Systems and methods for generating distractors in language learning

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, methods, and products for language learning software that automatically extracts text from resources using various natural-language processing features, which can be combined with custom-designed learning activities to offer a needs-based, adaptive learning methodology. The system may receive a text, extract keywords pedagogically valuable to non-native language learning, assign a difficulty score to the text using various linguistic attributes of the text, generate a list of potential distractors for each keyword related to a resource to implement in learning activities. Distractors may be of various types, which are dynamically selected from a distractor store depending on a learning activity chosen to meet a learner's needs. Distractors may vary in difficulty, and may be dynamically selected based on a learner's overall proficiency or based on a learner's abilities in specific language skills.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 automatically selecting, by a computer, from a keyword store, a set of target words stored in the keyword store, each respective target word having a word difficulty score based upon one or more skill scores of a learner-record stored in a learner database,
 wherein the keyword store is configured to store metadata associated with each respective target word, and 
 wherein the metadata associated with each respective target word in the keyword word store indicates the word difficulty score of the respective target word; 
   identifying, by the computer, in a dictionary source, a plurality of words having an edit distance based upon a target word, wherein the edit distance of a word is an amount of letter-insertions and letter-deletions required for the word to be the target word; and   generating, by the computer, at least one distractor comprising one or more words of the plurality of words, wherein the edit distance of each respective word in the at least one distractor satisfies an edit distance amount setting.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the edit distance amount setting limits the edit distance of the respective word based upon the one or more skill scores of the learner-record. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising ranking, by the computer, each of the plurality of words in the dictionary source according to smallest edit distance. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one distractor comprises the one or more words having small edit distances satisfying a difficulty level related to abilities of a learner. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising adaptably varying, by the computer, a difficulty level of the at least one distractor. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 5 , wherein the difficulty level of the at least one distractor is varied by selecting a set of words from the dictionary source having smaller edit distances. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , further comprising selecting, by the computer, the set of words based on a pre-determined amount of words to be used. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the computer, a definition of the target word based on context used within a resource from which the target word originates. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising identifying, by the computer, one or more synonyms of the target word in the dictionary source. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising identifying, by the computer, in the dictionary source, one or more antonyms of the target word. 
     
     
         11 . A system comprising:
 a computer configured to:
 automatically select from a keyword store, a set of target words stored in the keyword store, each respective target word having a word difficulty score based upon one or more skill scores of a learner-record stored in a learner database,
 wherein the keyword store is configured to store metadata associated with each respective target word, and 
 wherein the metadata associated with each respective target word in the keyword word store indicates the word difficulty score of the respective target word; 
 
 identify in a dictionary source, a plurality of words having an edit distance based upon a target word, wherein the edit distance of a word is an amount of letter-insertions and letter-deletions required for the word to be the target word; and 
 generate at least one distractor comprising one or more words of the plurality of words, wherein the edit distance of each respective word in the at least one distractor satisfies an edit distance amount setting. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the edit distance amount setting limits the edit distance of the respective word based upon the one or more skill scores of the learner-record. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer is further configured to rank each of the plurality of words in the dictionary source according to smallest edit distance. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one distractor comprises the one or more words having small edit distances satisfying a difficulty level related to abilities of a learner. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer is further configured to adaptably vary a difficulty level of the at least one distractor. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the difficulty level of the at least one distractor is varied by selecting a set of words from the dictionary source having smaller edit distances. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the computer is further configured to select the set of words based on a pre-determined amount of words to be used. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer is further configured to determine a definition of the target word based on context used within a resource from which the target word originates. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer is further configured to identify one or more synonyms of the target word in the dictionary source. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer is further configured to identify in the dictionary source, one or more antonyms of the target word.