Development of an Advanced Dynamically Real-Time Information into Knowledge eReader–kReader™

Dr. Nina Oukhina

Summary Abstract: kReader is designed to deliver a real-time reading and learning system that easily converts static information into Knowledge (iiK) faster and easier than traditional learning and reading methods. With kReader, an eBook can be not only easily read anywhere but also absorbed by using advanced patented iiK learning tools.

Mount Knowledge Inc. (MK) provides products and services which are changing the way that consumers of all ages learn and retain subject matter, starting in childhood and continuing for the rest of their personal and business lives. MK has developed software learning tools and teaching methodologies used by more than 300 million students in China and other countries, from grade school to university, who are seeking to learn English.

A. Scientific Technological Advancements

MK started to develop a new web application named kReader to create new functions for online books. The kReader web application not only provided the opportunity to read an eBook conveniently, but it also provided an environment to allow a user to convert a book’s contents into knowledge acquisition faster and easier with reader speed training tools such as eye fixation and keyword realization over traditional methods.

MK development produced the following advancements:

1. Based on an analysis of various front and back-end web technologies, the MK dramatically improved the layout and GUI design for eBook services to find solutions for the issues created by implementing intuitive design techniques for kReader. With this new intuitive design, users could easily understand the GUI’s behaviour without requiring extra assistance or special training.

2. The MK developed new presentation formats for eBook services to deliver various tools to a client and provide learning functions such as book summarization, keyword highlighting, note-taking, and “mind webbing” from a book’s contents.

3. kReader components were intended to promote effective online text processes through a creative

GUI design to provide a user with the flexibility to collect the information from the contents of a book and convert it into knowledge in a manner that is most helpful to them.

4. The MK designed additional data processing procedures to extract data that would be able to be absorbed as knowledge which was drawn from an eBook’s contents.

5. The MK successfully developed an e-reader web application to process large amounts of data online and create learning aids as additional pages inside the original book without any additional delays.

B. Technological Base Knowledge and Obstacles

The E-reader web applications on the market support common functions such as inputting, process and saving in a database with different formats (pdf, ePub, Mobi, doc...) of electronic books, selecting a book function, automatic page turning, bookmarking, zooming, choose half-age view, use of a dictionary and provide text-to-speech support. They also provide different book presentation formats such as book summarization, keyword highlighting, note-taking, etc. However, those web applications don’t include learning functions.

kReader, a web application which mixes reading and learning functions, had to be created for new functions for online books. It includes a lot of detailed procedures for processing online data and delivering content for learning purposes. All these procedures require a selection of implementation tools that can deliver data to the client without visible delays or loading (waiting) time. The obstacle is how to process large amounts of data online and create learning content as additional pages inside the original book without delays or loading (waiting) time.

An implementation of kReader is needed to develop many client-side components. Currently, there are only two possible approaches to apply to this development: Asp.net server controls or Jquery add/remove class approach.

Asp.net server controls or jQuery add/remove class approach have their own advantages and disadvantages. Experimental development had to be conducted to compare the two approaches to determine the right one for building GUI layouts for kReader.

As an e-reader web application, kReader is presented with many forms (shapes), contents and behaviours which depend on versions, modes (reading, speed reading, keywords reading, mind web reading, etc.), options (with images, with score tracking, with tips, etc.), and parameters (for book page navigation, flipping, scrolling, etc.)

The number of layouts to kReader implementation could have reached a significant value:

N = (number of versions) x (number of modes) x (number of options) x (number of parameters).

The main objective was minimizing the number of GUI layouts required to implement all the spectra of kReader functionality. The functionality was presented by behaviours that could be generated by combinations or a variety of versions (V), modes (M), options (OP) and parameters (P).

Behaviours = F (V, M, OP, P);

Also, the MK systematically related various behaviours accordantly integrating reading or learning scenarios for support or to implement a user’s learning goals or needs:

Logic = {{E1, E2, E5, E4}, {E1, E3}, ... ,{En, Em, ..., Ez}}. Each approach would be evaluated based on the results of various combinations of these parameters. Technological Uncertainties:

The approaches for comparison had different programming bases. Even though the evaluation process had its own difficulties, it was possible to compare the approaches using this methodology. Experimental measurement of parameters for both approaches with different user behaviours was a challenge that could bring information to justify the GUI layout implementation.

C. Description of Work in this Taxation Year

The MK investigated different technologies and determined the problems with the current technologies for an e-reader service. There were two approaches, the asp.net component or jQuery add/remove class approach, that could be chosen to develop a possible e-reader web application for both learning and reading functions.

The MK created prototypes using both the “asp.net control approach” and “jQuery add/remove class approach” and determined the parameters necessary to calculate in order to compare the two approaches. The MK measured loading, waiting times, and other parameters to choose more appropriate deployment tools.

The MK started to develop GUI components and defined problems and data modelling for both approaches. The MK experimentally compared the two approaches to determine the more optimal one for project implementation, including:

1. Finding a formal routine for the comparison of the two approaches: Behaviors = F (V, M, OP, P).

2. Defining parameters to compare the two approaches. The MK used the following eight parameters:

1 ) source code transparency

2 ) code tuning and modification ability

3 ) number of event handlers

4 ) value and content of the initial procedure

5 ) Class dependencies.

6 ) loading time

7 ) rendering time

8 ) recovery ability after interruptions

3. Measuring parameters of the components using two approaches

Reading Component Development

This component developed a loading process for loading an eBook’s contents.

- loading an entire book as one stream.

- preloading a few pages and then loading more pages after a turning pages event request.

- loading one current page and each page loading as requested.

- creating a behind-the-scenes buffer to load pages by an asynchronous process. All these procedures were tested by using the jQuery and asp server controls approaches to measure loading time and specifying architectural elements to support them.

Eye Fixation and Speed iiK Training Component Development

The average reading speed is a function of eye fixation on each word and the space between the word. Anther component is the movement of the eyes along the page and the vocabulary of the reader. To overcome the reader’s internal vocalization habits the components uses artificial intelligence to engage the eyes with an animated ball that moves from on keyword or subject to the next. This forces the eyes to break the internal fixation and the speed of the ball helps to train the eyes to gather larger sections of each sentence focusing on the key idea and then move to the next. The component was to ensure that the reader understood the vocabular used in the sentences and paragraph. This was accomplished by exploring the size of the readers vocabulary against the words used in the story, article or book against the used knowledge bank. The results enable the reader to increase their reading speed and comprehension at least 54% faster and with practice up to twice their reading speed.

Keywords Component Development

This component was created to work with loaded pages and to asynchronously process each page to extract keywords and highlight them in the text of a page. The MK defined how to link (synchronize) two processes: the loading page and starting keywords calculation process. There were a few variations of this process:

- calculating keywords on a server and then loading a page with the keywords highlighted on the page.

- just loading the page and then calculating keywords on the client side.

- calculating keywords for a few pages in advance (again on both a server and a client-side basis); All these variations were tested together with the page loading process.

Summarization Pages Component Development

Page summarization included keywords (see above) and summary calculations. There were three asynchronous processes: page load, keyword calculations, and summary calculations. A prototype component was developed to estimate the stabilization of these processes together. Also, the MK created more complicated architecture and event map processes that had to be selected, designed, confirmed, and estimated.

Mind Webbing Component Development

This component had to load pictorial representations of any word, keyword, summary sentence or userprovided word.

Loading images used the Web Browser pool, their own application buffer or loaded directly to the page. All variations were tested—also, this component needed to save mind webbing pictures that the user created. Mind webbing was presented by using a graphic area with images, text and a list of links. This data could be recorded as an XML document, a data struct or a serialization string. Prototypes were developed to test strategies and tools for loading and saving images and other data.

Main Character Component Development

For novels, the main character component was designed to obtain information that required processing more than one page at a time.

This was an extremely complicated calculation scheme. At least one book chapter at a time should be processed to extract the main characters properly. It included the following variations:

- processing text of the chapter pages on the server and main characters for each page on the server;

- processing text of chapter pages on the server and main characters for each page on the client; jQuery approach was chosen for project development because it could be initialized using an asynchronous procedure and started as a background process eliminating unnecessary loading time process.

- processing text of chapter pages on the client and main characters for each page on the client. This text processing in all variations had to be synchronized with loading page processes and had to share space in the application pool for saving intermediate transitional data. The MK selected data processing procedures with supported architectural solutions.

The MK analyzed the results of the two approaches and reached the following conclusion: the results of using the jQuery approach in parameters 1, 2 and 8 were superior to using the asp.net approach, and the system performance of using the jQuery approach in parameters 4, 6 and 7 was better than using asp.net approach.

Author Note

Dr. Nina Oukhina graduated from St. Petersburg State Marine Technical University with a philosophy degree in mathematics. Before migrating to Canada, she was a Professor at the State Marine Technical University, Computer Science Department. Her main research interests are learning efficiencies in education, gamification, blockchain technology and student engagement.