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United States Patent6201948
Cook , ; et al.March 13, 2001
Title
Agent based instruction system and method
Abstract
This invention relates to a system and method for interactive, adaptive, and individualized computer-assisted instruction. This invention includes an agent for each student which adapts to its student and provides individualized guidance to the student and controls to the augmented computer-assisted instructional materials. The instructional materials of this invention are augmented to communicate the student's performance and the material's pedagogical characteristics to the agent and to receive control from the agent. Preferably, the content of the communication between the agent and the materials conforms to specified interface standards so that the agent acts independently of the content of the particular materials. Also preferably, the agent can project using various I/O modalities integrated, engaging, life-like display persona(e) appropriate to the preferences of its student and appear as a virtual tutor to the student. Finally, preferably this invention is implemented on computers interconnected by a network so that instruction can be delivered to geographically distributed students from geographically distributed servers. An important application of this invention is delivering interactive, adaptive, and individualized homework to students in their homes and other locations.
Inventors:Cook; Donald A. (late of Jamaica Plain, MA), Lukas; George  (Brighton, MA), Lukas; Andrew V.  (Boulder, CO), Padwa; David J.  (Santa Fe, NM)
Assignee:Netsage Corporation (Golden, CO)
Appl. No.:042528
Filed:March 16, 1998
Current U.S. Class:434/350 434/354 726/21 434/322 
Field of Search:434/322-324,336,335,37R,350,118,362 348/12,13 706/927 380/2,9,251 712/32 713/200-202 705/50
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Primary Examiner: Cheng; Joe H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm:Pennie & Edmonds LLP
Parent Case Text


This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/651,422, filed May 22, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,950, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
Claims

What is claimed is:
1. A method of operating an agent based instruction system for interactive instruction of one or more students, said method comprising:
checking the authority of one of said students to access said system for interactive instruction by one or more materials at a computer, said computer being one computer of a plurality of computers interconnected by a network;
loading to said computer software and data for said interactive instruction;
presenting interactive instruction to said one student at said computer by executing said one or more materials; and
presenting guiding information at said computer that acts to guide said student in said interactive instruction by said one or more materials, said guiding information being responsive to performance of said interactive instruction of said student.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising a step of monitoring said interactive instruction, said monitoring generating monitoring information that monitors said interactive instruction of said student, and wherein said step of presenting guiding information is responsive to said monitoring information;
whereby said system acts as a virtual tutor adapted to said one student, said virtual tutor for guiding said interactive instruction of said student.

3. The method according to claim 2 further comprising a step of controlling said one or more materials to present instruction to said student, said controlling responsive to said monitoring information, whereby said interactive instruction presented by said system is individualized to said student.

4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising a step of maintaining a model of said one student, said maintaining responsive to said monitoring information of said student, and wherein the step of presenting guiding information and the step of controlling are further responsive to said model of said student, whereby said presenting step and said controlling step adapt to said student thereby individualizing said interactive instruction of said student.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said one or more materials comprise a plurality of materials.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein one or more of said plurality of computers are configured as one or more server computers for holding databases of software and data, and said step of loading further comprises loading across said network to said computer from said databases.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein said loading occurs when said software and data is demanded at said computer.

8. The method according to claim 6 further comprising caching read-only data on said computer.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of presenting guiding information further comprises presenting guiding information in one or more output modalities.

10. The method according to claim 9 where said one or more output modalities are one or more output modalities selected from the group consisting of text, graphics, speech, audio, animation, video, and preformatted animated sequences.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein said step of presenting guiding information selects said output modalities to output one or more persona or personae responsive to said interactive instruction.

12. The method according to claim 9 wherein said output modalities further comprise content, and said method further comprises a step of loading said content to said computer.

13. A computer readable medium comprising computer instructions for performing the steps of:
checking the authority of one of said students to access said system for interactive instruction by one or more materials at a computer, said computer being one computer of a plurality of computers interconnected by a network;
loading to said computer software and data for said interactive instruction;
presenting interactive instruction to said one student at said computer by executing said one or more materials; and
presenting guiding information at said computer that acts to guide said student in said interactive instruction by said one or more materials, said guiding information being responsive to performance of said interactive instruction of said student.
Description
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a system and method for interactive, adaptive, and individualized computer-assisted instruction of students, preferably implemented on network connected computers. More particularly the system and method includes for each student an agent adapted to that student which monitors its student's instructional behavior, responds to teacher direction, and controls the instructional progress, and guides its student, all of which constitute one aspect of a virtual tutor. Preferably, the viewable on-screen aspect of the agent includes customizable multimedia presentation personae, which constitute a further aspect of a virtual tutor.

2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The application of computers in education has been limited by several problems, including a failure to provide systems that adapt or individualize to each student, a failure to integrate systems effectively into the existing classroom in elementary and secondary schools, and a failure to exploit technological developments. Although during the last three decades, a number of interactive educational techniques have been implemented on computers, all these systems lack the ability to recognize and to adapt to each student's individual characteristics. The common motivation for interactive educational techniques was the recognition that individual student interaction fosters learning to a greater degree than mere passive exposure to a fixed pace presentation (Kulik et al., 1986, Effectiveness of computer-based adult learning: a meta-analysis, Journal of educational computing research 2:235-252; Kulik et al., 1983, Effects of computer-based teaching on secondary school students, Journal of educational psychology 75:19-26). Existing, interactive educational techniques have many variants: programmed instruction, mastery learning, audio-tutorials, direct instruction, personalized system of instruction, precision teaching, fluency learning and others (Engleman et al., 1982, Theory of instruction: Principles and Applications, Irvington, New York; Keller, 1968, "Goodbye, teacher . . . ", Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 1:79-89; Lindsley, 1990, Precision teaching: By teachers for children, Teaching Exceptional Children 22:353-359; West et al., 1992, Designs for Excellence in Education: the Legacy of B. F. Skinner, Sorris West, Inc., Longmont, Colo, pp. 147-160). Several systems have attempted to harness the interactivity of the computer for these interactive educational techniques. In early work, for example, text-based programmed instruction was converted to computer format and implemented on time-shared systems. This early development was extended with more sophisticated computer-assisted instruction ("CAI"), also known as compute based training ("CBT").

In CAI, for example, the computer acts as a teaching machine. A program presents instructional displays, accepts student responses, edits and judges those responses, branches on the basis of student responses, gives feedback to the student, and records and stores the student's progress. Examples of CAI systems include those of Carbonell, 1970, AI in CAI, an artificial intelligence approach to computer-assisted instruction, IEEE Transactions on Man-machine Systems, 11:190-202; Osin, 1984, CAI on a national scale, Proc. 4th Jerusalem Conf. on Information Technology, pp 418-424; Seidel 1971; Koffman et al., 1975, Artificial intelligence and artificial programming in CAI, Artificial Intelligence 6:215-234. Effective CAI instructional materials for a limited number of specific topics have been developed, as have special "authoring languages," which assist instructional developers on the tasks of designing instructional materials. U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,349 is exemplary of such CAI systems.

However, existing CAI systems do not adapt to their students. These systems merely sequence students through educational materials, based only on student performance during a current lesson and using only parameters such as recent responses and pre-requisite patterns. These systems do not gather or use information on more comprehensive student characteristics, such as past student performance, student performance on other courses, student learning styles, and student interests.

A greater deficiency is that existing CAI systems do not recognize characteristics of their individual students. They cannot be individualized or made responsive to their students styles. Thereby, these system ignore those roles of a human tutor that can be of unparalleled significance in the education of an individual. The human tutor assists in scheduling and prioritizing and in maintaining interest through proper reinforcement and knowledge of student abilities and preferences. A human tutor observes and addresses patterns of errors and maintains a consistent manner of interaction across a broad range of subject matters and activities. Moreover, a human tutor effectively integrates the cognitive, personal and social aspects of the instructional situation. In other words the human tutor provides a level of individualization based on student styles and on requirements of the instructional task. Furthermore, the human tutor provides an equally effective interaction with the teacher by accepting individualized instructions, collecting data and providing detailed reports. By failing to address these higher order services and roles of an effective human tutor, existing CAI systems fail to fully engage their students and thus fail instruct as well as possible.

Additionally, a further problem of computer assisted instruction, particularly in primary and secondary school settings is poor integration into the rest of the school curriculum and often poor quality of the educational materials. In application to elementary and secondary schools, two main patterns of instructional computer use prevail, which illustrate the compromises prevalent today. In one pattern, the integrated learning system ("ILS") is a dedicated installation that is used in schools to teach basic strands of reading, mathematics and related topics, spelling, writing, and other language arts, from grades one to six, or perhaps to eight or nine (EPIE, 1990, Integrated Instructional Systems: an Evaluation, Educational Products Information Exchange, Hampton Bays, N.Y.). The paradox with this pattern, regardless of the quality of the instruction offered by these systems, the work of students in ILSs bears little relation to what goes on in the classrooms in that very same topic. The fundamental reason is that the teacher cannot influence or respond meaningfully to variations in student progress or to relations between the CAI curriculum and the classroom text, materials and activities. This is the case even where the ILS installation produces reports in some detail as to each student's progress and standing.

The second pattern of computer use in schools is that of standalone short units on specific topics (TESS, 1996, Database of Educational Software Systems, Educational Products Information Exchange, Hampton Bays, N.Y.). These can be hypercard programs, simulations, or games, and are usually separate from the basic classroom curriculum. Though occasionally of excellent quality, the paradox here is that these products are usually chosen for enhancement, possible optional, and do not account for a major component of school related instruction. No records are kept or returned regarding student performance. These programs have not made a major contribution to school instruction.

Finally, computer assisted instruction systems have ignored or underutilized such important developments in computer technology over the past four years as agent-based system, client-server systems, and networking systems. Though now an active field with a wide spectrum of activities from research to commercial applications, application of agent-based systems in educational, instructional, and homework tasks has not been explored.- Software systems for intelligent agents have successfully applied in travel arrangements, email management, meeting scheduling, stock portfolio management, and gathering information from the Internet (Maes, 1994, Agents that reduce work and information overload, Communications of the ACM 37:30-40). In all these applications, software agents perform tasks on the user's behalf, receiving only general instructions from their user but then executing detailed tasks with considerable independence and initiative. In client-server systems, these agents can operate in the client, the server, or both.

Recently, adaptive and personalized agent based systems have begun to be developed. Systems with adaptive agents, agents which learn from experience, has made gains with new techniques continually identified. Adaptive agents have permitted new commercially viable adaptive systems implemented across networks. In these systems, an agent is a "go-between," mediating relations in a manner whose function is understood with details being left to the agent itself. The agent acts as a "stand-in" for its user, who is thus freed from direct manipulation of the network. In instructional applications, there is an unmet need for an agent who serves two users: the school system and the individual student. This is the well-known role of the teaching assistant/tutor. Maes, 1994, and others have extended the metaphor of agent to that of personal assistant, an agent who learns some important characteristics of its user, and adapts its behavior accordingly. Agents can learn by a mixture of methods: observation, receiving feedback from its user, receiving instructions from the user, and consulting other agents concerning "similar problems." To combine the important properties of competence, trust, and intimacy that a personal assistant should have, an agent should be in touch with relevant data, represent important facts in a reliable manner, and engage with its user in a personal and fundamentally sympathetic--at times playful--manner. Approaches to the creation of agents with personal characteristics have begun to be explored. In this work, relevant techniques are found in the tradition of film animators who, through the portrayal of emotions, gave their characters the illusion of life.

Moreover, computer assisted instructional systems have only haphazardly exploited the potential of client-server systems and networking technologies. Client-server architectures have emerged as the principal architecture of distributed computer systems. Client systems, running under sophisticated windowing operating systems, can support advanced object based software applications, including high speed graphics, animation and audio output. Servers can store gigabytes of data and programs at central or distributed locations at quite reasonable cost. Object oriented database systems have been developed to store structured data on servers.

Client systems, in a striking change from only several years ago, now virtually all have multimedia capabilities, including high quality graphics, sound, and at least limited video playback capability. Text-to-speech software is presently available for use with these systems, and speech recognition software is on brink of widespread commercial acceptability on low cost platforms. New authoring tools support graphical methods for generation of multimedia presentations and computer based instructional materials having corresponding sequencing logic.

Clients and servers can be linked remotely with increasing convenience and decreasing cost. The Internet has emerged as a means of providing an inexpensive means of connecting computers to provide effective communications and access to information and other resources such as software. Further Internet developments that made the Internet truly universal include the HTML and the HTTP protocols, which provide platform independent access to hyperlinked multimedia information, and the Java.TM. programming language, which provides platform independent software for Internet applications programming. Subsets of the Internet--intranets--have become an increasingly important means for disseminating information and enabling communication within constrained domains, such as a single school system or corporate enterprise.

Existing CAI systems have not addressed these functional deficiencies nor have they exploited the possibilities of existing technologies.

Citation of references hereinabove shall not be construed as an admission that such a reference is prior art to the present invention.

3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Agent Based Instruction ("ABI") system of this invention is a system and method for interactive, adaptive, and individualized computer-assisted instruction and homework, preferably implemented on network connected computers, that overcomes these problems by providing the following objects in preferred and alternative embodiments. This invention provides a more effective system responsive to the needs of several parties interested in education.

An important object of this invention is to provide the student with a virtual tutor, by having agent software ("agent") adapted to each student that offers a high quality of individualized student interaction and that manages or controls instruction in a manner approximating a real tutor. The agent exercises management or control over the computer-assisted instruction materials and provides information and help to the student, both synchronously and asynchronously to particular instructional materials. Agent behaviors are sensitive to both the educational context and to the history of student behavior.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention the agent integrates data from several sources.. From computer-assisted instructional materials, it accepts data on the methods of instruction adopted by particular materials and on student performance in the instruction. From the student, it accepts direct interactions as well as using the history of previous student performance stored in a student data object. From the teacher, it accepts data on customization and student assignments. From the school, it accepts data on assigned courses, data on analysis of student body performance, and educational standards and criteria. In a preferred embodiment, these inputs allow individualization of agent interaction. Alternative embodiments are responsive to additional data types and sources.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention, diverse agent behaviors are handled uniformly by a single means. The diverse behaviors include encouragement and feedback, providing meta-cognitive help on ongoing instruction, managing or controlling and individualizing computer based instruction to the student's learning modes, and assistance with assignment management. These diverse behaviors are selected from a set of potentially appropriate candidate behaviors. This set of candidate behaviors is ordered and the highest ranked behaviors are chosen.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention the diverse agent behaviors adapt to the student based on a variety of information about the student. The agent modifies its behavior on the basis of a growing history of interactions with the student over time, as this history of student performance is stored in the student data object. The agent can also modify its behavior on the basis of teacher and school system supplied information.

Another important object of this invention is that the agent presents itself on-screen to the student with integrated, and optionally, animated multimedia persona, or preferably a plurality of persona (hereinafter called "personae"). The on-screen agent can appear as living entities, which in grade school can be comfortable "Study Buddies.TM." and in adult training can be appear as an objective "Concept Coach". The on-screen agent instructs, motivates, engages and guides its student.

In a preferred embodiment, the on-screen agent can be dramatized by a single character or by a cast of interacting characters. The interaction between these actors can be individualized to reflect the pedagogical response of the agent. To maintain student interest in the agent response, story lines continuing across materials or session can be used.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention the voices, gestures and motions of the personae are derived from the chosen behaviors, student personae preferences, and the history of recent behavior by selection from tables containing a rich variety of alternative sound and visual display objects. All elements of the on-screen agent display are then synthesized in an integrated display script calling for graphics, animation, video, or sound as appropriate. These scripts are then bundled into applets, run-time program fragments that represent a complete element of performance. This display is highly configurable by the student, the teacher, or the system administrator.

It is an advantage of this invention that elements of the display objects can be created by artists, animators, singers, and so forth, as data snips. Pluralities of data snips can be stored in libraries of dynamic clip art and then installed in an implementation of this invention. In this manner the on-screen agent personae have an appropriately contemporary, realistic, and engaging manner. Data snips are, in general, short clips of sound, voice, graphics, animation or video, or combinations of these used to construct the on-screen agent. A data snip can also be a complete preformatted animated sequence, perhaps in the format of a talking animated daily cartoon strip.

Another important object is that the method and system of this invention is adapted to implementation on a variety of networks. When so implemented, the interactive, adaptive, and self-paced computer-assisted instruction and homework provided by this invention is available to geographically dispersed students and from geographically dispersed schools. For example, an implementation of this invention as a "HomeWork Network.TM." can make computer assisted homework available to students of all levels at home. In addition to computers located at residences of students, the student can also access homework materials at computers located in youth centers, libraries, schools and other locations.

In a preferred embodiment, the network on which this invention is implemented as an intranet configured of appropriate links and utilizing the known TCP/IP protocol suite, and as appropriate, ATM technologies, including World Wide Web, associated browsers, and mail format extensions. Implementation over the public Internet is equally preferred in cases where extensive connectivity is needed.

A further important object of this invention is to utilize augmented computer-assisted instruction materials which present to students a variety of interactive, adaptive, and self-paced computer-assisted instruction and homework materials in a manner which informs the agent of a student's progress and performance and which permits the agent to manage or control the materials to the student's pedagogic characteristics. Thereby, the ABI system can effectively guide and engage students in their educational tasks.

In a preferred embodiment, these instructional and homework materials are composed of materials data presented by a materials engine. The materials data includes display objects containing the substance of the instruction, logic to sequence the display according to student input, and notations. Notations are augmented definitions that serve to pass information to the agent concerning the materials and the student. For example, notations classify key sections of materials which are educationally significant student actions. Preferably, authoring tools assist in developing these augmented instructional materials. Materials tasks and sequences are created and entered by instructional designers and subject experts. Notations are usually entered by instructional designers and can be customized by teachers.

In a preferred embodiment,.the information passed in the notations is standardized according to an instruction materials interface standard. This standard establishes a uniform way the materials independent data relating to student performance are to be provided to the agent and a uniform way for the agent to guide the student in a materials independent manner.

A further important object of this invention is to provide to the student a range of tools which are integrated with the agent in a manner similar to the instructional materials. These tools include general tools helpful to assigned instructional tasks, and special tools for group work and communication and for student scheduling.

In a preferred embodiment, the general tools include at least a calculator, an encyclopedia, a dictionary, a thesaurus, each appropriate to the several levels of students, which can access an ABI implementation. In a preferred embodiment, the group work and communication materials allow, when permitted, message exchange, student linking into groups for joint work, and student linking into groups for structured work such as contests. In a preferred embodiment the student scheduling tool records assigned student activities and their priorities. In an embodiment, this tool can be consulted by the student to view schedules. It can be consulted by the system to prescriptively schedule required activities, to permit student choice, or to permit a mixed scheduling initiative. Finally, it can be consulted by the agent to offer scheduling advice to the student. Typically, student assignments are set by a teacher.

An object of this invention is reporting of student performance to students, teachers, parents, administration, or to other appropriate individuals in a business enterprise or other commercial versions. These reports include the unique data on the student's pedagogic performance accumulated and analyzed by the agent, as well as all the usual and expected performance data on specific materials available in existing computer-assisted instruction systems. In a preferred embodiment this data is derived from the student data object, where all permanent student data is stored. These data objects are preferably stored in an object oriented database system against which are run reports of this data. It is an advantage of this invention in a school context that parents can have access to current data on their children, and thereby play a more informed role in their children's education.

Another object of the invention is to utilize current technologies for student interaction. When available, this invention is adaptable to Network Computers ("NC"). NCs are low cost computers specifically designed to access intranets or the public Internet. In a current preferred embodiment and implementation, this invention is adaptable to multimedia PCs for some students, and to such special interaction technologies as can be advantageous to special students or students with special needs. Typical interactive devices include keyboards, mice or other pointing devices, voice recognition, joy-sticks, touch activated devices, light-pens, and so forth. Other devices, such as virtual reality devices, can be added as they become commercialized.

It is clear to those of skill in the art that by providing interactive, adaptive, and self-paced computer-assisted instruction and homework delivered over widely available computer networks this invention has immediate application in public, private, and commercial school environment of all levels. Educational research shows that instruction and homework of these characteristics improves students' educational outcomes. Further, in school contexts this invention advantageously provides immediate access to student performance and pedagogic characteristics to all interested parties, including parents.

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the accompanying drawings, detailed description, and appended claims, where:

FIG. 1 illustrates in overview fashion the principal functional components of and parties in the ABI system;

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate in overview fashion an implementation of the functional components of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary student display screen of the implementation of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates in more detail exemplary screen interaction between the on-screen agent and the instructional materials of the implementation of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary interaction of a student with the ABI system implementation of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 illustrates in more detail the software components and hierarchy in the implementation of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary message flow through the implementation of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 illustrates agent action processing of FIG. 7 in more detail;

FIG. 9 illustrates agent behavior processing of FIG. 7 in more detail;

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate the structure of student data object of FIG. 7 in more detail;

FIG. 11 illustrates exemplary processing of the student data object of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 12 illustrates overall processing according to the invention.

5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Sec. 5.1 presents a general overview of the Agent Based Instruction system. Sec. 5.2 describes the preferred hardware and operating software configurations. Sec. 5.3 describes details of the instructional interface between the ABI system and its users. Sec. 5.4 describes in a general fashion the software structure of the ABI system with subsequent sections describing each component in a more detailed fashion. Sec. 5.5 describes the instructional materials and the tools in a more detailed fashion and Sec. 5.6 describes the agent in a more detailed fashion. Sec 5.6 includes detailed description of the preferred interface between the agent and the materials in the ABI system.

5.1. ABI System Overview

In the following, the systems and methods of this invention are described in the context of a school system, with examples drawn primarily from elementary education. This invention is not so limited. It will be apparent to one of skill in the relevant arts that this invention can be applied at all levels of public and private education, from pre-school through university, and to all forms of commercial or corporate education. In all these contexts, this invention has particular utility in making education and training available at school, at the office, at home, at schools with geographically dispersed students and to students at geographically dispersed schools, and at other types of locations. Further, it will be apparent that this invention can be applied in contexts other than education where monitored interactivity and individualization are to be provided, as in child care or weight loss.

The following glossary contains several terms frequently used in the Detailed Description of the invention. It is presented here as an aid in order to initially introduce important terms that are more fully described and explained in the following sections.

Agent: agent software together with the data it references executing in an ABI system.

Agent Based Instruction ("ABI") System: the novel instructional system of this invention, preferably comprising an agent for responsive, adaptive and individualized instruction of students and a network for distribution of instruction, which projects the personae of the virtual tutor.

Agent Software: software modules that generate responsive, adaptive, and individualized behavior in the ABI system, preferably implemented according to methods from artificial intelligence.

Applet: an executable program fragment advantageously downloaded to a client across the network, in the ABI system applets are particularly used to represent a complete element of on-screen agent actions, or performance, (e.g., a character scratching its head and saying an utterance) and can reference various data snips of animation, sound, and scripting information.

Authoring Tools: programs used by instructional designers to develop materials data, such development includes inserting notations.

Cast: a plurality of persona ("personae") representing the on-screen agent.

Character: an individual persona in the cast of the on-screen agent.

Concept Coach: a possible alternative name for a persona in the cast of an on-screen agent that is suitable for high school and adult students.

Data Snip: an elementary piece of sound, voice, animation, video, or a graphic; data snips can be combined, preferably by an applet, to represent a complete element of on-screen agent action.

Electronic Learning Friend ("ELF"): a generic name for any persona in the cast of an on-screen agent; also a possible alternative name for a persona suitable for middle school students.

Instructional Materials: the components of a course of instruction, such components are selected according to the course and can include prerequisite tests, pre-tests, lessons, and unit tests.

Materials Data: the content of instructional materials.

Materials Engine: software modules that reference instructional materials data and tools data to present the instruction and the tools to the student.

Meta-request: a student request directly to the on-screen agent, an exemplary request is `asking for a hint.`

Meta-response: all responses to a student produced by the agent software, as distinguished from presentations by instructional materials, tools and communications.

Network: the hardware and software connecting student client computers to school servers in an ABI system; the network connections can comprise fiber optic links, wired links, or terrestrial or satellite wireless links.

Notations: interface information inserted into materials data that causes the materials engine to send and receive messages from the agent software; preferably notations create standardized interface messages between the agent and the materials.

On-screen Agent: presentation by the agent software on the student's display using such media as sound, voice, graphics, animation, video, or other multimedia modality; this presentation preferably displays one or more life-like personae.

Persona: a character in the cast of an on-screen agent.

Personae: the collective plural of persona.

Student Data Object: data about each student which the agent software references in order to provide responsive, adaptive, and individualized instruction to that student; this data is updated during course of each lesson and is advantageously stored as one object, or alternatively a few linked objects, in the ABI system.

Study Buddies.TM.: a possible alternative name for personae in the cast of an on-screen agent that is suitable for elementary school students.

Tools Data: the content of tools supporting particular instructional materials; tools can include a dictionary a calculator, or an encyclopedia; and so forth, and tools data are the content of the dictionary, the calculator, or the encyclopedia.

Utterance: a text or voiced response by on-screen agent.

Virtual Tutor: the ABI system components acting together to emulate a human tutor; from an individual student's perspective, the Study Buddies, ELF, or Concept Coach appears as his or her personal tutor.

The following sections of the Detailed Description elaborate each of these terms and describe their connection and interaction so that the ABI system presents responsive, adaptive, and individualized instruction and assumes the form of a virtual tutor.

5.1.1. Functional Components

In view of these objects and advantages, FIG. 1 illustrates the principal actors and the principal functional components in an ABI System. These include, generally, materials engine 102, agent software 108, and student data object 109, all of which interact with student 101 and with teachers and administrators 106 via a computer network described below in conjunction with FIG. 2 to create a virtual tutor of student 101. Student 101 is typically one of many students enrolled in a school or similar institution. Central to the ABI System is the virtual tutor individualized to each student, which formed by the functioning of agent software 108 with student data object 109, which stores characteristics of student 101 and assignments and standards set by teachers and administrators 106. Other actors not shown in FIG. 1 can be relevant in particular applications, for example, parents in the case of primary and secondary education.

Materials engine 102 presents educational content such as instructional units, homework assignments, and testing to student 101. The educational content includes instructional materials data 114, communications materials data 104, and tools data
115. Instructional materials data 114 include computer based instructional materials similar to those known in the art but, importantly, augmented with notations for use in this invention. The materials also include various tools 115 appropriate to particular instructional materials, such as a calculator for mathematics, a dictionary for writing, access to on-line reference sources for research, and so forth. Further, materials can also include communication materials data 104, which define and provide communication with other students 105 for instructional purposes. Such purposes can provide, for example, the tutoring of one student by another more advanced student, joint work of several students on one instructional materials lesson as permitted, and educational contests, such as spelling bees. Further, this invention is equally adaptable to other forms of materials that function in the framework of FIG. 1, in particular interfacing to the agent software as indicated by arrow 111, and that are useful in a particular application of this invention. For example, materials appropriate for child care contexts can differ from the above three classes by, perhaps, having different paradigms of interactivity.

The structure and course of interactions 103 between the student and the materials is preferably governed by paradigms of educational psychology and sound educational practice, such as are described in the exemplary reference Englemann et al.,
1982, Theory of instruction: principles and applications, New York: Irvington Publisher. At the most immediate level, for example, during homework or instruction, student 101 can make requests and receives responses from materials engine 102 and, in turn, materials engine 102 can make requests and receive responses from student 101. The materials engine can adjust its sequence of presentation in response to student responses. At a next level, the requests and responses exchanged between the student and the materials engine can follow several patterns known in the arts of computer based instruction and which, for example, include the following. First, the student can respond to questions presented by the materials engine, and in the course of responding, can ask for advice or hints, the use of a tool such as a calculator, or other relevant assistance. Second, the student can advance to the next item, lesson, or unit upon successful completion of the present item, lesson, or unit. Third, in case of error, the student can request, or automatically be presented with, appropriate repeat, review, or remediation materials. Finally, at a higher level these patterns of interactions can be analyzed to provide more adaptive responses from the system.

Teachers and administrators 106 also interact with materials engine 102 for several purposes, as represented by arrow 107. For example, teachers can customize existing materials by adding additional items, modifying existing items, altering the order of item presentation, changing the notations (see infra.) governing agent interaction, and so forth. A teacher can create particular instances of materials suitable for one class, a group, or even one student. Further, although reporting of student progress preferably occurs by other means, in alternative embodiments the materials engine can directly report student progress to teachers and administrators. For example, this can be done by entering notations that generate messages for the teachers.

Also, instructional designers can create, or "author," materials for use in this invention. Such materials can be original or can be derived from existing textbooks, workbooks or media material. They can employ standardized curricula, pretests such as criterion tests, post-tests, and standardized texts. Authoring instructional materials in a course suitable for interactive instruction typically comprises several steps, including decisions about the objects to display to the student, the sequencing of these objects, and the interactions with the agent. The first step is the selection of objects which carry the education content for presentation to a student. Objects can include visual display items, such as text, graphics, animation or movies, audible display items, such as voice, audio and so forth. They can include input items known in the computer arts, such as buttons to select, selections to chose from, text to enter, hypertext and hypermedia links, functions to perform with student input, and so forth. The second step is the selection of the sequencing logic for the ordered display of the objects to the student and the educationally appropriate reaction to student requests and responses. The sequencing logic can reference instructional controls set by agent software 108, such as a command to increase example density, and preferably is chosen in light of principles of educational psychology and practice as detailed above. The third step is the specification of interactions with a student's agent or virtual tutor, a key component of the ABI system. This specification is made by augmenting the sequencing logic with "notations," which are referenced, called, or executed by the sequencing logic during object presentation and that communicate with the agent, in a preferred embodiment by exchanging messages. In the ABI system, the agent builds an adaptive model of its student's pedagogic characteristics, in other words the student's cognitive styles, by monitoring the course of the student's interactive instruction. The notations are the means for this monitoring. Finally, in order to make materials available, the authored materials are indexed and stored in the files of the ABI system, preferably on materials server systems.

ABI authoring tools differ from authoring conventional instructional materials in that notations are present in these materials to enable the agent software to update the student data object, to monitor and modify the instruction, student's use of a tool, or a communication task. ABI authoring tools support and facilitate the conversion of existing materials to the ABI instructional format.

As indicated above, an agent unique to each student 101 is important in the ABI system. A student's agent is comprised of agent software 108 in conjunction with a student data object 109 unique to each student. As the agent software monitors its student's instruction, it builds an adaptive model of its student in student data object 109. Guided by this model, agent software 108 acts, first, to manage or control the student's instruction, and second, to directly guide the student in order that the total ABI system can present education to each student in an optimal fashion best adapted to the student's evolving abilities, skills, and preferences. In other words, the agent becomes a virtual tutor by acting as a student's personal and individualized tutor. First, the agent manages or controls instruction of student 101 by directly controlling materials engine 102 in its presentation of materials data 104, 114, and 115 through interaction with the materials engine, as represented by arrow 111. The agent preferably manages or controls the materials engine in two manners, synchronous with materials data presentation, such as when the materials engine encounters an appropriate notation in the data, makes an agent request, and waits for an agent response, and asynchronous with the presentation, such as when the agent software adjusts control parameters which the materials engine references at decision points. Examples of synchronous control are an instructional material asking the agent for permission to allow the student to use a tool, to receive a hint, or to be given remediation, or a communications material asking the agent for permission to permit the student to engage in a particular type of communication with certain other students. An example of asynchronous control is the agent setting of pedagogic parameters, such as coaching parameters that the materials engine uses to adjust its presentation, according to the pedagogic characteristics of the student. Exemplary coaching parameters include the time pacing of exercises, the new concept seeding rate and the density of examples. In this manner, the materials can present interactive instruction according to optimal values of the pedagogic characteristics or cognitive styles of each student as determined from the agent's observation of its student.

Second, agent software 108 directly guides the student by exchanging communication with the student, as represented by arrow 112. Student communication also preferably occurs in two manners, synchronously, in which the student directly makes meta-requests of the agent tutor and receives meta-responses and second, asynchronously, in which the agent tutor itself generates a meta-response in response to some instructional event. Herein, requests and responses are prefixed with "meta" when they are exchanged directly with the agent. Meta-requests include student questions to the agent--for example: How am I doing? What should I do next? Could you say that another way?--or student requests--for example: I need a hint; I need help. The agent responds to each student question or request. Agent meta-responses can be generated, for example, when the student takes too long to complete an exercise, when the student makes a series of repeated errors, or when the student achieves good performance. Agent meta-responses can be drawn from such categories as reminders, encouragements, reinforcements, paraphrases, jokes, progress summaries, and so forth.

Communication with the agent, represented by arrow 112, include direct student meta-requests that generate agent meta-responses. Other communications derive from instructional event messages generated and communicated by augmented notations in materials 104, 114, and 115. An event received by the agent can generate no meta-response at all or alternatively can generate an asynchronous type agent meta-response. At educationally significant points, as the materials sequencing logic presents display objects to the student and receives inputs from the student, the materials data author places one or more notations. When these notation are referenced, called, or executed, important variables and parameters educationally relevant at this significant point are gathered into a message, along with an indication of the type of the educational event. These messages are events which are then sent to the agent. For example, an educationally significant point is the beginning of a new instructional sequence. The corresponding event message can include an indication of the topic to be covered, the expected level of difficulty, the expected time to complete, and the educational paradigm adopted. Another educationally significant point is the receipt of a wrong answer. In response, the materials can generate several messages: a first message can include the time required to make the answer, an indication of the type of error, and an indication of whether the answer is completely wrong or only a near miss; a second message can include text parameters ("say-it" type message) if the agent chooses to make a specific text or spoken comment about the error; finally, a third message can include the screen location best representing the error ("point-it" type message) to use if the on-screen agent chooses to point to the error or move to the location of the error. Another educationally significant point can be a long delay in receiving the next student input, at which point the materials engine can send an asynchronous message indicating the time elapsed. Tools data 115 generate events similar to messages from instructional materials. Communications materials 104 can generate events recording a communication request or an initiation of communication with certain other students for a certain task. In the case of shared work on one materials, communications materials can generate events recording how this student in progressing with the shared materials; in the case of a contest such as a spelling bee, events recording how this student is progressing in the contest with respect to other contestants.

In addition, in a preferred embodiment agent software 108 also receives messages describing the progress of the student through specific instructional materials. For example, in the case of mathematics materials, such messages can include information that the student is making errors in problems requiring finding common denominators. These event message should preferably all information that can be of interest to teachers and administrators for tracking student progress and tracking course adequacy.

It is important that communication between the student and the agent be engaging. Agent communication preferably utilizes all the modalities of input and output available in a particular implementation of this invention, including text, audio displays such as voice and sound, and video displays such as graphics, animation, and realistic movie clips. For example, in the case of a communication triggered by good performance, the agent can select the display of sound and video clips, from a data snips library, that the student finds pleasing. The agent can further make reward graphics available on the student's screen for a period of time. On the other hand, in the case of error the agent can point to the screen location of the error.

Further, it is highly preferable that the on-screen agent can assume various display personae during student communication. Herein, persona means the effect conveyed to the student of the combined and coherent presentation of multiple display modalities to emulate a particular, apparently living, personality. For example, in the case of elementary education, this can be the selection of tone and animation to emulate a pleasant animal or a known cartoon character. In some cases, characteristics of the display persona can be selectable by the student according to the student's preferences. In other cases, the personae can be specified by the instructional materials, the teacher or the administrator overriding student persona preferences. Personae for an elementary school student can be selected from well-known cartoon characters and can perhaps be called "Study Buddies.TM.." Persona for commercial or corporate education can be adapted to the organizational ethos and can perhaps be called a "Concept Coach." Presentations for intermediate levels can be called an Electronic Learning Friend ("ELF"). Even though the ABI system through its network, software and database acts as the student's virtual tutor, from the elementary school students point of view, the "Study Buddies.TM." are his/her personal tutor. Realism in voice, gestures and movement reinforce this relationship.

Agent software 108 in the ABI system builds an adapting pedagogic or cognitive model of its student in student data object 109 that is independent of the specific materials. Event messages to the agent software from the materials engine preferably include the information from which this model is built. In general, event messages must include such content as is necessary to describe and parametrize the pedagogic or cognitive style models adopted by the materials in an implementation of the ABI system.

In an preferred embodiment, the student data object 109 collects all the permanent data about the student maintained by the ABI system. The data objects for all the students are collected for permanent storage in a database system. Preferably, this is an object oriented database, although this data can be advantageously stored in standard relational databases. In an alternative embodiment, however, the various subtypes of student data in the student data object can be separated into separate objects and stored in separate databases. In particular, it is possible to store the materials specific progress data separately from the materials independent global student data. Preferably, the student data object is stored as one structured object. Alternatively it can be stored as a plurality of objects, each object of the plurality perhaps storing only one subtype of data.

The student data objects are accessed not only by the agent software 108, but also by teachers and administrators 106. As depicted by arrow 110, the data object is referenced by the agent in order to generate its actions and is updated by the agent as it processes events and student meta-requests. As depicted by arrow 113, the data object is referenced by teachers and administrators in order to track the student progress and to generate reports concerning the students and materials in the ABI system. Teachers also update the data object to enter schedule information for the student's assignments. Administrators update the object in order to enter the courses and materials the student must master and specify standards and criteria the student must meet.

5.1.2. Exemplary Implementing Structure

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an exemplary preferred structure implementing the principal conceptual and functional components of the ABI system as illustrated in FIG. 1. A preferred implementation of this invention is based on a plurality of computers interconnected by a network. Preferably, although all system functions can be performed on all interconnected computers, certain computers are specialized for certain functions, such as student client systems for providing student access or system servers for storing system software resources. Therefore, an exemplary preferred ABI system includes one or more student client systems 201, at which student 202 receives instructional presentations including homework. Other student clients are generally indicated at 203 and can be located at school, at home, or at the office. The system further includes one or more servers 204, at which teachers and administrators 205 gain access to the system. Alternatively, they can access the ABI system at their own client computer systems.

These components are interconnected by a network which consists of transmission medium 206 and local attachments 207. Although the network illustrated in FIG. 2A is of a bus-type configuration, as in a local area network perhaps using collision detection or token passing protocols or both, this invention is adaptable to all forms of networks which support adequate transmission protocols, such as those that are functionally similar to the TCP/IP protocol suite, and as appropriate, ATM technology. Thus, the invention is adaptable to networks constructed from switched or non-switched links to a central server, which can be configured of several LAN attached server systems, to networks including CATV cable or optical links, to networks including radio links either terrestrial or satellite, and to public or private packet switching networks.

A preferred public packet switching network to which this invention is adaptable is the Internet. ABI system nodes can be linked to the Internet in any convenient manner known to those skilled in the art and can include security boundaries (known a firewalls) to prevent unauthorized access. Alternatively, an ABI system implementation can be an "intranet," that is a network constructed according to TCP/IP protocols but using private links of the types enumerated above, and as appropriate, ATM technologies.

In more detail, student client system 201 includes memory 208, which is RAM type real memory or a virtual memory based on RAM type memory and a backing store. Preferably, to reduce size and cost, the client system has no permanent disk storage. When available, a preferable student client can be a low cost network computer ("NC"). A NC is a computer with processor, RAM, and network interfaces sufficient to access intranets or the Internet. A NC is preferable in cases when high-bandwidth network access is available. In cases of low-bandwidth network access, the client system can have one or more disc drives 209 which can be used as a pre-fetch buffer or a read-only cache. The disks preferably are magnetic, although in a less preferable embodiment they can also include CDROMs. This optional capability serves to enhance communications efficiency in cases where the network has relatively low bandwidth. Large files can be downloaded in advance of a student session or the student client can cache read-only data across sessions obviating the need for downloading such files. Such caching requires the operating system components to maintain some form of version control of the read-only data. In any case, the student data object, which contains all permanent and read-write student data, is stored between sessions on a server. This permits a student to access the ABI system services from any available client system at any time by simply downloading the student data object to that client system.

The student interacts with a client system using any appropriate interactive input/output ("I/O") modes 210. For input, standard devices include pointing devices, such as mouse 211 or a trackball, age appropriate keyboards, optionally speech recognition, and so forth. Speech recognition will permit brief conversations with the "Study Buddies.TM.," or other personae, in limited areas. The invention is adaptable to special input devices appropriate for particular groups, such as the handicapped, and to devices yet to be constructed. Virtual reality ("VR") interface devices such as VR gloves and VR display helmets can have immediate applications for special needs students. For output, preferable devices include computer display
212, for displaying objects such as text, graphics, animation, and video, and audio output devices for voice and sound clips. The audio and voice can be constructed from data snips stored as digitized sound files in libraries. Alternatively, voice can be synthesized from text. The invention is also adaptable to special output devices for special classes of students, e.g. the handicapped, and to new devices being developed.

FIG. 2A also shows an exemplary screen layout for a student client that exemplifies the principal functions of this invention. The screen is preferably partitioned so that principal components of this invention are displayed; and important student actions are represented by icons or buttons. Thus, the screen includes materials and tools area 220 to the left, agent area 215 to the right, and a system toolbar 218, which includes a student customization area 221 at the top. The size of the screen partitions illustrated preferably change from time to time in response to student customization or display requirements. In particular, either the materials area or the agent area can enlarge, perhaps up to the entire screen as needed. Materials area 220 is for the instructional materials, tools, and communication materials to present visual display objects and for these components to receive interactive input. This area is further subdivided into display region 213 and a materials specific toolbar 214. On-screen agent area 215 is for the on-screen agent to receive meta-requests and to display synchronous and asynchronous meta-responses. Also illustrated is an exemplary on-screen agent consisting of a single persona 216 and a meta-request icon 217. The persona can move to other screen areas as required. Both these components are illustrated as appropriate for elementary education. Other visual appearances would be appropriate in other situations. The system area at top includes toolbar 218 for selecting particular available system components. In particular, always available on this toolbar are selection icons 219 for the calendar and scheduling tool. Part 221 of the system area can be reserved for student customization, for example for the display of reward graphics "given" to the student by the agent or virtual tutor.

Functionally illustrated in FIG. 2A is an exemplary memory organization of a student client system when a session is in progress with materials being presented. Layer 222 comprises operating software and network communications. This software provides, among other services, support for I/O devices attached to the client, a file system with cache control, lower level network protocols, such as TCP/IP and ATM, and higher-level network protocols, such as HTTP V2.0. Basic shared ABI system capabilities are provided by executive software 223. The executive software verifies student identity and access authority, establishes communications sessions with the system servers as required during client start-up, downloads from the student object database the student data object corresponding to the student in session at this client system, downloads instructional materials scheduled for this student, and download executable software required from the systems servers as-needed. The instructional material and the software are read-only and are not changed. The student model is updated by the agent during the student session and modified parts are uploaded to the student database on a server for storage. Such downloading can utilize higher level network transfer protocols, or alternatively, directly use lower level network protocols.

Agent software 225, certain parts of student data object 226, and certain instructional materials software 224 have already been downloaded. The materials are displaying objects in screen area 220, forwarding events to the agent and receiving agent management or controls, as indicated by arrow 227. The agent is displaying its persona(e) in screen area 215, interacting with the materials, as represented by arrow 227, and is referencing and updating data in student data model 226, as represented by arrow 228.

Finally, the student client system further includes standard components not shown, such as a microprocessor and input/output interfaces. Alternative implementations of the student client system are within the scope of this invention. In particular, student client system function can reside on a server system. Further, the client system can be implemented as two machines, wherein a first machine performs substantially all the computations and a second machine is for student interaction and sends student input and receives display instructions from the first machine.

The ABI system further includes one or more server systems 204 of FIG. 2B with sufficient large capacity discs 230 for storing all student data objects in the student database, all instructional materials, and all software used in the system. The network is used to distribute the software, student data objects and instructional materials form the servers. In alternative embodiments, there can be more than one server with software and data component storage divided as convenient across the servers. In a further and less preferred embodiment, the server can be a central host system. In comparison to the client systems, servers preferably have increased performance and higher speed network connections 231 in order to make this stored data quickly available to the one or more student client systems. Access to the body of student data allows teachers and administrators to track student performance by class, grade, subject, school and so forth. This statistical data is also input into agent processing.

The server systems are preferably configured as shown in FIG. 2B and are loaded with software 232 providing the following function. First, there is operating system, network services, and file server layer 233. In addition to the functions of layer 222 in the client system, layer 233 also provides a file server facility including file backup and version control. System manger 234 includes facilities for access control, authenticating student access requests and limiting file access to authorized users. For example, students can be limited to only their personal files; parents to their children's files and curricular related data; teachers to files and student data objects for their classes; while certain administrators have unlimited access. The system manager can also maintain any necessary system logs. Student data object database 235 is explicitly illustrated. Student data objects reside on the server systems when the associated student is not in session. These objects contain the data which is the source of all teacher and administrator reports, data by which these staffs schedule student courses and assignments, and data representing the pedagogic model of the student used by the agent software. Instructional materials databases 240 and directories of executable software also reside on the server systems. When group communications is in use, agents and communication tasks monitoring the groups can reside on the servers. The servers also contain areas 237 for administrative data and for reports and report software of interest to the administrative staff. Finally, the servers contain teacher areas 238 for data and report software of interest to teachers.

Further, certain instructional materials can be made available specifically for the teaching staff, along with an individualized teacher agent acting as a virtual tutor for the teachers. The facilities of the ABI system can be used to simplify teacher familiarization and system training. For example, such teacher training can be user instruction in the ABI system itself, or can be teacher versions of student materials designed to assist the teacher in his/her use and customization (in the nature of today's teacher versions of textbooks). Further, there can be teacher specific tools, for example, to assist in generating student reports and class management. In this case the server system contains special instructional materials and associated teacher data objects 236 for performing this instruction. Client systems for teacher access have agents unique to individual teachers.

Alternatively, the flexible server structure of the system permits administrative and teaching staff to perform their specific tasks on any computer system with enough computing resources to support these tasks. As for student access, necessary system components are downloaded from servers to these temporary client systems. Thereby, these personnel are not limited to sessions on server systems. Further, materials authoring can be done on server systems, client systems, or on separate systems not interconnected with a given ABI system. To make authored materials available, they are transferred to and indexed in the appropriate server system databases.

Alternative implementations of the functions described for the student client systems and the server systems are also within the scope of this invention. For example, it is known to those of skill in the art that by the use of various technologies, such as remote procedure calls or messaging, the functions pictured here as grouped together and on one system can be divided and distributed if needed.

5.2. System Hardware and operating Software

The system elements illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B can be constructed on standard hardware platforms meeting the requirements discussed in this section.

5.2.1. The ABI System Network

The utilization of a network is central to the ABI system. It is important that students or teachers be able to access the ABI system from any adequate client system anywhere at the school, at home, and when away from home, as in distance learning. Networks permit students and teachers to participate at more than one school, and, further, permit delivery of homework and instruction to remote locations. In each case the client system must access student data objects, instructional materials, and ABI software from the network.

Access to all system components is typically provided from ABI system servers attached to the network. It is preferable, to use a single large network server in place of several smaller network servers. In all cases, it is preferable to store the updatable student model objects on server systems, in order that they can be downloaded to whatever client system a student accesses. It is also preferable to provide read-only software and read-only instructional materials from server systems. The advantages over local storage of these elements at client systems include simplification of version control and of access control. The student is freed from insuring the client system accessed has all the necessary software and manually transferring if not. Also server storage provides greatly reduced client system storage requirements, in view of the large amount of software and instructional materials in ABI systems. However, in systems with limited communication bandwidth, it can be preferable to cache recently used software and instructional materials in order to shorten response times.

Networks suitable for an ABI system can be of any configuration and protocol that meets the system's client-server communication and object transfer requirements, where the client is either a PC or a network computer ("NC"). Suitable networks can be private or public. The preferred ABI network in the case of PC clients, according to current technologies, is an intranet running the TCP/IP protocol suite and utilizing ATM technologies as appropriate. In one implementation, utilizing a single large server, such a server can be directly connected to the intranet or Internet. In another implementation, utilizing several smaller servers, these servers can be connected into a cluster by a LAN, preferably an Ethernet LAN. In this case, the ABI network is built from a local Ethernet LAN with remote connections to telephone lines using 28.8 Kbps modems, or other network links. In an alternate implementation, the network can by visible to the public Internet if adequate security systems (firewalls) prevent unauthorized access. This can make wider access available at lower cost than by switched telephone remote connections.

The ABI LAN can be further connected to other ABI LAN's and to other networks, such as the Internet, by standard use of routers and gateways. An exemplary protocol for an ABI System network is TCP/IP supplemented with a client-server protocol such as HTTP and object transfer protocol, such as a multi-format mail protocol. ATM technologies are used as appropriate. Remote clients are expected to be indirectly connected to the ABI network. These connections can consist of routing over a public network or direct dial-in connections. These connections can be of either low-speed or high speed. The ABI system can be implemented on networks such as @Home (Mountain View, Calif.), which use a combination of ATM, cable modems, TCP/IP and other technologies. The ABI system can also be hierarchically configured on new network topologies for distance learning in areas with limited communications infrastructure. Primary central servers with ABI software and instructional materials communicate with remote secondary servers over broadband satellite communication systems. Student clients connect to the local secondary servers through wired or wireless means.

5.2.2. The Client System

Considerations governing the choice of client hardware and operation software are described next and are followed by a preferred client node system according to today's technology. These consideration depend on the content of an ABI system and the facilities of technology. As the content of a system changes and as technology evolves these consideration dictate that the preferred system will change.

The client hardware consists of client input/output ("I/O"), client CPU and memory, and client network access. Turning to the client I/O requirement, standard input devices such as keyboard and mouse, or other pointing device, are preferable. Color graphics output capability adequate to support partial screen animations is preferred. Sound generation and output are preferable on ABI client systems. Text-to-speech conversion can be done either in software or in hardware. When economically available, full video capability, for example by providing video decompression hardware such as MPEG decoders, and speech recognition, for example with hardware assists, are also preferable.

The ABI system is also adaptable to special I/O devices appropriate to special student groups, such as the very young or the handicapped. These include, for example, simplified keyboards, touch panels, VR devices, and so forth.

Client memory must be sufficient to contain resident operating system components, resident ABI executive software, and dynamically loaded segments of the student data object, instructional materials, and code. High performance CPU's together with high performance graphics hardware and memory is preferable to enable more advanced presentation effects.

In embodiments where part or all of the ABI software is implemented in special languages, hardware or software assists for these language are preferable. For example, where such a special language is JAVA.TM. (Sun Microsystems, Mountain View, Calif.), JAVA.TM. chips, which enhance performance of the JAVA.TM. interpreter, are preferable. The ABI client node in certain embodiments can be a JAVA.TM. enhanced network appliance adapted to Internet communication access and the HTTP V2.0, or equivalent client-server protocol.

It is preferable to eliminate the need for permanent data storage devices, such as hard disc drives, by downloading all client software for each session. This allows the use of low cost `network appliances` as student client computers. However, for those clients with lower speed network access asynchronous downloading can be used. Storage devices such as hard drives can be preferable for prefetching or caching of read-only software components in order to reduce start up time. To download 4
megabytes of software using, for example, a 28.8 Kbps modem takes over 20 minutes. In the case of caching on student client, standard version control methods known in the art are necessary to ensure that only up-to-date software and materials data are used. If an element is found to be out-of-date by querying a server, the current version is downloaded. The student data object is not be cached between sessions since it can be accessed from other client systems.

Client communication hardware can be adapted for either local or remote attachment. Local access requires network access hardware; remote access requires a communication capability. This invention is adaptable to lower speed access over switched telephone line services, preferably using 28.8 Kbps modems or ISDN interfaces (64 or 128 Kbps). These bandwidths are adequate for sessions with materials using only voice and limited animations. Prefetching and caching can be required to make fullest use of other materials at this bandwidth. This invention is also adaptable to high speed access over any available high speed links, such as T1 (1.5 Mbps), T3, ADSL telephone lines, or cable modems (several Mbps), or other means of high speed access. These bandwidths permit full access to materials without limitation. If economically available, high speed access is preferred. With greater communications bandwidth, the on-screen agent can appear more life-like.

Standard client software includes an operating system and communication software. The operating system preferably has interfaces to client I/O devices including communications capability and network access, such as a TCP/IP stack. ATM interfaces are present if necessary. Preferably, it also has means for establishing sessions with servers, for providing file server services, and means for security as specified shortly.

The implementation language or languages of this invention preferably have several features related to the implementability, maintainability, and extensibility of ABI. The implementation language preferably provides a degree of modularity similar to that provided by object-oriented programming languages. It preferably provides means of dynamically loading across a network and executing additional software segments during program execution. It preferably provides means of accessing all input devices and of controlling the output devices in a high level display object fashion. It preferably provides a threaded or multiprocessing capability. Less preferably, this invention can be implemented in any computer language, including assembly language.

In view of these needs and in view of the current technology, a currently preferred client system is a IBM type PC with a Pentium 120 Mhz processor, 16 MB memory, a 1 GB disk drive, a Soundblaster compatible sound card with speakers, a medium performance graphics card such as a Diamond Stealth card with 2 MB of graphics memory, an Ethernet card or a communication card and a 28.8 Kbps modem, and standard keyboard and pointing device such as mouse. The operating system is Windows.TM. 95 with network services provided by a World Wide Web browser equivalent to Netscape 2.0 or better and capable of running Java.TM. applets. Java.TM. together with standard system and graphics classes is the implementation language.

5.2.3. The Server System

The primary function of the server systems of this invention is to store databases of executable software elements, of student data objects, and of instructional materials. The latter two consist of heterogeneous and structured elements. These elements can be stored in a relational database such as supplied by the Oracle Corp. or the Sybase Corp.; they can be stored as specialized data files; or they can be stored in an object-oriented database system such as ObjectStore (Object Design Inc., Burlington, Mass.). The operating system of the server nodes must support whatever database systems are selected as well as network and application server software to access the databases. Application database server software of this invention preferably provides database access and version control and downloads database elements on client request.

The preferred server hardware and software can vary widely depending on the number of clients to be simultaneously served. This number can vary from 20 at one school to more than 5000 across an entire school system. The number of servers and database distribution across a server cluster can be adjusted by means known in the art to satisfy projected peak loads. A suitable medium performance server system can be configured on a high end INTEL Pentium or DEC Alpha system with adequate memory and disk space. Windows.TM. NT is an adequate server operating system, and Internet server software similar to that from Netscape is adequate for network access. The preferred database is an object oriented database such as ObjectStore. In this embodiment, application database access uses a common gateway interface ("CGI") program also providing database access and version control. The CGI access program can be implemented in C++, a suitable object oriented programming language capable of accessing interfaces to ObjectStore databases.

5.2.4. ABI System Security

Security and access control present additional client and server requirements which are importantly part of an implementation of this invention. Security and access control can be maintained by careful selection of management policies, security software, and security hardware. These elements are described in this section in the order of authorizing and controlling access, operating system and network security requirements, and implementation language issues.

In a preferred embodiment, the primary means for authorizing and controlling access are passwords. System management of passwords preferably includes ensuring that user passwords are secure, not easily guessed, and are periodically changed. This invention is also adaptable to any other means of access control, including for example, passive and active identification cards and recognition of certain personal characteristics, such as voice. Access protection can be preferably provided by limiting access to system resources--database and file--based on a user's password. For example, access protection can be implemented in the CGI application access programs.

The operating system in clients and servers of this invention is preferably of a tested security level. This base security can be enhanced by a variety of techniques and tools that can provide increased levels of security for additional investments. Such techniques and tools include firewall machines, that is dedicated network gateways that filter incoming and outgoing packets according to content criteria, and monitoring software, such as tripwires, that observe system events for suspicious combinations. Further, encryption can help protect sensitive and valuable data from illegitimate access by those without the key. Encryption in hardware and software can be provided according to methods known in the art, such as the Rivest-Shamir-Adelman (RSA) public key algorithm or the data encryption standard private key algorithm.

For those embodiments and materials data that download executable code segments, the implementation language importantly should address the security exposures thereby created. For example, a malevolent and knowledgeable user can create or modify the downloaded code to perform illegitimate operations within the client system or access restricted information from the server. The Java.TM. language is preferable in these embodiment because it now significantly addresses these problems and further improvements are constantly being made. Examples of Java.TM. security measures include limiting access to client system resources, particularly the file system and network connections, preventing downloaded software from `spoofing` local software, and providing byte-code verification to test code for possible security violations. Any implementation language for an ABI system preferably offers similar or improved security features.

5.3. The Instructional Interface

The ABI system has interfaces for students, teachers, and administrative staff. Materials and software developers can have specific ABI system interfaces. Alternatively, such development can occur on separate systems followed by indexing and loading of the developed components into the appropriate databases.

5.3.1. Student-System Interface

This section describes the structure and design of the student-system interface. This description is directed to the currently preferred implementation of this interface by a series of visual display screens. However, this invention is not so limited, and adequate alternative technologies, for example voice output with speech-recognition input, can be used to implement this design.

5.3.1.1. Exemplary Student Screens

During materials presentation, a student sees screens of one or more screen types, all formatted in accordance with the previously described design principles. Screens are structured as a hierarchy of areas and subareas with text, graphical, animation, and perhaps video objects displayed in the subareas. Objects can either be for display only or permit student input or interaction.

An important screen type is a task screen. Task screens are used for materials presentation tasks such as homework assignments including problems, programmed steps, mastery quizzes, and drills. Table 1 and FIG. 3 illustrate exemplary components of a task screen appropriate for elementary education. Reference numbers in Table 1 are from FIG. 3. In general, in system area 302, the session manager presents objects visualized as icons permitting the student to easily access ABI system facilities. In materials area 304, object presentation including description, placement and movement, is specified by the materials designer in the presentational and sequencing sections of the materials data. The materials engine interprets these specification at run time to send display objects for display. In agent area 303, agent behavior processing formats predefined parametrizable objects, including resolution of object parameters, representing selected agent personae. The output from all selected and formatted display objects is sent to the executive software and operating system for ultimate display to a student.

TABLE 1 STUDENT SCREEN DISPLAY ELEMENTS ##STR1## ##STR2##

In more detail, the task screen of FIG. 3 includes in system area 302 student customization area 305. In the customization area, the student can display objects given by the agent as rewards for student accomplishment. These objects can include text, as illustrated here, graphics, or animations. Another part of the system area is file system toolbar 306 displaying accessible files as icons in a "book-on-shelf" metaphor. This invention is adaptable to other reasonable file system display metaphors. Here, for example, the book icons represent a file personal to the student, a file holding ongoing instructional materials, a file of e-mail, and files for tools such as a dictionary and group activity. Below file system toolbar 306 is toolbar 310 for tools the student has access to. Illustrated here are icons for a calculator, a word processor, communications, and starfish, a general purpose language tool.

"Starfish" are a visualization tool for semantic networks that can be available in an ABI System. A semantic network typically consists of nodes linked to other nodes by semantically significant and named links. A starfish tool visualizes such a network for a student by displaying the node centrally in the body of the starfish with the node's links displayed as arms of the starfish. For example, a dictionary represented as a semantic network might include a node for each word with links to similar words, opposite words, root words, and so forth. A dictionary starfish displays a word in its body. Each selectable arm is labelled with a category--synonym, antonym, pronunciation and so forth. Clicking on an arm causes the corresponding word(s) to be displayed or spoken. Such a tool provides integrated display of diverse knowledge structures for a student.

The scheduling/calendar tool is an important tool that is always available. Exemplary icon 309 illustrated for this tool has calendar part 307 and clock part 308. Selection of each of these parts brings up daily and monthly scheduling functions. These function can either prescribe the student's next activity or permit choice where the student has excess time or demonstrated personal scheduling ability.

In materials area 304, instructional materials, tools, and communications materials display their content. Illustrated in FIG. 3 is page 3 of an exemplary mathematics homework. Instructional materials are advantageously structured as a book of exercises and items, emulating current textbook and workbook practice. In this case, section tabs 312 permit the student to navigate the homework book by sections, and page buttons 321 permit the student to navigate the homework book by page. Also present is toolbar 317 of available student actions, which for homework includes submit and can, if the agent permits, include help and hint requests. The format of a materials page is advantageously standardized. An exemplary standardization has header information 314, presentation 315, and interactive input area 316.

On-screen Agent area 303 allows the student entry of meta-requests and allows the agent to display synchronous or asynchronous meta-responses. This exemplary area illustrated in FIG. 3 comprises meta-request button 320 which the student can activate to display a list of currently available meta-requests. The remainder of area 303 is for agent meta-responses, which importantly have multi-media structured into personae. Illustrated are text message 318 and visual persona 319 that typically includes animation. Also possible is audio output, either text-to-speech or generated from audio files.

FIG. 4 further illustrates an exemplary screen interaction between the materials and the agent. FIG. 4 shows only the content of materials area 501 and on-screen agent area 502 of the complete display screen of FIG. 3. A mathematics homework material is displaying item presentation 503 with input selection buttons. The student has selected wrong input button 504. At this educationally significant event, the materials send to the agent several messages generated by notations in the materials data. In response, the student's agent has chosen to act as illustrated. First, it displays text 506 of the rule violated by the student answer. This text was sent to the agent by the materials in an event message for its use. Second, the on-screen agent points 505 to the screen location of the error. This location was also sent to the agent by the materials. Third, perhaps in response to a previous high or increasing error rate of the student, the on-screen agent presents a meta-response 508 commenting on the pedagogic nature of the student's error. Further, it activates a persona 507 to engage the student's attention. This persona can advantageously include animation, audio, and speech output of the displayed text. Thus, the agent software integrates speech utterances, visualization, display of text and graphics, and animation into a persona display for highlighting an educational event that the agent determined important based its processing of the current input, past student inputs in this lesson, and the student's pedagogic model generated over several sessions.

Other screen types are of importance in an ABI system. For example, tools can have distinctive screen types appropriate to their nature, such as a calculator image. Choice screens can be used at the transitions between instructional sequences. They summarize what instructional materials have just been completed, announce status information, and list any materials choices now available to the student. These choices can related to instructional materials to be undertaken next or to optional, non-instructional materials, such as exchanging credits for time in a game room, access to e-mail, and so forth, that can be available to the student.

5.3.1.2. Student Actions

The inputs of a student or other user of the ABI System are preferably classified as requests, meta-requests, or data. A student request is an input directed to materials or to the system seeking a specific action. Student data is an input responding to a system request for information. For example, student requests include an input to the system to start the calculator is a request, or an input to certain materials to submit completed homework to the teacher. However, input of numbers into the calculator is data. This invention is adaptable to a further particular type of data input, termed semiotic, in which the student selects certain signs or symbols to provide input. Semiotic input is particularly advantageous when the agent requests the student to report his feeling or appreciation for a particular educational event. Meta-requests are inputs directed to the agent seeking specific actions. For example, student input to the agent seeking hints during the current materials is a meta-request.

Displays produced by this invention are preferably classified as applications, responses, meta-responses, or questions. Application display occurs upon system initiation of an available material, for example, an instructional material or a tool. Application display usually occurs in response to a student request, but can also occur on system initiative. For example, the agent can request the system to make a tool available to the student. Responses are all displays produced by materials or by the system. For example, responses include materials presentation display and display on the adequacy or correctness of student input. Meta-responses are all displays produced by the agent. These can be synchronous, generated by responses to a student meta-request, or asynchronously, generated by events sent to the agent from the materials. Questions are a particular form of response or meta-response which seek further student input. Questions engage the student in a form of a dialogue which is an integral component of the tutoring interaction.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary segment of the interaction of the student and the system that can occur during a mathematics homework. It illustrates both how responses and requests are distinguished from meta-responses, and meta-requests and also how the agent, through its observation of the student's current situation and its contact with past student history, is able to guide the student better than the materials alone, which are only aware of the current context. This display is individualized to the student's current and past performance and preferably uses realistic, life-like on-screen personae to engage the student. Displays from the ABI System directed to the student are indicated generally on the right; inputs from the student directed to the ABI system are indicated generally on the left; and time increases downward. The diagonal arrows, as at 401, indicate that the message at the arrow's tail leads to the message at the arrow's head.

This illustration begins with response 402 from the mathematics homework materials suggesting that the student use the calculator tool. The student responds with request 403 which selects the calculator icon to request the calculator. Calculator application 404 is then activated and displayed by system components. Data 405 is a student input to which the calculator tool, and response 406 indicates a student error. This response was apparently not sufficiently informative, and data
407 is a repeated incorrect input to the calculator tool. The student's agent observes the course of this interaction as the calculator tool sends event messages to the agent. Upon observing the repeated wrong input, the agent intervenes with a asynchronous meta-response 408 summarizing recent student inputs. The student responds with meta-request 409 to the on-screen agent for help, since the tool responses were apparently not sufficiently helpful. The agent's synchronous meta-response 410
suggests for consideration an entirely different approach to correct the student's recent error.

5.3.1.3. System Responses

The following general principles preferably guide system and materials responses and agent meta-responses. First, some display is to be made on every user input, if only to echo a character or mouse click. Second, a user is never to be left in doubt about the status of current tasks. For example, the system preferably provides task specific hints or suggestions if no user input is received in a time period adaptively determined. Third, all responses reflect the current context.

Further, importantly, aspects of system responses should be adapted to the particular student audience, from elementary to adult education and including special classes of students. This tailoring can be set by the teaching or administrative staff. One adaptable aspect is the language level and the language of system responses--for example, the vocabulary and language of help services, messages, and tutorials--is preferably adjustable. Another important adaptable aspect is the type of personae of the on-screen agent is preferably adjustable. The types of encouragement, level of jokes, and so forth, depend closely on the intended student population and are advantageously adjustable. Further, tools are also adaptable. Each tool is also advantageously enabled or disabled for each student. Mail and communications tools, for example, can be made unavailable for the lower grades. File creation and deletion can require strict controls. Also, certain tools can have differing complexity levels suitable for differing student levels.

In addition, certain ABI system components have particular preferable and advantageous features. These are listed subsequently. Importantly, meta-response selection is preferably shaped in view of the student's past baselines of speed, performance accuracy, modality, as specific to the type of materials. Moving average functions, in which recent values are given higher weight than earlier values, can be used advantageously to generate baselines of performance and timing. The timing of meta-responses is preferably based on student data object fields that record the amount of help asked for in the past and past performance provided.

Further, the pacing of meta-responses is advantageously context sensitive. For example, remediation should be offered only in case of repeated error or hints offered asynchronously only after a relatively long period without an answer. Also, previous student interactions should be utilized. Repeated requests for hints should be noted and dealt with perhaps not with another hint but with remediation. The rate of prompts, advice, and hints should be adaptively adjusted on the basis of ongoing performance records.

The actual content of meta-response can be adjusted to the current situation by filling in parameters from event messages sent from the materials. See infra.

Preferable Calendar/Scheduler Responses And Their Selection

The calendar scheduler is advantageously capable of providing the following responses. These are controlled by schedule data contained in the student data object and are processed by the calendar/schedule tool.

1. Schedule reminder responses, which remind the student of deadlines for materials tasks in the system or for external activities, such as getting a parent's approval for a class outing.

2. Task sequencing suggestion responses, which suggest an order of assigned tasks based on student history and on the assigned priority and deadline.

3. Timing estimate responses, which estimate how long a task will take based on timing information entered as part of task in the instructional materials and on past relative performance for this student.

In one embodiment, the ABI system provides for of scheduling initiative to be divided between the student and the system. Settable task schedule parameters permit, at one extreme, the student to have complete scheduling control, able to initiate and to exit any activity at will, and limit, at the other extreme, the student to work on only those materials that the system schedules. These schedule parameters include those controlling the tools and options available to the student while performing a given task and those requiring the student to perform background reading or remediation. Important initiative parameters include the scheduling values of task priority value and deadline. If the priority and date are not both "off", those tasks with greater priority and earlier deadline are automatically scheduled for the student. If these values are "off", the student has control of task scheduling.

The system of this invention also includes a central list of timed activities, perhaps stored on the server systems, to be performed by the system. These can include regular times for the generation and printing of standard reports or for the broadcasting messages concerning group activities such as spelling bees. These timed activities can be performed by scheduling software which compiles the timed activity lists and initiates the listed activities at their listed times. Such scheduling software can be similar to the "at" utility in UNIX operating systems.

5.3.2. Teacher/Administrator-System Interface

The teacher or teacher's representative plays an important role in the ABI system. The teacher uses the system to perform such functions as entering initial profiles in student data objects, assigning students to subgroups, previewing, annotating and scheduling assignments, reviewing and commenting on completed homework assignments, and reviewing summary reports.

The agent of the student is also an agent of the student's teacher in that the student's teacher controls key parameters in the student data object, which in turn controls agent actions. The teacher customizes the ABI system by setting student data object parameters, assigning and prioritizing assignments, and customizing materials. Important teacher activities are included in the following list.

1. The teacher initializes and exercises continuing control over important data in the student data object, and in this manner supervises the student's use of the system. For example, the teacher controls the access and level of tools available to the student and limits the extent to which the student can alter agent personae.

2. The teacher controls the student's use of the ABI system by assigning, scheduling, and prioritizing the student's access to the materials. This is accomplished by teacher control over the schedule subtype in the student model object. For example, the teacher can schedule tasks that must be completed on the ABI system, schedule non-system tasks, remove tasks or modify their priorities.

3. The teacher can customize materials available to the students. The extent of routine customization includes modifying sequencing of instructional lessons, elements, and items, choosing the homeworks the student must complete, specifying the formats of homework assignments having some student discretion, such as reports, sending messages to students.

4. The teacher's class management is aided by a facility to send messages, reminders, hints, etc. to students using the ABI system e-mail facilities.

The system can advantageously assist the teacher in homework management. Once the student completes and submits a homework assignment, a printed copy can be made for the teacher and the student. The homework assignment can be graded by the ABI system, if answers were provided as part of homework material. The teacher can add comments for the student, if homework is viewed online by teacher.

The system can advantageously also provide the teacher with summary and detail reports for each student and class. These reports can be immediately available online or printed for later review. As known in the art, reports can contain both current and cumulative data on instructional progress and homework assignments. The reports can also flag patterns of deficiency in a student's homework and problems in a student's instructional progress. In a preferred embodiment, these reports are generated from the database of student data objects on the server systems.

Additionally, the teacher can be a student. A teacher can benefit from training in the use of the ABI system in general, in the procedures to customize materials, and in the characteristics of the particular materials used in that teacher's class. This training can advantageously be packaged as instructional materials directed to the teacher which are otherwise similar to student instructional materials. In this case, the teacher, like the student, has accessible materials, a teacher data object recording the teacher's progress and pedagogical characteristics, and an agent using this data object to guide the teacher's training and guide the teacher in the use of the system.

Other actors, such as school administrative staff, parents, and researchers, can play a role in the ABI system. Administrative staff can have privileged access to certain data items in the student and teacher data objects and other system data, which permits them to assign students to courses, to assign students to teachers, and to establish instructional performance standards and criteria which the students must meet to complete their materials. This staff can also receive online or paper reports on the progress of students in the schools, the effectiveness of teachers, and the usefulness of the particular materials assigned.

Reports and queries

Generation of reports from databases, either relational or object-oriented, is a standard programming task. The key elements of this task are the selection of data to appear in the report, the way in which selected data is to be presented whether in a summary form, a detail form, or both, the format in which the data is output, and the layout of data output elements on the screen or page.

The teacher and administrators require several types of reports. Periodic reports need to be generated at regular intervals. These vary according to population: by student, by class, by grade, by school. They also vary by subject. The reports can present/summarize complete sets of data or only data exceeding stated limits. Some of these reports fulfill mandatory reporting and record keeping requirements, and some are sent to parents. The ABI system also provides teachers and administrators with standard querying and report generating capabilities.

If appropriate, parents can also be actors in an embodiment of the ABI system. A student's parents can be given access to certain fields in their student's data object in order that they can receive rapid information on their child's assignments and performance. This information can be made available at home on the same client system that their student receives instruction and homework.

Finally, educational researchers can receive certain access to ABI systems in order to research the effectiveness of educational theories and methods. For example, they can efficiently compare the effectiveness of various educational paradigms in certain instructional contexts by receiving reports relating to students pursuing materials constructed according to the paradigms of interest.

5.3.3. Instructional Designer-System Interface Designer Interface Overview

Materials, in particular instructional materials, are authored by instructional designers. Authoring of materials can be done on the system on which the materials are to be used, or alternatively, on a separate system. Generally, an instructional designer authors materials including, for example, computer assisted instruction as known in the art, computer assisted exercises such a homework or simulation, and computer managed student instructional tasks which can involve work with several materials. For all materials, the student's agent must be informed of the sections completed and skills acquired in standard formats.

Designer Interface Details

The ABI system provides an environment in which the student's agent is available to control materials presentation and guide the student to improve educational outcomes. This environment includes facilities to present assignments, assess responses, probe for prerequisites, offer assistance with to