Method and apparatus for monitoring students{40 {0 actions

Claim 3

The method claimed in claim 1 in which prior to selection by a student of successive characters for which the result of comparison is equality, each character is found by a perceptible signal being transmitted to the student for that character while scanning a plurality of characters.

Claim 4

The method claimed in claim 1 in which the response to the question is stored by a teacher and signals corresponding to the signals received by a student relating to the response are simultaneously transmitted to the teacher.

Claim 5

The method claimed in claim 1 in which individual characters selected by a plurality of students are processed sequentially, the time for processing the characters selected simultaneously by the students being substantially no greater than the time interval between the selection of two successive characters by the same student.

Claim 6

The method claimed in claim 1 in which successive characters of a stored response are each compared simultaneously with individual characters selected by a plurality of students.

Claim 7

The method claimed in claim 1 in which multicharacter responses to a plurality of questions and their question numbers are stored, each response being stored in association with its question number; a stored response to a question being automatically located for subsequent comparison with the characters of the response selected by a student, by the student selecting the relevant question number, comparing for equality the question number selected by the student with the plurality of stored question numbers and noting the stored response which is associated with the question number for which equality is found.

Claim 8

The method claimed in claim 1 in which multicharacter responses to a plurality of questions are stored, the address of the responses to a particular question being stored in a location having a fixed address which is determined by a predetermined formula based on the question number of the relevant question, a stored response to a question being automatically located for subsequEnt comparison with the characters of the response to the question selected by a student, by the student selecting the relevant question number, deriving the fixed address through the application of the predetermined formula to the question number selected by the student, and thence obtaining the address of the stored response.

Claim 9

The method claimed in claim 1 in which multicharacter responses to a plurality of questions are stored, the response to a particular question being stored in a location having a fixed address which is determined by a predetermined formula based on the question number of the relevant question, a stored response to a question being automatically located for subsequent comparison with the characters of the response to the question selected by a student, by the student selecting the relevant question number, applying the predetermined formula to the question number selected by the student and thence deriving the fixed address of the stored response.

Claim 10

The method claimed in claim 1 in which a mass store address, which is identical to the question number of the next question requiring a response, is stored in association with the responses to each of a plurality of questions of a branch-type program; and in which following the selection of a response to a question by a student which is equal to a stored response, the associated mass store address is found and selected by perceptible signals transmitted to the student which in turn is followed by the student selection of the response to the next question, which in turn is followed by the finding and selection of its associated mass store address and so on in a repetitive sequence of steps.

Claim 11

The method claimed in claim 1 in which each character selected by a student is compared with each relevant homologous character of a plurality of stored responses to a question.

Claim 14

The method claimed in claim 11 in which the positive reinforcement signals immediately following successive student character selections for which the results of the comparisons are equality, are identical with one another except for the constant distinctive end-of-response positive reinforcement signal which follows the selection of a chain of student characters identical to the complete chain of characters of the stored response.

Claim 15

An electrical teaching apparatus including a student input-output terminal; information storage means; control logic means including comparator logic means; the information storage means having a storage capacity at least sufficient to store a correct response to an arbitrary question, the response comprising a chain of alpha-numeric characters, with end-of-response format information and with decision information from the control logic means; the student terminal being adapted to transmit to the control logic means a chain of alpha-numeric character selections one by one, at the time of selection of each character, each character being accompanied by character selection confirmation information, and to receive decision signals from the control logic means and to emit perceptible signals accordingly; the comparator logic means being adapted to compare a character selection at the time it is received from a student terminal with a character selected from the response in the information storage means and to generate a result for each comparison; the control logic means being further adapted to receive recorded decision information and the end-of-response format information from the information storage means, and, based on this information, on the character selection confirmation information and on the result of a current comparison, to generate and transmit at the time of comparison decisions including a decision to be recorded in the information storage means determining the selection for comparison of the next character, if any, of the stored response, and a decision to the student terminal determining the emission of a perceptible signal immediately following the character selection on the student terminal, the perceptible signal being a constant distinctive end-of-response positive reinforcement signal if a chain of characters selected on and transmitted from the student terminal is identical to that of the complete chain of characters of the response in the information storage means.

Claim 16

An electrical teaching apparatus including a student input-output terminal; information storage means; control logic means including comparator logic means; the information storage means having a storage capacity at least sufficient to store a correct response to an arbitrary question, the response comprising a chain of alpha-numeric characters, with end-of-response format information and with decision information from the control logic means; the student terminal being adapted to transmit to the control logic means a chain of alpha-numeric character selections one by one, at the time of selection of each character, each character being accompanied by character selection confirmation information, and to receive decision signals from the control logic means and to emit perceptible signals accordingly; the comparator logic means being adapted to compare a character selection at the time it is received from a student terminal with a character selected from the response in the information storage means and to generate a result for each comparison; the control logic means being further adapted to receive recorded decision information and the end-of-response format information from the information storage means, and, based on this information, on the character selection confirmation information and on the result of a current comparison, to generate and transmit at the time of comparison decisions including a decision to be recorded in the information storage means determining the selection for comparison of the next character, if any, of the stored response, and a decision to the student terminal determining the emission of a perceptible signal immediately following the character selection on the student terminal, the perceptible signal being a constant distinctive end-of-response positive reinforcement signal if a chain of characters selected on and transmitted from the student terminal is identical to that of the complete chain of characters of the response in the information storage means.

Claim 17

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which the control logic means is further adapted to generate and transmit a decision to the student terminal to emit a positive reinforcement signal immediately following each successive character selection on the student terminal for which the result of comparison is equality including the constant distinctive end-of-response positive reinforcement signal following the selection of a chain of characters on the student terminal identical to that of the complete chain of characters of the response in the information storage means.

Claim 18

The apparatus claimed in claim 14 in which the positive reinforcement signals emitted from the student terminal following successive character selections on the student terminal for which the results of the comparisons are equality, are identical to each other except for the constant distinctive end-of-response positive reinforcement signal.

Claim 19

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which the immediate perceptible signals are emitted within the order of magnitude of 0.1 seconds following character selections on the student terminal.

Claim 20

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which the student terminal incorporates receive-mode-selecting means; the control logic means being further adapted to receive information from the receive-mode-selecting means, and in receive mode when characters are scanned, to generate and transmit a decision signal to the student terminal, to emit a new perceptible signal when the result of the comparison is equality, and if the character of a stored response for which equality is indicated is selected, to generate further decisions including a decision signal which modifies the said new perceptible signal, the modified perceptible signal for the last character of the stored response differing from the perceptible signals relating to the other characters of the same response.

Claim 21

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which the information storage means comprises substores.

Claim 22

The apparatus claimed in claim 18 in which the substores are different devices.

Claim 23

The apparatus claimed in claim 18 in which at least one of the substores is a circulating store.

Claim 24

The apparatus claimed in claim 20 in which a plurality of student terminals, each with comparator logic means, are similarly coupled to the rest of the apparatus, successive characters of a response from a common substore being each simultaneously compared by comparator logic means of each student with individual characters selected on each of the plurality of student terminals.

Claim 25

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which a teacher input-output terminal coupled to the control logic means is provided, the control logic means being adapted to transmit to the teacher input-output terminal signals substantially simultaneously with and corresponding to the signals transmitted by the control logic means to the student terminal, the teacher input-output terminal being adapted to receive these signals and simultaneously To emit perceptible signals accordingly.

Claim 26

The apparatus claimed in claim 22 in which the teacher input-output terminal is further coupled online to the information storage means and adapted to transmit information, including correct response information and format information to the information storage means.

Claim 27

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which the information storage means includes a mass store with display means, the mass store containing at least a question plus the encoded response to the question plus format information, the mass store being adapted to display the question on the display means, and to transmit the encoded response and format information to the control logic means.

Claim 28

The apparatus claimed in claim 24 in which the mass store is adapted to read out repeatedly the encoded response and format information.

Claim 29

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which the information storage means is further adapted to store multicharacter responses to a plurality of questions and to store question numbers, a response to a question being stored in a predetermined association with the question number; the comparator logic means being further adapted to compare a question number transmitted from a student terminal with each of the plurality of question numbers in the information storage means; the control logic means being adapted to generate and transmit a decision to the information storage means based on the result of the comparison, determining the selection of the first character of the associated response in the information storage means for comparison with the first character of the student response.

Claim 30

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which the information storage means is further adapted to store multicharacter responses to a plurality of questions, the address of the response to a particular question being stored in a location the address of which is determined by a formula based on the question number of the particular question; the control logic means being adapted according to the said formula, to translate a question number selected on the student terminal into an address in the information storage means, and to locate in the information storage means the address of the relevant response and thence to identify the relevant response for comparison with the student response.

Claim 31

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which the information storage means is further adapted to store responses to a plurality of questions, the response to a particular question being stored in a location, the address of which is determined by a formula based on the question number of the particular question; the control logic means being adapted according to the said formula to translate a question number selected on the student terminal into an address in the information storage means and to identify the relevant response for comparison with the student response.

Claim 32

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which at least a part of the control logic means is included in a general purpose computer.

Claim 33

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which a plurality of student terminals are coupled to the rest of the apparatus which is adapted to be time-shared by the student terminals.

Claim 34

The apparatus claimed in claim 13 in which the student input-output terminal includes code translation means to couple compatibly the student terminal to the rest of the apparatus; a panel having a set of stationary electrical elements; at least one movable electrical element adapted to couple electrically to individual electrical elements of the set of stationary electrical elements, each coupling being associated with a character; character selection confirmation-information-generating means adapted to transmit character selection confirmation information with a character being selected, to the control logic means, and perceptible signal-generating means adapted to emit perceptible signals based on decision information received from the control logic means.

Claim 35

The apparatus claimed in claim 31 in which the student input-output terminal includes buffer storage for short duration storage of one character, the duration not exceeding the actual time interval between two successive character selections.

Claim 36

The apparatus claimed in claim 31 in which the character selection confirmation information generating means is a separate switch adapted to sense pressure caused by and after a coupling of a movable to a stationary electrical element, and to change state at a preset pressure level.

Claim 37

The apparatus claimed in claim 33 in which the array of stationary electrical elements mounted on the panel forms in combination with the panel a substantially uniform surface with rapidly continuously scannable coupling points the relief of which minimizes any tendency of the pressure sensitive switch to change state while coupling points are scanned.

Claim 38

The apparatus claimed in claim 33 in which the electrical elements comprise a first grid of movable conductors which are overlaid on a second grid of conductors which are stationary with respect to the panel, the length of each of the movable conductors straddling without electrical coupling at the crossover points, the stationary conductors and each stationary conductor spanning the movable conductors, each crossover point being labeled with a character, pressure at a crossover point of a movable and a stationary conductor causing electrical coupling between the two conductors.

Claim 39

The apparatus claimed in claim 31 in which the perceptible signal-generating means is a lamp.

Claim 40

The apparatus claimed in claim 31 in which the said movable electrical element includes the tip of a penlike indicator; the perceptible signal-generating means is a lamp housed in the indicator and the character selection confirmation information generating means is a switch housed within the indicator and adapted to sense the pressure on the tip, and to change state after a preset pressure is reached after coupling of the tip to a stationary electrical element.