and terminals However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a general-purpose server computer or workstation may be used as a server, or a personal computer may be used as a terminal.

• Digital assistant (PDA) etc. may be used.

The instructor terminal and student terminal need only be in an environment that can be connected to wireless or the Internet. Therefore, the place where the lecturer gives lectures and the place where students receive lectures can be freely selected.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the server 101 in FIG. 1 and schematically shows only a part related to the present invention. In the present embodiment, in the communication processing via the Internet by the server 101, HTTP or FTP is used as a protocol, and information is provided to the instructor terminal 103 in the form of a Web page. The protocols usable in the present invention are not limited to these. The server 101 includes a memory 200 in which a program code for executing a process according to the present invention is stored, a central processing unit (CPU) 210 for controlling the entire server, a human and a computer. It comprises a user interface 211 such as a keyboard, a mouse and a display for directly transmitting and receiving information between and, and a communication interface 211 such as a modem for transmitting data to the outside.

The program stored in the memory 200 includes a plurality of programs for executing each part of the processing according to the present invention, and data referred to by each program and written or deleted as necessary. ing. Hereinafter, processing performed by each program will be described.

The request transmitted from the instructor terminal 103 and desiring to be employed as an instructor is handled by the "request instructor recruitment request receiving program" 201. With this program, a problem for determining instructor recruitment is transmitted to the instructor terminal 103. If a solution to this problem made by the person who wishes to be hired as an instructor is received from the instructor terminal 103, the "instructor recruitment decision program" 202 will take care of it. When receiving the information to accept the request for attendance from the instructor terminal 103 operated by the employed instructor, the "reception program for requesting attendance from students" 203 is handled. Here, the acceptance of the request to attend means information indicating that the request for the attendance transmitted from the student terminal 104 is accepted, and the instructor terminal 103 transmits the acceptance of the request to attend to the server 101. Declares that a lecture can be given according to the wish to attend in real time.

When a lecture start request for the lecturer terminal 103 is received from the student terminal 104, the "lecture preparation program for the lecturer terminal" 204 responds. Upon receiving the lecture end request, the "lecture content evaluation program of the lecturer from the student terminal" 205 responds.

The function of each of these programs is achieved by the CPU 210 executing the program code of the gateway program stored in the memory 200. In the gateway program, the information received from the instructor terminal in response to the provision of the web page to the instructor terminal 103 is processed and edited as described in detail below.

Next, the types and contents of the data stored in the memory 200 will be described.

The instructor applicant list 206 is a database consisting of the connection date, the e-mail address of the instructor recruitment applicant, and the code number. When the instructor recruitment request is received, the "instructor recruitment request receiving program" 20 1 and removed by the "Lecturer Recruitment Program" 202 when recruitment is rejected. The instructor recruiting list 2007 is a database consisting of the instructor's name, the instructor's e-mail address, code number, address, and a deposit account. It is added by the program "202", and is deleted by the "Lecturer's lecture content evaluation program from the student terminal" 205 when the instructor evaluation is below the specified value. The instructor acceptance list 208 is a database consisting of the instructor name, code number, and flag during lecture, and is added by the "reception program for student request" 203 at the lecture acceptance stage. 03 is deleted when the connection with server 101 is cut. At the start of a lecture, the lecture flag is set, and at the same time as the lecture ends, the lecture flag is cleared. The lecture end processing is executed by the server 101 when a lecture end request is received from the student terminal 104.

The instructor evaluation list 209 is a data base consisting of the instructor name, code number, and evaluation result data, and is added by the "Lecturer recruitment decision program" 202 when the instructor is hired. At the stage when the value becomes less than or equal to the specified value, it is deleted by the "Lecturer's lecture content evaluation program from student terminal" 205. Also, the data of the evaluation result changes dynamically each time the lecture ends.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the server 102 in FIG. 1 and schematically shows only a portion related to the present invention. In the present embodiment, in the communication processing by the server 102 via the Internet, HTTP or FTP is used as a protocol, and information is provided to the student terminal 104 in the form of a Web page. The server 102, like the server 101, has a memory 300 in which program codes for executing processing according to the present invention are stored, a CPU 310, and a user interface 3. 1 and a communication interface 3 1 2. Hereinafter, a process performed by each program constituting the program stored in the memory 300 will be described. When receiving a request from the student device 104 for a request to attend a lecture, the “lecturer selection result receiving program” 301 responds, and the program instructs the student terminal 104 to the tutor. A list is provided. When the instructor's selection result is received, the "lecture preparation program for student terminals" 302 responds, and a connection request between the student terminal 104 and the instructor terminal 103 is transmitted by this program. Also, data (lecture contents, etc.) necessary for lectures is provided to each terminal. If a lecture end request is received from the student terminal 104, the program "Student attitude evaluation program from the instructor terminal "This will be dealt with by 303. This program will disconnect the instructor terminal 103 from the student terminal 104.

As in the case of the server 101, the function of each of these programs is achieved by the CPU 310 executing the program code of the gateway program stored in the memory 300.

Next, the contents of the data stored in the memory 300 of the server 102 will be described.

Student list 304 is a database of student names, email addresses, code numbers, and in-flight flags. This data is added by the "lecture instructor selection result receiving program" 301 when the information of the student terminal 104 is received by the foreign language education provider's server 102. When the student's evaluation falls below the specified value, it is deleted by the "student's attendance attitude evaluation program from the instructor terminal" 303. In addition, the lecture flag is set at the start of the lecture, and the lecture flag is cleared at the end of the lecture.

The student evaluation list 305 is a database consisting of student name, e-mail address, code number, and evaluation result data. At the stage of registration with a foreign language education company, "Student attitude from instructor terminal" It is added by the evaluation program "303" and is deleted by the "student attitude evaluation program for students from the instructor terminal" at the stage when the student evaluation is below the specified value. The data for each student that makes up the evaluation list 300 dynamically changes each time the lecture ends.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a hardware configuration of a computer used for the instructor terminal 103 and the student terminal 104 in FIG. 1, and schematically shows only a part related to the present invention. A computer used as a terminal communicates with a memory 400 storing a program code for executing processing according to the present invention, a CPU 410, a user interface 411, and the like. Interface 4 1 2. Hereinafter, the function of the program stored in the memory of the terminal 400 will be described.

Server 101, server 102, or each other's terminals via the Internet Is connected by the Web browser 401 owned by each terminal. The Web browser 401 is a program for accessing the server 101 or the server 102 functioning as a WWW server and reading the data. When a request to start a lecture is received from the server 101 or 102, the remote connection program 402 responds.

An image / sentence transfer application program 403 used for sending and receiving images and sentences during lectures, and a real-time audio data transfer application program 404 used for sending and receiving audio are provided by foreign language education providers. This is a program received from the servers 101 and 102 and stored. Specifically, the student terminal 104 receives this program from the server 102 when information on the student using the student terminal 104 is registered in the server 102. The instructor terminal 103 receives this program from the server 101 when the server 101 decides to adopt the constituent terminal 103 as an instructor.

The image Z text transfer application program 403 and the real-time audio data transfer application program 404 are based on existing application programs such as softfront (company name): fronte 1 (product name). Can be used.

Hereinafter, the procedure of the distance learning method of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a process executed by the “instructor recruitment request receiving program” 201 in FIG. When the server 101 receives the request for instructor recruitment sent from the instructor terminal 103, the server 101 stores a web page on the server 101, which describes the contract contents for the instructor recruitment contract. It is displayed on the display of the instructor terminal 103, and a question is asked as to whether or not to accept this contract (step S501).

Server 101 receives a message from the instructor terminal 103 to agree to the contract Then, the instructor terminal 103 is requested to be notified of the e-mail address of the user who uses the instructor terminal (steps S502 and S503). Upon receiving the e-mail address notification from the instructor terminal 103 in response to the request, a unique code number is issued, and an e-mail with the issued code number is sent to the e-mail address received. Send. Then, the user (instructor applicant) who uses the instructor terminal 103 is employed as an instructor. A problem for determining rejection is transmitted, and the e-mail address and code are entered in the instructor applicant list 206. Add information about the instructor, including the number (steps S505 and S506). In the present embodiment, the problem transmitted by the server 101 includes a request for a voice of a user who uses the instructor terminal 103 for use in a later-described conversation speed check process or the like.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the process executed by the “lecturer recruitment decision program” 202 in FIG. When the server 101 receives the answer result and the code number for the instructor recruitment question sent from the instructor terminal 103 (step S601), the code number is included in the instructor applicant list 206. Check whether it has been registered (step S602). If the received code number is registered in the instructor applicant list 206, the speech speed, dialect, sound, and accent of the lecture applicant are evaluated from the voice (step S603), and the contents are evaluated. Then, the applicant's experience and the eligibility as a lecturer are evaluated (step S604). Then, regardless of the result of the evaluation, after deleting information about the instructor who uses the instructor terminal 103 from the instructor applicant list 206 (step S605), it is adopted from the evaluation result. Is determined (step S606).

As a result of the evaluation, when recruiting a lecture applicant is to be employed as an instructor, register information on the applicant for the lecture in the instructor recruitment list 2007 and notify the adoption result to the instructor terminal 103 (step S 6 0 7 and S 6 0 8). On the other hand, if not adopted, the result is notified to the instructor terminal 103 and the process is terminated (step S609).

Figure 7 shows the “Reception program for student requests” in Figure 2 It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process performed. When the server 101 receives, from the instructor terminal 103, a request to accept a student's request for attendance, the server 101 requests the instructor terminal to transmit a code number (step S701), and is transmitted according to the request. It is checked whether the code number from the instructor terminal is registered in the instructor recruitment list 207 (step S702). If the code number has been registered, it is registered in the reception request list 208 (step S703), and the server 101 sends a message indicating that the server 101 is waiting for the reception of the request from the student. The information is displayed on the display of the instructor terminal 103 (step S704).

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a lecture reception screen displayed during the processing of the “reception request program for students from the student” 203 in FIG. Lecture difficulty (grade) 140 1 indicates the difficulty of the lecture content of each instructor's terminal. Number of lecturers accepted (number of applicants for lectures) 1402 is currently accepting students' requests for lecture difficulty by lecture difficulty The number of instructors in the state is shown, including the number of instructors who are giving lectures. The scroll bar 1403 is used when scrolling the list to display the lecture difficulty 1401 and the number of instructors accepted 1402 that cannot be displayed on the current screen.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing executed by “lecture preparation program for lecturer terminal” 204 in FIG. When the server 101 receives an instruction to start the “lecture preparation program for the instructor terminal” 204 sent from the server 102, the server 101 acquires the IP address of the instructor terminal 103 (step S 801). Send (step S802). Further, upon receiving the IP address of the student terminal 104 transmitted from the server 102 (step S 803), after transmitting a start message of the remote connection program 402 to the instructor terminal 103 (step S 804), The IP address of the student terminal 104, the image and text necessary for the lecture are further transmitted to the lecturer terminal (step S806), and the lecture acceptance flag 208 in the lecture reception list 208 is set (step S807). 9A to 9C are flowcharts showing the procedure of processing executed by the "lecture content evaluation program for lecturer from student terminal" 205 from the student terminal in FIG. When the server 101 receives the evaluation result for the lecture content sent from the student terminal 104 (step S910 in FIG. 9A), it obtains the current evaluation result from the result and calculates the score. (Steps S902 in FIG. 9A to S919 in FIG. 9B). The evaluation results included: understanding of the content of the lecture, accuracy of the lecturer's pronunciation, speaking of non-lectures, sufficient knowledge of the lecture, attitude during the lecture, and desire to take the next lecture. However, the present invention is not limited to these items.

Further, the server 101 acquires the past evaluation results from the instructor evaluation list 209 and creates the latest evaluation results (steps S920 and S922 in FIG. 9B). Specifically, the latest evaluation results are created by acquiring past evaluation result data from the instructor evaluation list 209, adding the current evaluation results, and calculating the average value. If it is less than the specified value, delete the data of the instructor terminal 103 from the instructor evaluation list 209, lecture acceptance list 208, and instructor recruitment list 207 (step in Fig. 9C). S930), an e-mail containing a message to cancel the recruitment as an instructor is sent to the instructor terminal 103 (step S933 in FIG. 9C). In other cases, the data in the instructor evaluation list 209 is updated to the latest evaluation result, and the in-class flag in the lecture acceptance list 208 is defeated (step S922 in FIG. 9C).

In addition, as shown in steps S922 to S927, a reference value for raising or lowering the instructor's pay is set, and judgment processing of this reference value and the evaluation result is performed. It is also possible to raise the salary if the value has risen above a certain reference value, and to reduce the salary if it does not meet the certain reference value.

Figure 15 shows the "Lecture content evaluation program for instructors from student terminals" in Figure 2. FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of a lecture content evaluation screen using the lecturer terminal, which is displayed during the process of 05. Set button 1 7 0 1 is pressed to set the evaluation result for each question, Cancel button 1 7 0 2 is pressed to initialize the set button 1 7 0 1 set so far, and transmitted Button 1 7 0 3 is pressed to transmit the set setting button 1 7 0 1 to server 1 0 1. These buttons are provided on the student terminal 104 and can be selected by a click operation of a pointing device such as a mouse that functions as a user interface, or by pressing a predetermined key of a keyboard.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a process executed by the “lecturer selection result receiving program” 310 in FIG. When the server 102 receives the request for attendance from the student terminal 104, the code number is acquired from the student terminal 104 (step S1001), and the code number is stored in the student list 30. Check if it is registered in step 4 (step S1002). If the code number is registered in the student list 304, obtain the acceptance list 208 and the instructor evaluation list 209 (step S1003 and step S1004) and instructor name Then, an instructor selection list including the lecture difficulty, the face photograph, and the flag during lecture is created and displayed on the display of the student terminal 104 (step S1005).

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an instructor selection screen for displaying an instructor selection list during the processing of the “lector terminal selection result reception program” 301 in FIG. The instructor name 1501 indicates the name of the instructor who uses each instructor terminal, the lecture difficulty level 1502 indicates the difficulty level (rank) of the lecture using each instructor terminal, and the lecture in progress flag 1503 Shows the current lecture status of each instructor's terminal (whether it is accepting a lecture or is attending a lecture). The face photo 1504 represents the instructor's face at each instructor's terminal as a photo image. The scroll bar 1 5 0 5 scrolls the list, and the instructor name 1 5 0 1 which is not currently displayed, the lecture difficulty 1 5 0 2, the lecture flag 1 5 0 3 and the face photograph 1 5 0 4 Used to display and. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a process executed by the “lecture preparation program for student terminals” 302 in FIG. When the server 102 receives the result of the instructor selection sent from the student terminal 104 (step S 1101), the server 101 transmits information for instructing the instructor terminal 103 to start the lecture preparation program, and then transmits the information. (Step S1102), the IP address of the student terminal is acquired from the student terminal 104 (Step S1103), and transmitted to the server 101 (Step S1104).

The server 102 receives the IP address of the instructor terminal 103 from the server 101 (step S1105), transmits a remote connection program start instruction to the student terminal 104 (step S1106), The IP address of the terminal 103 and the image and text necessary for the lecture shown in FIG. 18 are transmitted to the student terminal 104 (steps S1107 and S1108), and the flag during lecture in the student list 304 is set (step S 1 109). The screen displayed on the display of each terminal during the lecture will be described later with reference to FIG.

12A to 12C are flowcharts showing the procedure of the process executed by the "student attending attitude evaluation program 303 from the instructor terminal" in FIG. When the server 102 receives the evaluation result of the student's attendance attitude transmitted from the instructor terminal 103 (step S1201 in FIG. 12A), the server 102 calculates a score based on the result (from step S1202 in FIG. 12A). S1219 in FIG. 12B). The assessment of the student's attitude toward the student included whether the student was serious, listened to the lecture, spoke outside the lecture, had sufficient prior knowledge of English, whether the student was Items such as attitudes and whether or not to take over the student next time are included, but the present invention is not limited to these.

The server 102 acquires the past evaluation result of the student whose evaluation is to be calculated from the student evaluation list 305 and creates the latest evaluation result (steps S1220 and S1221 in FIG. 12B). Creating the latest evaluation results This is done by obtaining data of past evaluation results from the student evaluation list 305 and adding the current evaluation results to obtain an average value.

Then, the server 102 determines a change in the evaluation result up to the present (step S1222 in FIG. 12). As a result of the judgment, if the evaluation result is falling, it is determined whether or not the student evaluation is equal to or less than the specified value (step S1224 in FIG. 12C). Delete the data for the student from 305 and the student list 304 (steps S122 and S122 in Figure 12C), and qualify for the student terminal 104. An e-mail containing a message to the effect of canceling is sent (step S1230 in FIG. 12C). In other cases, update the data in the student evaluation list 305 to the latest evaluation result and deactivate the flag during lecture in the student list 304 (steps S 1 2 2 6 and S 1 2 in FIG. 12C). 2 7).

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for evaluating student attendance from the instructor terminal, which is displayed during the execution of the process by the “student attendance attitude evaluation program from the instructor terminal” 303 in FIG. . The setting button 1801 is pressed to set the evaluation result for each question, the cancel button 1802 is pressed to initialize the setting button 1801 set so far, and the send button The button 1803 is pressed when the set setting button 1801 is transmitted to the server 102.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing executed by the remote connection program 402 in FIG. When the instructor terminal 103 receives an instruction to start the remote connection program from the server 101 (step S1301), the instructor terminal 103 connects from the instruction (that is, attends). Obtain the IP address of the student terminal 104) used by the student who requested the image, and install the image Z sentence application program 403 and real-time audio data transfer implemented on the terminal. After instructing the application programs 404 to start (step S1304), the IP address of the student terminal 104 is passed to these application programs. Since then, these application programs Using the IP address, image, text, and voice data are sent and received directly from the student terminal 104 without going through the server 101 and the server 102.

On the other hand, the processing of the remote connection program 402 in the student terminal 104 can be similarly described with reference to FIG. That is, when the student terminal 104 receives an instruction to start the remote connection program from the server 102 (step S1301), the student terminal 104 connects from the instruction (ie, the desired Obtain the IP address of the instructor terminal 103) used by the instructor who will be instructed, and instruct the image Z sentence transfer abbreviated program 403 and the real-time audio data transfer application program 404 to start. From (step S 1304), pass the IP address of the connection partner (instructor terminal 103) to each application program. FIG. 18 shows the state after the processing of the remote connection program 402 in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the displayed lecture screen. The student photo 1 6 0 1 displays the student's face photo on the student terminal 10 4, the image teaching material 1 6 0 2 displays the image teaching material of the lecture, the instructor photo 1 6 0 3 displays the lecturer terminal 1 0 3 A photo of the lecturer's face is displayed, and the text teaching material 1604 displays the text teaching material of the lecture. The scroll bar 1605 is used when scrolling the text 1604 to display the text 1604 that is not currently displayed.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various forms other than those described above. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the servers are installed in different countries. However, the servers may be installed in the same country. Further, instead of dividing the server into two as in the present embodiment, a single server may be used for remote education. In this case, this one server functions as the distance learning device of the present invention. Industrial applicability As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a large number of instructors by adopting a foreign language instructor who is a native language of a foreign language to be lectured as a foreign language instructor. Problem can be solved. That is, the conventional problem of location and time constraints can be solved by accepting and giving lectures regardless of time using the Internet. The problem can be solved by quickly recruiting and recruiting feet, regardless of time, in countries where the instructor's native language is the language in which there are potentially more instructors. In addition, the server of the foreign language education provider acquires the respective IP address from the selected instructor terminal and student terminal, connects them directly to enable mutual data communication, and is necessary for lectures. Images and text can be transferred to both parties.

In addition, after the lecture is over, the instructor terminal and the student terminal can evaluate each other.

However, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the quality of educational contents that may occur by using the highly confidential Internet.

In addition, by combining the time available for lectures by a large number of instructors obtained by the present invention, it is possible to flexibly cope with the time constraints related to student attendance.

In addition, by summarizing the instructor evaluation of students, the quality of instructors can be managed, and higher quality language education can be provided.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A distance learning support device for supporting distance learning in which a lecture is provided by two-way communication using a device for a lecturer and a device for a student connected to the Internet, and a storage means for storing information on a plurality of lecturers. ,

Instructor information providing means for providing information on a plurality of instructors stored in the storage means, in response to a request to attend a lecture from the student device;

Receiving means for receiving a response from the instructor who has accepted the desired lecture based on the instructor selection information transmitted from the student device in response to the information provision from the instructor information providing means;

Instruction means for instructing the student device to connect to a lecturer device used by a lecturer who has accepted the desired lecture received by the reception means;

A distance education support device comprising:

2. In the distance education support device according to claim 1,

After the end of the desired lecture, evaluation receiving means for receiving an evaluation from the instructor device regarding the student who took the course using the student device,

Determining means for determining a qualification of a student using the student device to take a lecture based on the received evaluation;

A distance education support device further comprising:

3. The distance education support device according to claim 1, wherein the connection instruction is performed between the student device and the instructor device at least one of image, text, and audio data in real time. Distance teaching characterized by instructions for direct transmission

4. The distance education support device according to claim 1, further comprising information providing means for providing information for progressing the desired lecture to the student device instructed by the instruction means. A remote education support device.

5. The distance education support device according to claim 4, wherein the information for proceeding with the desired lecture is an image and / or a text necessary for the lecture.

6. The distance education support device according to claim 1, wherein the information on the lecturer stored in the storage unit includes information on a degree of difficulty of a lecture performed by the lecturer.

7. The distance education support device according to claim 1, wherein the information on the instructor stored in the storage means includes information indicating whether or not the instructor is currently giving a lecture. Support equipment.

8. The distance education support device according to claim 1, wherein the instructor information providing means provides the information about the instructor stored in the storage means in the form of a web page. .

9. The distance education support device according to claim 1, wherein the information on the instructor includes an IP address of an instructor device used by the instructor, and the instruction unit transmits the request to the student device. A distance education support device characterized by providing an IP address of an instructor device used by an instructor who has accepted a given lecture.

10. The distance education support device according to claim 1, wherein the distance education is a foreign language education.

11. A transmitting means for transmitting a request to take a lecture to the distance learning support device according to any one of claims 1 to 10;

Connecting means for connecting to the instructor device in response to an instruction from the instruction means.

12. The distance education support device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,

A student device having transmission means for transmitting a request for a lecture attendance request to the remote education support device, and connection means for connecting to the instructor device in response to an instruction from the instruction means; Distance education support featuring:

1 3. A distance education support device for supporting distance education performed using an instructor device and a student device connected to the Internet,

Receiving means for receiving a request to provide a lecture from the instructor device, and questioning means for transmitting a problem for employing the user of the instructor device as an instructor in response to the received request;

Determining means for determining recruitment of the instructor in accordance with an answer to the question created by the user transmitted from the instructor device;

A distance education support device comprising:

14. The distance education support device according to claim 13, wherein the determination unit includes a voice receiving unit that receives voice data of the instructor from the instructor device, and the determination unit based on the received voice data. Distance education support equipment characterized by deciding the hiring of instructors

15. The distance education support device according to claim 13, wherein the determination unit evaluates at least one of a conversation speed, a dialect, a pronunciation, and an accent from the received voice data at the time of the determination. A distance education support device characterized by doing.

16. The distance education support device according to claim 13,

Instruction receiving means for receiving an instruction for lecture preparation for the instructor adopted by the determination means;

Instruction means for instructing the instructor device used by the employed instructor to connect to the student device based on the received instruction;

A distance education support device further comprising:

17. The distance education support device according to claim 16, wherein the instruction for preparing for the lecture includes an IP address of the student device, and the instruction means is a lecturer used by the employed lecturer. A remote education device for providing information on the IP address to a device for use in education.

18. The distance education support device according to claim 16, wherein the connection instruction is performed by directly transmitting image, text, and audio data between the connected instructor device and student device in real time. A distance education support device, which is an instruction for transmission.

19. The distance education support device according to claim 16, further comprising information providing means for providing information for proceeding with the lecture to the instructor device instructed by the instruction means. Remote education support device.

20. The distance education support device according to claim 19, wherein the information for proceeding with the lecture is an image and a Z or a text necessary for the lecture. 3. The distance education support device according to claim 3, wherein the distance education is a foreign language education.

22. An instructor device used by a user who gives a lecture to a student who uses the student device with support by the distance education support device according to any one of claims 13 to 21;

Request transmission means for transmitting a request to provide a lecture to the remote education support device;

Problem receiving means for receiving a problem for recruiting the user as a lecturer, which is transmitted from the distance education support device in response to the transmission of the request;

Answer transmitting means for transmitting an answer to the received question created by the user;

An instructor device comprising:

23. The distance education support device according to any one of claims 13 to 21;

Request transmitting means for transmitting a request to provide a lecture to the remote education support device; and transmitting the request from the remote education support device in response to the transmission of the request. Question receiving means for receiving the question of the above, and answer transmitting means for transmitting an answer to the received question created by the user Instructor equipment with

A distance education support system comprising:

24. A distance education support method using a distance education support device for supporting distance education in which a lecture is provided by bidirectional communication using a lecturer device and a student device connected to the Internet,

In response to a request to take a lecture from the student device, providing information on a plurality of instructors stored in storage means,

Based on the instructor selection information transmitted from the student device in response to the provision of the information about the instructor, a response from the instructor who has accepted the desired lecture is received, and the received for the student device is And a command for instructing connection with a lecturer device used by a lecturer who has accepted the desired lecture. 25. The distance education support method according to claim 24, further comprising:

After the end of the desired lecture, receiving an evaluation from the instructor device for the student attended using the student device;

A distance education support method, wherein a qualification for a student using the student device to take a lecture is determined based on the received evaluation.

26. The distance education support method according to claim 24, wherein the connection instruction is performed between the student device and the instructor device, at least one of image, text, and audio data. A remote education support method characterized by instructions for direct transmission in real time.

27. The distance education support method according to claim 24, further comprising: providing information for proceeding with the desired lecture to the student device that instructed the connection. How to help.

28. The distance education support method according to claim 27, wherein the information for proceeding with the desired lecture is an image and / or a text necessary for the lecture. Method.

29. The distance education support method according to claim 24, wherein the information on the instructor stored in the storage means includes information on a degree of difficulty of a lecture given by the instructor.

30. The distance education support method according to claim 24, wherein the information on the lecturer stored in the storage unit includes information indicating whether or not the lecturer is currently giving a lecture. Distance education support method.

31. The distance education support method according to claim 24, wherein the instructor information is characterized in that information on the instructor stored in the storage means is provided in the form of a Web page. Method.

32. The distance education support device according to claim 24, wherein the information on the instructor includes an IP address of an instructor device used by the instructor, and the information for the student is used when the connection is instructed. A distance education support method, comprising providing an IP address of an instructor device used by an instructor who has accepted the desired lecture to the device.

33. The distance education support method according to claim 24, wherein the distance education is a foreign language education.

34. A distance education support method using a distance education support device for supporting a distance education in which a lecture is provided by two-way communication using an instructor device and a student device connected to the Internet,

Receiving a request to provide a lecture from the instructor device,

In response to the received request, send a problem for employing the user of the instructor device as an instructor,

A distance education support method, wherein the adoption of the instructor is determined in accordance with the answer to the question created by the user transmitted from the instructor device. 35. The distance education support method according to claim 34, wherein the recruitment is determined by receiving voice data of the lecturer from the lecturer device and determining the recruitment of the lecturer based on the received voice data. Distance learning support method characterized by doing.

36. The distance education support method according to claim 35, wherein the adoption determination means evaluates at least one of a conversation speed, a dialect, pronunciation, and accent from the received voice data. Characteristic distance learning support method.

37. The distance education support method according to claim 34, further comprising:

Receiving instructions for preparing a lecture for the hired instructor;

A remote education support method comprising: instructing the instructor device to connect to the student device based on the received instruction.

38. The distance education support method according to claim 37, wherein the instruction for preparing for the lecture includes an IP address of the student device, and the instruction for connecting is used by the employed instructor. Providing the information of the IP address to the instructor device to be trained.

39. The distance education support method according to claim 37, wherein the connection instruction is performed by directly transmitting image, text, and audio data between the connected instructor device and student device in real time. A distance education support method, which is an instruction for transmission.

40. The distance education support method according to claim 37, further comprising providing information for proceeding with the lecture to the instructor device that instructed the connection.

41. The distance education support method according to claim 40, wherein the information for proceeding with the lecture is an image, a Z, or a text required for the lecture.

42. The distance education support method according to claim 49, wherein the distance education is a foreign language education.

4 3. A computer-readable record that records a distance education support program that supports distance education in which lectures are conducted by bidirectional communication using instructor devices and student devices connected to the Internet. A medium, wherein the program is stored in a storage unit in response to a request to attend a lecture from the student device. Provide information about multiple instructors,

On the basis of the instructor selection information transmitted from the student device in response to the provision of the information on the instructor, a response from the instructor who has accepted the desired lecture is received, and the received for the student device is A recording medium for instructing connection with an instructor device used by an instructor who has accepted the desired lecture.

44. A computer-readable recording medium recording a distance education support program for supporting distance education performed using a lecturer device and a student device connected to the Internet. Is

Receiving a request to provide a lecture from the instructor device,

A recording medium characterized by determining employment of the instructor according to an answer to the question created by the user transmitted from the instructor device.

4 5. This is a distance education support program that supports distance education in which lectures are conducted by bidirectional communication using instructor devices and student devices connected to the Internet.

On the basis of the instructor selection information transmitted from the student device in response to the provision of the information on the instructor, a response from the instructor who has accepted the desired lecture is received, and the received for the student device is A computer program for instructing connection with an instructor device used by an instructor who has accepted the desired lecture.

4 6. A distance education support program that supports distance education conducted using instructor devices and student devices connected to the Internet,

Receiving a request to provide a lecture from the instructor device, In response to the received request, send a problem to employ the user of the instructor device as an instructor,

A computer program for determining recruitment of the instructor in accordance with an answer to the question created by the user transmitted from the instructor device.

4 7. A distance education support system that uses student terminals, instructor terminals, and at least one server connected to the Internet,

A remote education support system, wherein the server manages information transfer between the instructor terminal and the student terminal.