Patent Application
20060099564
None
The present invention relates to learning management systems, and more particularly to a system and methods for providing user application tools and links between users and data objects within a learning management system catalog.
Computerized learning systems, sometimes referred to as “tutorial”0 systems, have been around for many years. The earliest of tutorial systems were designed for mainframe computers. With the advent of personal computers in the mid to late 70's tutorial systems were increasingly available for home and office personal computer use. With the advent of personal computer networking, the market for the network-based learning systems blossomed.
For example, PLATO Learning Systems, currently having a website at the URL www.plato.com, began in 1963 with Control Data and University of Illinois using a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop technology and content for a mainframe computer based instructional system. In 1986 with the growth of personal computer technology, the PLATO courseware library and management systems were modified for delivery via local area networks. Starting in the 1990's the PLATO technology became available over wide area networks, such as the public wide area network commonly referred to as the Internet. When delivered over the Internet, courses are sometimes referred to as having “e-learning” content.
While the number of companies offering e-learning content is substantial, there are relatively fewer companies which are active in the business of creating tools for creating and managing e-learning content. SAP, for one, has been active in learning and e-learning technologies for a number of years.
Founded in 1972, SAP is a recognized leader in providing collaborative business solutions for all types of industries. SAP, headquartered in Walldorf Germany, is the world's largest enterprise software company. As such, a major focus of SAP's e-learning programs has been to provide powerful business oriented e-learning solutions to its core corporate customer base. More particularly, SAP provides a series of tools for authoring, managing and delivering e-learning content such that its customers can manage the entirety of the creative and administrative functions for a fully integrated e-learning system. These tools are generally referred to as Learning Management Systems (LMS).
A learning management system or training management system provides different ways to access its data. One approach is to support roles such as an administrator, a learner and an instructor. Customers want their LMS to be web enabled, where every role is represented by a web frontend or interface that may be accesses through a browser. Internet technology empowers not only the customer user to do their bookings in an employee self-service (ESS) scenario, it also drives the kind of training available to learners. In current SAP training and event management, only classroom trainings are available. With these solutions and its web interface called a learning portal, this is extended by new training forms based on Internet technology, such as web based trainings, computer based trainings, online test, virtual classroom etc. These training forms provide a human-to-computer interaction. But they do not support human-to-human interactions like instructors or virtual learning groups.
Learning Management Systems may provide single or multiple training catalogs. Training catalogs are organized as tress with one or multiple root objects. Top-level nodes are called training groups (using SAP learning solution terminology). Training-groups are collections of multiple trainings of same order criteria. These criteria are based on the topic of the training, like Programming languages, Product knowledge, soft skills etc. Other criteria could be training forms, (classroom training, virtual classrooms, tests) or the location, language, target group, imparted or required qualification etc.
Prior Art systems as shown in this example only allow for communication and integration for users on the training level. Therefore a collaboration room 28 is only assigned to the users on the training level. These collaboration rooms 28 allow users in the same “class” to communicate with one another. This solution has proved inadequate as the complexity of the Learning Management Systems has increased and the rules and relationships between user and the LMS have also been expanded.
Therefore the interfacing and integrating techniques within a computer based Learning Management System have become increasingly outdated and lack sophistication.
Various embodiments of the present invention provide methods that allow for user integration on every level of the Learning Management System. In one embodiment, the invention is a method. The method includes receiving a request for action on a class from a user. The method also includes traversing a catalog to find rules related to the class. The method further includes checking status of the user against rules related to the class. The method also includes executing the action for the user in relation to the class.
In another embodiment, the invention is an apparatus. The apparatus includes a processor. The apparatus also includes a database, and the database includes data related to groups and related associations. The apparatus further includes a traverse module to traverse a graph of the groups and related associations of the database. The traverse module is implemented by the processor. The apparatus also includes a user status maintenance module. The user status maintenance module maintains a user status related to associations and groups. The user status module also associates the user with associations related to groups including the user. The user status module is implemented by the processor.
In yet another embodiment, the invention is also a method. The method includes receiving a message indicating a user is added to a group. The method further includes traversing a graph of data including data relating to the group. The method also includes accumulating a list of associations related to the group during the traversing. The method further includes associating the user with the associations of the list of associations.
It will be appreciated that the present invention is described below using specific examples that are not intended to limit the invention. The systems and methodology may be applied to a broad range of other computer applications and related devices or methods. Therefore these and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description and a study of the drawing figures.
The present invention is illustrated in an exemplary manner by the accompanying drawings. The drawings should be understood as exemplary rather than limiting, as the scope of the invention is defined by the claims.
Various embodiments of the present invention provide methods that allow for user integration on every level of the Learning Management System. Collaboration rooms can be assigned not only to trainings but to training groups and training types. Additionally, training groups, training types and trainings can contain multiple collaboration rooms and vice versa. A collaboration room can be assigned to multiple training groups, training types and trainings. In this manner customers have less administrative efforts when assigning to new collaboration rooms. The more common a collaboration room is used, the higher it is placed in the training catalog.
In another embodiment of the present system, a link is not only represented by a collaboration room. The links between data objects store a kind of policy for every business process. For example, there is a policy for booking and cancellation. Policies are actions or sets of actions the system should execute as a step in a business process, or a set of rules governing actions the system should execute. Policies include becoming a member and grant special authorization, remove authorization, remove membership etc. The links may provide synchronous and asynchronous collaboration tools, like chat-rooms, instant messaging and application sharing. This integration will extend the already shipped functionality with human-to-human interaction.
Various methods are provided that allow for each business process to be enacted by a user and further, the specific rules of each process may be customized by an administrator of the system. The various methods provide the user with the ability to create a relationship between training catalog entities and collaboration rooms, which are used for creating a set of objects. The methods use a business process dependent evaluation path to build these sets. The policies are used to define the actions executed on every item in this set. The set is a set of collaboration rooms or any other tools to be integrated into a LMS. For every business process on training like booking, the system uses an evaluation path to collect all objects and their corresponding collaboration rooms.
Another embodiment provides a system for enacting and enabling the various method of interaction with the learning system. Other embodiments of the present system provide a processor, a database, a traverse module and a user maintenance module that traverses graphs of the catalog, and updates and maintains a user's status and associations with respect to the data objects within the catalog.
Various exemplary embodiments of the present system and methods are described below with reference to
Conflicting Information during booking can occur if for example 34 and 36 link to the same collaboration room with different booking policies, or if the learner is already a member of a collaboration room (with different authorizations).
The set of collaboration rooms built from the evaluation path is not a multi-set. If a collaboration room is linked to more than just one object of the training catalog, the evaluation path will use the deepest object in the training catalog as an anchor of this collaboration room and delete all other objects from the path, as the deepest objects is the most specific one. So it uses the following relationship training>training type>training group. The booking evaluation path also takes care of already existing memberships as it removes all collaboration rooms the learner is already participating.
The present system is also able to handle a scenario where the learner cancels training 62. The system will use an evaluation path visiting all objects bottom-up from the training to the root training group. But in contrast to the booking evaluation path, it will use reference counting to find all active bookings belonging to collaboration room 56 and it will only execute the action if this counter is zero. In our example, the system reads all objects linking to collaboration room 56. The set of objects is {54}. Now it will to a top-down search to find all bookings of all trainings belonging to 54. It will first build the set {58, 60} of all training types and in the next step a set of all trainings {62, 64, 66, 68} of training types {58, 60}. As 62 is the training causing the action, 62 is removed from the set resulting in {64, 66, 68}. As the learner is booked in 68, the reference counter of 56 is 1 so the 56 membership is not removed and no action is executed.
If the learner cancels 68, the system builds a set of trainings {64, 66}. Because the learner is not a participant in {64, 66} the system finally removes the 56 membership with the policy of 54.
The process begins at module 72 by receiving a request for action on a class from a user. At module 74 the module traverses a catalog to find rules related to the class. At module 76 the module checks the status of the user against rules related to the class. At module 78 the system executes the action for the user in relation to the class. As will be subsequently described, the rules for each class may be determined and entered by an administrator of the system. These rules will determine a user's status and associations with the classes and collaboration rooms for example.
One example of an action available is booking a class.
The exemplary process starts at module 82 when a learner books a class. At module 84 the system traverses a catalog to find collaborations. At module 86 the system checks learner bookings with the collaborations. At module 88 the system checks available collaborations against custom rules. At module 90 the system adds the learner as a member in the collaborations. The process then returns to module 82 and awaits the next learner to book a class. This process allows the user to have access to specific collaboration tools based on the rules and user status within the LMS.
Another example of an action a user may take is cancellation.
The exemplary process starts at module 94 when a learner cancels a class. At module 96 the system traverses a catalog to find collaborations. At module 98 the system determines reference counts for each collaboration concerning bookings. At module 100 the system checks for each collaboration with a reference count equal to zero, and if the when the reference count is nil, the custom action taken is to delete the learner's membership. This process allows the user to have access to certain collaborations even if they have cancelled a class.
Yet another potential action is completion of a class.
The exemplary process starts at module 104 when a learner completes a class. At module 106 the system may optionally receive explicit confirmation. At module 108 the system travels up and down a graph compiling a list of collaborations. At module 110 the system counts references for classes that are booked (not confirmed). At module 112 the system executes completion policy for all collaborations with a reference count of zero.
In relation to the catalogs of trainings or classes, administrators and other supervising users may define rules.
The exemplary process starts at modules 116 or 118 either by finding a collaboration room or creating a collaboration room. At module 120 the system assigned collaboration to a catalog port. At module 122 a booking policy is assigned. At module 124 a cancel policy is assigned. At module 126 a completion policy is assigned. At module 128 the system maintains collaborations. In this manner the rules and policies may be determined by an administrator and stored by the system. This allows for automatic processing when the user requests an action within the LMS.
The processes may also be applied to other systems where a user may work within a group and gain certain privileges or options as a result.
The process begins at module 132 where a module receives a message indicating a user is added to a group. At module 134 the module traverses a graph of data including data relating to the group. At module 136 the system accumulates a list of associations related to the group during the traversing. At module 138 the system associates the user with the associations of the list of associations.
The various methods may be implemented in a variety of ways, including in conjunction with a computer or machine.
Various software architectures may be used in conjunction with the methods and apparatuses described above.
The exemplary computer system 180 includes a processor 182, which can be a conventional microprocessor such as an Intel Pentium microprocessor or Motorola Power PC microprocessor. A memory or database 184 is coupled to the processor 182 by a bus 198. Memory 184 can be dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and can also include static RAM (SRAM). The bus 198 couples the processor 182, the memory 184, the traverse module 186, the user status maintenance module 188, the display controller 196, and the input/output (I/O) controller 190 for operation. The processor 182 and the traverse module 186, the user status maintenance module 188, work together to enable and enact the methods. The algorithms and processes of the system 180 may be contained in computer programmed code segments as is conventional, for example. Moreover, the various modules may be integrated (such as by embodying modules 186 and 188 into memory 184 for example).
The display controller 196 controls the display device 202 from instructions received from the processor 182 and the memory 184 to provide the appropriate user interfaces for interaction and learning programs with the system 180. The input/output devices 200 can include a keyboard, disk drives, printers, a scanner, and other input and output devices, including a mouse or other pointing device. The display controller 196 and the I/O controller 190 can be implemented with conventional well-known technology to provide the customized user interface.
The non-volatile storage of data into the database memory 184 is often a magnetic hard disk, an optical disk, or another form of storage for large amounts of data. Some of this usage data is often written, by a direct memory access process, into memory 184 during execution of software in the computer system 180. One of skill in the art will immediately recognize that the terms “machine-readable medium” or “computer-readable medium” includes any type of storage device that is accessible by the processor 182 and also encompasses a carrier wave that encodes a data signal.
The exemplary computer system 180 is one example of many possible computer systems that have different architectures. For example, personal computers based on an Intel microprocessor often have multiple buses, one of which can be an input/output (I/O) bus for the peripherals and one that directly connects the processor 182 and the memory 184 (often referred to as a memory bus). The buses are connected together through bridge components that perform any necessary translation due to differing bus protocols.
Network computers do not usually include a hard disk or other mass storage, and the executable programs are loaded from a network connection into the memory 184 for execution by the processor 182. A Web TV system, which is known in the art, is also considered to be a computer system according to this embodiment, but it may lack some of the features shown in
In addition to the processes, the exemplary computer system 180 is controlled by operating system software that includes a file management system, such as a disk operating system, which is part of the operating system software. One example of an operating system software with its associated file management system software is the family of operating systems known as Windows® from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., and their associated file management systems. Another example of an operating system software with its associated file management system software is the LINUX operating system and its associated file management system. The file management system is typically stored in the memory 184 and causes the processor 182 to execute the various acts required by the operating system to input and output data and to store data in memory, including storing files on the memory 184.
In this embodiment the LMS catalog of classes and the rules associated with each action with respect to the classes are stored in the database 184. When a user requests some type of action, the traverse module 186 accesses the database 184 to begin traversing the graph or tree within a training group. As described above with reference to
Some portions of the detailed description relating to the traverse module and user status maintenance module 186 and 188 have been presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to a desired result. The operations are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.
It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
Some embodiments also relate to the apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a general purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored (embodied) in a computer (machine) readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus.
The algorithms and displays presented herein relating to the traverse module 186 and the user status maintenance module 188 are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purpose systems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method modules. In addition, the present invention is not described with reference to any particular programming language, and various embodiments may thus be implemented using a variety of programming languages.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that although specific examples and embodiments of the system and methods have been described for purposes of illustration, various modifications can be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, embodiments of the present invention may be applied to many different types of databases, systems and application programs. Accordingly, the invention is described by the appended claims.
