Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus configured to provide education services.

Background

Modern higher education landscape is rapidly evolving towards technology- based enhanced learning, and so education organisations are challenged to maintain learning environments that are able to cope with increasingly diverse contents, tools and technologies.

While some learning platforms provide proprietary mechanisms to integrate with selected external solutions, the lack of generic integration mechanisms have however hindered education organisations from adopting suitable solutions to achieve an improved seamless teaching and learning experience for students.

Particularly, as the integration of external solutions into learning platforms tends to be tightly coupled with underlying data integration, user interfaces and services are thus not flexible, thereby limiting the efficiency of learning experiences to achieve desirable learning outcomes for students.

Existing learning environments normally leverage on commercial platforms with out-of-box functionalities plugged in as building blocks for data integration. While various tools and systems are used to deliver specific learning experience to the students, there is presently no system that encompasses all possible capabilities required to deliver a holistic learning experience.

It is to be appreciated that the learning solution architecture is normally point-to- point in nature, and poses integration challenges in achieving scalability and flexibility. Despite existence of learning standards (e.g. IMS Learning Tools Interoperability 1 .0), the current learning environment is highly fragmented and has resulted in disparate learning solutions and tools being deployed, which may not be entirely beneficial to the students. One objective of the present invention is therefore to address at least one of the problems of the prior art and/or to provide a choice that is useful in the art.

Summary

According to a 1 ^st aspect, there is provided an apparatus configured to provide education services, comprising: a transceiver module arranged to receive a request from a user, the request related to accessing information data of a plurality of coursework selected by the user; a service module arranged to retrieve the information data from at least one database based on the request; an aggregator module arranged to process the retrieved information data by applying at least a set of business rules to generate respective results based on the request, and aggregate the respective results; and a presentation module arranged to process the aggregated results into associated display data, which are transmitted by the transceiver module to be displayed to the user.

Advantageously, the apparatus enables education organizations/institutions a means to deploy an end-to-end and holistic learning environment with ease of integrating with external solutions via customised Learning Environment APIs that have been selected based on proven pedagogical domain knowledge to deliver the best learning experience to students. Specifically, the apparatus leverages an aggregation mechanism to reduce costs and time required for realising a customised integration mechanism.

Preferably, the business rules may be configured to be applied based on contextual and time-based information in relevance of the information data to be accessed.

Preferably, the apparatus may be in the form of a computer server. Preferably, the database may be externally hosted in a server of an education service provider.

Preferably, the at least one database may include a plurality of databases respectively externally hosted in respective servers of different education service providers. Preferably, the display data may be transmitted to a computing device used by the user for sending the request to the apparatus.

Preferably, the request may include a set of preference parameters selected by the user, and the preference parameters may be related to theme and display preferences of the user for displaying the display data on the computing device.

Preferably, the aggregated results may be processed into the display data with reference to the preference parameters.

According to a 2 ^nd aspect, there is provided a method performed by an apparatus for providing education services, the apparatus includes a transceiver module, a service module, an aggregator module, and a presentation module, the method comprises: receiving a request by the transceiver module from a user, the request related to accessing information data of a plurality of coursework selected by the user; retrieving the information data by the service module from at least one database based on the request; processing the retrieved information data by the aggregator module by applying at least a set of business rules to generate respective results based on the request, and aggregating the respective results by the aggregator module; and processing the aggregated results by the presentation module into associated display data, which are transmitted by the transceiver module to be displayed to the user.

It should be apparent that features relating to one aspect of the invention may also be applicable to the other aspects of the invention.

These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention are disclosed hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the three tiers architecture of an apparatus configured to provide education services, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a corresponding block diagram of the apparatus of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method performed by the apparatus of FIG. 1 for providing education services;

FIG. 4 shows architecture of the presentation tier of the apparatus of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 5 shows architecture of the aggregation tier of the apparatus of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 6 is a table listing different available APIs configured in the services library layer of the aggregation tier;

FIG. 7 shows architecture of the service tier of the apparatus of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 8a shows services-centric APIs arranged in the aggregation tier for a 1 ^st use case, and FIG. 8b shows corresponding configuration of the apparatus of FIG. 1 for the 1 ^st use case;

FIG. 9a shows services-centric APIs arranged in the aggregation tier for a 2 ^nd use case, and FIG. 9b shows corresponding configuration of the apparatus of FIG. 1 for the 2 ^nd use case; and

FIG. 10a shows services-centric APIs arranged in the aggregation tier for a 3 ^rd use case, and FIG. 10b shows corresponding configuration of the apparatus of FIG. 1 for the 3 ^rd use case.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

An apparatus 100 configured to provide education services is hereby disclosed, according to an embodiment. In one example, the apparatus 100 is known as the i-NTULearn system, and is deployed in the form of a computer server at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. FIG. 1 shows the three tiers architecture (i.e. a presentation tier 102, an aggregation tier 104, and a services tier 106) of the apparatus 100, whereas FIG. 2 is a corresponding block diagram of the apparatus 100. The presentation tier 102 delivers a unified user experience that is optimised for display on computing devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, or laptops) of end users, while the aggregation tier 104 leverages on modern API protocols to extract data and controls provided by underlying learning services. Then the service tier 106 comprises data and business processes of learning engines, data management and enterprise services systems of an academic institute the apparatus 100 is to be deployed in. The apparatus 100 may also interface with external systems 108. From a high level system perspective, the presentation tier 102, an aggregation tier 104, and a services tier 106 can be generalised to be viewed as respective modules, i.e. a presentation module 202, an aggregation module 204, and a services module 206. So broadly in this manner, the apparatus 100 comprises: a transceiver module 208 arranged to receive a request from a user 210, the request related to accessing information data of a plurality of coursework selected by the user 210; the service module 206 arranged to retrieve the information data from at least one database based on the request; the aggregator module 204 arranged to process the retrieved information data by applying at least a set of business rules to generate respective results based on the request, and aggregate the respective results; and the presentation module 202 arranged to process the aggregated results into associated display data, which are transmitted by the transceiver module 208 to be displayed to the user 210. It is to be appreciated that the database is externally hosted in a server of an education service provider, but need not be so always; indeed the database can also be hosted locally by the apparatus 100. Further, the definition of the at least one database covers a plurality of databases respectively externally hosted in respective servers of different education service providers.

Accordingly, a method 300 performed by the apparatus 100 for providing education services is depicted in FIG. 3. Specifically, the method 300 comprises: at step 302, receiving a request by the transceiver module 208 from the user 210, the request related to accessing information data of a plurality of coursework selected by the user 210; at step 304, retrieving the information data by the service module 206 from at least one database based on the request; at step 306, processing the retrieved information data by the aggregator module 204 by applying at least a set of business rules to generate respective results based on the request, and aggregating the respective results by the aggregator module 204; and at step 308, processing the aggregated results by the presentation module 202 into associated display data, which are transmitted by the transceiver module 208 to be displayed to the user 210. Each tier 102, 104, 106 is further elaborated below to provide more information.

1.1 Presentation tier

Referring to FIG. 4 (which shows architecture 400 of the presentation tier 102), the presentation tier 102 is responsible for delivering desired contents/information data of coursework to mobile devices, and IP connected computing devices of end users for interacting with the apparatus 100. The presentation tier 102 optimises the contents for display on the mobile devices and also caches the contents for speedy delivery. The services in the presentation tier 102 drive personalisation by using analytics to monitor user behaviour and deliver contextualized content.

A front-end application designer can create a Single Page Application (SPA) framework with a library of service widgets representing suites of commonly used services from the various back end software application. This ability to create a single front end application that delivers services from multiple disparate back end software application provides ability to quickly create new user interfaces that meets new user requirements.

The disclosed architecture 400 provides the front-end application designer flexibility to build applications that can deliver optimal user experience to computing devices of the end users. The ability to build these new front-end applications and rapidly redesign them based on newly acquired user requirements, without need to integrate the back end software applications, beneficially reduces the amount of development time and costs usually associated with typical software development life cycle.

It is to be appreciated that the front-end applications programming language is independent of the back end software applications. New user interface of the front end applications may be created with Java, HTML and .Net. Moreover, the new use interface may be written entirely from one language or a combination of languages to deliver the user requirements. The front-end application interacts with the back end software applications via a collection of widgets library. Each widget object within the widgets library is a collection of APIs and Connectors provided by the aggregation tier 104.

It is to be appreciated that the new user interface is a digital confederation of components, i.e. a Mash-up. The web page of an aggregated dashboard (for users) uses contents from more than one source to create a single new service display in a single graphical interface. The usage of service widgets provides the end users the ability to personalize their individual pages to deliver optimal user experience. The end users can select their most commonly used service widgets to be on their own landing page, and have access to all available services from the widget library. 1.2 Aggregation tier

FIG. 5 shows architecture 500 of the aggregation tier 104 of the apparatus 100. It is to be appreciated that the aggregation tier 104 is the aggregation and federation of services published by the services tier 106 (via associated applications and data). To reduce the complexities of integrating multiple software applications, an API and Integration Platform is used to focus on services delivered by the applications - see below. This is provided via an API and Connectors Library publishing the underlying services and using bidirectional Data Protocol translation between services requests to the services tier 106. This approach enables a quick adoption of new technology expected at the front end of the apparatus 100, while keeping the backend software applications and services stable and reliable.

There are three different layers (i.e. integration layer 502, service library layer 504, and API orchestration layer 506) of abstracting APIs in the aggregation tier 104 and are configured as follows:

• Integration Layer (System-Centric APIs)

The integration layer 502 functions as an abstraction layer for all necessary connectivity logic and code to various software applications that provides the services. The integration layer 502 provides all necessary capabilities and technology features to connect to various systems (providing respective learning services) through standards-based protocols such as SOAP Web-Services, REST APIs, JDBC or JMS protocols, etc. The integration layer 502 also provides ability to address connectivity to non-standard protocols through provision of connector development kits as well as the ability to build custom API integration components using popular programming languages such as Java, .Net, JavaScript, Groovy, Python, etc. and the ability to run these components within the integration layer 502. This allows integration beyond the scope of just applications but also with devices in the realm of Internet-of-Things (loT). • Services Library Layer (API Library)

The services library layer 504 builds on the integration layer 502 to encapsulate and orchestrate the various atomic system-APIs into service-centric APIs. This layer 504 also allows best-practices processes to be enforced in the list of Learning Environment APIs as respectively tabulated in the table 600 of FIG. 6.

• API Orchestration Layer (Experience-Centric APIs)

The API orchestration layer 506 exposes APIs that are consumed by the front end of the apparatus 100 and other consumers, such as mobile applications or external partners. By abstracting the APIs from the service APIs, this allows focus to be directed at delivering the best developer programming experience when consuming the APIs without being held-back by the potential legacies of the service-centric APIs. 1.3 Services tier

The services tier 106 constitutes data and business processes that are provided to the presentation tier 102 and aggregation tier 104 without concern on how and where the data is consumed. These may be data and Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and/or custom-built software application residing locally at where the apparatus 100 is deployed, or could be software application services subscribed over the Cloud. The additional back end applications required to deliver the new foundation services in the apparatus 100 reside on the services tier 106.

Then, 1 ^st , 2 ^nd and 3 ^rd use cases will be described below to illustrate the concept of how the business rules are applied in the aggregation tier 104. The 1 ^st use case relates to configuring the aggregation tier 104 for a personalised dashboard (at a computing device of a user), the 2 ^nd use case relates to configuring the aggregation tier 104 for content delivery and consumption, and the 3 ^rd use case relates to configuring the aggregation tier 104 for course assessment.

2.1 The 1 ^st use case

• Functionality Description

In this case, the apparatus 100 provides a user-centric and a consolidated view of information and functionalities through a personalised dashboard. Information is presented on the dashboard through modules which are customisable and configurable based on a user's preferences and roles.

Role specific modules and information are made available to users as follow:

1 . View and access enrolled courses and associated assessments.

2. View personalised announcements and notifications from various learning solutions.

3. View individual learning plan and course catalogue.

4. Access other features in the system such as content repository, course content, feedback, analytical modules and etc.

5. Launch content authoring tools to author content and activities.

• Aggregation Tier Design

The services-centric APIs, as shown in the table 800 of FIG. 8a, in the services library layer 504 (of the aggregation tier 104) encapsulate the functionalities and information required for a personalised dashboard.

Accordingly, the API orchestration layer 506 provides the necessary personalisation and business rules for the service-centric APIs to deliver the personalised dashboard experience to the front end of the apparatus 100, i.e. via user interface and experience (UI/UX).

Personalisation rules (i.e. formulated based on a set of preference parameters selected by associated users), based on user profile information provided by User API, are used to determine desired theme and display preferences of the user interface and experience (UI/UX). Announcements and notifications are also personalised based on the profile and roles of the users.

Listing of courses, assignments and assessments are displayed on the personalised dashboard, and are based on the business rules built on contextual and time based algorithm. For instance, an aggregated list of assignments is only available to students during the submission period configured by respective faculty. FIG. 8b shows a configuration 850 of the apparatus 100 for the 1 ^st use case on how personalised information is extracted from databases through APIs, and passes through the API orchestration layer 506 before being displayed on the personalised dashboard.

2.2 The 2 ^nd use case

· Functionality Description

In this case, content delivery in the apparatus 100 leverages a blend of learning strategies to enhance the teaching and learning experience, where delivery of learning content according to the approach identified for a particular course is supported.

Targeted contents are presented in a course dashboard based on defined roles. Students are able to view personalised learning plan, course engagement, recommended content by the faculty and peers, and other useful information related to the course.

The description below illustrates how the customised contents are propagated:

1. Accessing course content, content repository, recommended content, collaboration tools, analytical reports, calendar of activities and events etc.

2. Accessing academic performance and progression reports of students by the faculty.

3. Accessing a list of students that needs attention by the faculty.

• Aggregation Tier Design

The services-centric APIs, as shown in the table 900 of FIG. 9a, in the services library layer 504 (of the aggregation tier 104) encapsulate the functionalities and information required for the content delivery and consumption.

Accordingly, business and navigation rules in the API orchestration layer 506 govern content delivery leverage on analytics information, including data on activities effectiveness, student performance, and other evaluation outcomes. The said rules are capable of determining students who are performing academically poorly based on assessment results, progress in class activities and student's learning plan to delivery suitable content to provide appropriate assistance and mentoring. FIG. 9b shows a configuration 950 of the apparatus 100 for the 2 ^nd use case on how content from content repository are being extracted via Learn, Course and Content API into the API orchestration layer 506. The business and navigation rules are based on inputs from user profile and analytics information to deliver the appropriate content to students.

2.3 The 3 ^rd use case

• Functionality Description

In this case, assessment service provides an integrated environment to users to manage, deliver and evaluate assessment activities and consolidate grades and results including historical information. It allows all assessments tools to be accessible from a common user interface.

Peer evaluation and common rubrics are available for assessment conducted using social media tools, essays, open ended questions, peer evaluation and evaluation of students' attributes (i.e. outcome-based assessments).

• Aggregation Tier Design

The services-centric APIs, as shown in the table 1000 of FIG. 10a, in the services library layer 504 (of the aggregation tier 104) encapsulate the functionalities and information required for the course assessment.

The API orchestration layer 506 provides the business and navigational rules to aggregate course assessments from multiple learning services in the apparatus 100 and delivers the appropriate course assessments based on the student academic performance information. It leverages on analytics data to address the unique and individual learning needs of the students.

FIG. 10b shows a configuration 1050 of the apparatus 100 for the 3 ^rd use case on how course assessments from Learning Management, Learning Activity Management and Assessment Management are aggregated into the API orchestration layer 506. The business and navigation rules are based on inputs from user profile and analytics information to deliver the appropriate content to students. In summary, the proposed apparatus 100 is a new learning ecosystem platform based on the 3-tier architecture: the presentation, aggregation and services tiers 102, 104, 106. Specifically, well established and proven learning processes encapsulated in respective learning solutions in the services tier 106 are aggregated via open API libraries in the aggregation tier 104 to deliver a cohesive learning experience in the presentation tier 102.

The apparatus 100 comprises the following distinguishing features:

• Unified User-Interface by consolidating information from different application systems.

• Integrated Best-of-Breed functionalities from multiple application solution providers.

• Integrated Content Consumption by user profiles from different application systems seamlessly.

• Consolidated access to various Content Authoring Services enabling faculty and administrators to create contents from one location.

• Dynamic Content Delivery to allow faculty and administrators to make recommendations based on students' learning performance and needs.

• Integrated System Services to allow users easy search and access to all content repositories.

• Seamless Course Enrolment and Administration Services to access enrolment data from enterprise system.

• Aggregating Collaboration tools for easy access by users.

• Integrated Assessment Environment for users to manage, deliver and evaluate assessment activities from various assessment platforms.

• Federated Analytics that collects data from different systems to derive meaningful patterns and provide recommendations to end users of the apparatus 100 for better decision making and effective learning.

It is to be appreciated that the apparatus 100 distinguishes from prior art as a new learning ecosystem platform based on the 3-tier architecture with focus on delivering pedagogical proven learning processes encapsulated in respective class-leading learning solutions to a unified user interface. The implementation of the apparatus 100 is development platform and product agnostic, i.e. the apparatus 100 uses the most appropriate technologically advanced enterprise service bus or UX platform in the market. Hence, the apparatus 100 is different from prior art, by instead focusing on the underlying technology and programming methods to retrieve user identity information, query results via APIs and how user interfaces can be aggregated.

Advantageously, the apparatus 100 is arranged to have logical separation of services, so that each component can be designed, built and deployed in isolation to data and services to be consumed or delivered the component. The components are loosely coupled to the remaining of the apparatus 100 to support aggregated services and are able to operate as independent modules. This allows education services providing organizations/institutions to rapidly adopt new learning technologies with agility, while keeping the backend functional applications and services intact for operational needs.

Specifically, the rationalisation of the entire learning ecosystem offers the following advantages:

• Students are presented with seamless and unified user interface that remains consistent across courses and learning tasks, freeing them to focus on proper learning of tasks and discovery of relevant learning content.

• Faculty members enjoy seamless experience with ease of use in content creation, course delivery and assessment functionalities from latest best-of- breed products that can be swiftly plugged into the learning environment. · Administrators are able to add new best-of-breed effective learning tools into the learning environment with confidence that impacts on other components are minimised.

The apparatus 100 enables education organizations a means to deploy an end- to-end and holistic learning environment with ease of integrating with external solutions via customised Learning Environment APIs that have been selected based on proven pedagogical domain knowledge to deliver the best learning experience to students. The apparatus 100 adopts an aggregation mechanism to reduce costs and time required to realise a customised integration mechanism. Particularly, the apparatus 100 can be commercialized as a business model to create a learning ecosystem in providing seamless application integration to all learning solutions and technologies, and to enable a learning management system with unified user experience.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary, and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practising the claimed invention.