Online Degrees
Degrees by Level
Online Education Glossary
A
Academic Advisor — This is an individual from a school who offers advice and guidance to students and helps them choose an academic program as well as choose the courses they need to meet degree requirements.
Academic Testing Centers — Testing facilities located either online or at the campus location as noted on a school’s website. Check often as this information often changes.
Accreditation – The awarding of approval to a school by a sanctioned review board confirming that the school has met specific requirements and standards.
Advanced Standing (Advanced Placement, Accelerated Study) - Entry into a higher level of academic program based on your score on aptitude or placement tests and/or credits you’ve previously earned at another school.
Asynchronous Learning – This refers to an education where the instruction does happen live or in real time. What this does is it allows students to engage according to their schedule, and be in a different town or state from the instructor. An example would be Instructional Television (ITV) courses, Internet courses or courses taught via CD-ROM or DVD.
Audio Conferencing – Delivering two or more voice connections via telephone lines or Internet-based software.
B
Bandwidth: The amount of data or capacity that can be sent over a connection in a fixed amount of time. This measurement is made most often in kilobits, megabits, or gigabits per second (Kbps, Mbps, or Gbps).
Baud – Refers to a unit of digital data transmission that describes the rate or speed at which information runs between two electronic devices such as modems.
Blackboard: An online course organizational tool that many online instructors use to covey notes or other information to students who are connected via the Internet.
Bookmarks: A URL that you store in a web page for easy reference in the future. Many popular browsers today have built-in bookmark capabilities so it’s quick and easy to save the URL. Whenever you want to go back to see that site, you simply click on the list of URLs you saved in your bookmarks.
Broadband - High speed transmission of data. Broadband technology can transmit data, audio, and video all in real time over long distances.
Browser – Any of a number of software applications that display Web pages. Almost all of today’s browsers can display text, graphics, sound, and video, although plug-ins may be necessary for some multimedia formats. Examples of these applications include Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Opera, among others.
Bulletin Board System (BBS) – Used mainly in online communities to post messages on public discussion boards, send and receive email, chat with other users, and upload or download files.
C
Cable Modem: A modem that uses cable television's coaxial cables to send data at speeds than usually much faster than modems over traditional telephone lines.
CD-ROM: Also known as a computer disk. Disks can typically store more than 600 megabytes of read-only digital information including text, graphics, audio, and video. Many online courses use CD-ROMs and textbooks as part of their overall program.
Certification - Awarding of a credential acknowledging that you have completed and have demonstrated proof of at least a minimum level of knowledge of the course or program, as defined by a school or professional standards organization.
Chat - Real-time text-based communication in a virtual environment. Chat can be used in distance education for student questions, instructor feedback, or even group discussion.
Chat Room: Online meeting space where users log in and have real-time, simultaneous discussions by typing messages on computer monitor that appear on all chat room participants' monitors.
Computer Literacy: Means that the computer user has a basic knowledge of computer functionality including how to use the Internet, browsers, search engines, current word processing, spreadsheets, email, etc.
Computer-Based Training (CBT) – Course training or instruction in which a computer program provides the instructions and overall management of the class in lieu of an actual instructor.
Continuing Education – A program designed specifically for adult students who are pursuing an online degree or finishing a degree they had previously started. Online courses are a popular way to participate in continuing education classes.
Cookie – A small string of information placed on a user's computer after they visited a website. Cookies are most often used to track the user’s activities, including their preferences and passwords. Many browsers will let users “turn off” cookies; other websites can be set to block users who will not accept a cookie file.
Cooperative or Co-op Program – Any one of a number of programs that merges theoretical learning with on-the-job experience.
Course Number: Almost every online class will have an number usually consisting of an alpha character combination followed by a three, four or sometimes five digit number (e.g., ENG 1301). The first digit typically represents the course level (1 = freshman; 2 = sophomore and so on).
Courseware - Instructional or educational software delivered via the Internet.
D
Dial-Up Connection: An online connection to the Internet made by dialing over a modem over a telephone line. These connections are becoming more and more obsolete as faster broadband, DSL connections become more affordable and widespread.
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) – A type of high-speed broadband Internet connection that transmits data over regular copper telephone wires. DSL allows voice and high-speed data to be sent simultaneously over the same line, so Internet and telephone services can be used at the same time.
Discussion Board / Forum: A discussion board is a commonly used tool that allows students to chat with each other online. Discussions take shape using "threads" and "messages." A thread is simply a series of thoughts, comments, opinions, etc. on a particular topic, and each “post” adds to the discussion. When you first log into a Discussion Board, you’ll see all the different threads in a list. You can reply to threads or post new threads for others to read just by typing in your comment.
Distance Learning: Distance Learning provides students a way to earn college credit without having to be on campus. Instead of attending traditional on-campus classes, students complete a mandatory set of core courses as well as some supporting courses and their electives in the pursuit of an online degree.
Download - Transfer or copy of a file to a user's computer from another computer, network, commercial online service or Internet.
E
ECS / Early College Start: An ACC program that makes it possible for high school juniors and seniors to earn college credit while still attending high school, taking up to two classes per semester. For more information, visit the Early College Start website.
E-Learning (Electronic Learning) - See Distance Learning.
Email Address: An electronic mailbox that lets you send and/or receive messages online. The standard format is username@domain name. Example: dl@myschool.edu
Ethernet – Refers to a type of local area network (LAN) in which user’s computers communicate over co-axial cables.
Extranet - Local network that uses open Internet-based standards to send digital information. An extranet is only available to people inside and certain people outside the school. The school decides who gets access.
F
Facilitative Tools - Electronic tools used to send and receive online course material. May include mailing lists, chat programs, streaming audio, streaming video and web pages.
Facilitator – An online education course instructor who guides the course in an online setting.
File Server – A network computer primarily used for storing files. It can also be shared by network users.
Firewall – A combination of hardware and software that will allow internal users to access the Internet, but it prevents outside access to the network, retaining internal network security.
FTP / File Transfer Protocol: A central site allowing users to access a remote computer or server and transfer files.
G
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) – A graphic file format used to store images. GIFs support 256 colors. They are used mainly for web images because of their compression advantages.
H
Hardware: The actually computer equipment used to make up the components of a computer system. Some typical hardware include, keyboards, hard drives, PCs, monitors, sound cards, etc.
Home Page: The page of a website where the viewer can find a short synopsis of what the site offers, how to use it or other helpful links to deeper content pages within the site.
HTML / Hypertext Mark-up Language: A computer-based language that is used to write pages for web sites.
I
Instant Messaging: A way to communicate electronically between computers and users. The message is sent and received in real-time between two or more users who are using a “chat” application simultaneously. This “chat” application sends messages to selected "buddies" (friends, family, co-workers, etc.) who are online. More robust applications will allow voice chat, file transfer as well as text messaging.
Instructor-Led Training (ILT) – Online learning that is managed by a central instructor. This can happen in-person, on-campus or virtually through an online network. Many times this training is used in a professional or corporate environment.
Integrated Learning System (ILS) – An integrated package of software, hardware and network functionality that is used for online learning. Sometimes an ILS will include a number of online tools like, report writing and user information files to more easily identify the needs and monitor the progress of students enrolled in the class.
Internet (the Net): The global network that links many millions of computers to one another. It is through this network that we can share information, email, websites, computer files, and streaming audio and video.
Internet Service Provider (ISP) – Any number of hosting companies that can supply you with a connection to the Internet as well as services such as email, newsgroups, etc.
Internet-Based Training - Training delivered primarily over the Internet using email, newsgroups, and other course-specific applications. Although some may think this term is interchangeable with Web-based training, this type of training is not always delivered over the World Wide Web.
Intranet – An internal network of computers that is used primarily by a company or organization, and is only open to employees or other authorized members of the company or organization. These networks very often are protected by firewalls and other security devices.
ISDN / Integrated Services Digital Network: A communication standard that uses digital transmission technology to send voice, video, and data over regular copper telephone lines. Data send in this way usually have better quality and higher speeds than traditional analog systems, but are still slower than DSL.
ISP / Internet Server Provider: A commercial entity that will provide your computer with Internet service. Providers of this type of service usually offer you one of two plans: an unlimited connection, for a flat fee per month, or a straight fee for a specific number of hours. You pay additional costs for any usage over that time.
ITV / Instructional Television Course: Still in use in some parts of the country, these courses are pre-recorded programs that can be viewed locally on a specified cable channel. Copies of the tapes of these shows are sometimes also shown on campus in AV Center. Others have been digitized, and can be viewed online.
IVC / Interactive Video Classrooms: This 2-way technology is used to connect two or more classrooms. In this setting students can hear, and talk with people in the other room in real-time. The advantage of this system is that the instructor may teach the class from any site with access to the system and even move between those sites throughout the term.
L
LAN /Local Area Network: A local in-house network that connects users, devices and computers in a previously specified geographic area.
Learning Platforms – Any one of a group of internal or external sites that focus on a single academic topic. These platforms will typically support chat rooms that allow users to send and receive class information.
Learning Portal – A dedicated website that allows access to learning and training resources from a number of different sources. Those who operate learning portals are sometimes referred to as content aggregators, distributors or hosts.
Listserv - A software program that automates mailing lists and helps facilitate discussion groups over a network. Students can send email to the listserv email address, and anyone on the distribution list gets that message.
Local Area Network (LAN) – A collection of computers and possibly servers that serve a specific area, and are used to communicate and share data with one another.
M
Modem: An electronic device that gives computers the ability to interact over already installed telephone lines. They work by converting digital signals from the computer to analog signals for transmitting and then back to digital again so that it can be received.
Modular – An online education program that consists of standard units that can be separated and reconfigured or repurposed for the student’s use.
Multicasting - Sending information to two or more recipients using teleconferencing, videoconferencing or other such technologies.
Multimedia - Applications that simultaneously support text, images, sound and color.
N
Netiquette (Internet Etiquette): A term that refers to an understood code of manners and rules of conduct for online users.
O
One- or Two-Way Audio – Usually meant to mean an application that allows audio communication over the Web. This could include web-telephone, MP3s, radio or even interactive audio.
One- or Two-Way Video – A video transmission device used to communicate with students. These include television, closed-circuit video, interactive TV, streaming video and video conferencing.
Online Education – Receiving an education over the Internet as opposed to a local or wide area network or a campus school.
Online Services: A web interface that gives students and/or faculty members access to an administrative database. Students can register and pay for classes, make schedule revisions, review their latest grades by semesters, check their financial aid status, and evaluate online courses.
OPC / Open Campus: The three-letter campus designation sometimes used by school registration systems to indicate whether the class has an online or distance learning equivalent.
Open Admissions – Admission is open to all students with no set academic requirements other than the student must have completed a secondary school education.
Operating System: Refers to the software that allows your productivity programs to run on a computer. Examples: Microsoft Windows, Vista, Mac OSX (Leopard), etc.
P
Password: A unique combination of characters, numbers, caps and lower-case letters that you use to maintain your privacy and protect the data in an online account or on your personal computer.
PDF / Portable Document Format: A file format from Adobe Systems that allows users, regardless of the hardware or software they have, to view documents exactly as they were created, with fonts, images, links, and layouts in tact. To open a PDF document, you need the free Adobe Reader software.
Peer-To-Peer Network (P2P) – A communications network that lets you connect your computers and share files with others, without having to route through a central server.
Plug-In – An accessory program that helps give your core program even more capabilities. These can be helpful on various web sites when viewing rich media or multimedia content. Examples: Flash, Shockwave
Prescriptive Learning – A system of learning where only courses that most closely matches a student’s known skills and/or deficiencies is offered. The overall objective is to make the educational experience more direct, relevant, efficient and cost-effective.
Proctor: An instructor authorized to oversee the administration of an examination. Some students who have been approved by a the course instructor to participate in the online education program may be required to find a sanctioned proctor to help facilitate certain tests.
Protocol – The formal set of standards, rules or formats for exchanging data. Using the proper protocol creates uniformity between documents and applications.
Pull Technology – In terms of the Internet, this refers to the tools, applications, utilities, browsers, etc., that students use to locate and "pull down" information.
Push Technology - In terms of the Internet, this refers to the tools, applications, utilities, browsers, etc., that students use to send information to another student's computer.
R
Random-Access Memory (RAM) – An area of temporary storage computers have that functions as a "staging area" for data and programs awaiting further instructions.
Real Time Communication - Communication that happens at exactly or nearly the same instant it is sent. Real time communication is an important part of synchronous learning.
Rolling Admissions - Policy where there are no set deadlines for submitting your application.
S
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS): A non-profit organization founded in 1895 in Atlanta, Georgia. Its objective is to set and maintain educational standards that in turn maintain order and improve educational programs in schools and colleges in the eleven states of the Southeastern US and Latin America that comprise the SACS service area.
Satellite TV – A communication system whereby video and audio signals are transmitted from a communication satellite orbiting around the earth. This type of system is used for online education classes for stationed military personnel.
Search Engine: A web-based software program that gives users the ability to search the Internet by typing in specific words or search terms called keywords which will yield specific pages about that word or subject. Examples: Google, Yahoo! Search, MSN, Ask.com
Section 508 - Part of the 1998 Rehabilitation Act that says that technology purchased, used or developed by the federal government after June 25, 2001, must be accessible to people with disabilities.
Serial Port – A connection devices like printers, scanners, etc. to be connected to a computer.
Server: A central computer that stores collections of data and programs used for connecting PCs and/or other devices linked to a network.
Simulations - Interactive applications that let students role-play in a scenario. These simulations are a good way for the student to practice skills or behaviors in a comfortable setting.
Software: Application programs that provided instructions to and run on a computer. Examples are: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
Spam: Email messages that you receive from someone you do not know or do not wish to do business with.
Southern Regional Education Board (SREB): Created in 1948 this board helps education and government leaders work together to develop education and improve the socio-economic status of the region.
Standardized Test - Test such as the GRE and GMAT that are administered by an independent third party. The test results are used as one of the criteria in the admissions process usually along with academic transcripts.
Streaming Media - Audio or video files that actually play while they are being downloaded from the Web rather than waiting for the entire file to download before it is able to play. In most cases, a portion of the data is buffered in case of any network delays, the stream won’t be affected. Examples: RealMedia, QuickTime, Windows Media
Syllabus: A guide students can use to see what required readings are due, what is on the class calendar (tests, assignment due dates, holidays, etc.), instructor contact information, grading scale, etc.
Synchronous Learning - Online learning in real time where students are logged in at the same time and can “chat” with each other. The advantage of this is that the student and instructor communicate in "real time." Many times students and instructors can use a common whiteboard to see notes and share ideas.
System Requirements – Then specific technological minimums necessary to run an application. This includes, the operating system, programming language, database, hardware configuration, bandwidth, processing power, etc. You’ll sometimes find two system requirements listed for a particular software: a minimum set of requirements that must be met in order to run the software and a recommended set of requirements which is what’s recommended for optimal performance.
T
T1 Line: A traditional trunk line that carries 24 regular telephone circuits and has a transmission rate of 1.5 Kbps. These types of lines are often installed at companies, academic institutions or any other organization that has high daily traffic.
Teleconference – A two-way “call” between two or more persons or groups in separate locations using both audio and video connections.
Telecourse: A sort of online course comprised of a video programs which is seen by the student, most often via a cable access station.
Telnet – A utility whereby the student is able to log onto a computer or server, and obtain information away from campus.
THECB / Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: Created by the Texas Legislature in 1965, the THECB was formed to provide leadership and coordination for the Texas higher education system to achieve excellence for the college education of Texas students.
Thread – A separate set of series of messages on a distinct topic posted online in a chat room, via email or in a discussion forum.
Tutorial – Instructions sent via a computer or some other web-based technology that is broken out into logical steps and designed to educate a student on how to complete the assignment or task at hand.
U
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) – The address you type into your Web browser to find a specific page on the World Wide Web. It begins with "http://www" or just www. You’ll see there are three basic parts to the address: a) "www" followed by a dot; b) the company or organization's second-level domain name, again a dot; and c) the purpose of the organization or first level domain. Examples: http://dl.austincc.edu or www.austincc.edu
Upload – The process of moving or transferring a file or group of files from your computer, FTP site, Web site or server.
URL / Universal Resource Locator: The electronic address of a website. It begins with "http://www" or just "www." There are three basic parts to the address: a) "www" followed by a period; b) the site’s second-level domain name again followed by a dot; and c) the site’s or first level domain. Examples: http://www.educationonlineinc.com.
User ID: Your unique name or created name that tells the computer system or network who is logging in.
V
Videoconference – A conference held in real-time using video technology to broadcast the sights and sounds of one user or users to another individual or group. A videoconference often takes place in two or more different locations and is used by online education programs quite frequently.
Virtual Classroom – Specified online link or “area” where a student or students can easily interact with their instructors.
Virtual Private Network (VPN) - Private network configured inside a public network. A VPN combines the security of a private network with the economies of scale and built-in management capabilities of a public network.
W
Web Conference – When students from different geographic locations meet in a virtual environment on the World Wide Web. The communication uses text, audio and video to help students learn from each other.
Web-Based Training (WBT) – The presentation of online educational materials using the Internet, intranet or extranet.
Web cast (Web + broadcast) – A broadcast of a presentation that is digitized and streamed on the World Wide Web. Web casts can also be downloaded at a later day for individual use.
Webinar (Web + seminar) – An online episode that features a presenter, a specific topic for a particular course or class. Students can “speak” via text message or audio about the presentation. Many webinars are also stored in archives on a site for asynchronous and on-demand viewing.
Whiteboard – The online equivalent of traditional chalkboard. The whiteboard lets students in a virtual classroom hear the instructor’s comments and see the corresponding notes. The chalkboard is sometimes referred to as the smartboard or online whiteboard.
Wimba - is a provider of online education software applications for the education industry. It lets educators and students teach and learn online, engage in live chat and instant message exchanges, etc.
Instructors can also use Wimba solutions to convert Microsoft Word documents into online course content and to create and administer tests, quizzes, and exams.
Wide Area Network (WAN) – A local computer network designed to span a large area in an office, school or company. It very often consists of two or more integrated local area networks.
World Wide Web (WWW) – The global network of millions of files from millions of computers connected by the Internet.
Z
Zip File: A single file that has been compressed to save space. This makes the file easier and faster to transfer over the Internet. When the file is ready to be opened, it must be uncompressed using a software utility program.
