Learning support system

Abstract

This learning support system provides learners with the ability to deepen their understanding of problems based on their answers. [Solution] The information processing device 100 includes a storage unit 1324 that stores example answers to predetermined problems, a first receiving unit 1334 that receives answer data for predetermined problems from a learner's terminal device, an element determination unit 1334 that compares the example answers with the answer data and determines which elements of the answer data are excessive or insufficient compared to the example answers, a dialogue unit 1335 that determines a comment based on the determination, and an output unit 1331 that outputs the comment.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a learning support system. [Background Art]

[0002] In educational settings, it has been empirically established that learners who read problem explanations thoroughly tend to have improved academic performance, and that when high-performing learners explain how to solve problems to other learners, this is expected to improve the academic ability of both parties. Furthermore, for example in English language learning, it has also been empirically established that answering not only the original question but also related questions that alter conditions such as tense and person allows learners to acquire a deeper understanding of the knowledge tested by the original question.

[0003] Additionally, development of systems that support exam preparation learning has been carried out conventionally.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 describes an education system in which one or more learner terminals and an education server are connected via a network, wherein the education server performs operations including: transmitting teaching material information to the requesting learner terminal in response to a request from the learner terminal; receiving learning result information, which is the result of learning using the teaching material information, from the learner terminal; and transmitting evaluation information corresponding to the received learning result information to the learner terminal that is the receiving destination. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-350400 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0006] However, conventional learning systems only judge and grade the correctness of learners' answers, and they fail to provide learners with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the problem based on their answers.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a learning support system that enables learners to deepen their understanding of a problem based on their answers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a storage unit that stores example answers to a predetermined problem, a first receiving unit that receives answer data for a predetermined problem from a learner's terminal device, an element determination unit that compares the example answer with the answer data and determines which elements of the answer data are excessive or insufficient compared to the example answer, a dialogue unit that determines a comment based on the determination, and an output unit that outputs a comment.

[0009] According to this embodiment, when there are elements in the learner's answer data that are missing or extra compared to the elements included in the example answer, comments based on the missing or extra elements are output, thereby providing an opportunity for learners to think about the missing or extra elements and supporting a deeper understanding of the learner.

[0010] In the above-described information processing device, the example answer includes a model answer that explains the reasoning or method of solving the given problem, the answer data includes first explanatory data that explains the reasoning or method of solving the given problem, the element determination unit compares the model answer with the answer data to determine which elements in the model answer do not match the answer data, and the dialogue unit may determine a question comment prompting an explanation of the mismatched elements.

[0011] According to this embodiment, the information processing device enables learners to explain how to solve a problem, and further, if there are elements in the model answer that do not match the learner's explanatory data, it can help the learner to notice the discrepancies themselves, thereby deepening the learner's understanding.

[0012] The above-described information processing device may further include a second receiving unit that receives second explanatory data in response to a question comment from a terminal device, and a determination unit that determines the degree of agreement between the explanatory data, which is a combination of the first and second explanatory data, and the model answer. According to this embodiment, the information processing device can determine the match with the model answer by considering not only the first explanatory data but also the second explanatory data.

[0013] In the above-described information processing device, the output unit may further output comments determined based on the degree of agreement. According to this embodiment, the information processing device can provide learners with better comments than those determined based solely on the first explanatory data, and is expected to improve learning satisfaction.

[0014] In the above-described information processing device, the element determination unit compares the example answer with the answer data to determine which elements in the example answer do not match the answer data, and the dialogue unit may determine a question comment requesting answer data for a second question that tests knowledge of the non-matching elements. According to this embodiment, the information processing device can help learners acquire the knowledge tested in the question more deeply by providing an opportunity to think deeply about the knowledge of the non-matching elements through the question comment.

[0015] In the above-described information processing device, the memory unit may store example answers for each of the multiple levels the learner aims for, and the element determination unit may perform determination using the example answers corresponding to the learner's level on the terminal device. According to this embodiment, the information processing device can determine whether the answer data is correct for the necessary and sufficient elements in line with the learner's preferences.

[0016] In the above-described information processing device, the storage unit further stores alternative answers different from the example answers, and the element determination unit compares the alternative answers with the answer data to determine whether the answer data is consistent with the alternative answers. If it is determined that the answer data is consistent with the alternative answers, the dialogue unit may determine a question comment to prompt the user to answer in accordance with the example answers. According to this embodiment, the information processing device can enable a learner who answers in accordance with an alternative answer different from the example answers to answer the problem from the perspective of the more optimal example answers.

[0017] A method relating to another aspect of the present disclosure includes an information processing device having a storage unit that stores example answers to a predetermined problem, receiving answer data for a predetermined problem from a learner's terminal device, comparing the example answer with the answer data to determine if there are any elements in the answer data that are excessive or insufficient compared to the example answer, determining a comment based on the determination, and outputting the comment.

[0018] A program according to another aspect of this disclosure causes one or more computers equipped with a memory unit that stores example answers to a predetermined problem to perform the following processes: receiving answer data for a predetermined problem from a learner's terminal device; comparing the example answer with the answer data to determine if there are any elements in the answer data that are excessive or insufficient compared to the example answer; determining a comment based on the determination; and outputting a comment.

[0019] A terminal device according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a terminal device that is communicably connected to a server device having a storage unit that stores a model answer that explains the reason or method of solving a predetermined problem, and comprises: a first transmitting unit that transmits first explanatory data that explains the reason or method of solving a predetermined problem to the server device; a first terminal receiving unit that, in response to the transmission of the first explanatory data, receives a question comment from the server device prompting an explanation of elements included in the model answer that do not match the first explanatory data; a second transmitting unit that transmits second explanatory data in response to the question comment to the server device; a second terminal receiving unit that, in response to the transmission of the second explanatory data, receives a comment from the server device determined based on the degree of agreement between explanatory data, which is a combination of the first and second explanatory data, and the model answer; and a display unit that displays the question comment and the comment determined based on the degree of agreement.

[0020] According to this embodiment, the terminal device can provide the learner with an opportunity to explain elements that do not match the first explanatory data, and the learner can be expected to further deepen their understanding of the problem by thinking in order to send the second explanatory data.

[0021] In the above-described terminal device, the display unit may display the first explanatory data, the question comment, the second explanatory data, and the comment determined based on the degree of agreement in chronological order. According to this embodiment, learners can proceed with their learning while appropriately reviewing their initial explanatory data, the question comment that is expected to deepen their understanding of the learning, the second explanatory data provided in consideration of the question comment, and the comment based on the initial and second explanatory data.

[0022] According to a method of another aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal device communicatively connected to a server device including a storage unit storing a model answer explaining a reason for arriving at an answer to a predetermined question or a method of solving the predetermined question performs the steps of: transmitting first explanation data explaining the reason for arriving at the answer to the predetermined question or the method of solving the predetermined question to the server device; receiving, from the server device as a response to the transmission of the first explanation data, a prompting comment that prompts an explanation for an element that does not match the first explanation data among elements included in the model answer; displaying the prompting comment on a display unit of the terminal device; transmitting second explanation data corresponding to the prompting comment to the server device; receiving, from the server device as a response to the transmission of the second explanation data, a comment determined based on a matching degree between the model answer and combined explanation data obtained by combining the second explanation data with the first explanation data; and displaying the comment determined based on the matching degree on the display unit.

[0023] A program according to another aspect of the present disclosure causes a terminal device communicatively connected to a server device including a storage unit storing a model answer explaining a reason for arriving at an answer to a predetermined question or a method of solving the predetermined question to execute processes of: transmitting first explanation data explaining the reason for arriving at the answer to the predetermined question or the method of solving the predetermined question to the server device; receiving, from the server device as a response to the transmission of the first explanation data, a prompting comment that prompts an explanation for an element that does not match the first explanation data among elements included in the model answer; displaying the prompting comment on a display unit of the terminal device; transmitting second explanation data corresponding to the prompting comment to the server device; receiving, from the server device as a response to the transmission of the second explanation data, a comment determined based on a matching degree between the model answer and combined explanation data obtained by combining the second explanation data with the first explanation data; and displaying the comment determined based on the matching degree on the display unit. Effects of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a learning support system that enables a learner to be provided with thinking for further deepening understanding of a question based on the learner's answer. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a learning support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a server device according to an embodiment of the present invention from a functional perspective. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a learner DB stored in a server storage unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a model answer DB stored in a server storage unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an answer DB stored in a server storage unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention from a functional perspective. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a viewing screen for learning content. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an initial talk screen. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a talk screen. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a talk screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by a server device and a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by a server device and a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of determination processing according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table for determining a determination comment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a model answer DB stored in a server storage unit. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0026] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. Furthermore, the following embodiments are illustrative examples for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments only. Moreover, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from its essence.

[0027] <Outline of Learning Support System 1> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram (system configuration diagram) of a learning support system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the learning support system 1 is configured by connecting a server device 100 and multiple learner terminal devices 200 to each other via a network N so that they can communicate with one another.

[0028] The server device 100 is a server computer connected to the network N, and is configured to realize server functions by running a predetermined server program on that server computer. In this embodiment, the server device 100 can distribute learning content for each learner to each terminal device 200.

[0029] In this embodiment, the learning content includes one or more questions, and at least one of the questions requires the learner to provide an answer, as well as an explanation including the reasoning or method of solving the question.

[0030] The terminal device 200 is a computer connected to the network N and capable of accessing the server device 100. It is configured to perform its functions by running a predetermined learner terminal program on the computer. The terminal device 200 can receive learning content from the server device 100 via the network N and play the content by running the terminal program. As described above, the learning content distributed from the server device 100 includes questions that require the learner to provide an explanation (an example of answer data) including the reason or method of solving the question, in addition to the answer to the question. The terminal device 200 can request the learner to provide an explanation including the reason or method of solving the question. In this embodiment, the learner can provide an explanation by speaking the audio explanation into the microphone of the terminal device 200.

[0031] The server device 100 can determine whether the explanation provided by the learner is valid and transmit the determination result to the terminal device 200. Here, a model answer (an example of a solution) that includes the reasoning or method of solving a given problem may contain multiple elements. It is assumed that some learners can provide an explanation that includes all elements from the beginning for such a problem, while others may provide an explanation that includes some elements. Therefore, in this embodiment, the server device 100 compares the explanation provided by the learner with the model answer, determines the elements that do not match the elements of the model answer, and transmits a comment to the terminal device 200 prompting an explanation of the elements that do not match. After receiving the comment prompting an explanation of the elements that do not match, the learner on the terminal device 200 can refer to the comment and then provide an additional explanation by speaking into the microphone of the terminal device 200. After receiving the additional explanation, the server device 100 can determine whether the explanation, which combines the initial explanation provided by the learner and the additional explanation, is valid and transmit the determination result to the terminal device 200.

[0032] In this embodiment, we describe an example in which learners are required to provide an explanation including the reasoning or method of solving the problem, in addition to the answer to the problem. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and can be applied to any other problem in which the answer includes multiple elements.

[0033] In one example of this embodiment, the terminal device 200 is assumed to be owned by the user through loan or purchase and used by the user for learning. In this embodiment, the user is a student, but is not limited to this, and may be any user. In this embodiment, a student learner uses the terminal device 200 as one of the means of studying in order to pass the entrance exam for their desired school.

[0034] In this embodiment, the terminal device 200 is preferably assumed to be a tablet computer (hereinafter also referred to as "tablet terminal"). Therefore, in order to facilitate understanding, the following description will take an embodiment in which the terminal device 200 is a tablet terminal as an example.

[0035] However, in the present invention, the terminal device 200 is not limited to a tablet terminal, but may also be a PC (personal computer, including a notebook computer), a home game console (including a portable game console), a mobile phone (so-called feature phone), a smartphone (multifunctional mobile phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable music player, an e-book reader, or other computer equipment.

[0036] Network N is a communication line or network related to information processing, including, for example, the internet or a LAN (local area network) built within a home. Its specific configuration is not particularly limited as long as it is configured to enable the transmission and reception of data between the server device 100 and the terminal device 200, and it does not matter whether it is wired or wireless.

[0037] Furthermore, network N may be composed of multiple types of communication lines and networks and various network devices. For example, network N may include base stations and wireless LAN access points (such as WiFi routers) wirelessly connected to terminal devices 200, a mobile communication network connected to base stations, telephone lines, cable television lines or optical communication lines or other public lines connected from access points via routers and modems, the Internet connected to server devices 100, and gateway devices connecting the mobile communication network and public lines to the Internet.

[0038] <Hardware configuration of server device 100> Figure 2 is a diagram (system block diagram) showing an example of the hardware configuration of a server device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the server device 100 includes an arithmetic processing unit (processor) 101 such as a CPU or MPU, a ROM 102 and RAM 103 as storage devices, an external interface 104 to which an input unit 105 and an external memory 106 are connected, an image processing unit 107 to which a display monitor 111 is connected, a slot drive 108 to which a disk or memory device is housed or connected, an audio processing unit 109 to which a speaker device 112 is connected, and a network interface 110.

[0039] Each component is connected to one another via a transmission line 120, such as an internal bus, an external bus, and a system bus including an expansion bus. Input / output devices such as the input unit 105, external memory 106, display monitor 111, and speaker device 112 may be omitted as needed, and even if they are included, they do not need to be constantly connected to the transmission line 120.

[0040] The arithmetic processing unit 101 controls the operation of the entire server device 100, transmits and receives control signals and information signals (data) with the other components mentioned above, and performs various arithmetic operations necessary for the execution of learning support. For this reason, the arithmetic processing unit 101 is configured to perform arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division using numerical arithmetic units, logical operations such as logical OR, logical AND, and logical negation, bitwise operations such as bitwise OR, bitwise AND, bitwise inversion, bitwise shift, and bitwise rotation on high-speed accessible memory areas such as registers, and further, as necessary, saturation operations, trigonometric function operations, vector operations, etc.

[0041] Generally, ROM 102 stores the Initial Program Loader (IPL), which is executed first after power-on. When this IPL is executed, the server program and learning support program stored on the disk or memory device housed in or connected to the slot drive 108 are read into RAM 103 by the arithmetic processing unit 101, and then executed by the arithmetic processing unit 101. Furthermore, ROM 102 stores the operating system program and other various data necessary for controlling the operation of the entire server device 100.

[0042] RAM103 is for temporarily storing server programs, learning support programs, and various data. As described above, the read server programs, learning support programs, and other data necessary for communication between learning content and multiple terminal devices 200 are stored in RAM103. The learning support programs may be recorded on an external recording medium and installed from the external recording medium into RAM103.

[0043] Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit 101 sets a variable area in RAM 103 and performs direct calculations on the values ​​stored in that variable area using the numerical calculation unit, or it copies or moves the values ​​stored in RAM 103 to a register and performs direct calculations on that register, or it writes the results of those calculations back to RAM 103.

[0044] The input unit 105, connected via the external interface 104, accepts various operation inputs from users on the service provider side who provide learning support services using the server device 100. The input unit 105 can be a keyboard, touchpad, touch panel, or, for example, a voice input device. The type of device is not particularly limited as long as it can perform various operation inputs, confirmation operations, cancellation operations, menu display, and other instruction inputs.

[0045] The RAM 103 and the external memory 106, which is detachably connected via the external interface 104, store rewritable data such as the operating status of the server device 100, the access status of each terminal device 200, and the content distribution status of each terminal device 200.

[0046] The image processing unit 107 processes various data read from the slot drive 108 using either the arithmetic processing unit 101 or the image processing unit 107 itself, and then records the processed image information in a frame memory or the like. The image information recorded in this frame memory is converted into a video signal at a predetermined synchronization timing and output to the display monitor 111 connected to the image processing unit 107. This enables the display of various images. In addition, image information related to learning support is sent from the image processing unit 107 and / or the arithmetic processing unit 101 to each terminal device 200 through collaborative processing with the arithmetic processing unit 101, etc.

[0047] Furthermore, the audio processing unit 109 converts various data read from the slot drive 108 into audio signals and outputs them from the speaker device 112 connected to the audio processing unit 109. In addition, audio information related to learning support is sent from the audio processing unit 109 and / or the arithmetic processing unit 101 to each terminal device 200 through collaborative processing with the arithmetic processing unit 101, etc.

[0048] Furthermore, the network interface 110 is for connecting the server device 100 to the network N, and consists of, for example, devices compliant with various standards used for building LANs, analog modems, ISDN modems, ADSL modems, cable modems for connecting to the Internet using cable television lines, and communication interface circuits for connecting these to the processing unit 101 via the transmission line 120.

[0049] The server device 100 may consist of a single computer, or it may consist of multiple computers distributed across a network, in the form of so-called cloud computing. Alternatively, a single computer may have multiple server functions.

[0050] <Hardware configuration of terminal device 200> Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a terminal device 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The terminal device 200 shown in Figure 3 includes a touch panel 14, a speaker 16, a microphone 18, hard buttons 20, hard keys 22, a mobile communication antenna 30, a mobile communication unit 32, a wireless LAN communication antenna 34, a wireless LAN communication unit 36, a storage unit 38, a main control unit 40, a camera 26, and an external interface 42 including an audio output terminal 24.

[0051] The touch panel 14 has both display and input device functions and consists of a display (display screen) 14A that handles the display function and a touch sensor 14B that handles the input function. The display 14A is made up of a common display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The touch sensor 14B is made up of an element for detecting contact operations placed on the upper surface of the display 14A and a transparent operating surface laminated on top of it. Any known method can be used as the contact detection method for the touch sensor 14B, such as capacitive, resistive (pressure-sensitive), or electromagnetic induction.

[0052] The touch panel 14 displays an image generated by the execution of a program 50 stored in the storage unit 38 by the main control unit 40. As an input device, the touch panel 14 accepts operation input by detecting the movement of a contacting object (including the user's finger or a stylus; hereinafter, the case of a finger will be described as a representative example) that comes into contact with the operating surface, and provides the main control unit 40 with information on the contact position. The movement of the finger is detected as coordinate information indicating the position or area of ​​the contact point, and the coordinate information is represented, for example, as coordinate values ​​on two axes, the short side direction and the long side direction of the touch panel 14.

[0053] The terminal device 200 is connected to the network N via a mobile communication antenna 30 and a wireless LAN communication antenna 34, and is capable of data communication with the server device 100.

[0054] The program 50 according to this embodiment may be installed on the terminal device 200, or it may be provided online from a server (not limited to the server device 100) with learning support functions, etc. When the program 50 is executed, a learning support application that enables learning is activated.

[0055] <Functional configuration of server device 100> Figure 4 is a schematic configuration diagram (functional configuration diagram) showing a server device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention from a functional standpoint. The server device 100 is for supporting the learning of learners on the terminal device 200, and for that purpose, it includes at least a server communication unit 131, a server storage unit 132, and a server processing unit 133.

[0056] The server communication unit 131 communicates between the server device 100 and the network N, and has the function of supplying data received from the terminal device 200 to the server processing unit 133, and transmitting data supplied from the server processing unit 133 to the terminal device 200. Specifically, the server communication unit 131 consists of at least the network interface 110 shown in Figure 2 above.

[0057] The server memory unit 132 is for storing various programs and data, and specifically, it may consist of at least one of the ROM 102, RAM 103, external memory 106, and slot drive 108 shown in Figure 2. Here, the program stored in the server memory unit 132 is a program for a learning support application that executes the processing procedure described later. The server memory unit 132 also records data related to such learning support, display data, and data of various calculation results.

[0058] For example, the server storage unit 132 stores the learning content DB 1321, the learner DB 1322, the school DB 1323, the model answer DB 1324, and the answer DB 1325.

[0059] The learning content DB1321, in one example, includes at least a content ID, content name, content, and an explanatory question. The content ID is information for uniquely identifying the learning content. The content contains one or more questions. The explanatory question is a question that requires the learner to explain the answer to a predetermined question included in the learning content, including the reasoning or method of solving the problem. In this embodiment, an example in which the learning content contains at most one explanatory question is described, but in another embodiment, the learning content may contain two or more explanatory questions.

[0060] The designated questions that link the explanatory questions are preferably those of high importance among the multiple questions included in the learning content, those that can measure the learner's understanding of the learning content, and those that enhance the learner's understanding of the learning content.

[0061] Figure 5 shows an example of a learner database stored in the server storage unit 132. The learner database 1322 shown in Figure 5 includes at least the learner ID, learner name, desired school, academic level, strong subjects, weak subjects, teaching policy, and teaching character. The learner ID is information for uniquely identifying a member of the learning support system 1 service. In this embodiment, it is assumed that users of the learning support system 1 service have entered into a service usage agreement using the present invention. Through the usage agreement, users are assigned a learner ID, and a learning support screen is generated for each learner ID.

[0062] The "Target School" is information that identifies the one school that the learner aims to pass. The "Aspiration Level" is information that indicates the difficulty level of learning that the learner aspires to. In this embodiment, the aspiration level includes four levels: "Minimum Aspiration," "Standard Aspiration" (more difficult than Minimum Aspiration), "Advanced Aspiration" (more difficult than Standard Aspiration), and "Most Advanced Aspiration" (more difficult than Advanced Aspiration), and a level is set according to the target school specified by the learner. The "Strong Subjects" is information that identifies the subjects that the learner excels at. The "Weak Subjects" is information that identifies the subjects that the learner struggles with.

[0063] The teaching policy is information indicating the teaching policy desired by the learner. In this embodiment, the teaching policy includes four options: "0: Standard," "1: Always gentle," "2: Strict in subjects the learner excels at, gentle in subjects they struggle with," and "3: Always strict," and the learner will specify one of these four options. The teaching character is information indicating the teaching character desired by the learner. In this embodiment, the teaching character includes three options: "1: University student instructor," "2: Young teacher," and "3: Veteran teacher," and the learner will specify one of these three options.

[0064] The school database 1323 includes at least a school ID, school name, and a school rank indicating the difficulty level of the school. In this embodiment, the school rank includes four ranks: "C rank", "A rank" (more difficult than C rank), "S rank" (more difficult than A rank), and "SS rank" (more difficult than S rank).

[0065] Figure 6 shows an example of a model answer database stored in the server storage unit 132. The model answer database 1324 shown in Figure 6 includes at least the following: content ID, subject, unit, grade, model answer for the most difficult level, elements 1-4 for the most difficult level, model answer for the difficult level, elements 1-3 for the difficult level, model answer for the standard level, elements 1-3 for the standard level, model answer for the minimum level, elements 1-2 for the minimum level, alternative answer 1, and alternative answer 2. The subject is information that identifies the subject to which the learning content belongs. The unit is information that identifies the learning category to which the learning content belongs. Specifically, the unit is specified with information that identifies the division at the chapter level of the textbook. For example, the unit for mathematics includes "simultaneous equations," "linear functions," "geometric proofs," etc.

[0066] The grade level is information that identifies the grade level to which the learning content is intended. The "Most Difficult" model answer contains the most appropriate answer required for learners aiming for the most difficult level. Similarly, the "Difficult" model answer, "Standard" model answer, and "Minimum" model answer contain the most appropriate answer required for learners aiming for the difficult level, standard level, and minimum level, respectively.

[0067] Elements 1-4 for the most difficult level each store multiple elements included in the model answer for the most difficult level. Similarly, Elements 1-3 for the difficult level, Elements 1-3 for the standard level, and Elements 1-2 for the minimum level each store multiple elements included in the model answer for the difficult level, the model answer for the standard level, and the model answer for the minimum level, respectively. In this embodiment, we show an example where a maximum of 4 elements for the most difficult level, a maximum of 3 elements for the difficult level, a maximum of 3 elements for the standard level, and a maximum of 2 elements for the minimum level are stored, but any number of elements can be stored for each level of difficulty. In addition, in this embodiment, elements are stored for each level of difficulty, but in one embodiment, instead of storing different elements for each level of difficulty, elements common to all levels may be stored.

[0068] Alternative solutions 1 and 2 store solutions that are correct but not optimal. For example, the model solution for the most difficult problems stores a solution that is necessary, sufficient, and without any unnecessary elements, while model solutions 1 and 2 store alternative solutions that are different from the model solution for the most difficult problems, or correct solutions that are lengthy, etc. In this embodiment, we describe an example of storing two model solutions 1 and 2 that are different from the model solution for the most difficult problems, but any other number of model solutions may be stored.

[0069] Figure 7 shows an example of an answer database stored in the server storage unit 132. The answer database 1325 shown in Figure 7 includes at least a content ID, learner ID, orientation level, explanation data 1-2, match score, and date and time. The orientation level stores the learner's orientation level corresponding to the learner ID. Explanation data 1-2 stores the learner's explanation data for the learning content. Explanation data 1 stores the initial explanation data, and explanation data 2 stores additional explanation data. In this embodiment, an example of storing up to one additional explanation data is described, but any other number of additional explanation data may be stored.

[0070] The degree of agreement is information indicating the degree of agreement with the model answer. In this embodiment, the degree of agreement is stored as the degree of agreement between the model answer corresponding to the orientation level and the explanatory data. The date and time is information indicating the date and time of the answer.

[0071] Returning to Figure 4, the server processing unit 133 is composed of the arithmetic processing unit 101 shown in Figure 2, and processing by each of the functional modules described later is executed based on control commands from the arithmetic processing unit 101. In other words, the arithmetic processing unit 101 functions as the server processing unit 133 in this embodiment. To further explain using learning support in this embodiment as an example, the functional modules include a screen transmission unit 1331, a content distribution unit 1332, a start request reception unit 1333, an element determination unit 1334, a dialogue unit 1335, a determination unit 1336, a feedback unit 1337, and an update unit 1338. The functional modules are realized by the various programs described above executed by the processor of the arithmetic processing unit 101, or they may be implemented in the arithmetic processing unit 101 as firmware.

[0072] The screen transmission unit 1331 generates and transmits corresponding screen information to the terminal device 200 in response to user input from the terminal device 200. Specifically, the screen transmission unit 1331 transmits, for example, search result screen information to the terminal device 200 to display search results for learning content. Furthermore, when the screen transmission unit 1331 receives an explanation question from the start request reception unit 1333 (described later), it generates talk screen information requesting an explanation from the learner regarding the explanation question and transmits it to the terminal device 200. Also, when the screen transmission unit 1331 receives a judgment result from the judgment unit 1336 (described later), it generates talk screen information based on the judgment result and transmits it to the terminal device 200.

[0073] In one embodiment, when the screen transmission unit 1331 receives a question comment from the dialogue unit 1335 (described later), it generates talk screen information based on the question comment and transmits it to the terminal device 200. In another embodiment, when the screen transmission unit 1331 receives explanation data from another person from the feedback unit 1337 (described later), it generates talk screen information based on the explanation data from the other person and transmits it to the terminal device 200.

[0074] The content distribution unit 1332 distributes learning content to the learner's terminal device. In this embodiment, the content distribution unit 1332 receives a content distribution request including a content ID from the terminal device 200, retrieves the learning content corresponding to the content ID from the learning content DB 1321, and distributes it to the terminal device 200 of a designated learner.

[0075] The start request receiving unit 1333 receives an explanation start request from the terminal device 200. In this embodiment, the terminal device 200 receives an explanation start request including a content ID and a learner ID, and the start request receiving unit 1333 retrieves the explanation question corresponding to the content ID from the learning content DB 1321 and passes it to the screen transmission unit 1331.

[0076] The element determination unit 1334 compares the explanatory data received from the terminal device 200 with the elements of the model answer and determines the elements whose corresponding parts in the explanatory data do not match. First, in this embodiment, when the element determination unit 1334 receives a determination request from the terminal device 200 that includes the content ID, learner ID, and explanatory data, it refers to the learner DB 1322 to determine the orientation level to be used for determination, and registers a record in the answer DB 1325 based on the content ID, learner ID, orientation level, and explanatory data.

[0077] In this embodiment, the element determination unit 1334 determines the orientation level used for determination from the learner DB 1322. However, in one embodiment, the element determination unit 1334 may determine the orientation level used for determination based on the current learning level as understood from the learning situation, as well as the trends for each subject at the desired school, in addition to the orientation level from the learner DB 1322.

[0078] Next, the element determination unit 1334 retrieves elements of the orientation level to be used for determination from the model answer DB 1324 based on the content ID, compares the explanatory data with the retrieved elements, and determines which elements of the model answer do not match. In this embodiment, the element determination unit 1334 determines which elements of the model answer are not included in the explanatory data as non-matching elements.

[0079] In one embodiment, the element determination unit 1334 compares the first explanatory data with the alternative answer in the model answer DB 1324 to determine whether the first explanatory data is consistent with the alternative answer. The element determination unit 1334 may, for example, determine whether the first explanatory data is consistent with the alternative answer when there are two or more elements that do not match, or it may determine whether the first explanatory data is consistent with the alternative answer by comparing the first explanatory data with the model answer and the alternative answer before determining whether the elements do not match, or it may determine whether the first explanatory data is consistent with the alternative answer based on other arbitrary conditions.

[0080] The dialogue unit 1335 determines a question comment prompting an explanation of the mismatched elements if there are any mismatched elements. In this embodiment, the dialogue unit 1335 generates a question comment asking for part of the conclusion of the mismatched elements and passes it to the screen transmission unit 1331. In one embodiment, if the dialogue unit 1335 determines that the first explanation data is an answer in line with an alternative answer, it determines a question comment prompting an answer in line with the model answer. For example, the dialogue unit 1335 generates a question comment that serves as a hint to lead to the model answer and passes it to the screen transmission unit 1331.

[0081] Furthermore, the dialogue unit 1335 receives an additional judgment request from the terminal device 200, which includes additional explanatory data for the question comment, and determines the degree of match between the additional explanatory data and the elements that do not match. If the degree of match is above a predetermined threshold, the dialogue unit 1335 saves the additional explanatory data to the explanation data 2 of the answer DB 1325 and transfers the processing to the judgment unit 1336. On the other hand, if the degree of match is below the predetermined threshold, the dialogue unit 1335 generates another question comment prompting an explanation of the non-matching elements and passes it to the screen transmission unit 1331.

[0082] In this embodiment, if there are multiple non-matching elements, the server device 100 will determine and output a question comment for one of the multiple elements. The criteria for selecting one element from multiple non-matching elements can be the one that appears earlier in the model answer, the one that appears according to a predetermined priority, or any arbitrary criterion.

[0083] In another embodiment, if there are multiple mismatched elements, the server device 100 may determine and output query comments for two of the multiple elements, or it may determine and output query comments for all of the mismatched elements.

[0084] The determination unit 1336 makes a determination based on the explanatory data received from the terminal device 200 and the model answer. In this embodiment, the determination unit 1336 determines the degree of agreement between the explanatory data, which is a combination of explanatory data 1 and 2 stored in the answer DB 1325, and the model answer of the orientation level used for the determination, which has been determined by the element determination unit 1334, and then determines the determination comment. The determination process will be described later.

[0085] The determination unit 1336 passes the determination result, including the preference level, degree of agreement, and determination comment used for the determination, to the screen transmission unit 1331, and stores the determined degree of agreement in the answer database 1325.

[0086] The feedback unit 1337 determines the other person's explanation data to be fed back to the terminal device 200. In this embodiment, the feedback unit 1337 receives a feedback request from the terminal device 200 including the content ID, learner ID, and judgment result, and obtains the other person's explanation data from the answer DB 1325 based on the content ID, the orientation level of the judgment result, and the degree of agreement of the judgment result.

[0087] In one embodiment, the feedback unit 1337 determines the explanation data with the highest degree of agreement among the explanation data of the same orientation level as the feedback, based on the orientation level and the acquired degree of agreement. If there is no explanation data with a degree of agreement higher than the learner's degree of agreement included in the judgment result in the answer DB 1325, the feedback unit 1337 may determine the model answer included in the model answer DB 1324 as the feedback.

[0088] In another embodiment, the feedback unit 1337 determines, based on the orientation level and degree of agreement, to use as feedback explanatory data from among explanatory data of the same orientation level that has a degree of agreement that is predetermined to be higher than the learner's degree of agreement. For example, if the orientation level is "standard orientation" and the degree of agreement is "70%", the feedback unit 1337 may determine as feedback explanatory data with an agreement of 80%, which is 10% higher than the learner's agreement of "70%". Once the other person's explanatory data to be used as feedback has been determined, the feedback unit 1337 passes the determined other person's explanatory data to the screen transmission unit 1331.

[0089] The update unit 1338 updates the model answer DB 1324. In this embodiment, the update unit 1338 updates the model answer DB 1324 based on the answer DB 1325. In one embodiment, the update unit 1338 may update the model answers for each difficulty level with the explanation data that has the highest degree of agreement among the explanation data included in the answer DB 1325 at any time, such as once a year. For example, the update unit 1338 may obtain the explanation data with the highest degree of agreement for the most difficult difficulty level from the answer DB 1325 and update the model answer for the most difficult level in the model answer DB 1324. Similarly, the update unit 1338 may update the model answers for difficult level, standard level, and minimum level, respectively.

[0090] <Functional configuration of terminal device 200> Figure 8 is a schematic configuration diagram (functional configuration diagram) showing a terminal device 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention from a functional standpoint. In this embodiment, the terminal device 200 is, for example, a tablet terminal and, as shown in Figure 8, comprises at least a terminal communication unit 202, a display unit 204, an operation unit 206, an audio output unit 208, an audio input unit 210, a terminal storage unit 212, and a learner application control unit 214.

[0091] The terminal communication unit 202 can be implemented, for example, by a mobile communication unit 32 or a wireless LAN communication unit 36. The terminal communication unit 202 transmits data supplied from the learner application control unit 214 to the server device 100 and supplies data received from the server device 100 to the learner application control unit 214.

[0092] The display unit 204 is implemented by, for example, a touch panel 14 or a main control unit 40, and displays screens related to content and other learning support applications.

[0093] The operation unit 206 is implemented, for example, by a touch panel 14, hard buttons 20, hard keys 22, etc., and receives user input.

[0094] The audio output unit 208 is implemented, for example, by a speaker 16 and a main control unit 40, and outputs audio contained in the learning content.

[0095] The audio input unit 210 is implemented, for example, by a microphone 18 and a main control unit 40, and receives audio of explanations from learners.

[0096] The terminal storage unit 212 is for storing various programs and data, and specifically, it may consist of the storage unit 38 shown in Figure 3, as described above. The programs stored in the terminal storage unit 212 are programs for learning support applications that execute processing procedures described later. The terminal storage unit 212 also records data related to such learning support, display data, and data of various calculation results.

[0097] For example, the terminal storage unit 212 stores learner identification data 2121. The identification data 2121 includes at least a learner ID, login ID, and password.

[0098] The learner application control unit 214 can be implemented by, for example, the main control unit 40. The learner application control unit 214 implements each function of the learning support application when the program 50 is executed. The learner application control unit 214 includes a reception unit 2141, an authentication unit 2142, and an input / output control unit 2143.

[0099] The reception unit 2141 receives information corresponding to user operations entered via the touch panel 14 or the like. The reception unit 2141 outputs the information corresponding to the received user operations to the appropriate units. For example, as will be described later, the reception unit 2141 receives learner login information and the like entered using the operation unit 206, and outputs the received information to the appropriate units.

[0100] The authentication unit 2142 authenticates the learner using the login information obtained from the reception unit 2141. For example, the login information includes a login ID and password, and the authentication unit 2142 performs authentication processing using the identification data 2121. Note that the authentication processing may be performed by the server device 100 or an authentication server separate from the server device 100. Furthermore, any authentication method may be used, such as authentication using an entered password, fingerprint authentication, iris authentication, or voiceprint authentication. In this case, the information used for authentication is input, for example, from the operation unit 206.

[0101] The input / output control unit 2143 transmits various requests to the server device 100 according to the learner's input obtained from the reception unit 2141, and receives the processing results to generate a screen based on the various information and display it on the display unit 204. For example, in this embodiment, the input / output control unit 2143 responds to receiving a content search instruction from the learner via the operation unit 206 by transmitting a content search request to the server device 100, receiving the processing results to generate a search results screen and display it on the display unit 304. Also, the input / output control unit 2143 responds to receiving a content distribution instruction from the learner via the operation unit 206 by transmitting a content distribution request to the server device 100, receiving the content as a processing result and playing it back on the display unit 304 and the audio output unit 208.

[0102] In response to receiving an instruction to start an explanation from the learner via the operation unit 206, the input / output control unit 2143 sends an explanation start request including the content ID and learner ID to the server device 100, receives the processing result, generates a talk screen, and displays it on the display unit 304. In addition, in response to receiving a judgment instruction from the learner via the operation unit 206, the input / output control unit 2143 sends a judgment request including the content ID, learner ID, and explanation data to the server device 100, receives the processing result, updates the talk screen, and displays it on the display unit 304.

[0103] In one embodiment, the input / output control unit 2143, in response to receiving an additional judgment instruction from the learner via the operation unit 206, sends an additional judgment request including the content ID, learner ID, and additional explanatory data to the server device 100, receives the processing result, updates the talk screen, and displays it on the display unit 304. In another embodiment, the input / output control unit 2143, in response to receiving a feedback instruction from the learner via the operation unit 206, sends a feedback request including the content ID, learner ID, and judgment result to the server device 100, receives the processing result, updates the talk screen, and displays it on the display unit 304.

[0104] <Example of terminal device 200 screen> Next, an example of a screen for the learning support service in the embodiment will be described. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for viewing learning content. In the example shown in Figure 9, science learning content is being viewed, and the viewing screen includes a key question icon 901 and a talk screen control 902. In this embodiment, the learner can display the initial talk screen by selecting the talk screen control 902 on the viewing screen which includes the key question icon 901.

[0105] Figure 10 shows an example of the initial talk screen. In the example shown in Figure 10, the instructor character is displayed on the left side of the screen, and the talk area 1001 is displayed on the right side of the screen. The talk area displays data from the instructor character and data from the learner in a distinguishable manner. In this embodiment, the talk area 1001 displays data from the instructor character in left-facing speech bubbles and data from the learner in right-facing speech bubbles, from top to bottom in chronological order.

[0106] Figures 11 and 12 show examples of chat screens. Figure 11 shows an example of a chat screen where a learner has entered explanation data, and Figure 12 shows an example of a chat screen where another person's explanation data is displayed. Speech bubble 1101 shows information requesting the learner to provide an explanation for an explanation question. Speech bubble 1102 shows the explanation data from the learner. Speech bubble 1103 shows a question comment from the instructional character. Speech bubble 1104 shows additional explanation data from the learner. Speech bubble 1105 shows a judgment comment from the instructional character.

[0107] <Operation> First, the basic operation of the learning support system 1 will be explained. Figures 13 and 14 are flowcharts showing an example of processing between a server device and a terminal device according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, before the processing shown in Figure 13, various data are assumed to be stored in the learning content DB 1321, school DB 1323, and model answer DB 1324 under the management of the administrator of the server device 100. In addition, the learner DB 1322 is assumed to store the learner's desired school, academic level, strong subjects, weak subjects, teaching policy, and teaching character, which are set at any time the learner has chosen. The answer DB 1325 is also assumed to store multiple answer data.

[0108] When a learner, who is a user of the learning support system 1, enters login information using the operation unit 206 of the terminal device 200, the reception unit 2141 of the terminal device 200 receives the login information (S101). Here, it is assumed that learner 1 with learner ID "user2" entered the login information using the operation unit 206. When the reception unit 2141 receives the login information, the authentication unit 2142 of the terminal device 200 authenticates the learner using the login information obtained from the reception unit 2141 (S102). In this embodiment, the login information includes a login ID and a password, and the authentication unit 2142 performs authentication processing using identification data 2121.

[0109] If authentication is successful, a learning support screen dedicated to the logged-in learner is displayed on the display unit 204. Subsequently, when the learner uses the operation unit 206 to input a content search request to search for desired learning content, the input / output control unit 2143 of the terminal device 200 transmits the content search request received by the reception unit 2141 to the server device 100 (S103).

[0110] The screen transmission unit 1331 of the server device 100 receives a content search request from the terminal device 200 (S104) and generates search result screen information (S105). In this embodiment, the screen transmission unit 1331 generates the search result screen information by referring to the learning content DB 1321.

[0111] When the screen transmission unit 1331 transmits search result screen information (S106, S107), the input / output control unit 2143 of the terminal device 200 generates a search result screen based on the search result screen information and displays it on the display unit 304 (S108).

[0112] When a learner selects desired content using the operation unit 206 on the displayed search results screen and inputs a content distribution request, the input / output control unit 2143 sends a content distribution request including the content ID of the selected content to the server device 100 (S109).

[0113] The content distribution unit 1332 of the server device 100 receives a content distribution request from the terminal device 200 (S110), retrieves the learning content corresponding to the content ID from the learning content DB 1321 (S111), and distributes it to the learner's terminal device 200 (S112).

[0114] When learning content is delivered from the content distribution unit 1332 (S113), the input / output control unit 2143 plays it back on the display unit 304 and the audio output unit 208 (S114).

[0115] Next, referring to Figure 14, we will explain the operation of the learning support system 1 when it has a learner explain how to solve a problem. When a learner inputs an explanation start request using the operation unit 206 while viewing the learning content, the input / output control unit 2143 sends an explanation start request including the content ID and learner ID to the server device 100 (S201). Here, we assume that Figure 10 is displayed when the learner selects the talk screen control 902 on the viewing screen shown in Figure 9, and that when the learner selects the explanation start control 1002 on the initial talk screen of Figure 10, the input / output control unit 2143 sends an explanation start request including the content ID "content1" and learner ID "user2".

[0116] The start request receiving unit 1333 of the server device 100 receives an explanation start request from the terminal device 200 (S202) and obtains an explanation question corresponding to the content ID included in the explanation start request (S203). Here, it is assumed that the start request receiving unit 1333 obtained an explanation question corresponding to the content ID "content1" from the learning content DB 1321. Once the start request receiving unit 1333 obtains the explanation question, the screen transmission unit 1331 generates talk screen information requesting an explanation from the learner regarding the explanation question and sends it to the terminal device 200 (S204).

[0117] When talk screen information is transmitted from the screen transmission unit 1331 (S205), the input / output control unit 2143 of the terminal device 200 generates a talk screen based on the talk screen information and displays it on the display unit 304 (S206). Here, it is assumed that the input / output control unit 2143 displays a talk screen including the speech bubble 1101 in Figure 11.

[0118] When the learner speaks explanatory audio into the microphone 18 of the terminal device 200 while the talk screen is displayed, input / output control unit 2143 sends a judgment request to the server device 100 that includes the content ID, learner ID, and explanation data (S207). Here, assume that the learner speaks the audio shown in the speech bubble 1102 of Figure 11, and the input / output control unit 2143 sends a judgment request that includes the content ID "content1", learner ID "user2", and explanation data "...".

[0119] The element determination unit 1334 of the server device 100 receives a determination request from the terminal device 200 (S208), refers to the learner DB 1322 to determine the orientation level to be used for determination (S209), and registers a record in the answer DB 1325 based on the content ID, learner ID, orientation level, and explanation data. Here, it is assumed that the element determination unit 1334 determined the orientation level to be used for determination to be "most difficult orientation" and registered a record in the answer DB 1325.

[0120] Next, the element determination unit 1334 retrieves elements of the orientation level to be used for determination from the model answer DB 1324 based on the content ID, compares the explanatory data with the retrieved elements, and determines which elements of the model answer do not match (S210). Here, the element determination unit 1334 determines that element 4 for the most difficult level does not match.

[0121] If there are any mismatched elements, the dialogue unit 1335 of the server device 100 determines a question comment prompting an explanation of the mismatched elements (S211). In this embodiment, the dialogue unit 1335 generates a question comment asking for part of the conclusion of the mismatched elements. Once the dialogue unit 1335 determines the question comment, the screen transmission unit 1331 generates talk screen information based on the question comment and transmits it to the terminal device 200 (S212).

[0122] When the screen transmission unit 1331 transmits talk screen information based on the judgment result (S213), the input / output control unit 2143 of the terminal device 200 updates the talk screen based on the talk screen information based on the question comment and displays it on the display unit 304 (S214). Here, it is assumed that the input / output control unit 2143 displays the talk screen including the speech bubble 1103 in Figure 11.

[0123] When the learner speaks into the microphone 18 of the terminal device 200 while the talk screen is displayed, inputting additional explanatory data, the input / output control unit 2143 sends an additional judgment request to the server device 100, which includes the content ID, learner ID, and additional explanatory data (S215). Here, assume that the learner speaks the voice shown in the speech bubble 1104 of Figure 11, and the input / output control unit 2143 sends an additional judgment request which includes the content ID "content1", learner ID "user2", and additional explanatory data "...".

[0124] The dialogue unit 1335 receives an additional judgment request from the terminal device 200, which includes additional explanatory data for the question comment (S216), and determines the degree of agreement with the elements that do not match the additional explanatory data (S217). If the degree of agreement is above a predetermined threshold, the dialogue unit 1335 saves the additional explanatory data to the explanation data 2 of the answer DB 1325 and transfers the processing to the judgment unit 1336 of the server device 100. Here, it is assumed that the dialogue unit 1335 has determined that the degree of agreement with the elements that do not match the additional explanatory data is above a predetermined threshold.

[0125] The judgment unit 1336 retrieves model answers for multiple orientation levels from the model answer DB 1324 based on the content ID, and determines the degree of agreement and a judgment comment based on the learner's orientation level, explanation data 1-2, and the multiple model answers (S218). Here, the judgment unit 1336 determines a degree of agreement of "88%" and decides the judgment comment to be "Excellent". Finally, the judgment unit 1336 registers the degree of agreement in the answer DB 1325 based on the content ID and learner ID.

[0126] Once the determination unit 1336 completes the determination, the screen transmission unit 1331 generates talk screen information based on the determination result and transmits it to the terminal device 200 (S219).

[0127] When the screen transmission unit 1331 transmits talk screen information based on the judgment result (S220), the input / output control unit 2143 of the terminal device 200 updates the talk screen based on the talk screen information based on the judgment result and displays it on the display unit 304 (S221). Here, it is assumed that the input / output control unit 2143 displays a talk screen including the speech bubble 1105, speech bubble 1106, and choice 1107 shown in Figure 11.

[0128] When a learner inputs a feedback request by selecting the "view" control from option 1107 displayed on the talk screen, the input / output control unit 2143 sends a feedback request including the content ID, learner ID, and judgment result to the server device 100 (S222). Here, it is assumed that the input / output control unit 2143 sent a feedback request including the content ID "content1", learner ID "user2", and judgment result "Orientation level: Most difficult orientation, Matching degree: 88%, Judgment comment: Excellent".

[0129] The feedback unit 1337 of the server device 100 receives a feedback request from the terminal device 200 (S223) and determines the other person's explanation data to be fed back to the terminal device 200 based on the content ID, the orientation level of the judgment result, and the degree of agreement of the judgment result (S224). Here, the feedback unit 1337 obtains the other person's explanation data with the highest degree of agreement among those with the orientation level "most difficult orientation" from the answer DB 1325, based on the content ID "content1", the orientation level of the judgment result "most difficult orientation", and the degree of agreement of the judgment result "88%".

[0130] When the feedback unit 1337 acquires the other party's explanation data, the screen transmission unit 1331 generates talk screen information based on the other party's explanation data and transmits it to the terminal device 200 (S225).

[0131] When the screen transmission unit 1331 transmits talk screen information based on the other person's explanation data (S226), the input / output control unit 2143 of the terminal device 200 updates the talk screen based on the talk screen information based on the other person's explanation data and displays it on the display unit 304 (S227). Here, the input / output control unit 2143 displays a talk screen as shown in Figure 12. In this embodiment, the other person's explanation data is displayed on the talk screen in a manner that allows identification of parts that match and parts that differ from the learner's explanation data.

[0132] Next, the operation of the determination process of the determination unit 1336 will be described. Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the determination process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0133] After S217 in Figure 14, when processing is transferred from the dialogue unit 1335, the determination unit 1336 obtains multiple model answers for different difficulty levels from the model answer DB 1324 based on the content ID (S401). In this embodiment, the determination unit 1336 obtains four model answers based on the content ID: a model answer for the most difficult level, a model answer for the difficult level, a model answer for the standard level, and a model answer for the minimum level.

[0134] Next, the judgment unit 1336 determines the degree of agreement between the model answer for the orientation level used for judgment and the explanatory data (S402). In this case, the judgment unit 1336 compares the explanatory data, which is a combination of explanatory data 1 and explanatory data 2, with the model answer. If the degree of agreement is higher than the correct answer threshold (S403: Yes), the judgment unit 1336 determines a judgment comment based on the degree of agreement (S404). In this embodiment, the correct answer threshold is set to 70%, and further, a degree of 70% or more and less than 80% is defined as low agreement, a degree of 80% or more and less than 90% as medium agreement, and a degree of 90% or more as high agreement. The judgment unit 1336 determines a judgment comment based on the table in Figure 19. For example, if the degree of agreement with the model answer for the most difficult level is 90% or more, the judgment unit 1336 determines the judgment comment to be "highest rank".

[0135] In one embodiment, the determination unit 1336 may adjust the correct answer threshold and the range of agreement above the correct answer threshold based on the guidance policy. For example, if the guidance policy is "0: Standard", the determination unit 1336 uses a correct answer threshold of "70%", low agreement of "70% or more and less than 80", medium agreement of "80% or more and less than 90%", and high agreement of "90% or more" without adjustment. If the guidance policy is "1: Always gentle", the determination unit 1336 adjusts the correct answer threshold to 65%, low agreement of 65% or more and less than 75, medium agreement of 75% or more and less than 85%, and high agreement of 85% or more. If the guidance policy is "3: Always strict", the determination unit 1336 adjusts the correct answer threshold to 75%, low agreement of 75% or more and less than 85, medium agreement of 85% or more and less than 95%, and high agreement of 95% or more.

[0136] Furthermore, if the teaching policy is "2: Be strict with subjects you excel at, and gentle with subjects you struggle with," the judgment unit 1336 adjusts the threshold in the same way as in the case of the teaching policy "3: Always be strict" if the subject to which the content ID belongs is a subject the student excels at, and adjusts it in the same way as in the case of the teaching policy "1: Always be gentle" if the subject to which the content ID belongs is a subject the student struggles with. If the subject to which the content ID belongs is neither a subject the student excels at nor a subject the student struggles with, the unit uses the correct answer threshold and the range of matching above the correct answer threshold without adjustment.

[0137] Returning to Figure 15, if the degree of agreement is lower than the correct answer threshold (S403: No), the judgment unit 1336 determines the degree of agreement between the explanatory data and the model answer at an orientation level one level lower than the orientation level used in the judgment in S402 (S405). Based on the degree of agreement determined in S405, the judgment unit 1336 determines the judgment comment (S406). For example, if the degree of agreement with the most difficult model answer is lower than the correct answer threshold of 70%, and the degree of agreement with the difficult model answer is higher than the correct answer threshold of 70%, the judgment unit 1336 determines the judgment comment to be "Mostly OK" based on the table in Figure 19. Alternatively, if the degree of agreement with the most difficult model answer is lower than the correct answer threshold of 70%, and the degree of agreement with the difficult model answer is also lower than the correct answer threshold of 70%, the judgment unit 1336 determines the judgment comment to be "Let's look at the correct answer" based on the table in Figure 19.

[0138] In addition, in S218 of Figure 14, in this embodiment, when the determination unit 1336 registers the degree of match determined in S402 to the answer DB 1325, it registers the degree of match determined in S402.

[0139] In this embodiment, the determination unit 1336 determines the degree of agreement between the model answer for the orientation level used for determination and, if necessary, the model answer for an orientation level one step lower than the orientation level used for determination. In another embodiment, however, the determination unit may also determine the degree of agreement with a model answer for an orientation level one step lower, or it may determine the degree of agreement with a model answer for an orientation level one step higher than the orientation level used for determination, or it may only determine the degree of agreement with the model answer for the orientation level used for determination.

[0140] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the determination unit 1336 determines the judgment comment based only on whether the degree of agreement with the model answer of a lower orientation level is higher or lower than the correct answer threshold, as shown in the "→→Correct" and "→→Incorrect" sections of the table in Figure 19. However, in another embodiment, multiple agreement ranges such as high agreement, medium agreement, and low agreement may be set for the degree of agreement with the model answer of a lower orientation level, and the judgment comment may be determined based on these ranges.

[0141] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the determination process is performed on the server device 100 side, but this is not the only example, and some or all of these processes may be performed on the terminal device 200 side.

[0142] Furthermore, in this embodiment, we have described an example in which various requests are sent to the server device 100 by executing a learning support application stored in the terminal device 200, and the processing results are received and displayed. However, in other embodiments, various requests may be sent to the server device 100 according to user operations in a browser implemented in the terminal device 200, and the processing results may be received and displayed on the browser.

[0143] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example was described in which the element determination unit determines elements included in the model answer that do not match the initial explanatory data. However, the system is not limited to this, and it may also determine elements where the explanatory data is excessive or insufficient compared to the model answer. In addition, for problems where the order of elements is important, the element determination unit may determine elements that are in a different order than those specified in the model answer.

[0144] As described above, according to this embodiment, the server device 100 enables learners to explain how to solve a problem, compares the initial explanation data explaining the reason or method of solving a given problem with the model answer, determines the elements included in the model answer that do not match the initial explanation data, and provides the learner with a question comment prompting them to explain the elements that do not match. By supporting learners to notice the elements that do not match themselves, the server device 100 can help deepen the learner's understanding.

[0145] Furthermore, the server device 100 stores model answers for each of the multiple levels that learners aspire to, enabling it to determine whether the necessary and sufficient elements align with the learner's aspirations are matched with the explanatory data.

[0146] Furthermore, the server device 100 determines the degree of agreement between the explanatory data, which combines the initial explanatory data with the additional explanatory data, and the model answer. By providing learners with comments determined based on this degree of agreement, it becomes possible to provide learners with better comments than those determined based solely on the initial explanatory data, and is expected to improve their satisfaction with learning.

[0147] <Another embodiment> In the embodiments described above, we have explained an example in which learners are required to provide an explanation including the reasoning or method of solving the problem, in addition to the answer to the problem. Here, we will explain an example in which the answer to the problem includes multiple elements.

[0148] In this embodiment, for the question, "Translate the sentence 'This book has been read in Japan for a long time' into English," the example answer stored is "This book has been read in Japan for a long time." As shown in Figure 17, in this embodiment, the model answer DB1324 includes at least the content ID, subject, unit, grade, common example answer, elements 1 to 5, and related questions for elements 1 to 5.

[0149] Common answer examples are stored at the orientation level. Elements 1-5 each store multiple elements included in the answer examples. Related questions for elements 1-5 each store information to identify a second question that tests knowledge of the corresponding element.

[0150] Next, referring to Figure 14, the following will be explained in accordance with this embodiment starting from S207. When learner 1 inputs answer data via the touch panel 14 or microphone 18 of the terminal device 200, the input / output control unit 2143 sends a judgment request including the content ID, learner ID, and answer data to the server device 100 (S207). Here, it is assumed that the input / output control unit 2143 sent a judgment request including the content ID "content10", learner ID "user1", and answer data "This book have been read in Japan for a long time."

[0151] The element determination unit 1334 of the server device 100 receives a determination request from the terminal device 200 (S208), refers to the learner DB 1322 to determine the orientation level to be used for determination (S209), and registers a record in the answer DB 1325 based on the content ID, learner ID, orientation level, and answer data. Here, it is assumed that the element determination unit 1334 determined the orientation level to be used for determination to be "standard orientation" and registered a record in the answer DB 1325.

[0152] Next, the element determination unit 1334 obtains the orientation level elements to be used for determination from the model answer DB 1324 based on the content ID, compares the answer data with the elements of the example answer, and determines which elements of the example answer do not match (S210). Here, the element determination unit 1334 determines that element 2 "has" among elements 1 to 5 of the common example answer is a mismatch.

[0153] If there are mismatched elements, the dialogue unit 1335 of the server device 100 determines a question comment requesting answer data for a related question that tests knowledge of the mismatched elements (S211). In this embodiment, the dialogue unit 1335 determines a question comment requesting answer data for a related question with the person of the question changed, such as "What English sentence would it be if you changed the subject to 'These books'?", based on the 2-related question information stored in association with element 2. Once the dialogue unit 1335 determines the question comment, the screen transmission unit 1331 generates talk screen information based on the question comment and transmits it to the terminal device 200 (S212).

[0154] When the screen transmission unit 1331 transmits talk screen information based on the judgment result (S213), the input / output control unit 2143 of the terminal device 200 updates the talk screen based on the talk screen information based on the question comment and displays it on the display unit 304 (S214).

[0155] When a learner inputs additional answer data, the input / output control unit 2143 sends an additional judgment request to the server device 100, which includes the content ID, learner ID, and additional answer data (S215). Here, it is assumed that the input / output control unit 2143 sends an additional judgment request which includes the content ID "content10-1", learner ID "user1", and additional answer data "...".

[0156] The dialogue unit 1335 receives an additional judgment request from the terminal device 200, which includes additional answer data for the question comment (S216), and determines the degree of agreement between the additional answer data and the example answers for the related problem (S217). If the degree of agreement is above a predetermined threshold, the dialogue unit 1335 saves the additional answer data to the explanation data 2 in the answer DB 1325 and transfers the processing to the judgment unit 1336 of the server device 100.

[0157] The determination unit 1336 determines the degree of agreement between each of the explanation data based on the example answer to the problem, the example answer to the related problem, and explanation data 1 to 2, and determines a determination comment (S218). Here, the determination unit 1336 determines the degree of agreement between the example answer to content ID "content10" and explanation data 1, and between the example answer to content ID "content10-1" and explanation data 2, and determines a determination comment based on the two degrees of agreement. When determining the determination comment, the determination comment may be determined based on the average of the two degrees of agreement, based on a lower degree of agreement, or based on a higher degree of agreement.

[0158] In this embodiment, we have described an example of a question comment requesting answer data for related problems with a changed person in the problem, but this is not limited to this example, and a question comment requesting answer data for related problems with a changed tense in the problem may also be output.

[0159] As described above, according to this embodiment, the server device 100 can help learners acquire the knowledge tested in the problems more deeply by providing them with an opportunity to think more deeply about the knowledge of elements that do not match based on the output of related problems. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0160] 1...Learning support system, 101...Calculation processing unit, 102...ROM, 103...RAM, 104...External interface, 105...Input unit, 106...External memory, 107...Image processing unit, 108...Slot drive, 109...Audio processing unit, 110...Network interface, 111...Display monitor, 112...Speaker device, 120...Transmission path, 131...Server communication unit, 132...Server storage unit, 1321...Learning content DB, 1322...Learner DB, 1323...School DB, 1324...Model answer DB, 1325...Answer DB, 133...Server processing unit, 1331...Screen transmission unit (output unit), 1332...Content distribution unit, 1333...Start request reception unit, 1334...Element determination unit (first receiving unit), 1335...Dialogue unit (second receiving unit), 1336...Determination unit, 1337...Feedback unit ,1338...Update unit, 200...Terminal device, 14...Touch panel, 14A...Display, 14B...Touch sensor, 16...Speaker, 18...Microphone, 20...Hard button, 22...Hard key, 24...Audio output terminal, 26...Camera, 30...Antenna for mobile communication, 32...Mobile communication unit, 34...Antenna for wireless LAN communication, 36...Wireless LAN communication unit, 38...Storage unit, 40...Main control unit, 4 2…External interface, 50…Program, 202…Terminal communication unit, 204…Display unit, 206…Operation unit, 208…Audio output unit, 210…Audio input unit, 212…Terminal storage unit, 2121…Identification data, 214…Learner application control unit, 2141…Reception unit, 2142…Authentication unit, 2143…Input / output control unit (First transmission unit, First terminal reception unit, Second transmission unit, Second terminal reception unit), N…Network

Claims

1. A memory unit that stores example answers to a given problem, A first receiving unit that receives answer data for the predetermined problem from the learner's terminal device, An element determination unit compares the aforementioned example answer with the aforementioned answer data to determine which elements of the answer data are excessive or insufficient compared to the aforementioned example answer, Based on the above determination, a dialogue unit determines the comment, Output unit that outputs the aforementioned comment and An information processing device equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned example answers include model answers that explain the reasoning or method used to arrive at the solution to the given problem. The aforementioned answer data includes first explanatory data that explains the reason or method for arriving at the answer to the predetermined problem. The element determination unit compares the model answer with the answer data and determines which elements included in the model answer do not match the answer data. The dialogue unit determines a question comment prompting an explanation of the inconsistent elements. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. A second receiving unit that receives second explanatory data in response to the inquiry comment from the terminal device, A determination unit that determines the degree of agreement between the explanatory data, which is a combination of the first explanatory data and the second explanatory data, and the model answer. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the output unit further outputs a comment determined based on the degree of agreement.

5. The element determination unit compares the example answer with the answer data and determines which elements included in the example answer do not match the answer data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dialogue unit determines a question comment requesting answer data for a second question that asks about knowledge of the non-matching elements.

6. The memory unit stores example answers for each of the multiple levels that the learner aims for. The element determination unit makes a determination using example answers that correspond to the learner's level on the terminal device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The memory unit further stores alternative answers that are different from the example answers, The element determination unit compares the alternative answer with the answer data to determine whether the answer data is consistent with the alternative answer. If the aforementioned answer data is determined to be an answer consistent with the aforementioned alternative answer, the dialogue unit determines a question comment prompting the user to provide an answer consistent with the example answer. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. An information processing device equipped with a storage unit that stores example answers to a given problem, Receiving answer data for the predetermined problem from the learner's terminal device, The method involves comparing the example answer with the answer data to determine whether the answer data is excessive or insufficient compared to the example answer, Based on the above determination, a comment will be made, Outputting the aforementioned comment and A method that includes this.

9. One or more computers equipped with a memory unit that stores example answers to a given problem, The process of receiving answer data for the predetermined problem from the learner's terminal device, A process to compare the example answer with the answer data and determine which elements of the answer data are excessive or insufficient compared to the example answer, Based on the above determination, a process is performed to determine the comment, The process of outputting the aforementioned comments and A program that executes the command.

10. A terminal device that is communicatively connected to a server device equipped with a memory unit that stores model answers explaining the reasoning or method of solving a given problem, A first transmission unit transmits to the server device first explanatory data that explains the reason or method of solving the predetermined problem, A first terminal receiving unit receives a question comment from the server device prompting an explanation of elements included in the model answer that do not match the first explanation data, as a response to the transmission of the first explanation data. The server device includes a second transmission unit that transmits second explanatory data in response to the inquiry comment, A second terminal receiving unit receives from the server device a comment determined based on the degree of agreement between the explanatory data, which is a combination of the first and second explanatory data, and the model answer, in response to the transmission of the second explanatory data. A display unit that displays the aforementioned question comment and a comment determined based on the degree of agreement. A terminal device equipped with the following features.

11. The terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the display unit displays the first explanatory data, the question comment, the second explanatory data, and the comment determined based on the degree of agreement in chronological order.

12. A terminal device that is communicatively connected to a server device equipped with a memory unit that stores model answers explaining the reasoning or method of solving a given problem, Transmitting to the server device first explanatory data that explains the reason or method of solving the predetermined problem, In response to the transmission of the first explanatory data, the server device receives a question comment prompting the user to explain the elements included in the model answer that do not match the first explanatory data. The aforementioned question comment is displayed on the display unit of the terminal device, The server device is to transmit second explanatory data in response to the inquiry comment, In response to the transmission of the second explanatory data, the server device receives a comment determined based on the degree of agreement between the explanatory data, which is a combination of the first explanatory data and the second explanatory data, and the model answer. The comment determined based on the degree of agreement is displayed on the display unit. A method that includes this.

13. A terminal device is connected to a server device that has a memory unit that stores model answers explaining the reasoning or method of solving a given problem, The process of transmitting to the server device first explanatory data that explains the reason or method of solving the predetermined problem, In response to the transmission of the first explanatory data, the process involves receiving a question comment from the server device prompting an explanation of the elements included in the model answer that do not match the first explanatory data, The process of displaying the aforementioned question comment on the display unit of the terminal device, The process of sending second explanatory data in response to the inquiry comment to the server device, In response to the transmission of the second explanatory data, the server device receives a comment determined based on the degree of agreement between the explanatory data, which is a combination of the first explanatory data and the second explanatory data, and the model answer. A process of displaying a comment determined based on the degree of agreement on the display unit. A program that executes the command.

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