Information processing systems, information processing methods, and programs

Abstract

To provide a user interface by which an examinee can confirm an answer voice.SOLUTION: The present invention includes: a question output unit for outputting question information as information showing questions in a speaking test to an examinee in the speaking test for the examinee; an examinee voice acquisition unit for acquiring examinee voice information as information showing the voice of the examinee in the speaking test; and an output processing unit for outputting a voice acquisition result showing the result of the acquisition situation of the examinee voice information in the examinee voice acquisition unit after the question information of a predetermined question included in the speaking test is output.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in external certification tests and the like, examinees went to a place certified by a testing institution and took a test there. For example, in the TOEFL iBT (registered trademark; see Non-Patent Document 1) test conducted by ETS (Educational Testing Service), examinees went to a test center they selected and took the test at that test center. Also, during the speaking test, examinees looked at the questions on the screen and uttered the answering voice toward the microphone.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the speaking test of Non-Patent Document 1, an examinee taking the speaking test starts a PC (Personal Computer) and records an answering voice through a microphone for the questions output as voice. The examinee is required to record the answering voice within a predetermined time after the question is output as voice. After the voice output of all questions is completed, scoring is performed by an automatic scoring system and a scorer.

[0005] However, test takers cannot know whether their answers were properly recorded. Therefore, in the speaking test described in Non-Patent Document 1, if the test taker's voice is not properly recorded due to a malfunction in the recording equipment or other reasons, a problem may arise in that the test taker's speaking ability cannot be properly evaluated.

[0006] Therefore, a user interface that allows test-takers to review their own recorded answers is desired for speaking tests.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a user interface that allows test takers to check their answer audio in order to meet the above-mentioned needs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An information processing system in one aspect of the present invention includes, in a speaking test for an examinee, a question output unit that outputs question information, which is information indicating the questions included in the speaking test, to the examinee; an examinee voice acquisition unit that can acquire examinee voice information, which is information indicating the examinee's voice in the speaking test; and an output processing unit that outputs a voice acquisition result, which indicates the result of the examinee voice acquisition status of the examinee voice information acquired by the examinee voice acquisition unit, after the question information of predetermined questions included in the speaking test has been output.

[0009] Furthermore, in another aspect of the present invention, the information processing method involves a computer executing a question output step in which, in a speaking test for an examinee, question information which is information indicating the questions included in the speaking test, is output to the examinee; an examinee voice acquisition step which is information indicating the examinee's voice in the speaking test, is acquired; and an output processing step which, after the question information for predetermined questions included in the speaking test is output, outputs a voice acquisition result which indicates the result of the acquisition status of the examinee voice information in the examinee voice acquisition step.

[0010] Furthermore, a program in another aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute a question output step that outputs question information, which is information indicating the questions included in a speaking test, to the test taker; a test taker voice acquisition step that can acquire test taker voice information, which is information indicating the test taker's voice in the speaking test; and an output processing step that outputs a voice acquisition result, which indicates the result of the acquisition status of the test taker voice information in the test taker voice acquisition step, after the question information of predetermined questions included in the speaking test has been output. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, a user interface can be provided that allows test takers to check their answer audio. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a test support system. [Figure 2] This figure shows an overview of the test support system's processing and an example of its configuration. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the structure of the question database D111. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the structure of the examinee voice database D112. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating the determination process in the determination unit. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the voice memory confirmation screen T1, which includes a waveform showing the examinee's answer voice displayed on the display unit. [Figure 7] This diagram shows the structure of the examinee database D311. [Figure 8] A flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure for the test support system 10. [Figure 9] This block diagram shows an example of the hardware configuration for the test taker's terminal, test management device, and supervisor's terminal. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and there is no intention to exclude various modifications and applications of technologies not explicitly described below. That is, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from its gist. Also, in the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

[0014] Hereinafter, the test support system 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, as the test described below, a test in which a plurality of examinees take the test at the same time at the same location is taken as an example, and for example, an English proficiency test such as a speaking test is assumed.

[0015] ===Overview of Test Support System 10=== Referring to FIG. 1, the overview of the test support system 10 will be described. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the test support system 10.

[0016] In the test support system 10, for example, a speaking test is performed using the examinee terminal 100 owned by the examinee. Also, the test support system 10 may be implemented such that a speaking test is performed using the examinee terminal 100 distributed by a school or a test institution to the examinee, and after the speaking test ends, the school or the test institution collects the examinee terminal 100 in which information indicating the examinee's voice response (hereinafter referred to as "response voice") (hereinafter referred to as "examinee voice information") is stored.

[0017] The test support system 10 outputs the examinee voice information of the examinees stored in the examinee terminal 100 so that the examinees can confirm it at an appropriate timing. When the examinee confirms that the examinee voice information is not properly stored in the storage unit of the examinee terminal 100, the examinee can apply to the supervisor of the speaking test for a retest.

[0018] Thus, in the test support system 10, unlike the operation of testing the function of the microphone of the examinee terminal 100 before the speaking test is conducted, it is possible for the examinee to confirm whether the examinee voice information of the examinee is appropriately stored in the examinee terminal 100 during the speaking test. As a result, the examinee can quickly confirm whether the response voice during the speaking test is appropriately recorded.

[0019] <<Outline of Configuration>> Referring to FIG. 1, an outline of the configuration of the test support system 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the test support system 10 includes, for example, an examinee terminal 100, a test management device 200, and a supervisor terminal 300.

[0020] The examinee terminal 100 is an information processing device used by an examinee in a speaking test. The examinee terminal 100 outputs questions for the speaking test and stores examinee voice information indicating the examinee's response voice to the questions. The questions for the speaking test may be, for example, questions output as voice from a speaker, or may be questions displayed as text or drawings on a display unit, and the output format of the questions is not particularly limited. The examinee terminal 100 outputs, at an appropriate timing, the result of the acquisition status of the examinee voice information (hereinafter referred to as the "voice acquisition result") during or after the speaking test in a recognizable manner to the examinee.

[0021] For example, the examinee terminal 100 may display the voice acquisition result on the display unit 1006 in a waveform indicating sound. As a result, the examinee can easily confirm that the response voice is not appropriately stored when no waveform is shown even though the examinee answered the question for the speaking test by voice.

[0022] For example, the examinee terminal 100 may output the voice acquisition result as sound through a speaker. As a result, the examinee can easily confirm that the response voice is not appropriately stored when the examinee's voice is not output from the speaker even though the examinee answered the question by voice.

[0023] The test management device 200 is an information processing device that manages various information related to the speaking test. The test management device 200 transmits information indicating the questions for the speaking test (hereinafter referred to as "question information") to the test-taker terminal 100. The test management device 200 may transmit the question information to the test-taker terminal 100 before the start of the speaking test, or it may transmit the question information to the test-taker terminal 100 at an appropriate time during the speaking test.

[0024] The supervisor terminal 300 is an information processing device for monitoring the examinee terminal 100. The supervisor terminal 300 monitors the recording status of the examinee's voice information in the speaking test on the examinee terminal 100. This allows the supervisor to quickly recognize if the examinee's voice information is not properly stored on the examinee terminal 100 during the speaking test, thus enabling the examinee to retake the test smoothly.

[0025] Each device constituting the test support system 10 is connected to each other via a communication network N, enabling communication between them. The communication network N is either a wired or wireless network. Although not shown in the diagram, the test support system 10 may consist of multiple test taker terminals 100 and supervisor terminals 300.

[0026] The examinee terminal 100 and the supervisor terminal 300 may be, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone (feature phone), a handheld computer device (e.g., a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), an email client, etc.), a wearable device (e.g., glasses-type device, watch-type device, etc.), a personal computer (e.g., a desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.), or other types of computers.

[0027] The test management device 200 may, but is not limited to, be a cloud computer, a server computer, a personal computer (e.g., a desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.), a media computer platform (e.g., a cable, satellite set-top box, digital video recorder), a handheld computer device (e.g., a PDA, email client, etc.), or any other type of computer or communication platform. At least part of the processing in the test management device 200 may be implemented by one or more computers (for example, a cloud computing system consisting of one or more computers), or it may not be.

[0028] <<Process Overview>> Referring to Figure 2, the overview of the processing of the test support system 10 will be explained. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the overview of the processing and configuration example of the test support system 10. In Figure 2, as an example, the flow of various information is shown with solid lines, and the output of audio and the display of various information on the screen are shown with dashed lines.

[0029] In step S1, the test management device 200 transmits the speaking test question information to the test taker terminal 100.

[0030] In step S2, the examinee terminal 100 stores the question information in the storage unit 110.

[0031] In step S3, when the examinee terminal 100 receives input from the examinee to start the speaking test, it displays the question on the display unit or outputs the question audibly through the speaker.

[0032] In step S4, the examinee terminal 100 acquires the examinee's voice response to the question and stores it in the storage unit 110 as examinee voice information.

[0033] In step S5, the examinee terminal 100 refers to the memory unit 110 and outputs the audio acquisition result at a predetermined timing in the speaking test. Specifically, the examinee terminal 100 may display a waveform showing the examinee's response audio as the audio acquisition result on the display unit 1006, or it may output the examinee's response audio as the audio acquisition result through the speaker. This allows the examinee to quickly confirm whether or not their response audio has been properly stored.

[0034] In step S6, the examinee terminal 100 may display on the display unit 1006 the result of determining whether or not the examinee's voice for each question has been acquired (hereinafter referred to as the "determination result"). Specifically, if the amplitude level of the waveform representing the examinee's answer voice is below a predetermined threshold, the examinee terminal 100 displays on the display unit 1006 information indicating that the examinee's voice has not been acquired. This allows the examinee to easily confirm whether or not their answer voice has been properly stored.

[0035] ===Test Taker Terminal 100=== Next, with reference to Figure 2, the details of the configuration of the examinee terminal 100 will be described. As shown in Figure 2, the examinee terminal 100 includes a storage unit 110, a question information acquisition unit 120, a question output unit 130, an examinee voice acquisition unit 140, a judgment unit 150, an output processing unit 160, and an examination eligibility information acquisition unit 170.

[0036] The memory unit 110 includes, for example, a question database D111 and a test-taker voice database D112.

[0037] Refer to Figure 3 to explain the question database D111. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the question database D111. As shown in Figure 3, the question database D111 includes the items [Question ID] and [Question]. [Question ID] is an item that stores an identification code that can uniquely identify the audio question. [Question] is an item that stores question information that indicates the content of the audio question or the question to be displayed on the display unit.

[0038] Referring to Figure 4, the examinee voice database D112 will be described. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the examinee voice database D112. As shown in Figure 4, the examinee voice database D112 includes the following items: [Examinee ID], [Question ID], [Examinee Voice], [Waveform], and [Judgment Result]. [Examinee ID] is an item that stores an identification code that can uniquely identify the examinee (for example, an examination number). [Question ID] is an item that relates to the [Question ID] item in the question database D111, for example. [Examinee Voice] is an item that stores examinee voice information that shows the examinee's voice. [Waveform] is an item that stores the waveform shown by the examinee voice information. [Judgment Result] is an item that stores the result of the judgment processing in the judgment unit 150, which will be described later.

[0039] Here, the procedure for storing examinee voice information in the examinee voice database D112 will be described. The examinee terminal 100 stores, for example, voice information in a predetermined first data format input via a microphone in the storage unit 110. The examinee terminal 100 converts the voice information into a second data format that compresses the data amount more than the first data format and stores the examinee voice information in the storage unit 110. After the examinee voice information is stored in the storage unit 110, the examinee terminal 100 deletes the voice information in the first data format from the storage unit 110. The first data format is, for example, the wav (Waveform Audio File Format) format. The second data format is, for example, the AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) format or the MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer-3) format. In this way, when the file format is converted, an event may occur in which the examinee's examinee voice information is lost. In the test support system 10, as shown below, even if such an event occurs, it is possible to determine that the examinee's examinee voice information has not been properly stored in the storage unit 110.

[0040] The question information acquisition unit 120 acquires question information from the test management device 200. The question information acquired by the question information acquisition unit 120 is stored in the storage unit 110.

[0041] The question output unit 130 outputs the questions indicated by the question information to the test taker as audio, for example, through a speaker. The question output unit 130 may also display (output) the questions indicated by the question information to the display unit.

[0042] The examinee voice acquisition unit 140 is a functional unit capable of acquiring examinee voice information, which represents the examinee's voice response to a question. The examinee voice information acquired by the examinee voice acquisition unit 140 is stored in the storage unit 110.

[0043] The determination unit 150 performs a determination process to determine whether the examinee's voice responses to the questions are properly stored in the memory unit 110, based on the examinee's voice information stored in the memory unit 110. The determination process in the determination unit 150 will be explained with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the determination process in the determination unit 150. In Figure 5, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the input level of the voice responses.

[0044] The determination unit 150 determines whether the audio input level indicated by the audio acquisition result is above a predetermined threshold. For example, the determination unit 150 may determine whether the average or maximum value of the absolute value of the input level of the response audio indicated by the audio acquisition result is above a predetermined threshold. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5(A), the determination unit 150 determines that the examinee's response audio to the question is properly stored in the storage unit 110 if the maximum value of the amplitude of the waveform indicating the input level of the response audio exceeds the threshold. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5(B), the determination unit 150 determines that the examinee's response audio to the question is not properly stored in the storage unit 110 if the maximum value of the amplitude of the waveform indicating the input level of the response audio is below the threshold.

[0045] Furthermore, if the determination unit 150 determines that the response audio is not properly stored in the storage unit 110 (including cases where the examinee's voice information is not stored in the examinee's voice database D112), it may determine that there is a device malfunction or a problem with the environment settings of the examinee's terminal 100 if, for example, the waveform indicating the input level of the response audio is nearly horizontal (for example, the input level is "0") (for example, the waveform in Part A-4 of Figure 6).

[0046] Furthermore, if the determination unit 150 determines that the response audio has not been properly stored in the storage unit 110, it may determine that the examinee was silent in response to the question if, for example, the waveform indicating the input level of the response audio is not approximately horizontal but is below a threshold (for example, the waveform in Part A-3 of Figure 6).

[0047] This allows for accurate determination of whether the equipment is malfunctioning or the test-taker is simply silent, enabling the output of appropriate results to the test-taker.

[0048] The output processing unit 160 outputs the audio acquisition results to the test-taker after the question information for the predetermined questions included in the speaking test has been output. The output processing unit 160 may also output the audio acquisition results for a predetermined time after the question information for the predetermined questions has been output. This allows the test support system 10 to allow the test-taker to appropriately confirm the audio acquisition results without delaying the speaking test.

[0049] The following explanation will refer to Figure 6 to describe the waveform showing the examinee's answer voice as the result of voice acquisition, which is displayed on the display unit 1006 by the output processing unit 160. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the voice memory confirmation screen T1, which includes the waveform showing the examinee's answer voice displayed on the display unit 1006.

[0050] The voice memory confirmation screen T1 shown in Figure 6 displays the test-taker's voice memory status for each question included in the speaking test. As shown in Figure 6, the voice memory confirmation screen T1 includes, for example, a question number display area T11, a voice waveform display area T12, a judgment result display area T13, a retake request button T14, and an end-of-test button T15.

[0051] The question number display area T11 is a display area that shows the question number assigned to each question in the speaking test.

[0052] The audio waveform display area T12 is a display area that is displayed in association with each question, and it displays the waveform of the audio acquired. By checking the audio waveform display area T12, the examinee can confirm whether or not the audio has been properly stored in the examinee terminal 100.

[0053] The judgment result display area T13 is a display area that is associated with each question and displays text data that represents the judgment result. For example, "OK" may be displayed if the judgment result indicates that the examinee's voice response to the question has been properly recorded, and "NG" may be displayed if the judgment result indicates that the examinee's voice response to the question has not been properly recorded. By checking the judgment result display area T13, the examinee can easily confirm whether or not their voice response has been properly recorded on the examinee terminal 100. This allows for the examinee to retake the test quickly.

[0054] The retake request button T14 is an object that accepts user input from the test taker and is used to request a retake from the supervisor when the test taker determines that their answer voice is not stored in the test taker terminal 100. The output processing unit 160 may activate and display the retake request button T14 if the judgment unit 150 determines that the input level of the answer voice indicated by the voice acquisition result is below a predetermined threshold. As a result, the test support system 10 accepts the test taker's retake request only when there is a possibility that the answer voice is not properly stored, thereby reducing the workload of the supervisor. When the output processing unit 160 receives user input for the retake request button T14, it sends information regarding the retake request to the supervisor terminal 300. As a result, the supervisor can quickly identify test takers who should retake the test.

[0055] The test completion button T15 is an object that accepts the examinee's input and is used by the examinee to end the speaking test. When the output processing unit 160 receives the examinee's input to the test completion button T15, it sends information to the supervisor terminal 300 indicating that the examinee's test has been successfully completed.

[0056] In addition, while the above indicates that the voice memory confirmation screen T1 should display the voice waveform display area T12 and the judgment result display area T13, it is not limited to this. The voice memory confirmation screen T1 only needs to display at least one of the voice waveform display area T12 and the judgment result display area T13.

[0057] Furthermore, as described above, the audio memory confirmation screen T1 displays, for example, an audio waveform display area T12 and a judgment result display area T13 for each of the multiple questions after the audio output for all questions of the speaking test has finished, but is not limited to this. For example, the output processing unit 160 may display at least one of the audio waveform display area T12 and the judgment result display area T13 in association with each question each time the audio output for each question included in the speaking test has finished. This allows the test support system 10 to detect equipment malfunctions or environmental setting problems of the test-taker terminal 100 at an early stage of the speaking test, thereby enabling the speaking test to be conducted properly and fairly.

[0058] Furthermore, while the above describes how the voice memory confirmation screen T1 displays an audio waveform display area T12 and a judgment result display area T13 associated with each question, it is not limited to this. For example, the output processing unit 160 may display only the judgment result for the speaking test on the voice memory confirmation screen T1 after the audio output for all questions has finished. Alternatively, for example, the output processing unit 160 may display only the judgment result for each question on the voice memory confirmation screen T1 after each question has finished.

[0059] The test eligibility information acquisition unit 170 acquires information (hereinafter referred to as "test eligibility information") that allows the test-taker to take the speaking test again, for example, from the supervisor terminal 300 which has received an operation input from the supervisor. Specifically, if the test-taker terminal 100 determines, for example, that the test-taker's answer voice has not been properly stored by the judgment unit 150, or if it receives an operation input from the test-taker to the re-test request button T14 on the voice acquisition status screen T1, it sends information (hereinafter referred to as "voice not acquired information") indicating that the answer voice has not been properly stored to the supervisor terminal 300. In this case, the test-taker terminal 100 may also send information that can identify the test-taker (for example, test-taker ID) to the supervisor terminal 300 along with the voice not acquired information. If the supervisor decides to have the test-taker take the speaking test again, the supervisor terminal 300 sends the test eligibility information to the test-taker terminal 100 by receiving an operation input from the supervisor. This allows test-takers to quickly retake the speaking test.

[0060] ===Test Management Device 200=== Next, the configuration of the test management device 200 will be described with reference to Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the test management device 200 includes a storage unit 210 and a question information transmission unit 220. The storage unit 210 may include, for example, a question database D211. The question database D211 is the same as the question database D111 of the examinee terminal 100, so its description will be omitted. The question information transmission unit 220 transmits question information to, for example, the examinee terminal 100.

[0061] ===Supervisor Terminal 300=== Next, the configuration of the supervisor terminal 300 will be described with reference to Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the supervisor terminal 300 includes a storage unit 310 and an information transmission / reception unit 320.

[0062] The storage unit 310 may include, for example, a test-taker database D311. The test-taker database D311 will be described with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the test-taker database D311. As shown in Figure 7, the test-taker database D311 includes the following items: [Test-taker ID], [Progress Status], [Judgment Result], and [Retake Application]. [Test-taker ID] is an item that stores an identification code that can uniquely identify the test-taker (e.g., test number). [Progress Status] is an item that stores information indicating the progress of the test-taker through the questions (e.g., the current question number). [Judgment Result] is an item that stores the result of the judgment processing in the judgment unit 150 of the test-taker terminal 100. [Retake Application] is an item that stores information, for example, whether or not the test-taker has applied for a retake. Specifically, in the [Retake Application] field, if the voice information that was not received when the examinee presses the retake application button T14 is obtained from the examinee terminal 100, information indicating "Retake application made" may be stored. If the voice information that was not received is not obtained, information indicating "No retake application made" may be stored.

[0063] The information transmission / reception unit 320 transmits and receives various types of information to and from the examinee terminal 100. Specifically, the information transmission / reception unit 320 obtains, for example, information on unacquired voice data and examinee identification information from the examinee terminal 100. The information transmission / reception unit 320 also transmits, for example, information indicating eligibility to take the exam to the examinee terminal 100.

[0064] ===Processing Procedure for Test Support System 10=== Next, the processing procedure of the test support system 10 will be explained with reference to Figure 8. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the test support system 10. As an example, Figure 8 explains the processing procedure up to having the test-taker take the speaking test again if the test-taker's voice is not properly acquired in a predetermined question of the speaking test.

[0065] In step S100, the test management device 200 transmits the question information to the examinee terminal 100.

[0066] In step S101, the examinee terminal 100 stores the question information in the storage unit 110.

[0067] In step S102, when the examinee terminal 100 receives an operation input from the examinee in response to the start test button (not shown), it outputs the question information through the display unit or speaker.

[0068] In step S103, the examinee terminal 100 acquires examinee voice information through the microphone and stores it in the storage unit 110.

[0069] In step S104, the examinee terminal 100 outputs question information related to a predetermined question of the speaking test (for example, the last question), and then performs a determination process to determine whether or not the examinee's voice information was able to be stored in the storage unit 110.

[0070] In step S105, the examinee terminal 100 displays an audio memory confirmation screen T1 on the display unit 1006, which shows the audio acquisition result and judgment result associated with each question. The audio acquisition result is, for example, an audio waveform, and the judgment result is, for example, "OK" or "NG". This allows the examinee to quickly and easily check the memory status of their answer audio, enabling the test support system 10 to conduct an appropriate and fair speaking test.

[0071] In step S106, if the examinee terminal 100 determines that the examinee's voice response has not been properly stored in the storage unit 110, it may display the retake request button T14 on the display unit 1006.

[0072] In step S107, when the examinee terminal 100 receives an input from the examinee regarding the retake request button T14, it sends a retake request to the supervisor terminal 300 along with information that can identify the examinee (e.g., examinee ID).

[0073] In step S108, the supervisor terminal 300 identifies, for example, the examinee who requested to retake the exam and transmits information to the examinee terminal 100 that allows the examinee to retake the exam.

[0074] In step S109, the examinee terminal 100 outputs the question indicated by the question information stored in the memory unit 110 based on the examinee eligibility information, via the speaker. In other words, if the examinee's voice is not properly stored, the examinee terminal 100 can quickly allow the examinee to take the test again.

[0075] ===Hardware Configuration=== Next, the hardware configuration of each device in the test support system 10 will be described. Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the test-taker terminal 100, the test management device 200, and the supervisor terminal 300. In the following, only the test-taker terminal 100 will be described, and the test management device 200 and the supervisor terminal 300 will be assumed to be the same as the test-taker terminal 100, and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0076] As shown in Figure 9, the examinee terminal 100 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001, main memory 1002, BIOS-ROM 1003, storage device 1004, audio output unit 1005 (e.g., speaker), display unit 1006, communication interface 1007, input unit 1008 (e.g., microphone), and a system bus 1009 connecting these.

[0077] The CPU 1001 executes, for example, a test program loaded onto the main memory 1002, enabling various functions on the test subject terminal 100. In other words, the test subject terminal 100 performs the test by executing the test program under the control of the CPU 1001. The BIOS-ROM 1003 stores programs for hardware management and control of the test subject terminal 100.

[0078] The storage device 1004 stores programs and various data. The audio output unit 1005 outputs various sounds processed under the control of the CPU 1001. The display unit 1006 is, for example, a display that shows various images processed under the control of the CPU 1001. The communication interface 1007 is an interface that enables communication with the test management device 200 and other devices. The input unit 1008 is, for example, a touch panel for inputting user operations or a microphone for inputting voice. Alternatively, the input unit 1008 may receive user operations from a keyboard or touch panel connected to the examinee terminal 100.

[0079] ===Summary=== <1> The test support system 10 includes a question output unit 130 that outputs question information, which is information indicating the questions included in the speaking test, to the test taker; a test taker voice acquisition unit 140 that can acquire test taker voice information, which is information indicating the test taker's voice in the speaking test; and an output processing unit 160 that outputs a voice acquisition result, which indicates the status of the acquisition of test taker voice information by the test taker voice acquisition unit 140, after the question information of predetermined questions included in the speaking test has been output. As a result, the test support system 10 can provide a user interface that allows the test taker to check their answer voice.

[0080] <2> Furthermore, the output processing unit 160 in the test support system 10 displays the audio acquisition results as a waveform representing sound on the display unit 1006. This allows the test support system 10 to provide information to the test-taker in a format that allows them to easily confirm that the audio response was not properly recorded if the waveform is not displayed despite the test-taker having answered a question in the speaking test aloud.

[0081] <3> Furthermore, after the question information for the last question in the speaking test is output, the output processing unit 160 in the test support system 10 displays the audio acquisition result as a waveform on the display unit 1006, associated with each of the questions in the speaking test. This allows the test support system 10 to provide information to the test-taker so that if a waveform is not displayed despite the test-taker having answered a question in the speaking test aloud, the test-taker can quickly and easily confirm that the answer audio has not been properly stored.

[0082] <4> Furthermore, after the output processing unit 160 of the test support system 10 outputs the question information for each question included in the speaking test, it displays the audio acquisition result for each question as a waveform on the display unit 1006. In this way, the test support system 10 can provide information to the test-taker so that they can quickly confirm that their audio response was not properly recorded if a waveform is not displayed despite the test-taker having answered a question in the speaking test aloud.

[0083] <5> In the test support system 10, the output processing unit 160 outputs the question information for each question included in the speaking test, and then, for a predetermined time, displays the audio acquisition result for each question as a waveform on the display unit 1006. This allows the test support system 10 to allow the test-taker to properly confirm the audio acquisition results without delaying the speaking test.

[0084] <6> The test support system 10 further includes a determination unit 150 that determines whether the sound input level indicated by the voice acquisition result is above a predetermined threshold, and the output processing unit 160 displays the determination result, which is determined by the determination unit 150, on the display unit 1006. This allows the system to output an appropriate determination result to the test taker.

[0085] <7> In the test support system 10, if the judgment unit 150 determines that the input level is below a predetermined threshold, the output processing unit 160 displays information on the display unit 1006 indicating that the examinee voice acquisition unit 140 has not acquired examinee voice information. This allows for the output of an appropriate judgment result that can be easily confirmed by the examinee.

[0086] <8> In the test support system 10, if the judgment unit 150 determines that the input level is below a predetermined threshold, the output processing unit 160 displays an object on the display unit 1006 to notify the speaking test supervisor that the test-taker's voice information has not been acquired. This allows the test support system 10 to quickly notify the supervisor about test-takers who should retake the test.

[0087] <9> In the test support system 10, if the judgment unit 150 determines that the input level is below a predetermined threshold, the output processing unit 160 transmits information indicating that the examinee's voice information has not been acquired by the examinee voice acquisition unit 140 to the supervisor terminal 300 (operating terminal) of the speaking test supervisor. This allows the test support system 10 to quickly notify the supervisor of examinees who should retake the test.

[0088] <10> In the test support system 10, if the judgment unit 150 determines that the input level is below a predetermined threshold, the output processing unit 160 transmits voice acquisition information, which indicates that the examinee voice information has not been acquired by the examinee voice acquisition unit 140, along with examinee identification information, which is information that can identify the examinee, to the supervisor terminal 300 (operation terminal) of the speaking test supervisor. This allows the test support system 10 to quickly notify the supervisor about examinees who should retake the test.

[0089] <11> The test support system 10 includes an output processing unit 160 that, when the determination unit 150 determines that the input level is below a predetermined threshold, transmits unacquired voice information, which indicates that the examinee voice information has not been acquired by the examinee voice acquisition unit 140, along with examinee identification information, which is information that can identify the examinee, to the supervisor terminal 300 (operation terminal) of the speaking test supervisor. The test support system 10 further includes an examinee-ready information acquisition unit 170 that acquires examinee-ready information from the supervisor terminal 300 (operation terminal), which indicates that the supervisor has received an operation input from the supervisor to allow the examinee to take a predetermined speaking test. The question output unit 130 outputs question information of the questions included in the predetermined speaking test to the examinee based on the examinee-ready information. As a result, the test support system 10 can quickly allow the examinee to take the speaking test again. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0090] 10 Test support systems 100 test-taker terminals 110 Storage section 120 Question information acquisition department 130 Question Output Unit 140 Examinee Voice Acquisition Unit 150 Judgment section 160 Output Processing Unit 170 Information Acquisition Department for Examination Eligibility 200 Test Management Devices 300 supervisor terminals

Claims

1. In a speaking test for examinees, an information processing device used by the examinee, A question output unit outputs question information, which is information indicating the questions included in the speaking test, through at least one of the display unit and speaker of the information processing device, The examinee voice acquisition unit acquires examinee voice information, which is information indicating the examinee's voice in the speaking test, through the microphone of the information processing device, and stores the acquired examinee voice information in the storage unit. After the completion of the speaking test, the output processing unit refers to the examinee's voice information stored in the memory unit and outputs a voice acquisition result showing the result of acquiring the voice of the answer to the question. An information processing device equipped with the following features.

2. The output processing unit displays the sound acquisition result on the display unit as a waveform representing sound. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The output processing unit displays the sound acquisition result as a waveform on the display unit, relating it to each of the questions included in the speaking test. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The output processing unit displays the audio acquisition result for each of the questions on the display unit as a waveform representing sound. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The output processing unit causes the audio acquisition results for each of the questions to be displayed on the display unit as waveforms representing sound for a predetermined time. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The system further includes a determination unit that determines whether the sound input level indicated by the sound acquisition result is above a predetermined threshold, The output processing unit causes the display unit to display the determination result, which is determined by the determination unit. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. If the output processing unit determines that the input level is below a predetermined threshold, it causes the display unit to display information indicating that the examinee voice information has not been acquired by the examinee voice acquisition unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6.

8. Computers In a speaking test for a test-taker, a question audio output step is performed, in which question information, which is information indicating the questions included in the speaking test, is output through at least one of the display unit and speaker of the information processing device used by the test-taker. The process includes: acquiring examinee voice information, which is information indicating the examinee's voice in the speaking test, through the microphone of the information processing device, and storing the acquired examinee voice information in the storage unit; After the completion of the speaking test, the output processing step involves referring to the examinee's voice information stored in the memory unit and outputting the voice acquisition result, which indicates the acquisition result of the answer voice to the question, to the information processing device. An information processing method that enables execution of [the specified action].

9. On the computer, In a speaking test for a test-taker, a question audio output step is performed, in which question information, which is information indicating the questions included in the speaking test, is output through at least one of the display unit and speaker of the information processing device used by the test-taker. The process includes: acquiring examinee voice information, which is information indicating the examinee's voice in the speaking test, through the microphone of the information processing device, and storing the acquired examinee voice information in the storage unit; After the completion of the speaking test, an output processing step is performed to output to the information processing device an audio acquisition result indicating the acquisition result of the answer audio to the question, by referring to the examinee's audio information stored in the memory unit. A program that executes the command.

Images