WO2002011101A2

WO2002011101A2 - A computer-based training system and method

Info

Publication number: WO2002011101A2
Application number: PCT/IB2001/001380
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pieter Gerhard Van Der Byl
Original assignee: Byl Pieter Gerhard V D
Priority date: 2000-08-02
Filing date: 2001-08-02
Publication date: 2002-02-07
Also published as: AU2001276590A1; WO2002011101A3

Abstract

A computer-based training system (10) for training a trainee comprises a curriculum database (12) containing training information, a question database (14) and a database controller (18), which is connected to the databases, for controlling the operation of the system (10). The question database (14) includes question information in the form of a number of questions that test the trainee's knowledge and understanding of the training information in the curriculum database (12). The system (10) comprises further a screening database (16), which includes screening information in the form of a number of questions that assesses the trainee's pre-training knowledge of the information in the curriculum database (12). Once the pre-training knowledge has been determined for each trainee, the controller (18) selects the appropriate training information and associated question information from the curriculum database (12) and question database (14) respectively and presents them to the trainee.

Description

A COMPUTER-BASED TRAINING SYSTEM AND METHOD

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS invention relates to a training system and method, in particular a computer-based training system and method.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Traditional computer-based training systems comprise a curriculum containing all of the information that a trainee is required to know. In order to qualify, the trainee's knowledge is tested by means of predetermined questions that are related to the information in the curriculum.

Typically a trainee is obliged to review all of the information in the curriculum, and answer all of the questions, in order to qualify. However, trainees each have a different level of knowledge and understanding of the information in the curriculum database. A problem with traditional computer-based training systems is that a trainee cannot select information in the curriculum which they wish to review, and remove information which they already know.

Another problem with traditional computer-based training systems is that they cannot be easily amended to introduce new information into the curriculum, or to change the appearance or format of the information. This process usually requires a programmer.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a training system, in particular a computer-based training system, which addresses these problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a computer- based training system comprising:

a curriculum database containing training information;

a question database containing question information relating to the training information;

a screening database containing screening information relating to the training information and/or the question information;

a database controller connected to the databases and being arranged to generate presentation information from at least one database; and

a trainee interface connected to the database controller for providing a trainee access to the presentation information,

wherein the presentation information is generated according to a response from the trainee to the screening information.

Typically, the presentation information is automatically regenerated according to a response from the trainee to the screening information and/or the question information.

Preferably, the preceding claims wherein the presentation information includes training information and question information.

Conveniently, the presentation information includes screening information. Advantageously, the system includes a plurality of successive levels, wherein each level includes a curriculum database, a question database and a screening database.

Preferably, the presentation information for a level is generated according a response from the trainee to the screening information and/or question information for that level in combination with the screening information and/or question information from the previous level.

Conveniently, the computer-based training system comprises a template database including a plurality of templates for the presentation information.

Typically, the system includes a result database, the result database comprising the response of the trainee to the screening information and/or question information.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a computer- based training method comprising the steps of:

providing screening information from a screening database to a trainee in order to evaluate the existing knowledge of the trainee;

selecting training information from a curriculum database, based on the existing knowledge of the trainee;

selecting question information from a question database, based on the existing knowledge of the trainee;

presenting the selected training information to the trainee; and

presenting the selected question information to the trainee for a response. Typically, the method includes the step of reselecting the training information and/or question information based on the response from the trainee.

Conveniently, the method comprises the step of reselecting the screening information based on the response from the trainee.

Advantageously, the method includes the step of defining a plurality of successive levels, such that each level includes a curriculum database, a question database and a screening database.

Typically, the method includes the steps of selecting the screening information and/or training information and/or question information for a level according to a response from the trainee to the screening information and/or question information for that level in combination with the screening information and/or question information from the previous level.

Conveniently, the method includes the step of defining a template for the selected information from a template database.

Preferably, the method includes the step of generating a result database, the result database containing the response of the trainee to the screening information and/or question information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a computer-based training system according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a simplified flow diagram of a computer-based training method according to a first aspect of the invention;

Figure 3a shows the steps involved in assigning a course to a trainee, for use in a computer-based training method according to a second aspect of the invention; and

Figure 3b shows a detailed flow diagram of the computer-based training method according to the second aspect of the invention.

An embodiment of the invention is described in detail in the following passages of the specification which refer to the accompanying drawings. The drawings, however, are merely illustrative of how the invention might be put into effect, so that the specific form and arrangement of the features shown is not to be understood as limiting on the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a computer-based training system 10 for training a trainee. The computer-based training system comprises a curriculum database 12 containing training information. In the preferred embodiment the database is located on a stand-alone computer, but it should be understood that the database could be located on a local area network ("LAN"), a wide area network ("WAN"), or system which can be accessed via an Internet web site. The training information is selected and entered into the database 12 in any one or more of the following formats text, audio, video, websites, web pages, intranets, Macromedia Flash™ animations, PowerPoint™ presentations, Excel™ charts, images of any format and VISIO flow diagrams.

The training system 10 of the present invention includes a number of levels. The description relates to a single level, but it should be understood that the description applies to each level. When training information is entered into the curriculum database 12, a level is assigned to each content item of the information. This level can be any numerical value, and thus the number of levels is unlimited.

When a course is assigned to a trainee, the level to which the trainee needs to be trained must be specified. The level can be specified either by the trainee, as will become clear with reference to Figure 2, or by a third party, such as a training facilitator, as will be explained in further detail with reference to Figures 3a and 3b. This will ensure that only the content items associated with the specified level will be presented to the trainee. This eliminates training the trainee on material that is not relevant to the training at hand.

Once the trainee has completed his or her training course, it is assumed that the trainee now holds that level of knowledge. If a further level of training needs to be assigned to the trainee, this will be in the form of a new course. The practical application of these levels can be easily understood with reference to a simple example. Say, for example, product training is to be conducted in an organisation. The entire product training material is entered into the curriculum database 12, with each element or content item of the training material having a level assigned to it. Thus, for example, basic product knowledge could be assigned level 1 , marketing knowledge is at level 2, intermediate technical knowledge is at level 3 and advanced technical knowledge is at level 4.

When the product training is assigned to trainees, each trainee's job specification is taken into account. Thus, the marketing director receives level 1 training, the sales staff receive level 2 training, the help desk staff receive level 3 training and the technicians receive level 4 training.

Advantageously, the training information covering the entire product gets developed or built once, and contains all the product information. Therefore the development cost gets reduced, while adding the flexibility of making multiple levels of training available. If in the future one of the help desk staff decides to become a technician, all that is required is to assign level 4 training to the staff member, and the knowledge transfer will happen. In addition, if the product changes slightly, updating the material on the course is simple, as all the material is contained in a database, and is therefore easy to update without the need for programmers.

The computer-based training system comprises further a question database 14 located on the stand-alone computer. The question database contains question information in the form of a number of questions that test the trainee's knowledge and understanding of the training information in the curriculum database. The question information allows for regular testing, and for final examination, of the trainee. As for the curriculum database, the question database could be located on a LAN, a WAN, or system which can be accessed via an internet web-site. Again, the question information is selected and entered into the database in any one or more of the formats indicated above.

The computer-based training system comprises further a screening database 16 located on the stand-alone computer. The screening database contains screening information in the form of a number of questions that test the trainee's knowledge and understanding of the training information in the curriculum database. This is also referred to in the specification as a pre-training knowledge assessment. These questions may be the same as the questions in the question database 14, but will typically include additional questions.

As for the curriculum database and the question database, the screening database could be located on a LAN, a WAN, or system which can be accessed via an Internet web-site. Again, the screening information is selected and entered into the database in any one or more of the formats indicated above. The information in the three databases can be entered by a typist and accordingly, a programmer is not required to upgrade or maintain the system.

The computer-based training system comprises further a database controller 18 in the form of a CPU on the stand-alone computer. In this embodiment the three databases are all located on the stand-alone computer but, as indicated above, the three databases could be located at separate locations. The database controller is adapted to generate presentation information 20 from at least one database.

The computer-based training system comprises also a trainee interface 22 in the form of a video monitor and a keyboard connected to the stand-alone computer. The trainee interface provides a trainee with access to the presentation information 20. The trainee interface also allows the trainee to select a template from a template database 24. The template allows the trainee to structure the format of the presentation information by allowing the trainee to vary the font, the colours and the layout of the presented material.

Referring now to Figure 2, the trainee selects the appropriate level and template from the template database 24. A course, for the purpose of the present invention, is defined as a selection of items from a curriculum, the curriculum corresponding to the entire material for a particular product, for example. The way that tests are created, both for the pre-training knowledge assessment as well as the actual course test, is by means of assigning questions to content items. The material that is entered into the system is entered as content items, the sum of the content items defining the curriculum, with levels associated to the content items. Once the questions are entered, they can be assigned to one or many of the testing routines covering, for example, the pre-training knowledge assessment component or routine, the various content items i.e. chapter, section and module, as well as the curriculum as a whole. When the trainee is presented with a course the tests are automatically generated by the system 10. The trainee will need to answer the questions presented and the results of the test are recorded. Additional training occurs per trainee based on the outcome of the tests, with the material that is associated with the questions that the trainee gets wrong being represented to the trainee until he or she passes the tests based on the predefined pass rate. This will be explained with reference to the following example.

Let's assume that a curriculum contains 10 content items at a certain level. Each content item has a question associated with it, and each question is assigned to the screening, or pre-training knowledge assessment, as well as the final exam.

Before the student starts the training at the said level, the system 10 generates a screening, or pre-training knowledge assessment, test. If the student gets all the questions right, he or she will not see any training material at all, and will be presented with the final exam. If he answers two of the questions incorrectly during the final exam, he will be presented with two content items, and thereafter be tested again on the two content items that he has just failed. This process continues until he gets all the questions right, assuming, of course, that the pass rate is 100%.

If the student only managed to answer 5 questions correctly during the screening, he will be presented with 5 content items, and thereafter be presented with the final examination. The repeat process of representation of material until the required pass rate is achieved will apply again.

If the student answered all the questions incorrectly during the screening, he will be presented with all 10 content items, and thereafter be presented with the final examination. The repeat process again will apply.

Thus, the screening or pre-training knowledge evaluation, is used to evaluate the trainee's current knowledge regarding the subject or course that is being trained. The level of training that the trainee will receive will be dependent on the level of training that the facilitator assigns to the trainee, or that he or she has chosen for themselves. The screening will be done at that level to evaluate the trainee's current knowledge at the level assigned, and the outcome of the evaluation/screening used to automatically create a unique training program for the student based on the level as well as his current knowledge.

Significantly, the entire process is automated and controlled by the controller 18. Thus, there is no human intervention on the actual process itself, so that once the trainee starts training, the controller 18 automatically and completely manages and controls the system 10.

To further illustrate the training method of the present invention, reference will be made to Figures 3a and 3b. The first step, shown in Figure 3a, is for a course to be assigned to a trainee. A course, for the purpose of the present invention, is defined as a selection of items from a curriculum, the curriculum corresponding to the entire material for a particular product, for example. This procedure involves the sub-steps of selecting students or trainees, selecting and assigning a corresponding level for each student, selecting an appropriate template from the template database 24 and then saving the newly defined course in a dedicated database table.

Once the trainee has logged onto the system, and commences his or her course, the screening information for that level is provided from the screening database 16 to the trainee, in the format according to the selected template. As described above, this allows for an evaluation of the existing knowledge of the trainee.

Once the trainee's pre-training knowledge assessment, also referred to as pre-knowledge assessment in the figures, has been conducted, and based on the existing knowledge of the trainee, presentation information in the form of training information is automatically selected from the curriculum database 12 and presented to the trainee for review. Once the trainee has reviewed the training information, further presentation information in the form of question information related to the training information is automatically selected from the question database 14, based on the existing knowledge of the trainee. The question information tests the new level of knowledge and understanding of the trainee.

Depending on the response of the trainee to the question information, and in particular whether he or she has passed all of the test's questions, the process is repeated. However, in the second and subsequent iteration the method comprises further the step of reselecting the training information and question information based on the response from the trainee, the reselected training information being based on the material covered by the questions that he or she failed. By so doing, the trainee is only retested on information that has not been absorbed. Depending on the circumstances, e.g. the volume of training information in the level, the method may comprise the step of also reselecting the screening information based on the response from the trainee.

This iterative process is then repeated for the material i.e. chapter/section/module until the trainee has reached a minimum level of competence and may move on to the next chapter/section/module. When the trainee reaches the next chapter/section/module, the initial step of selecting the training information and question information for the relevant material is conducted based on the response from the trainee to the screening information, in combination with the response to the screening information and question information from the previous chapter/section/module.

The method comprises further the step of generating a result database, containing the response of the trainee to the screening information and/or question information. A report on the progress of the trainee may be generated from the result database. Once the screening is complete, a completely unique computer-based training program is created automatically on a per trainee basis (i.e. each trainee will receive training unique to their requirements, even though the curriculum and the actual complete training program was only created once). This delivery of unique training per trainee based on requirements is automated.

The trainee works through the unique training program, and at the end of each chapter or section, the software will retest the knowledge of the trainee on the information that was presented during the chapter or section. The test results will be used to identify the areas in which the trainee has not yet grasped the information presented, and will be used to automatically create another unique training program based on the trainee's new knowledge for the chapter or section. This process is iterative, and the trainee will be presented with the same information until the desired level of knowledge and understanding is reached.

Once the trainee successfully completes the entire training program, they will be presented with a final examination. The results of the final examination will again be used to create a further training program based on the new level of knowledge and understanding of the material presented, and the user will again be presented with training material until the desired level of understanding and knowledge is reached.

The system of the present invention is flexible in that when a training course is assigned to a student, the level is selected, thereby ensuring the minimum level is reached. Therefore the minimum level is the level that is selected by the facilitator when the course is assigned to the student. Also, it is important to note that the student will enter the training at the required level, and complete the assigned training at that level. If a further level is to be assigned to the student, the facilitator can do this, and the student will have a new course that needs to be completed.

Claims

1. A computer-based training system comprising:

a curriculum database containing training information;

2. A computer-based training system according to claim 1 wherein the presentation information is regenerated according to a response from the trainee to the screening information and/or the question information.

3. A computer-based training system according to either one of the preceding claims wherein the presentation information includes training information and question information.

4. A computer-based training system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the presentation information includes screening information.

5. A computer-based training system according to any one of the preceding claims which includes a plurality of successive levels, wherein each level includes a curriculum database, a question database and a screening database.

6. A computer-based training system according to claim 5 wherein the presentation information for a level is generated according a response from the trainee to the screening information and/or question information for that level in combination with the screening information and/or question information from the previous level.

7. A computer-based training system according to any one of the preceding claims which comprises a template database including a plurality of templates for the presentation information.

8. A computer-based training system according to any one of the preceding claims which includes a result database, the result database comprising the response of the trainee to the screening information and/or question information.

9. A computer-based training method comprising the steps of:

presenting the selected training information to the trainee; and presenting the selected question information to the trainee for a response.

10. A computer-based training method according to claim 9 which includes the step of reselecting the training information and/or question information based on the response from the trainee.

11. A computer-based training method according to either one of the preceding claims 9 or 10 which comprises the step of reselecting the screening information based on the response from the trainee.

12. A computer-based training method according to any one of claims 9 to 11 which includes the step of defining a plurality of successive levels, such that each level includes a curriculum database, a question database and a screening database.

13. A computer-based training method according to claim 12 which includes the steps of selecting the screening information and/or training information and/or question information for a level according to a response from the trainee to the screening information and/or question information for that level in combination with the screening information and/or question information from the previous level.

14. A computer-based training method according to any one of claims 9 to 13 which includes the step of defining a template for the selected information from a template database.

15. A computer-based training method according to any one of claims 9 to 14 which includes the step of generating a result database, the result database containing the response of the trainee to the screening information and/or question information.