Information processing device

Abstract

A relevant information displaying server 10 is provided with: an acquiring unit 12 for acquiring presentation information indicating the content of a lecture by a lecturer; a detecting unit 13 for detecting a pre-registered keyword included in the presentation information acquired by the acquiring unit 12; and a displaying unit 14 for displaying to an attendee relevant information relevant to the keyword detected by the detecting unit 13. The displaying unit 14, on the basis of at least one of knowledge level of the attendee and difficulty of the keyword with respect to the presentation content, determines a frequency of display of the relevant information to the attendee, and displays the relevant information to the attendee in accordance with the determined frequency.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in order to improve the convenience of voice chat users, a system has been known that acquires the content of a voice chat conversation, extracts pre-registered keywords from the voice data of the conversation content, and presents information related to the extracted keywords (search results obtained by searching for information using the keywords and articles related to the keywords) to the voice chat users (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-287697 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, in an online lecture system, the above system can be used to present viewers (e.g., students) with information related to keywords included in the content of a presentation by a presenter (e.g., a lecturer), which is thought to improve the convenience of viewers. However, if information related to a keyword is presented to viewers every time a keyword is detected, the viewers may find it annoying.

[0005] Therefore, an object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an information processing device that can further improve convenience for viewers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an acquisition unit that acquires presentation information indicating the content of a presentation by a presenter, a detection unit that detects pre-registered keywords included in the presentation information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a presentation unit that presents related information related to the keywords detected by the detection unit to viewers, wherein the presentation unit determines the frequency at which to present the related information to viewers based on at least one of the viewers' knowledge level regarding the content of the presentation and the difficulty level of the keywords, and presents the related information to viewers according to the determined frequency.

[0007] According to an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, by presenting to viewers information related to keywords included in the content of a presentation by a presenter, it is possible to effectively enhance viewers' understanding of the content of the presentation. Furthermore, by adjusting the frequency at which related information is presented to viewers based on at least one of the viewer's knowledge level and the difficulty level of the keywords, it is possible to effectively present related information to viewers at an appropriate frequency depending on the viewer or the keywords. Therefore, it is possible to further improve convenience for viewers. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device that can further improve convenience for viewers. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an online lecture system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of a related information presentation server. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of keyword information stored in a keyword DB. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a presentation history stored in a presentation history DB. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a lecture screen presented to a student. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first modified example of related information. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing second and third modified examples of related information. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram used to explain the process of setting the knowledge level of a student. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the related information presentation server. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an online lecture system according to a modified example. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a related information presentation server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0011] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an online lecture system 1 according to one embodiment. The online lecture system 1 includes a related information presentation server 10 (information processing device), a lecturer computer 20, multiple student computers 30, and an online lecture server 40. In this embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which an online lecture on Western philosophy is given using the online lecture system 1.

[0012] The lecturer computer 20 is a computer device used by a lecturer (presenter) of an online lecture. The lecturer computer 20 is, for example, a desktop PC, a laptop PC, etc. The lecturer computer 20 has a related information presentation client 21, which is a program that performs data communication with the related information presentation server 10, and an online lecture client 22, which is a program that performs data communication with the online lecture server 40.

[0013] The student computer 30 is a computer device used by a student (audience) of an online lecture. The student computer 30 is, for example, a desktop PC, a laptop PC, etc. The student computer 30 has an online lecture client 31, which is a program that performs data communication with the online lecture server 40.

[0014] The online lecture server 40 has the function of receiving presentation information indicating the lecture content (presentation content) from the online lecture client 22 of the lecturer computer 20 and distributing the received presentation information to the online lecture client 31 of each student computer 30. The online lecture server 40 is composed of one or more computer devices. The presentation information may include, for example, voice data of the lecturer input to the lecturer computer 20, image (video) data indicating the content of the lecture materials (lecture slides, etc.) displayed and operated on the lecturer computer 20, etc.

[0015] The related information presentation server 10 is a server device that executes processing related to the presentation of related information (described in detail below). The related information presentation server 10 is composed of one or more computers. In pre-processing performed before the start of an online lecture, the related information presentation server 10 accepts keyword registration via the related information presentation client 21 of the instructor computer 20. The keyword registration processing will be described in detail below. Furthermore, during the online lecture, the related information presentation server 10 receives presentation information from the related information presentation client 21 of the instructor computer 20 as the online lecture progresses. The related information presentation server 10 detects keywords included in the received presentation information, generates related information related to the detected keywords, and transmits the generated related information to the online lecture server 40. Upon receiving the related information from the related information presentation server 10, the online lecture server 40 distributes the received related information to the online lecture client 31 of each student computer 30. Through the above processing, each student can view the related information of keywords that appeared during the lecture on the student computer 30 along with the lecture content (e.g., the lecturer's voice and video of the lecture slides). In other words, convenience for the students can be improved by presenting related information that helps students understand the lecture content. Furthermore, when the related information distributed to the student computer 30 includes questions such as quizzes and questionnaires that require answers from the students, the online lecture client 31 acquires the answer information entered by the students and transmits the answer information to the online lecture server 40.

[0016] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the related information presentation server 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the related information presentation server 10 has, as functional components, a keyword management unit 11, an acquisition unit 12, a detection unit 13, a presentation unit 14, and a setting unit 15. The related information presentation server 10 also has a keyword DB 10a, a student information DB 10b, and a presentation history DB 10c, which are storage units (databases) that store various data.

[0017] The keyword management unit 11 registers and sets keyword information in the keyword DB 10a. FIG. 3 shows an example of keyword information. As shown in FIG. 3, the keyword information is information in which a keyword ID, a keyword, a level, and related information are associated with one another. As an example, the keyword information is registered in advance by an instructor. For example, when the instructor operates the instructor computer 20 to input a keyword to be registered, information instructing the registration of the keyword is transmitted from the related information presentation client 21 to the related information presentation server 10. In response to receiving the information, the keyword management unit 11 generates keyword information related to the received keyword and registers it in the keyword DB 10a.

[0018] The "keyword ID" is identification information for uniquely identifying a keyword and is automatically numbered in the order of registration, for example. A "keyword" is typically a technical term such as "frontier spirit," "puritan spirit," or "pragma." However, keywords are not limited to the above technical terms, and any word may be registered as a keyword. The "level" is information indicating the difficulty level of the keyword (an indicator of difficulty of understanding, uniqueness, etc.). In this embodiment, as an example, three levels of keywords are provided: level 1 (basic), level 2 (intermediate), and level 3 (advanced). However, the keyword level may be expressed as a two-level or four-level or more level (discrete value), or as an arbitrary numerical value (the higher the value, the more difficult it is). The "related information" is information related to the keyword. Examples of related information include annotations (explanatory text) related to the keyword, links (e.g., URLs) to information related to the keyword (e.g., websites), and questions related to the keyword (quizzes, surveys, etc.).

[0019] The keyword management unit 11 may set the level of each keyword by executing the following process, for example.

[0020] As a first example, the keyword level may be manually input when registering the keyword (in this embodiment, the instructor operates the instructor computer 20). For example, the instructor, who is familiar with keywords, may determine the level of each keyword. In this case, the keyword management unit 11 may set the level input when registering the keyword as the keyword level.

[0021] As a second example, the keyword level may be set automatically without manual intervention by using a method such as tf-idf (Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency). For example, the keyword management unit 11 may calculate the importance of a keyword based on the frequency of appearance (TF value) of the keyword in documents used by a lecturer in a lecture (presentation) and the inverse document frequency (IDF value) of the keyword in multiple documents related to the field to which the keyword belongs, and set the difficulty level of the keyword based on the importance. The processing of the second example above will be described in detail below.

[0022] For example, the keyword management unit 11 uses the following formula (1) to calculate the TF value, which is the frequency of appearance of a keyword in a document used in a lecture (for example, lecture materials such as lecture slides). In the following formula (1), "d" indicates the document used in the presentation, and "t" indicates the keyword. "tf(t,d)" indicates the TF value of keyword t in document d. "n t,d " indicates the number of times that keyword t appears in document d. "Σ s∈d n s,d " indicates the sum of the number of times all keywords appear in document d. (Formula 1)tf(t,d)=n t,d / Σ s∈d n s,d

[0023] Furthermore, the keyword management unit 11 calculates an IDF value, which is the inverse document frequency of the keyword in a plurality of documents, using a plurality of documents related to the field (domain) to which the keyword belongs (in this embodiment, a plurality of documents related to Western philosophy) and the following formula (2). In the following formula (2), "idf(t)" indicates the IDF value of keyword t. "N" indicates the total number of documents prepared. "df(t)" indicates the number of documents in which keyword t appears. (Equation 2) idf(t) = log{N / df(t)} + 1

[0024] The keyword management unit 11 obtains the TF-IDF value of the keyword t by, for example, multiplying the TF value and IDF value of the keyword t calculated as described above. Here, the TF-IDF value of a keyword that characterizes the document used in the presentation and appears less frequently in other documents is larger. In other words, the TF-IDF value is larger for keywords that are less common in the field related to the keyword (e.g., technical and difficult terms related to the lecture content). In other words, the TF-IDF value indicates the importance of the keyword in the lecture content and also serves as an index of the keyword's difficulty (degree of rarity). Therefore, the keyword management unit 11 may set the level of a keyword based on the TF-IDF value of the keyword.

[0025] For example, the keyword management unit 11 may prepare several thresholds in advance and set the level of a keyword by comparing the TF-IDF value with the thresholds. For example, if the TF-IDF value of a keyword is equal to or greater than a first threshold (e.g., 0.07), the keyword management unit 11 may set the level of the keyword to "Level 3 (Advanced)," if the TF-IDF value of the keyword is equal to or greater than a second threshold (e.g., 0.03) but less than the first threshold, the keyword management unit 11 may set the level of the keyword to "Level 2 (Intermediate)," and if the TF-IDF value of the keyword is less than the second threshold, the keyword management unit 11 may set the level of the keyword to "Level 1 (Beginner)." The above process is performed for each keyword, thereby setting the level of each keyword.

[0026] According to the processing of the keyword management unit 11 in the second example described above, it is possible to appropriately set the keyword level based on the TF-IDF value (importance) of the keyword. Furthermore, since the keyword level can be automatically set by the predetermined processing as described above (for example, calculation of formula (1) and formula (2), comparison of the TF-IDF value with a threshold, etc.), it is possible to reduce the effort required to manually set the keyword level.

[0027] The keyword management unit 11 sets the related information for each keyword by, for example, performing the following process. As a first example, the related information for a keyword may be manually input when the keyword is registered (in this embodiment, the instructor operates the instructor computer 20). For example, the instructor, who is familiar with keywords, may input the related information for each keyword. In this case, the keyword management unit 11 may simply set the related information input when the keyword was registered as the related information for the keyword. As a second example, the keyword management unit 11 may refer to an external dictionary database or the like that stores dictionary information, and set an explanatory text (annotation) corresponding to a keyword written in the dictionary database as the related information for the keyword. Furthermore, the keyword management unit 11 may refer to a database or the like that stores links to information related to keywords, questions related to keywords, etc., in advance, and set links, questions, etc. associated with the keyword in the database as the related information for the keyword.

[0028] Through the above-described registration process by the keyword management unit 11, keyword information (see FIG. 3) of each keyword included in the lecture content is stored in the keyword DB 10a in advance before the online lecture starts.

[0029] The acquisition unit 12 acquires presentation information indicating the content of the lecture by the lecturer. The acquisition unit 12 acquires the presentation information in accordance with the progress of the lecturer's presentation (an online lecture in this embodiment). For example, the acquisition unit 12 acquires, as the presentation information, the voice uttered by the lecturer (i.e., the lecturer's voice data input to the lecturer computer 20). The acquisition unit 12 may also acquire, as the presentation information, text information included in a page of a lecture slide that the lecturer opens on the lecturer computer 20 for explanation (i.e., a screen delivered to the online lecture client 31 of each student computer 30 via the online lecture client 22 and the online lecture server 40).

[0030] The detection unit 13 detects pre-registered keywords included in the presentation information acquired by the acquisition unit 12. In this embodiment, the detection unit 13 detects keywords when the presentation information includes the keywords by referring to the keyword DB 10a. When the presentation information is acquired as voice data, the detection unit 13 may convert the voice data into text information by, for example, performing a known voice recognition process, and detect keywords included in the presentation information by determining whether the text information includes a character string corresponding to the keyword.

[0031] The presentation unit 14 presents to the students related information that is related to the keywords detected by the detection unit 13. In this embodiment, the presentation unit 14 presents the related information to the students via the online lecture server 40 and the student computer 30. More specifically, the presentation unit 14 transmits the related information to the online lecture client 31 of the student computer 30 via the online lecture server 40. Then, the presentation unit 14 causes the online lecture client 31 to display the related information on the screen of the student computer 30.

[0032] The presentation unit 14 determines the frequency at which related information is presented to the students based on at least one of the students' knowledge level regarding the lecture content and the level (difficulty level) of the keywords, and presents the related information to the students according to the determined frequency. Here, if the frequency is determined based only on the level of the keywords, the frequency at which related information for a certain keyword is presented is the same for all students. On the other hand, if the frequency is determined based at least on the students' knowledge level (if the frequency is determined based only on the students' knowledge level, or if the frequency is determined based on both the students' knowledge level and the level of the keywords), the frequency at which related information for a certain keyword is presented is determined for each student (for each group of students classified into the same knowledge level). In this embodiment, the presentation unit 14 determines the frequency based on a combination of the students' knowledge level and the level of the keywords.

[0033] The knowledge level of each student is registered in advance in the student information DB 10b. In this embodiment, as an example, three levels of knowledge are prepared according to the level of the keyword. Specifically, the knowledge levels are prepared as follows: a beginner level indicating a certain level of understanding of level 1 keywords, an intermediate level indicating a certain level of understanding of level 1 and level 2 keywords, and an advanced level indicating a certain level of understanding of level 1 to level 3 keywords.

[0034] The knowledge level of each student may be set based on, for example, a test or questionnaire conducted in advance to confirm the knowledge level of each student. The knowledge level of a student whose knowledge level is unknown may be set to a default value (e.g., beginner level). The knowledge levels of students registered in the student information DB 10b may be updated as appropriate. In this embodiment, the knowledge level of each student is set (updated) as appropriate by the setting unit 15, which will be described later.

[0035] The types of frequency at which related information for a certain keyword is presented include cases where related information is not presented. In this embodiment, the types of frequency at which related information for a certain keyword is presented may include at least two of the following: a first frequency (present every time) indicating that related information is presented every time the keyword appears; a second frequency (reminder presentation) indicating that related information is not presented even if the keyword appears again within a predetermined period (e.g., 5 minutes) after related information for the keyword is presented (i.e., related information is not presented again until a certain period has passed since the last presentation of related information); a third frequency (present only the first time) indicating that related information is presented only when the keyword appears for the first time; and a fourth frequency (not presented) indicating that related information for the keyword is never presented. In this embodiment, as an example, all of the first to fourth frequencies are used. Note that the frequencies decrease in order from the first frequency to the second frequency, the third frequency, and the fourth frequency. That is, of the first to fourth frequencies, the highest frequency is the first frequency (present every time), and the lowest frequency is the fourth frequency (not presented).

[0036] As described above, in this embodiment, the presentation unit 14 determines the frequency based on both the keyword level and the knowledge level of the student. That is, the frequency is determined for each combination of keyword and student. For example, the presentation unit 14 determines the frequency so that the lower the knowledge level of the student, the higher the frequency. Also, the presentation unit 14 determines the frequency so that the higher the level of the keyword, the higher the frequency. As an example, the presentation unit 14 determines the frequency based on the following predetermined determination rules.

[0037] <Judgment rules> For beginner-level students, the frequency of presenting related information for level 1 keywords is determined to be the third frequency (presented only the first time), the frequency of presenting related information for level 2 keywords is determined to be the second frequency (reminder presentation), and the frequency of presenting related information for level 3 keywords is determined to be the first frequency (presented every time). For intermediate-level students, the frequency of presenting related information for level 1 keywords is set to the fourth frequency (not presented), the frequency of presenting related information for level 2 keywords is set to the third frequency (presented only the first time), and the frequency of presenting related information for level 3 keywords is set to the second frequency (reminder presentation). For advanced level students, the frequency of presenting related information for level 1 and level 2 keywords will be determined as the fourth frequency (not presented), and the frequency of presenting related information for level 3 keywords will be determined as the third frequency (presented only the first time).

[0038] By increasing the frequency as the student's knowledge level decreases, students with little knowledge of the lecture content (e.g., beginner-level students) can be provided with sufficient information (such as annotations) related to keywords, thereby improving the student's understanding of the lecture. On the other hand, for students with sufficient knowledge of the lecture content (e.g., advanced-level students), the frequency of related information presentation can be set lower to prevent students from feeling annoyed by the frequent presentation of information related to keywords they already know.

[0039] By increasing the frequency of keywords with higher levels (difficulty), students can be provided with sufficient information (such as annotations) related to difficult technical terms and uncommon (rare) terms, thereby improving their understanding of the lecture. On the other hand, by setting the frequency of presentation of information related to relatively easy keywords lower, students can be prevented from feeling annoyed by the frequent presentation of information related to keywords they already understand.

[0040] Furthermore, by determining the frequency based on a combination of the knowledge level of the student and the keyword level as in this embodiment, both of the above-mentioned effects can be achieved. That is, related information can be presented to the student more effectively according to the student's knowledge level and the keyword level.

[0041] To present related information according to the second frequency (reminder presentation) or the third frequency (first-time presentation), the presentation unit 14 saves a presentation history indicating the most recent presentation time of keyword-related information to a student for each combination of student and keyword. In this embodiment, the presentation unit 14 saves the presentation history in the presentation history DB 10c each time keyword-related information is presented to a student. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a presentation history stored in the presentation history DB 10c. The presentation history in the first row in the example of FIG. 4 indicates that related information for a keyword identified by keyword ID “K1” was presented to a student identified by student ID “U1” (i.e., the student computer 30 of the student) at “October 23, 2020, 2:26:23 PM.” Note that, as an example, in this embodiment, the presentation history is saved for each combination of student and keyword. However, if users with the same knowledge level are treated equally, the presentation history may be saved for each combination of student knowledge level and keyword.

[0042] When the presentation frequency of a certain keyword Y for a certain student X is determined to be the second frequency (reminding presentation) based on the above-described judgment rule, the presentation unit 14 determines whether a presentation history corresponding to the combination of the student ID of the student X and the keyword ID of the keyword Y is stored in the presentation history DB 10c. If the presentation history is stored in the presentation history DB 10c, the presentation unit 14 determines whether a predetermined period (e.g., 5 minutes) or more has passed since the most recent presentation time indicated in the presentation history. If the predetermined period or more has passed since the most recent presentation time, the presentation unit 14 presents information related to the keyword Y to the student X. On the other hand, if the predetermined period or more has not passed since the most recent presentation time, the presentation unit 14 does not present information related to the keyword Y to the student X.

[0043] Furthermore, when the presentation frequency of a certain keyword Y to a certain student X is determined to be the third frequency (presented only the first time) based on the above-described judgment rule, the presentation unit 14 determines whether or not a presentation history corresponding to the combination of the student ID of the student X and the keyword ID of the keyword Y is stored in the presentation history DB 10c. If the presentation history is not stored in the presentation history DB 10c, the presentation unit 14 presents information related to the keyword Y to the student X. On the other hand, if the presentation history is stored in the presentation history DB 10c, the presentation unit 14 does not present information related to the keyword Y to the student X.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a lecture screen presented to a student (i.e., a screen displayed on the display of the student computer 30). In the example of FIG. 5, the lecture screen SC includes a first display area A1, a second display area A2, and a third display area A3. The first display area A1 is a screen area for displaying lecture materials (e.g., lecture slides that the lecturer is opening on the lecturer computer 20). The second display area A2 is a screen area for displaying camera images (e.g., images of each student) captured by a camera provided in each student computer 30. The third display area A3 is a screen area for displaying related information. The third display area A3 may be an area for displaying, for example, chats between the lecturer and each student. In other words, a chat screen for displaying chats may be used as the third display area A3.

[0045] A beginner's level screen Ca is displayed in the third display area A3 of the lecture screen SC of the student computer 30 of a student whose knowledge level is beginner's. The beginner's level screen Ca displays related information of the keywords that the presentation unit 14 has determined to be presented based on the above-mentioned judgment rules (i.e., the frequencies determined based on the judgment rules applied to beginner-level students). In this example, related information of all keywords (i.e., "frontier spirit" at level 1, and "puritan spirit" and "pragma" at level 2) detected by the detection unit 13 based on the above-mentioned judgment rules applied to beginner-level students is displayed.

[0046] An intermediate level screen Cb is displayed in the third display area A3 of the lecture screen SC of the student computer 30 of a student whose knowledge level is intermediate. The intermediate level screen Cb displays related information of the keywords that the presentation unit 14 has determined to be presented based on the above-mentioned judgment rule (i.e., the frequency determined based on the judgment rule applied to intermediate level students). In this example, of all the keywords detected by the detection unit 13 based on the above-mentioned judgment rule applied to intermediate level students, only related information of level 2 keywords "Puritan spirit" and "Pragma" is displayed.

[0047] An advanced level screen Cc is displayed in the third display area A3 of the lecture screen SC of the student computer 30 of a student whose knowledge level is advanced. The advanced level screen Cc displays related information of the keywords that the presentation unit 14 has determined to be presented based on the above-mentioned determination rule (i.e., the frequency determined based on the determination rule applied to advanced level students). In this example, since no level 3 keywords are included among all the keywords detected by the detection unit 13, the advanced level screen Cc does not display related information of any of the keywords.

[0048] The related information displayed in the third display area A3 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 5 (i.e., when an explanation (annotation) of the keyword is presented as the related information). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the related information presented to the student (here, a screen displayed in the third display area A3). As shown in FIG. 6, the third display area A3 may display a screen C1 including, as related information, a link (URL) to a web page WP that describes detailed information about the keyword. For example, when a link included in the screen C1 is clicked, the screen of the web page WP associated with the link may be opened in the same window (the third display area A3) or in a separate window (a screen separate from the third display area A3).

[0049] The related information may also include questions to measure the student's understanding of the keywords, as shown in (A) and (B) of FIG.

[0050] 7A is a diagram showing a second modified example of related information (a screen displayed in the third display area A3) presented to a student. As shown in FIG. 7A, a screen C2 including a quiz (question) related to a keyword (in this example, "pragma") may be displayed in the third display area A3. For example, when a student checks the option (in this example, four options A to D) displayed on the screen C2 that he or she believes to be the correct answer and clicks the "Answer" button, answer information related to the answer is transmitted from the online lecture client 31 of the student computer 30 to the related information presentation server 10 via the online lecture server 40.

[0051] 7B is a diagram showing a third modified example of related information (a screen displayed in the third display area A3) presented to a student. As shown in FIG. 7B, a screen C3 including a questionnaire (questions) regarding a keyword (in this example, "pragma") may be displayed in the third display area A3. For example, when a student checks the option that applies to them from among the options regarding their level of understanding (in this example, three options A to C) displayed on the screen C3 and clicks the "Answer" button, answer information regarding the answer is transmitted from the online lecture client 31 of the student computer 30 to the related information presentation server 10 via the online lecture server 40.

[0052] The response information (response results) of each student may be fed back to the instructor. For example, the related information presentation server 10 may transmit the response information of each student received from each student computer 30 to the instructor computer 20. The instructor computer 20 may then display the received response information of each student on its display. For example, the instructor computer 20 may display a summary of the response information of each student on its display. For example, the instructor computer 20 may calculate the number of users who answered "A: I knew," the number of users who answered "B: I had heard of," and the number of users who answered "C: I learned this for the first time" based on the response information of each student to the questionnaire shown in FIG. 7B, and display the number and percentage of responses for each answer on the display of the instructor computer 20. This configuration enables the instructor to flexibly adjust the content of the lecture based on the response results of each student. For example, if a large number of users answered "C: I learned this for the first time" in the questionnaire shown in FIG. 7B, the instructor can provide an explanation of the term "pragma" based on the response results. On the other hand, if the number of users who answered "A knew it" is large, the instructor can omit the explanation of the term "pragma" based on the answer results.

[0053] When the related information includes a question for measuring the student's level of understanding of the keyword (for example, (A) or (B) in Figure 7), the setting unit 15 acquires the student's response information to the question and sets the student's knowledge level based on the response information.

[0054] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a knowledge level setting process performed by the setting unit 15. The setting unit 15, for example, compares answer information for a quiz such as that shown in FIG. 7A with the correct answers to the quiz stored in advance to determine whether the student has answered the quiz correctly. The setting unit 15 then calculates the latest correct answer rate for each keyword level. In the example of FIG. 8, for a student with student ID "U1," the correct answer rate for quizzes related to level 1 keywords is calculated to be "93%," the correct answer rate for quizzes related to level 2 keywords is calculated to be "54%,," and the correct answer rate for quizzes related to level 3 keywords is calculated to be "21%." As an example, the setting unit 15 sets a knowledge level corresponding to the minimum keyword level having a correct answer rate below a predetermined threshold (e.g., 60%). Here, keyword level 1 corresponds to the beginner level, keyword level 2 corresponds to the intermediate level, and keyword levels 3 and above correspond to the advanced level.

[0055] In the example of FIG. 8, for the student with student ID "U1," the level of the smallest keyword for which the correct answer rate is below the threshold is "Level 2," so the intermediate level corresponding to "Level 2" is set. For the student with student ID "U2," there is no level for the smallest keyword for which the correct answer rate is below the threshold (it is at least Level 3 or above), so the advanced level corresponding to "Level 3 or above" is set. For the student with student ID "U3," the level of the smallest keyword for which the correct answer rate is below the threshold is "Level 1," so the beginner level corresponding to "Level 1" is set.

[0056] According to the processing of the setting unit 15 described above, the knowledge level of the students can be dynamically set or updated as the lecture progresses. The setting unit 15 may set the knowledge level of the students based on response information to a questionnaire (for example, (B) of FIG. 7). In this case, the setting unit 15 may execute the same processing as above, for example, using the percentage of responses of "I knew" instead of the "correct answer rate" in the example of FIG. 8.

[0057] An example of the processing of the related information presentation server 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 9. Step S1 is executed in advance before the lecture starts. Steps S2 to S8 are repeatedly executed during the lecture until the lecture ends. Furthermore, the processing of steps S4 to S8 is executed for each combination of detected keyword and student.

[0058] First, the keyword management unit 11 registers and sets keyword information (see FIG. 3) in the keyword DB 10a (step S1). Next, the acquisition unit 12 acquires presentation information in accordance with the progress of the lecturer's presentation (an online lecture in this embodiment) (step S2). Next, the detection unit 13 detects a keyword if it is included in the presentation information (step S3). If a keyword is detected (step S3: YES), the presentation unit 14 determines the frequency of presenting related information for each student based on the level of the keyword and the knowledge level of each student (step S4).

[0059] Next, the presentation unit 14 determines whether to present related information for the keyword in response to the current keyword detection based on the determined frequency for each combination of keyword and student (step S5). In this embodiment, if the frequency determined in step S4 is the first frequency (present every time), if the frequency determined in step S4 is the second frequency (reminder presentation) and a certain period of time has passed since the latest presentation of related information for the keyword, or if the frequency determined in step S4 is the third frequency (present only the first time) and related information for the keyword has not been presented so far, the presentation unit 14 determines to present related information (step S5: YES). On the other hand, in cases other than those mentioned above, the presentation unit 14 determines not to present related information (step S5: NO).

[0060] Next, if it is determined that related information should be presented for a combination of a certain keyword and a certain student (step S5: YES), the presenting unit 14 presents the related information of the keyword to the student (step S6) (see FIG. 5). Next, if the related information includes a question for measuring the student's understanding of the keyword and the setting unit 15 acquires answer information from the student's computer 30 via the online lecture server 40 (step S7: YES), the setting unit 15 sets (updates) the student's knowledge level based on the answer information (step S8).

[0061] The related information presentation server 10 described above can effectively enhance students' understanding of the lecture content by presenting students with information related to keywords included in the lecture content by the lecturer. Furthermore, the frequency with which related information is presented to students is adjusted based on at least one of the students' knowledge level and the difficulty level of the keywords (both in this embodiment), so that related information can be effectively presented to students at an appropriate frequency depending on the students or keywords. This further improves convenience for students.

[0062] In the above embodiment, an example in which an online lecture is conducted has been described, but the related information presentation server 10 described above can be used for any presentation other than an online lecture. The system configuration of the online lecture system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and the configuration of the online lecture system including the related information presentation server 10 can be changed as desired. For example, the related information presentation server 10 and the online lecture server 40 may be configured as the same server.

[0063] The functions of the related information presentation server 10 may be implemented in the lecturer computer 20. The data communication format is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the related information may be transmitted to the online lecture server 40 via the related information presentation client 21 of the lecturer computer 20.

[0064] Furthermore, the system for delivering online lectures and the system for presenting related information (including receiving answer information) may be independent of each other. FIG. 10 shows the overall configuration of an online lecture system 1A according to a modified example. The online lecture system 1A differs from the online lecture system 1 mainly in that the online lecture system 1A includes a student computer 30A further equipped with a related information presentation client 32 instead of the student computer 30. More specifically, the online lecture system 1A differs from the online lecture system 1 in that the transmission and reception of related information and answer information is performed directly between the related information presentation server 10 and the related information presentation client 32, without going through the online lecture server 40. The online lecture system 1A can realize the above-described mechanism (i.e., a mechanism for presenting related information to students as the lecture progresses) by adding a system for presenting related information (i.e., a system consisting of the related information presentation server 10 and the related information presentation clients 21 and 32) while utilizing a conventional system for delivering online lectures (i.e., a system consisting of the online lecture server 40 and the online lecture clients 22 and 31) almost as is. In the online lecture system 1A, of the lecture screen SC (see Figure 5) presented to the student, the first display area A1 and the second display area A2 are generated based on data delivered from the online lecture server 40 to the student computer 30A (online lecture client 31), and the third display area A3 in which related information is presented is generated based on data delivered from the related information presentation server 10 to the student computer 30A (related information presentation client 32).

[0065] Furthermore, the types of frequencies determined by the presentation unit 14 are not limited to the first to fourth frequencies described above. The types of frequencies may be two or three of the first to fourth frequencies, or may include types other than the first to fourth frequencies.

[0066] The block diagrams used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wires, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may also be realized by combining the single device or multiple devices with software.

[0067] Functions include, but are not limited to, judging, determining, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching, verifying, receiving, transmitting, outputting, accessing, resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, assuming, expecting, regarding, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assigning.

[0068] For example, the related information presentation server 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs the information processing method of the present disclosure. Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the related information presentation server 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The related information presentation server 10 described above may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, etc.

[0069] In the following description, the term "apparatus" can be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the related information presentation server 10 may be configured to include one or more of the apparatuses shown in FIG. 11, or may be configured to exclude some of the apparatuses.

[0070] Each function of the related information presentation server 10 is realized by loading specified software (programs) onto hardware such as a processor 1001 and a memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication via the communication device 1004, and control at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 1002 and the storage 1003.

[0071] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer by running, for example, an operating system, and may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc.

[0072] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002, and executes various processes in accordance with these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-described embodiments. For example, the presentation unit 14 may be implemented by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001, and similar implementations may be made for other functional blocks. While the above-described various processes have been described as being executed by one processor 1001, they may also be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0073] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured, for example, by at least one of a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 can store executable programs (program codes), software modules, etc. for implementing a communication control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0074] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray disc), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned storage medium may be, for example, a database, a server, or other appropriate medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0075] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module.

[0076] The input device 1005 is an input device (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that receives input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (for example, a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (for example, a touch panel).

[0077] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0078] The related information presentation server 10 may also be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0079] Although the present embodiment has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present embodiment is not limited to the embodiment described in this specification. The present embodiment can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description in this specification is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present embodiment.

[0080] The order of the procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be changed unless it is consistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0081] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, memory) or may be managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be sent to another device.

[0082] The determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0083] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Furthermore, notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to being done explicitly, but may be done implicitly (e.g., by not notifying the predetermined information).

[0084] Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0085] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0086] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0087] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information.

[0088] The names used for the parameters described above are not intended to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, the mathematical formulas and the like that use these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and the various names assigned to these various information elements are not intended to be limiting in any way.

[0089] As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0090] As used in this disclosure, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must in some way precede the second element.

[0091] When used in this disclosure, the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, when used in this disclosure, the term "or" is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0092] In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0093] In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different." [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 10...related information presentation server (information processing device), 11...keyword management unit, 12...acquisition unit, 13...detection unit, 14...presentation unit, 15...setting unit.

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires presentation information indicating the content of a presentation by a presenter; a detection unit that detects pre-registered keywords included in the announcement information acquired by the acquisition unit; a presentation unit that presents to a viewer information related to the keyword detected by the detection unit, The presentation unit determining a frequency at which the related information is to be presented to the viewer based on at least one of the viewer's knowledge level regarding the presentation content and the difficulty level of the keyword; presenting the related information to the viewer in accordance with the determined frequency; Information processing device.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the presentation unit determines the frequency so that the frequency increases as the knowledge level of the viewer decreases.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the presentation unit determines the frequency so that the frequency increases as the difficulty level of the keyword increases.

4. 4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the presentation unit determines the frequency based on a combination of a knowledge level of the viewer and a difficulty level of the keyword.

5. The information processing device of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the types of frequency determined by the presentation unit include at least two of a first frequency indicating that the related information is presented every time the keyword appears, a second frequency indicating that the related information is not presented even if the keyword appears again within a predetermined period after the related information of the keyword is presented, a third frequency indicating that the related information is presented only when the keyword appears for the first time, and a fourth frequency indicating that the related information of the keyword is not presented at all.

6. the related information includes questions for measuring the viewer's understanding of the keyword; 6. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit that acquires answer information of the viewer to the question, and sets the knowledge level of the viewer based on the answer information.

7. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a keyword management unit that calculates the importance of the keyword based on the frequency of appearance of the keyword in a document used by the presenter in the presentation and the inverse document frequency of the keyword in a plurality of documents related to the field to which the keyword belongs, and sets the difficulty level of the keyword based on the importance.

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