Interactive virtual classroom

Abstract

A system for allowing interactivity between an instructor provided with an instructor's workstation and a plurality of student's monitoring student workstations all of which are remote with respect to each other. A video and audio presentation would be transmitted in real time from the instructor's workstation to each of the student's workstation. Each of the student's workstation would include a monitor for displaying a video portion of the instructor's presentation as well as including response buttons for answering various questions posed by the instructor. The instructor's workstation would include a monitor for displaying the student's responses to the instructor's questions.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention is directed to an interactive teaching system in which a lecturer is located at a remote location from the students. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Conventional brick and mortar have, by their very nature, a limited capacity to accommodate students due to space considerations. Once all available classroom space is filled, no other students can attend that class, thereby limiting the availability of educational opportunities for certain segments of the potential student body. This would also limit tuition paid to these institutions due to lack of facility space. An instructor in a conventional classroom can only teach those students who are physically present in that classroom. Transportation availability, distance and cost may all conspire to limit or even to preclude student attendance. Furthermore, an institution of higher learning may not have an instructor on staff that is qualified to teach a certain subject, or the classr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] The deficiencies of the prior art are addressed by the present invention which relates to a virtual classroom or learning system providing interactivity between a lecturer and one or more students, each remotely located with respect to the lecturer. This virtual classroom is designed to allow the remote students at any location to synchronously attend a live class and participate during the class session, and create and submit class work assignments for instructor review. The virtual classroom provides a conduit for connectivity, overcoming the barriers of geographic location and the physical limitation of the brick and mortar institution, thereby bringing the student and the instruction into a learning space without physical barriers. The virtual classroom is not an educational system. It is rather the tool to extend the reach of classroom instruction to students who would otherwise be unable to attend classes.

[0016] A keyboard and mouse would be associated with each of the computers allowing each student to separately interact with the instructor in an intuitive, rapid manner. A standard keyboard could be utilized or a specialized keyboard would be implemented having specific response buttons.

Problems solved by technology

Conventional brick and mortar have, by their very nature, a limited capacity to accommodate students due to space considerations.

Once all available classroom space is filled, no other students can attend that class, thereby limiting the availability of educational opportunities for certain segments of the potential student body.

This would also limit tuition paid to these institutions due to lack of facility space.

An instructor in a conventional classroom can only teach those students who are physically present in that classroom.

Transportation availability, distance and cost may all conspire to limit or even to preclude student attendance.

Furthermore, an institution of higher learning may not have an instructor on staff that is qualified to teach a certain subject, or the classroom sessions for a particular instructor who is versed in that subject matter may be filled to capacity.

Short of the expensive proposition of building new or expanding old facilities, the conventional classroom based institution is not capable of the rapid expansion needed to meet the educational demands of our burgeoning information age.

Even if classroom space was available, the lack of qualified instructors (particularly since shortages of teachers are forecast for the next decade) would greatly limit the opportunity for students to be instructed in various courses of study.

Additionally, the patent to Ziv-El does not provide a system in which a student at the student's own console would be able to control the operation of the teacher's console.

The Larochelle et al system does not allow for responses to a teacher's inquiry to be displayed on the teacher's monitor.

Additionally, this patent does not relate to a system in which students can control the teacher's desktop display area.

There is no recitation in this patent allowing a student to operate the instructor's workstation or showing student responses to the instructor's inquiries to be displayed on the instructor's video monitor.

Additionally, this patent does not contemplate a situation in which the student can control the instructor's computer desktop in real-time.

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