Systems and methods for analyzing facial expressions within an online classroom to gauge participant attentiveness

1. A method for monitoring participants' level of attentiveness within an interactive online event, the method comprising:

receiving, from each of a plurality of participants accessing an interactive online event, at least one video;

capturing, from each received video, at least one facial image;

analyzing each captured facial image, wherein analyzing comprises:

comparing each captured facial image to a plurality of predefined facial expressions; and

matching each captured facial image to at least one predefined facial expression, wherein each match assigns a value to the captured facial image;

determining a level of attentiveness for the interactive online event by processing each of the assigned values together; and

providing attentiveness data representing the determined level of attentiveness to a host device accessing the interactive online event.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing, to the host device, access to each matched facial expression.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating a plurality of indicators, each indicator representing the value assigned to each captured image; and

providing, to the host device, access to the generated plurality of indicators.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

changing a color of a user interface displayed on the host device in response to the attentiveness data.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing a message representing the attentiveness data to the host device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the message comprises at least one of: happy, confused, focused, bored, attentive, and understood.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the interactive online event is an online class;

the plurality of participants are students accessing the online class; and

the host device is a terminal accessible to a teacher of the online class.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of predefined facial expressions comprises an emotion of at least one of: happy, confused, focused, bored, attentive, and understood.

9. A method for monitoring a participant's level of attentiveness within an interactive online event, the method comprising:

A) receiving video from a participant accessing an interactive online event;

B) capturing a facial image from the received video;

C) analyzing the captured facial image, wherein analyzing comprises:

comparing the captured facial image to a plurality of predefined facial expressions; and

matching the captured facial image to at least one predefined facial expression wherein each match assigns a value to the captured facial image;

D) determining a level of attentiveness of the interactive online event by processing each assigned value; and

E) providing the determined level of attentiveness to a host device accessing the interactive online event.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein steps B through E are repeated a plurality of times during the interactive online event.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

providing, to the host device, access to each matched type of facial expression.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

generating an indicator, the indicator representing the value assigned to the captured image; and

providing, to the host device, access to the generated indicator.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

changing the color of a user interface of the host device in response to the level of attentiveness.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the data further comprises a message stating the level of attentiveness.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the message comprises at least one of: happy, confused, focused, bored, attentive, and understood.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein:

the interactive online event is an online class;

the participant is a student accessing the online class; and

the host device is a terminal accessible to a teacher of the online class.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of types of facial expressions comprises at least one of: happy, confused, focused, bored, attentive, and understood.

18. A system for monitoring participants' level of attentiveness within an interactive online event, the system comprising:

a plurality of user devices accessing an interactive online event, wherein each user device corresponds to a participant of the interactive online event;

a host device accessing the interactive online event, wherein the host device corresponds to a host of the interactive online event;

a server, the server operable to:

receive, from each of the plurality of user devices, at least one video;

capture, from each received video, at least one facial image;

analyze each captured facial image, wherein analyze comprises:

compare each captured facial image to a plurality of predefined facial expressions; and

match each captured facial image to at least one predefined facial expression, wherein each match assigns a value to the captured facial image;

determine a level of attentiveness for the interactive online event by processing each of the assigned values together; and

transmit the determined level of attentiveness to the host device.

19. The system of claim 18 , the server further operable to:

change the color of a user interface of the host device in response to the level of attentiveness.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

the interactive online event is an online class;

the plurality of participants are students accessing the online class; and

the host is a teacher of the online class.