Abstract: An improved mechanism is provided for presenting and navigating bookmarks in a set of electronic reading material (ERM). In one implementation, when a portion of an ERM is displayed, a graphical element, which represents the contents of the ERM, is also displayed. A current location indicator and one or more bookmark indicators are further displayed on or within proximity of the graphical element to show where, within the ERM, the currently displayed portion is located and where bookmarks are located. This provides a useful graphical overview to a user. In addition, the mechanism may facilitate navigation to a bookmark by enabling a user to select one of the bookmark indicators to navigate directly to that bookmark. The mechanism may also enable a user to navigate sequentially from bookmark to bookmark using a previous bookmark control and/or a next bookmark control. With these capabilities, bookmark presentation and navigation are improved.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically publishing course offerings for different types of courses according to a plurality of policies and templates is presented herein. Instructors and/or administrators for a course create course records for each course that will be offered at a particular educational institution. The course record includes, and/or is associated with, data that indicates when the course will start, what assets should be published in the course offering, what template should be used, when a course is eligible to be automatically published, and/or when a course should be published by. When courses are eligible to be published, a controller determines what priority to assign each course. The controller manages a pool of course publishing processes to publish each course according to the policies and templates defined by each course's educational institution. The controller also notifies administrators when a course publishing process fails to publish a course.

Abstract: A grammar teaching system maintains and updates a mastery estimate for a grammar skill and displays an updated visual indication of this estimation. Based on user answers to grammar problems, the system updates the mastery estimate for the grammar skill. Also, a step of a grammar problem is associated with an ordered list of hints. When the user requests a hint for the problem step, the system identifies a position in the list of hints based on how many times the user has previously requested hints for the step. The system displays text that is from the hint at the identified position in the list. Further, a hint for a grammar problem step includes pointer information that refers to a portion of a sentence for the grammar problem. When the system displays the hint, the system highlights the portion of the sentence that is referred to in the pointer information.

Abstract: An automated grammar teaching system displays one or more sentences and allows a user to identify a location of a run-on sentence error within a sentence. The system further allows the user to correct the identified run-on sentence error. In an embodiment, if a user incorrectly identifies a particular portion of a sentence as a run-on sentence error, then the system displays remediation information to help the user understand the portion of the sentence that the user selected. In an embodiment, if a user provides an inaccurate correction to a run-on sentence error, the system displays remediation information to explain why the correction that the user input is inaccurate. Further, the automated grammar teaching system records, as historical data, a user's actions within the system. The system uses this historical data to identify what sentences, with what kinds of run-on sentence errors, the system should provide to the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting and engaging participants in an online course that are not likely to attend the online course, is presented herein. Participants in an online course are responsible for attending the course by downloading instructional material and completing assignments through an online forum. Attending the online course causes interaction data and/or performance data to be generated and stored for each participant. The interaction and performance data for a particular participant may be analyzed to determine whether the particular participant is likely to not attend the online course during a future period. If the particular participant is not likely to attend the online course during the future period, an alert is a counselor to intervene and engage the participant. A counselor may follow up with the particular participant to make sure the participant is on track to attend and complete the online course.

Abstract: A system and method to prioritize leads for a pool of representatives is presented herein. Leads have corresponding lead profiles stored or referenced in a lead queue system. Each lead profile includes data that indicates how likely the corresponding lead is to purchase a good or service, or to take an offer. The lead queue system orders lead profiles, such that the highest lead profile corresponds to the lead that is estimated to be the most likely to purchase a good or service, or to take an offer. A lead profile may be updated automatically based, at least in part, on the actions of the corresponding lead. Additionally or alternatively, a lead profile may be updated manually by a representative, manager, or someone other than the corresponding lead. In response, the lead queue system updates the order of the lead profiles.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for finding and presenting content that is relevant to the subject matter taught by a course, and for facilitating discussion of such content in a discussion forum that is outside of a classroom. Because the content is relevant to the subject matter taught by the course, and because the content is used to initiate discussion, it is likely that the ensuing discussion will focus on issues that pertain to the subject matter taught by the course. Also, because the discussion is conducted in a non-classroom discussion forum, students may feel more comfortable expressing their thoughts and opinions; hence, students are more likely to participate in the discussion and are more likely to be engaged by it. Consequently, the method and system are likely to foster focused and constructive discussion of issues pertaining to the subject matter taught by a course.

Abstract: In a decoupled messaging system, a producer device sends produced messages to a message fabric. The message fabric either stores the received message in designated queues, from which consumer devices may retrieve the messages, or broadcasts the messages to consumer devices that subscribe to topics assigned to the messages. A message consumption orchestrator service gathers capabilities information for the message producer, the message fabric, and the message consumer, and configures resources allocated for the message consumer to more fully optimize message throughput. Further, the message consumption orchestrator identifies patterns in changes of the rate of produced messages, i.e., through analysis of historical data and/or received information. The message consumption orchestrator configures resources for the message consumer to account for predicted need based on the identified patterns.

Abstract: A position-centric approach is provided for creating a curriculum. Under this approach, a curriculum is created for a particular employment position, and the courses that are included in the curriculum are selected based upon the skills that are desired or required for the particular employment position. With such a curriculum, the student is taught the specific skills that are needed to perform well in the employment position. By educating a student using such a curriculum, the student is better prepared for the particular employment position than if the student were educated using a curriculum that is developed based upon a field of study.

Abstract: Method(s), stored instruction(s), and computing device(s) are provided for automatically generating different subsets of questions and/or automatically assigning the different subsets of questions to different test participants. The computing device(s) store information that includes test questions, test version generation criteria, and test version assignment criteria. The computing device(s) automatically determine, using the test version generation criteria, subsets of test questions that differ from each other by at least one question. The computing device(s) automatically assign, using the test version assignment criteria, subsets of test questions, which differ from each other by at least one question, to different test participants. The computing device(s) then cause administration of at least one of the different versions to at least one of the different test participants.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for enabling one or more attribute values of a learning object to be derived and updated based upon learner actions taken by a plurality of learners on that learning object or on one or more related learning objects. To keep the attribute values current, the attribute values may be updated as new/additional information is received. Once the one or more attribute values are derived and updated, they can be used to make intelligent and effective decisions on whether and when to use the learning object to educate a learner.

Abstract: A method is provided for displaying to a candidate one or more candidate-views. Specifically, a candidate may be presented with one or more jobs based on the candidate's possessed proficiencies. Tools and resources are provided to assess and increase a candidate's possessed proficiencies. A method is also provided for displaying, to an employer, employer-views. Specifically, employer-views may be used to define the required proficiencies for a job, find qualified candidates, and retrieve detailed candidate profile information comprising possessed proficiencies for one or more skills. Furthermore, a method is provided for displaying to an educator one or more educator-views. Specifically, a ranked list of skills may be presented to educators based on the number of candidates that may further their respective careers by increasing a particular proficiency. Educator-views may also provide educators with a space to post course information and materials.

Abstract: A method is provided for displaying to a candidate one or more candidate-views. Specifically, a candidate may be presented with one or more jobs based on the candidate's possessed proficiencies. Tools and resources are provided to assess and increase a candidate's possessed proficiencies. A method is also provided for displaying, to an employer, employer-views. Specifically, employer-views may be used to define the required proficiencies for a job, find qualified candidates, and retrieve detailed candidate profile information comprising possessed proficiencies for one or more skills. Furthermore, a method is provided for displaying to an educator one or more educator-views. Specifically, a ranked list of skills may be presented to educators based on the number of candidates that may further their respective careers by increasing a particular proficiency. Educator-views may also provide educators with a space to post course information and materials.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for a routing system that enables a tenant service provider to send events to users, using applications, on one or more devices. Events may include be any message or data intended to be sent to one or more users. Specifically, a tenant service provider may send events to users on various devices without the tenant service provider being aware of the device, or type of device, that the user is using. The tenant service provider need not have any knowledge of the specific users that may receive the events sent by the tenant service provider. Thus, a tenant service provider may disseminate events to users on various devices by sending a single message to a routing service. The routing service may then distribute the event to each of the devices and each of the applications each user has selected.

Abstract: A method is provided for displaying to a candidate one or more candidate-views. Specifically, a candidate may be presented with one or more jobs based on the candidate's possessed proficiencies. Tools and resources are provided to assess and increase a candidate's possessed proficiencies. A method is also provided for displaying, to an employer, employer-views. Specifically, employer-views may be used to define the required proficiencies for a job, find qualified candidates, and retrieve detailed candidate profile information comprising possessed proficiencies for one or more skills. Furthermore, a method is provided for displaying to an educator one or more educator-views. Specifically, a ranked list of skills may be presented to educators based on the number of candidates that may further their respective careers by increasing a particular proficiency. Educator-views may also provide educators with a space to post course information and materials.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for assisting users to share specific locations within videos. Specifically, controls are provided to enable a viewer of a video to drop a “video pin” on a location within a video. In response to the user dropping a video pin at a particular location in the video, a “video pin record” that indicates the selected location is automatically generated by a video pin application. The video pins may be used to identify specific time points in the video and/or specific time segments of the video. Video pin records may be shared with other users to allow the other users to immediately jump to the locations, within the video, at which the corresponding video pins were dropped.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for testing alternative teaching approaches for specific portions of a curriculum. Test-triggering rules are established, each of which corresponds to a specific target-area. Each test-triggering rule specifies conditions which, if satisfied, indicate that a new teaching approach should be tested for the test-triggering rule's target-area. Once the test-triggering rules are established, the assessment results produced by students in instances of courses that implement the curriculum are monitored. If the assessment results satisfy the conditions, a revised teaching approach is selected for the target-area. The revision is then pushed out in waves where some course takers see the revision and others are held constant (A/B analysis). If a hypothesis is validated, then the appropriate revision can be permanently adopted.

Abstract: A test management system and method is disclosed. A document is analyzed and parsed to identify the various elements that make up the document. Alternative values are received for one or more of these elements. In response to receiving a request for the document, the test management system generates a variation of the document based on alternative values. Multiple versions of the document are generated based on the alternative values as additional requests for the document are received.

Abstract: Techniques are described for displaying help articles, for a web page, that are related to the context of the web page. A help article provider has access to a database of help articles, each of which are associated with target-context data that may include content identifiers for the help article and/or user profile attributes for users that the help article targets. The help article provider identifies content identifiers for a viewed web page based on one or more of: metadata and a URL for the web page. The help article provider searches the help article database using the identified content identifiers. The help article provider may filter the help articles based on an authenticated user's attributes. An ordered list of the identified help articles is displayed, with the most relevant or important help articles displayed at or near the top of the list.

Abstract: Techniques are described for resolving document change conflicts based on state information. A document management system records, at a client device, changes that a user made to a root client-side instance of a document bundle to create a modified client-side instance of the document bundle, wherein the changes were made while the client device was not connected to a remote storage service. After the changes are recorded, the client device is connected to the remote storage service. In response to determining that a conflict has occurred, the document management system selects a particular resolution action, based, at least in part, on state information associated with at least one of: a user that made the changes, an instance of the document bundle, or the client device on which the changes were made. The document management system then resolves the conflict by performing the particular resolution action.