Information processing device and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device and program capable of further appropriately managing an object person in educational guidance targeting a general person as an object.SOLUTION: Each trainee JS attending a lecture is allowed to spontaneously act according to a steps indicated by a next action look-up table NA. A trainee management server being a type of an information processing device presumes that a trainee JS spontaneously making questions spontaneously proceeds the steps, transmits a progress confirmation message to a trainee JS who has not made a spontaneous question for a prescribed period for confirming presence / absence of the progress so as to confirm the state of the trainee JS according to the response. To a trainee JS who does not make a response to the progress confirmation message, the trainee management server further transmits a remind message, and confirms the state of the trainee JS according to the response. When the response is not obtained, the trainee management server requests a person in charge to make a telephone communication for confirmation to the trainee JS.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In some cases, a schedule is created that lists the steps necessary to achieve a goal (purpose), and the target person performs the work of each step according to the steps listed in the schedule. In such cases, the management of the progress of the process is supported by receiving the construction period and progress information of the process, calculating the progress rate, and outputting the calculated progress rate (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-58867 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned schedule is also used in educational guidance. In educational guidance that assumes the general public, not school students, it is necessary to take into account that the available time varies depending on the target audience, unlike schools. Therefore, it is difficult to set a period such as a construction period in advance. In many cases, the behavior expected of the target audience is voluntary. Even in educational guidance that assumes the target audience is the general public, it is important to manage the target audience more appropriately so that they can continue to act voluntarily.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device that enables more appropriate management of subjects in educational guidance that is assumed to be general public. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device of one aspect of the present disclosure includes an inquiry means for sending a message including an input section for selecting whether or not progress is being made in a specified process, and a receiving means for receiving progress information indicating whether or not progress is being made. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to more appropriately manage subjects in educational guidance that is intended for general public. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for managing subjects by an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image of a next action chart. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a network system constructed using a student management server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a student management server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration realized on a student management server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a reminder message transmission handling process. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of an answer acceptance process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to this. Various modified examples are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for managing subjects by an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1, the information processing device is realized as a student management server 1. For this reason, the information processing device will hereinafter also be referred to as a "student management server 1."

[0011] This student management server 1 is installed by a human resource development service company JK that provides a human resource development service, for example, to develop business personnel, separate from schools etc. The human resource development service company JK provides a human resource development service by, for example, opening one or more courses aimed at the general public, and targeting the general public who participate in the courses. For this reason, the target is written as student JS in FIG. 1. Hereinafter, student JS will be used to refer to the target unless otherwise specified. The course is not particularly limited. The course is, for example, for cultivating business skills.

[0012] In Fig. 1, the student management server 1 is installed within the human resource development service company JK. However, the location of the student management server 1 is not particularly limited. The student management server 1 does not have to be owned by the human resource development service company JK. In other words, it may be realized by using a cloud service, for example. Furthermore, the courses opened are not particularly limited.

[0013] Unlike students at school, many of the JS students who participate in the course have little free time and are expected to find it difficult to secure a block of time. For this reason, the courses we offer are basically designed to be taken on the assumption that the JG students will act voluntarily. A next action chart NA is provided so that the lecture can proceed through voluntary action. This next action chart NA is intended to present the JS students with the next action to take as the lecture progresses. As a result, each JS student is provided with a next action chart NA, and is expected to act and proceed in accordance with the provided next action chart NA. Hereafter, the next action chart NA will be abbreviated to "chart NA".

[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of an image of a next action quick reference chart. In the quick reference table NA, an example of which is shown in Figure 2, there are questions inquiring about a status, answers to the questions, action content statements indicating the action to be taken or the purpose, condition statements indicating indicators or conditions, setting statements indicating the indicators expressed by the condition statements or the contents that must be satisfied by the conditions, type descriptions indicating the types of reference materials, and material names indicating the reference materials.

[0015] In the quick reference sheet NA, there is a starting point ST, and a question is placed at that starting point ST. From that starting point ST, the student JS selects the answer to the question that best suits his / her own situation, and either takes the action indicated by the action content sentence placed at the selected point, or achieves his / her goal. After taking that action or achieving his / her goal, he / she takes the action indicated by another action content sentence, or achieves his / her goal, or selects the answer to another question that best suits his / her own situation. In this way, the student JS judges his / her own situation according to the quick reference sheet NA, and independently takes the action that he / she should take, or the action to achieve his / her goal, and proceeds with the process on his / her own.

[0016] The next action that the student JS should take will vary depending on the state of the student JS. For this reason, the Quick Reference NA includes questions that allow the student JS to take the action that is considered most appropriate for the state of the student JS confirmed by the questions. This allows the student JS to more reliably acquire the skills necessary for their own state.

[0017] The arrows in Figure 2 indicate the position in the quick reference table NA to which the participant JS should move next, depending on the answer sentence selected by the participant JS or the action indicated by the action content sentence. In Figure 2, "□□□□" represents a question placed in the starting ST, "AAA" represents the answer, "MMMMMMM" represents an action content statement, "QQQQQQQ" represents a question placed outside the starting ST, "BBBB" represents a conditional statement, "CCCCC" represents a setting statement, "△△△" represents a type description statement, and "○○○○○○○" represents the name of the material.

[0018] The question sentence is, for example, a sentence that can be answered with "yes" or "no" or "YES" or "NO". Thus, the answer sentence is, for example, a "yes" or "no" or "YES" or "NO" sentence.

[0019] The condition statements and setting statements are arranged in one-to-one correspondence. The one-to-one corresponding condition statements and setting statements are action conditions that respectively prescribe the action represented by the action content statement or prescribe the purpose to be achieved. As a result, the student JS must take the action represented by the action content statement or the action to achieve the purpose so as to satisfy each action condition represented by the condition statement and the explanatory statement. Note that any statement may be selected according to the content of the lecture, etc., and is not particularly limited.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the document name is associated with a type description. This document name is, for example, a link button for accessing the document represented by the document name. This allows the student JS to access the reference material by clicking on the document name.

[0021] In this way, the quick reference sheet NA is created to present questions to be judged and action content sentences corresponding to the answers to those questions, and to have the trainee JS carry out the actions indicated by the action content sentences presented, or the actions to achieve the goal, as tasks in the process. Therefore, the trainee JS can proceed through the process step by step by referring to the quick reference sheet NA. As a result, even a trainee JS who has no skills or low skills can acquire the necessary skills step by step by spontaneously and autonomously carrying out the actions to be taken indicated by the action content sentences in order according to the quick reference sheet NA.

[0022] Returning to the explanation of Figure 1. The student management server 1 provides the student JS who participates in the lecture with the quick reference sheet NA created for the lecture. In practice, this provision is performed by, for example, transmitting the quick reference sheet NA to the terminal used by the student JS.

[0023] As described above, participant JS will judge his / her own condition based on the provided quick reference sheet NA and take action according to the results of that judgment. When participant JS is judging his / her own condition or taking action, he / she may have questions or points that he / she needs to confirm (hereinafter, these will be collectively referred to as "questions"). Human resource development service company JK will respond to participant JS's questions and provide answers to the questions from participant JS.

[0024] In FIG. 1, a question is sent to the student management server 1, and then the question is sent to the person in charge TS of the human resource development service company JK via the student management server 1 to request an answer. The answer created by the person in charge TS is sent to the student management server 1, and then sent to the student JS via the student management server 1. As a result, in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the question and the answer are transmitted and received on a text basis, for example, by email or chat (direct message). However, the question and the answer are not limited to text. They may be video or audio. The method of transmitting and receiving the question and the answer is also not particularly limited. For example, the student JS may be able to ask the person in charge TS a question directly by telephone or the like. Here, for the sake of convenience in explanation, it is assumed that the question and the answer are transmitted and received on a text basis.

[0025] A student JS who asks questions, even if intermittently, can be considered to be continuing to act in accordance with the quick reference sheet NA. However, a student JS who does not ask any questions, or a student JS for whom a relatively long time has passed since he or she last asked a question, may not be continuing to act in accordance with the quick reference sheet NA. For this reason, in this embodiment, a progress confirmation message is sent to such a student JS to check whether or not the process is progressing in accordance with the quick reference sheet NA. Hereinafter, such a student JS will be distinguished by being referred to as a "student JS to be confirmed." There are no particular limitations on the method of sending the progress confirmation message, but for convenience, it is assumed here that the progress confirmation message is sent by email (or chat).

[0026] Although not shown, the progress confirmation message (email) contains, for example, a message inquiring about the presence or absence of progress, as well as an input section for selecting whether or not progress has been made. The input section may be, for example, two or more radio buttons. The input section requests the target student JS, to whom the progress confirmation message has been sent, to select either the presence or absence of progress and reply. This causes a reply to be sent that contains progress information indicating the result of the selection of the presence or absence of progress made in the input section. Note that the message inquiring about the presence or absence of progress is not particularly limited. Specific examples include, for example, "Is there anything you are having trouble with?" and "Do you have any requests?".

[0027] In addition, the message in the progress confirmation message that inquires of the target student JS is assumed to be text here, but it can also be video or audio. Video or audio can be sent as an attachment, or it can be played by clicking a link button, etc. The same applies to the reminder message described later.

[0028] The status of the confirmation target student JS who responded can be ascertained from the selection result of progress or non-progression. Because of this, by understanding the status of each confirmation target student JS, the human resource development service company JK can respond according to the status. For example, it is possible to subdivide the confirmation target student JS into those whose progress is thought to have slowed temporarily, those whose progress is thought to be slow overall, and so on. By subdividing in this way, it becomes possible to respond more targetedly according to the classification of confirmation target student JS.

[0029] Since the quick reference sheet NA presents reference materials as shown in Figure 2, it is also possible to estimate the progress status based on the materials viewed by the target trainee JS. This also makes it possible to estimate the tasks for which progress has slowed down for each target trainee JS. Based on this estimation, it is possible to provide advice on the tasks that are estimated to be currently being performed and provide reference materials individually. In addition, it is also possible to identify tasks that are relatively likely to slow down and reconsider the content of those tasks. This is because it is thought that the difficulty level of the identified tasks is relatively high.

[0030] Replying to a progress confirmation message is also a task for the student JS to be confirmed. It may make the student JS to be confirmed feel the need to do that task, and it is expected that sending a progress confirmation message will further stimulate the student JS to proceed with the lecture he or she is taking.

[0031] For this reason, even if a confirmation target student JS is not progressing with the work according to the quick reference sheet NA or is progressing relatively slowly with the work, it is possible to manage them so that they can maintain their motivation and complete the lecture. This means that it is possible to improve the probability that the confirmation target student JS will achieve the purpose of attending the lecture. This will also improve the performance of the lecture.

[0032] Not all of the target student JSs to be confirmed who receive a progress confirmation message will necessarily reply. For this reason, in this embodiment, after sending a progress confirmation message, it is monitored whether or not a reply to the progress confirmation message has been made, and if no reply is confirmed within a pre-defined set period (predetermined period), a reminder message is sent. The target student JSs to be confirmed who are to receive a reminder message will be distinguished from the target student JSs by being referred to as "reminded student JSs".

[0033] Although not specifically shown, the remind message contains, for example, a message inquiring whether or not a question has been asked, as well as an answer section (another input section) for selecting whether or not a question has been asked. This answer section may also be two or more radio buttons. The answer section prompts the reminder target student JS to select whether or not they have a question and reply. The reminder target student JS who selects "yes" for a question may reply by inputting a question. This causes a reply to be sent that includes question presence / absence information indicating the result of the selection of whether or not a question has been asked in the answer section. If the question presence / absence information indicates "yes" for a question, a reply is sent that includes question information indicating the content of the question in addition to the question presence / absence information.

[0034] Unlike progress confirmation messages, reminder messages allow the reminded student JS to choose whether or not to ask a question. This is because choosing whether or not to ask a question requires more information to judge one's own situation than choosing whether or not to make progress. In order to choose whether or not to ask a question, one must make a decision taking into consideration one's own situation and the content of the work, etc. Because such thinking is required, it is expected that reminder student JS will be further motivated to progress in the lecture they are taking. The actual questions asked as a result of the choice of whether or not to ask a question make it possible to understand the situation or state of the reminder student JS, making it possible to respond more targetedly, just like progress confirmation messages.

[0035] A reminder target student JS who selects "No" for the question can be considered to be at least in a state where they can do their work. For this reason, it can be considered that no response is required for such a reminder target student JS. On the other hand, a reminder target student JS who selects "Yes" for the question can be expected to be in a state where they can do their work by answering the question. For this reason, if "Yes" is selected for the question, at least a part of the reply will be sent as a question to the person in charge TS, and they will be requested to answer the question, just like if the student JS had asked a spontaneous question.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 1, not all of the reminder target students JS who receive a reminder message will necessarily reply. For this reason, in this embodiment, similar to the progress confirmation message, after sending the reminder message, it is monitored whether or not a reply to the reminder message has been made. As a result, if no reply is confirmed within a predefined other set period (other specified period), the person in charge TS is notified of this and is requested to inquire with the reminder target students JS whose reply could not be confirmed. Fig. 1 shows that in response to the inquiry request, the person in charge TS makes a phone call to the reminder target students JS.

[0037] In this way, in this embodiment, progress confirmation messages and reminder messages are sent in sequence to students JS who are not confirmed to be working, and the status of the students JS is automatically confirmed. This is to stimulate the motivation of students JS who are losing their motivation to take voluntary action according to the quick reference table NA. For those JS who could not be reached by sending a reminder message (JS who are the target of a reminder), the person in charge, TS, will respond and check their status. This reduces the human resources required to manage JS students, while allowing for more appropriate management so that each JS student can complete the lecture more reliably.

[0038] By managing each student JS more appropriately, the percentage of students JS who achieve the objectives of the lecture can be maintained at a high level. This can increase the students' satisfaction with the lectures. For the human resource development service company JK, this allows for an environment in which higher quality lectures can be provided while keeping costs down.

[0039] Regardless of whether the student JS makes the question voluntarily or not, a question and its answer may be useful not only to the student JS who asked the question but also to other students JS. For this reason, in this embodiment, the question and its answer are added to the quick reference sheet NA as necessary, and the quick reference sheet NA is updated. The question and its answer are added to the quick reference sheet NA in a form in which they are written together with any one of the question statement, the action content statement, the condition statement, and the setting statement, for example.

[0040] By adding such questions and their answers to the Quick Reference Sheet NA, the trainee JS can more easily proceed with the tasks according to the Quick Reference Sheet NA. This allows the human resource development service company JK to provide higher quality lectures.

[0041] The above-mentioned management of the student JS is performed by the student management server 1. Hereinafter, the student management server 1 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 3 to 7. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a network system constructed using a student management server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention.

[0042] The configuration example shown in Fig. 3, like Fig. 1, is constructed when a human resource development service company JK installs a student management server 1 within its own company. This network system enables students JS to participate in lectures and voluntarily proceed with the processes (tasks) set in the lectures. To achieve this, the network system is configured such that in addition to the student management server 1, one or more staff terminals 2, multiple student terminals 3, a mail server 4, and a chat server 5 are connected to a network 6. This configuration example is merely an example, and the configuration of the network system is not limited to this. For example, the chat server 5 is shown as an example of an information processing device that provides a place where information can be exchanged other than by email, but there are many SNS (Social Networking Services) that provide such a place. For this reason, the chat server 5 is shown as an example for convenience.

[0043] The person in charge terminal 2 is a terminal used by the person in charge TS. This person in charge TS is, for example, an employee of a human resources development service company JK. Therefore, the person in charge terminal 2 is shown within the human resources development service company JK. Network 6 may include, for example, the Internet as well as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a mobile phone network. Mail server 4 and chat server 5 both provide a place for exchanging messages. Although mail server 4 and chat server 5 are both installed by multiple companies, for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that only one of each is connected to network 6. It is also assumed that spontaneous questions by student JS and their answers are sent and received by sending and receiving messages via mail server 4 or chat server 5. Questions and answers may also be sent and received directly to and from student management server 1.

[0044] The student terminal 3 is a terminal used by the student JS. This terminal is, for example, an information processing device such as a PC, a tablet PC, or a smartphone. As with the person in charge terminal 2, the type of the terminal is not particularly limited.

[0045] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a student management server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention. Next, with reference to Fig. 4, a specific hardware configuration example of an information processing device that can be used as the student management server 1 will be described. Note that this configuration example is just one example, and the hardware configuration of the information processing device that can be used as the student management server 1 is not limited to this.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, the student management server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an output unit 16, an input unit 17, a memory unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20.

[0047] The CPU 11 executes, for example, programs recorded in the ROM 12 and / or programs loaded from the storage unit 18 to the RAM 13 to realize various processes. The programs loaded from the storage unit 18 to the RAM 13 include, for example, an OS (Operating System) and various application programs that run on the OS. The various application programs include one or more programs developed to cause the information processing device to function as the student management server 1. Hereinafter, this developed application program will be referred to as a "developed application."

[0048] The RAM 13 also stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes as appropriate. The data includes various programs executed by the CPU 11. The various programs are read into the RAM 13 and executed by the CPU 11.

[0049] The CPU 11, the ROM 12, and the RAM 13 are connected to one another via a bus 14. An input / output interface 15 is also connected to the bus 14. An output unit 16, an input unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20 are connected to the input / output interface 15.

[0050] The output unit 16 includes a display such as a liquid crystal display. The output unit 16 displays various images or screens under the control of the CPU 11. The output unit 16 may be mounted on the student management server 1, or may be connected as necessary. As a result, the output unit 16 is not an essential component.

[0051] The input unit 17 includes various hardware buttons such as a keyboard. The input unit 17 may include one or more pointing devices such as a mouse. The operator can input various information via the input unit 17. This input unit 17 may also be mounted on the student management server 1, or may be connected as necessary. Therefore, the input unit 17 is not an essential component.

[0052] The storage unit 18 is, for example, a hard disk device or an auxiliary storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive). Data with a large amount of data is stored in the storage unit 18. The communication unit 19 is, for example, a communication device. The communication unit 19 enables communication with the attendee terminal 3, the mail server 4, and the chat server 5 via the network 6, as well as communication with the person in charge terminal 2. Note that communication with the person in charge terminal 2 and communication via the network 6 may be possible by a separate communication unit 19. Accordingly, a plurality of communication units 19 may be installed.

[0053] The drive 20 is a device to which a removable medium 25, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory card, can be attached. The drive 20 can, for example, read information from the attached removable medium 25 and write information to the removable medium 25. As a result, the program recorded in the removable medium 25 can be stored in the storage unit 18 via the drive 20. In addition, the removable medium 25 attached to the drive 20 can be used as a copy destination or a movement destination of various data stored in the storage unit 18.

[0054] The development application has been developed on the assumption that an information processing device will function as the student management server 1. This development application may be recorded on removable media 25 and distributed. It may also be possible to distribute it via the network 6. For this reason, the recording medium on which the development application is recorded may be one that is mounted or attached to an information processing device that is directly or indirectly connected to the network 6, or one that is mounted or attached to an external device that can be accessed.

[0055] The hardware resources of the student management server 1 are controlled by various programs including application programs. As a result, the information processing device communicates with the person in charge terminal 2, the student terminal 3, the mail server 4, the chat server 5, etc. as necessary, and functions as the student management server 1 capable of managing the student JS.

[0056] Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration realized on the student management server according to an embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention. Next, with reference to Fig. 5, an example of a functional configuration realized on the student management server 1 will be described in detail.

[0057] 5, the CPU 11 of the student management server 1 has a functional configuration including a student registration unit 111, an authentication unit 112, a setting unit 113, an information providing unit 114, an activity record confirmation unit 115, a question and answer receiving unit 116, an inquiry unit 117, a response request unit 118, a quick reference table update unit 119, and a screen generation unit 120. The CPU 11 transmits and receives data to and from various information processing devices including the person in charge terminal 2 via a communication unit 19.

[0058] These are realized by executing various programs including the development application by the CPU 11. As a result, in the memory unit 18, a student information storage unit 181, a quick reference table storage unit 182, a setting information storage unit 183, an activity record information storage unit 184, a question and answer information storage unit 185, an inquiry record information storage unit 186, and a video storage unit 187 are secured for storing information.

[0059] Anyone who wishes to participate in a lecture needs to register as a student JS. The student registration unit 111 handles the registration of student JS. For example, following instructions from the student terminal 3, the student registration unit 111 stores student information including personal information of the student JS, a student ID (IDentifier) ​​which is identification information, a lecture ID, and authentication information in the student information storage unit 181 secured in the memory unit 18.

[0060] The lecture ID is identification information that uniquely represents the lecture to be provided. A unique lecture ID is assigned to the lecture to be provided. For the sake of convenience, it is assumed here that only one lecture is provided. Accordingly, it is assumed that there is only one quick reference sheet NA. For example, the lecture ID is automatically added to the student information by the student registration unit 111 together with the student ID.

[0061] The personal information includes, for example, an address, a name, a gender, a phone number, and at least one of an email address and a mention name. By including such information in the personal information, it is possible to identify the participant JS who sent the question by email or message, and to contact them by phone.

[0062] The authentication unit 112 performs authentication to confirm whether or not the person who has accessed the student management server 1 with a terminal is a student JS. For this authentication, the authentication unit 112, for example, causes the screen generation unit 120 to transmit a login screen, and responds to reception of an authentication request including authentication information entered on the login screen. When an authentication request is received, the authentication unit 112 identifies student information including authentication information that matches the authentication information included in the authentication request, thereby confirming whether or not the person who has transmitted the authentication request is a student JS. This type of authentication also identifies the correspondence between the student JS and the student terminal 3 used by that student JS.

[0063] The setting unit 113 enables various settings. The setting unit 113 also supports the registration of a quick reference table NA. The quick reference table NA is stored in a quick reference table storage unit 182 secured in the memory unit 18. Various setting information according to the setting contents is stored in a setting information storage unit 183 secured in the memory unit 18. The various settings and the registration of the quick reference table NA are both performed by, for example, a person having authority (hereinafter referred to as the "administrator").

[0064] The various settings include the conditions that must be met to send a progress confirmation message and a reminder message, the timing at which they should be sent, etc. Information that indicates the conditions for sending a progress confirmation message and the timing of sending it will be distinguished from information that is hereinafter referred to as "progress confirmation message setting information." Information that indicates the conditions for sending a reminder message and the timing of sending it will be distinguished from information that is hereinafter referred to as "remind message setting information."

[0065] The progress confirmation message information includes, for example, period information indicating the allowable period during which the behavior of the student JS may not be confirmed, timing information indicating the timing of sending the progress confirmation message to the student JS (the student JS to be confirmed) after the allowable period has elapsed, and configuration information indicating the message configuration including the input section. The allowable period indicated by the period information is, for example, about one week. The timing indicated by the timing information is, for example, the timing when the allowable period has elapsed, or any timing after that timing. The same is true for, for example, reminder message information.

[0066] On the other hand, the reminder message information includes, for example, period information indicating the confirmation period for confirming a reply to the progress confirmation message, timing information indicating the timing of sending the reminder message to the student JS (student JS to be reminded) after the confirmation period has elapsed, and configuration information indicating the message configuration including the answer section.

[0067] The information providing unit 114 performs processing for providing the quick reference NA requested by the student terminal 3 or the materials presented in the quick reference NA. The quick reference NA is provided, for example, in the form of a download, and the materials are provided by being arranged on a screen (for example, a Web page) transmitted by the screen generating unit 120. Here, it is assumed that the materials presented in the quick reference NA are videos. In the case of videos, the screen generating unit 120 transmits a screen on which a display area for playing the videos is arranged to the student terminal 3. The information providing unit 114 also supports, for example, streaming. The video storage unit 187 secured in the memory unit 18 stores videos that are expected to be viewed by the student JS. As a result, the URL attached to the link button of the material name present in the quick reference NA is the storage location of the video to which the material name is assigned.

[0068] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the student JS who acts according to the quick reference table NA will have some points that he / she wants to confirm as he / she proceeds with the action (step) and will ask a question. It is assumed that the question, including the answer, is sent by sending and receiving an email via the mail server 4 or a message (direct message) via the chat server 5. In the email for the question, the destination address is set, and in the message, the mention destination is set. In such an assumption, the activity record confirmation unit 115, for example, accesses the mail server 4 and acquires an email addressed to the specified address. Similarly, in the chat server 5, it accesses the chat server 5 and acquires a message addressed to the specified mention name. In this way, when the activity record confirmation unit 115 is able to acquire an email or a message, it confirms the sender of the acquired email or message and further confirms the student JS from the confirmed sender. It is assumed that the confirmed student JS has asked a question, and activity record information is generated and stored in the activity record information storage unit 184 secured in the memory unit 18.

[0069] This activity record information includes, for example, the current date and time, and the student ID. The student ID is extracted from the student information that includes the sender as part of the personal information. By saving such activity record information, it is possible to check the date and time when the student JS last asked a question voluntarily.

[0070] In addition, since the quick reference sheet NA presents reference materials (videos in this case), the viewing of the materials may be considered as an action taken voluntarily by the student JS. In this case, activity record information including the viewing date and time, the name of the materials, etc. may be stored. If such activity record information is also stored, it becomes possible to estimate the progress of the student JS with a higher degree of accuracy.

[0071] The question and answer receiving unit 116 performs a process for requesting the person in charge TS to answer when, for example, an email or a message is acquired by the activity record confirming unit 115. In addition, in response to the request, the question receiving unit 116 performs a process for receiving an answer created by the person in charge TS and sending it to the student JS who asked the question. The email (body of the email) or message sent for the question is stored as question information, and the answer created by the person in charge TS is stored as answer information in the question and answer information storage unit 185 secured in the memory unit 18. In order to enable the question information and the answer information to be associated with each other, for example, an identification information may be assigned and added to the question, and the answer including the identification information may be sent to the person in charge TS. This identification information is hereinafter referred to as a "question ID". Note that the answer can be created not only in text as described above, but also in video, audio, or the like. Whatever the type of answer information, the answer information may be stored in the question and answer information storage unit 185.

[0072] The inquiry unit 117 transmits a progress confirmation message and a reminder message as necessary. When the inquiry unit 117 generates and transmits a progress confirmation message or a reminder message, it generates inquiry history information and stores the generated inquiry history information in the inquiry history information storage unit 186 secured in the memory unit 18. The transmitted progress confirmation message and reminder message are both received by the student terminal 3 via the mail server 4.

[0073] This inquiry record information is a group of information indicating, for example, the current date and time (date and time of sending), the message type, the student ID, the destination address, whether or not a reply was made, and the contents of the reply. The message type indicates a progress confirmation message or a reminder message. By saving such inquiry history information for each student JS, it becomes possible to respond according to whether the message sent is a progress confirmation message or a reminder message. For this purpose, the inquiry unit 117 refers to the activity history information and the inquiry history information in addition to the progress confirmation message information and the reminder message information. As a result, the inquiry unit 117 can identify the student JS to which a progress confirmation message should be sent as described above, and sequentially send the progress confirmation message and the reminder message, both of which have the set configuration, to the identified student JS.

[0074] The sender of the progress confirmation message and the reminder message is different from the destination of the question spontaneously asked by the student JS. As a result, the inquiry unit 117 accesses the mail server 4 and acquires the mail addressed to the sender, that is, the reply. When the inquiry unit 117 acquires the mail, it identifies whether the message to which the mail is replied is a progress management message or a reminder message. This identification can be performed, for example, by checking whether the reply contains an input section. When it identifies the message as a reminder message, the inquiry unit 117 further checks whether a question has been input in the answer section, and when it confirms that the question is "Yes", it passes the mail to the question and answer receiving unit 116 and requests processing. As a result, the question and answer receiving unit 116 processes the question in the reply to the reminder message and requests the person in charge TS to create an answer.

[0075] When the inquiry unit 117 acquires the email, it identifies the inquiry history information to be updated from the message that was the source of the email and the sender address, and updates the presence or absence of a reply contained therein from "no" to "present." This update makes it possible to determine the presence or absence of each reply to the progress confirmation message and the reminder message. The reply contents in the identified inquiry history information are also updated at the same time.

[0076] The response request unit 118 refers to the inquiry record information of the reminder message, and identifies reminder messages for which a reply could not be confirmed within a set period after the reminder message was sent. When such reminder messages are identified, the response request unit 118 notifies the person in charge TS of the fact, and performs processing to request the person in charge TS to respond to the student JS who does not reply to the reminder message.

[0077] The request to the student JS for a response may be made by sending an email, or by displaying a message or the like on the person in charge terminal 2 that has been accessed by the student management server 1. For this reason, the method of making a request to the person in charge TS is not particularly limited. When making a request to the person in charge TS, it is preferable that the response request unit 118 extracts a telephone number from the student information of the identified student JS and presents the extracted telephone number to the person in charge TS. Also, in order to make it possible to specify whether or not a telephone contact has been made, if a telephone contact has been made, the presence or absence of a reply in the inquiry performance information may be updated from "no" to "yes."

[0078] Questions asked by the students JS and answers to those questions are stored as question information and answer information in the question and answer information storage unit 185. The quick reference table update unit 119 identifies pairs of question information and answer information stored in the question and answer information storage unit 185 that should be added to the quick reference table NA, either automatically or at the instruction of the person in charge TS, and adds them to the quick reference table NA. The quick reference table NA updated by such additions is treated as a target for transmission by the information providing unit 114, for example, from that point on. Such updates make the quick reference table NA more user-friendly for the students JS. Note that natural language processing technology can be used to identify pairs of question information and answer information that should be added to the quick reference table NA.

[0079] In the above-described functional configuration example, the inquiry unit 117 corresponds to the inquiry means, reminding means, and receiving means in this embodiment. The support request unit 118 corresponds to the notification processing means in this embodiment. The activity record confirmation unit 115 corresponds to the presence / absence determination means in this embodiment. The question / answer receiving unit 116 corresponds to the request processing means and answer information acquisition means in this embodiment.

[0080] The quick reference table updating unit 119 corresponds to the question information and the answer information and stores them in a form of being added to the quick reference table NA, and thus corresponds to the storage control means in this embodiment. Also, the progress confirmation message corresponds to the message in this embodiment, the reminder message corresponds to the other message in this embodiment, and the question spontaneously asked by the student JS corresponds to the other question in this embodiment.

[0081] FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of a remind message sending process. This process is a summary of a series of processes performed to send a remind message when the time to send the remind message arrives. The process is realized by the CPU 11 executing the above-mentioned developed application. For ease of understanding, the process flow is shown focusing on one student JS. Next, the process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6. The process is assumed to be executed by the CPU 11.

[0082] First, in step S11, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a question has been asked by the target student JS. If the target student JS has asked a question by email or message within the set period, the determination in step S11 becomes YES and the process proceeds to step S17. If the student JS has not asked a question within the set period, the determination in step S11 becomes NO and the process proceeds to step S12. The determination process in step S11 is performed by referring to the activity record information stored in the activity record information storage unit 184.

[0083] In step S12, the CPU 11 generates and sends a reminder message addressed to the email address of the student JS, and also generates inquiry record information and stores it in the inquiry record information storage unit 186. In the following step S13, the CPU 11 determines whether or not there has been a reply to the reminder message. If the reply has been obtained from the mail server 4, the determination in step S13 is YES, and the corresponding inquiry record information is updated, and the process proceeds to step S16. If the reply has not been obtained from the mail server 4, the determination in step S13 is NO, and the process proceeds to step S14.

[0084] In step S14, CPU 11 refers to the stored inquiry record information and determines whether a predetermined period (another set period) has passed since the remind message was sent. If the predetermined period has passed, the determination in step S14 becomes YES and the process proceeds to step S15. If the predetermined period has not passed, the determination in step S14 becomes NO and the process returns to step S13. As a result, after the remind message is sent, confirmation of the presence or absence of a reply is continued until the predetermined period has passed or a reply is received.

[0085] In step S15, the CPU 11 performs a process to instruct the person in charge TS to handle the phone call to the student JS. After performing this process, the remind message transmission process ends.

[0086] In step S16, which is reached when the determination in step S13 above is YES, the CPU 11 determines whether or not there is a question in the reply. If the answer section in the reply indicates that there is a question, the determination in step S16 is YES and the process proceeds to step S17. If the answer section in the reply indicates that there is no question, the determination in step S16 is NO and the remind message transmission process ends.

[0087] In step S17, the CPU 11 accepts the question being replied to. In the following step S18, the CPU 11 performs processing for notifying the person in charge terminal 2 of the accepted question. In the next step S19, the CPU 11 performs processing for instructing the person in charge TS to create an answer using video, text, audio, or the like. After executing this processing, the process proceeds to step S20, where the CPU 11 performs processing for updating the quick reference table NA, for example, storing the question information in the question and answer information storage unit 185. Thereafter, the remind message transmission processing ends.

[0088] Any questions asked by the student JS within the set period are processed as required. If there are any questions to be processed, the determination in step S11 becomes YES, and the process proceeds to step S17, where the questions are processed. On the other hand, if there are no questions to be processed, the determination in step S11 becomes YES, and the remind message transmission process ends.

[0089] In the process of sending the progress confirmation message, the same process as steps S11 to S14 is basically executed. However, in step S12, a progress management message is sent instead of a reminder message. For this reason, a detailed description of the process of sending the progress confirmation message is omitted.

[0090] Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of a response reception process. This process is a process for responding to a response created by the person in charge TS when the person in charge TS is instructed to create a response. For example, the process is executed by acquiring the response created by the person in charge TS. As with the above-mentioned reminder message transmission response process, the process is realized by the CPU 11 executing a development application. Next, this process will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 7. Here too, it is assumed that the subject executing the process is the CPU 11.

[0091] First, in step S31, the CPU 11 accepts an answer sent from the person in charge terminal 2 and received directly or indirectly by the student management server 1. In the next step S32, the CPU 11 identifies the student JS who sent the question by referring to the question information using the question ID in the answer. After identifying the student JS, the process proceeds to step S33, where the CPU 11 creates and sends an email addressed to the email address of the identified student JS. The process then proceeds to step S34.

[0092] If the answer is created using video or audio, it is attached to the email as an attachment, for example. If the answer is text, the text is inserted into the body of the email. Regardless of whether the answer is video, audio, or text, it is stored as answer information in question and answer information storage unit 185.

[0093] In step S34, CPU 11 determines whether the accepted answer and the question to which the answer was obtained are not in quick reference sheet NA. For example, if there are no questions and answers previously added to quick reference sheet NA that are similar in content to the current question and answer, the determination in step S34 is YES and the process proceeds to step S35. If there are questions and answers similar in content, the determination in step S34 is NO and the answer acceptance process ends here.

[0094] In step S35, the CPU 11 estimates the question and answer for this time, for example, taking into consideration the materials viewed by the student JS, or adds them to the position of the quick reference sheet NA designated by the person in charge TS, and updates the quick reference sheet NA. After the update, the answer acceptance process ends.

[0095] In this embodiment, the progress confirmation message and the reminder message are each sent once, but the number of times may be two or more. Furthermore, the messages sent to check the status of the student JS need not be limited to two types, the progress confirmation message and the reminder message. In other words, another message may be sent before sending the progress confirmation message, or between sending the progress confirmation message and sending the reminder message.

[0096] In addition, in this embodiment, both the progress confirmation message and the reminder message are sent in the form of email, but they may be sent using SNS. A plurality of messages may be sent at once by email and one or more SNS. For this reason, the method of sending the progress confirmation message and the reminder message is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the structure of each message is not particularly limited. For example, in the progress confirmation message, in addition to the input section, one or more separate input sections for inquiries may be added.

[0097] The quick reference table NA is updated by adding questions from the student JS and answers to those questions. This is to allow the student JS to easily obtain more useful information by looking at the quick reference table NA. However, if there are many questions from the student JS, it is possible that the quick reference table NA may become difficult to read. For this reason, when a question and its answer that are candidates for addition to the quick reference table NA are generated, the importance may be compared with the question and its answer that have already been added, and whether or not to add the candidate to the quick reference table NA may be determined according to the comparison result. If it is determined that the candidate is to be added, the added question and its answer may be deleted from the quick reference table NA. The questions and their answers may be freely viewed by the student JS separately from the quick reference table NA. In this case, the question and answer receiving unit 116 corresponds to the storage control means in this embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 1 information processing device (student management server), 2 staff terminal, 3 student terminal, 4 mail server, 5 chat server, 6 network, 11 CPU, 18 memory unit, 19 communications unit, 111 student registration unit, 112 authentication unit, 113 setting unit, 114 information provision unit, 115 activity record confirmation unit, 116 question and answer reception unit, 117 inquiry unit, 118 response request unit, 119 quick reference table update unit, 120 screen generation unit, 181 student information storage unit, 182 quick reference table storage unit, 183 setting information storage unit, 184 activity record information storage unit, 185 question and answer information storage unit, 186 inquiry record information storage unit, 187 video storage unit, JK human resources development service company, JS student, TS staff member.

Claims

1. A query means that causes a message to be sent, which includes an input section for selecting whether or not progress has been made in a predetermined process, A receiving means for receiving progress information indicating whether or not the aforementioned progress has been made, After the aforementioned message has been sent, if the progress information is not received by the receiving means within a predetermined period, the system includes a reminder means that sends another message, different from the aforementioned message, which includes an input section for selecting whether or not to ask a question. The aforementioned receiving means is capable of receiving information indicating whether or not the aforementioned question exists. Information processing device.

2. The present or absent means further comprises determining whether there is a separate question which is a question asked separately from the question in the other message, The reminder means causes the other message to be sent based on the determination result by the presence / absence determination means. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. If, after the aforementioned other message has been sent, the aforementioned receiving means does not receive the information regarding the presence or absence of the question within another predetermined period, a notification processing means performs processing to notify the administrator of that fact, The system further comprises: a request processing means for processing a request to a person in charge to answer the question indicated by the question information received by the reception means, when the question information received by the reception means indicates that the question exists; The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. A means for obtaining response information that obtains response information representing the content of the response by the person in charge, The system further includes a storage control means for storing the aforementioned answer information in association with the aforementioned question information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The aforementioned predetermined process includes a predetermined objective and multiple actions necessary to achieve that predetermined objective. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. A computer program that causes an information processing device to perform processing, A transmission step that causes a message to be sent, which includes an input section for selecting whether or not progress has been made in a predetermined process, A reception step that receives progress information indicating whether or not the aforementioned progress has been made, After the message has been sent, if the receipt of the progress information in the receipt step has not been made within a predetermined period, the system includes a reminder step that sends a different message, which includes an input section for selecting whether or not to ask a question, unlike the message mentioned above. In the aforementioned reception step, it is possible to receive information indicating whether or not the aforementioned question was asked. Computer program.

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