Category Descriptions

[wpanchor id=”assessment”]Assessment, Understanding, Monitoring Student Progress

Adaptive Learning Technologies
Courseware that adjusts (or allows the instructor to adjust) the content presentation, instructional path, corrective or instructional feedback or other data points so that the instructional experience may be personalized for the learner.

Competency Based Education (CBE)
Enables student advancement at their own pace based on their ability to demonstrate mastery of a desired learning outcome.

Course Evaluation
Methods and/or strategies for assessing and measuring a variety of variables of an educational event.

E-Portfolios
The collection, storage, curation and use of artifacts from an academic event or career.

Integrated Planning & Advising Services (IPAS)
Integrated Planning and Advising Services (IPAS) are an approach to student success that promotes shared ownership for educational progress among students, faculty, and staff through holistic information and services, often provided through an enterprise-wide software system, that contribute to credential completion.

Learning Analytics
Availability of large numbers of data points of small (eg.” time on page”) to large (eg. “progress path through a course”) anayzed with the intent of predicting student performance within a learning experience or improving some aspect of course design or instruction.

Micro Credentialing (e.g. Badging)
Micro-credentialing (a.k.a. Badges) assesses and validates an individual’s achievement of competence, in small or detailed increments; can be used in noncredit courses, credit, seminars, or other informal learning and displayed as a “badge.”

Outcomes Assessment
Assessing the degree and quality of completion of an educational event’s objectives

Peer Assessment
The design and implementation of strategies that encourage and support student-to-student evaluation of an instructional assignment or activity

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
Recognition and value placed on prior learning gained through experience or outside a traditional academic environment.

Scalable Assessment
The design and implementation of evaluation and measurement strategies that accommodate for increasing numbers of participants without the requirement to add additional resources

[wpanchor id=”connected”]Connected Learning Models

Active Learning
The design and integration of teaching and learning strategies that engage and involve students in the learning activity.

Collaborative Learning Technologies
Systems and services that support student-to-student interactions toward a common outcome or goal.

Faculty/Librarian Collaboration
Stimulating and maintaining interaction and shared work focus between an instructional need and the available curated resources.

Team-Based Learning
Strategies and methods such as student-led study groups, peer tutoring, peer mentoring, supplemental instruction, that create groups of students in instructional activities toward a specific outcome.

Virtual Learning Communities
Use of a variety of media platforms and tools, not necessarily created for educational purposes, that can connect communities of learners.

[wpanchor id=”discipline”]Discipline Specific Pedagogy

Adult & Continuing Education
The study and practice of serving the needs of individuals with multiple responsibilities such as family obligations, employment and community engagement.

Developmental Education
Courses created to build upon or improve the the foundational skills of students.

Gateway Courses
Foundation credit courses that serve as a entry point to the pursuit of a discipline or field of study.

General Education
Basic course of study across a variety of disciplines for learners in a post-secondary education program.

Humanities
Field of academic studies that examines human culture through critical inquiry to reach and understanding and appreciation of the arts, language, history and other aspects of the human story.

Professional Education
Courses and degrees directly linked to a specific career or profession (e.g., (Law, Medicine, Business…).

Social Sciences
The field of study examining a society and the relationships among individuals and communities within a society.

STEM
Science Technology Engineering and Math.

Workforce Development
The study and practice of serving the needs of individuals within their employment field or other career field.

[wpanchor id=”faculty”]Faculty Development

COTS (Competencies for Online Teaching Success)
The definition of the skills and competencies necessary for faculty success in the online classroom.

Faculty Development Programming
Services, systems and programs designed to provide faculty the skills and competencies necessary for online teaching and learning success.

Faculty Digital Literacy
Ability of instructional staff to understand articulate and apply a variety of technological concepts, and pedagogies related to teaching and learning in an electronically supported and appropriate environment.

Organizational Models of Faculty Support
Varied designs of unit structure and personnel to enable faculty success.

Rewards/Incentives/Tenure/Promotion
Practices, programs, services and recognition of faculty contributions and work to ensure long-term engagement.

Sharing Best Practices
Methods of storing, curating and distributing effective practices across populations.

SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching & Learning)
The research and reporting of basic and applied research.

[wpanchor id=”instructional”]Instructional Design

Course Design/Development/Re-Design
The design and continuous improvement of conditions needed to facilate the events of learning based on evidence of learning outcomes.

Feedback
Guidance, corrections or suggestions provided in response to some demonstration of learning.

Gamification (Design)
The incorporation of design elements which create embody the actions, techniques, strategies, and methods used in game/play.

Hybrid/Flipped/Blended Learning
Variations of the mix of face-to-face and online learning modalities in a single learning experience (e.g. course, degree program).

Interaction
The exchange of communications around information, ideas, assignments, etc. within an educational event.

Online Education
An instructional experience supported, maintained and delivered at a distance and in a digital environment (e.g. Massive Open Online Course-MOOC).

Personalized Learning
An instructional system either created for or adjusting to the individual progress and needs of the learner.

Student Engagement
Techniques, methods and strategies directed toward engaging the learner as an active participant either individually or in teams within the educational event.

Student Learning Support
Systems and services that enable student success through a variety of facets of the educational experience.

Supplemental Instruction
Employs peer-aided teaching resources to increase student retention and success within specific difficult courses.

Universal Design
The conceptualization and implementation of the instructional design of an educational event in order to accommodate the broadest-spectrum of learner needs possible.

[wpanchor id=”technologies”]Instructional Technologies

3D Printing
A “printer” that produces three-dimentional physical objects, typically generated by computer-aided design programs.

Artificial Intelligence
Software systems programmed to simulate the cognitive processes such as learning, responding, thinking, and reacting.

BYOD
Bring-Your-Own-Device, learners supply their own electronic device instead of it being supplied by the educational institution.

Clickers (Classroom Response Systems)
Technology device or application used to gather learner input (polling) in face-to-face educational events.

Cloud-Based Teaching & Learning Environments
The design, development, delivery and support of educational experiences using a wide variety of “hosted” systems in a global space.

E-Readers
Electronic devices designed for the display and management of digital media.

Games (Hardware/Software)
The use of methods, techniques and strategies, either in real-time or digitally that include an element of play.

Immersive Environment (Virtual Reality)
A learning space, either physical or digital, that enables a multi-sensory experience.

Lecture Capture Technologies
Systems and devices used to record, curate and replay the recording of an educational event.

LMS
Learning Management System – used generally for electronic delivery of instructional materials and assessments.

Mobile Learning
Instruction supported and delivered via small/portable telecommunications device or application (“app”).

Open Educational Resources (OER)
The collection, storage, curation, and use of information made available for educational purposes that can be retained, reused, revised, remixed, and redistributed at low or no cost (typically with a Creative Commons license).

Open Source Programs and Apps
The availability of technology resources (usually programming code) for use and adaptation within individual contexts.

Podcasting
Design, development and delivery of recordings (typically audio but may be video) of specialized segments of content delivered on demand or through subscription.

Video Production
Use of full-motion digital recording tgat typically involves scripting, documenting and editing of content.

Virtual Assistance
The use of agents or systems to provide guidance, correction, advising, or other support services to the end user (e.g. intelligent e-tutors, coaching, or similar).

Wearable Technologies
Devices or materials integrated into the personal space of an individual that provides data.

Web/Video Conferencing
Technologies and software to support the documents, files and video between parties separated by distance.

[wpanchor id=”learning”]Learning Environments (Physical)

Augmented Reality
A live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.

Big Data
The collection, storage, curation and application of information points that reflect a user or user communities activity in an educational experience.

Intervention & Retention Strategies
Methods, strategies and techniques used to maintain student progress towards a desired outcome such as course completion or program/degree attainment.

Learning Space (Facility)
A specific physical location, which may be or may not be blended with virtual elements, intentionally designed to create the conditions necessary for learning.

Makerspace (aka Hackerspace)
Physical or virtual space that supports a community of individuals engaged in the ideation, creation, and testing of new product ideas.

[wpanchor id=”organizational”]Organizational Issues: Teaching & Learning

Accessibility – ADA
The design of systems, services, or learning environments to accommodate and enable participation for individuals disabilities.

Design Thinking
The systematic, structured and solution-based creation of an educational experience.

Digital Divide
Examination of the gap between economic and societal groups regarding access to technological affordances.

Innovative Organizational Partnerships
Unique, creative relationships designed to serve the mutual needs of both parties.

Institutional Licensing Program
Institutional licenses that provide students and faculty with access to technologies and resources at no cost or at reduced pricing.

Learning Organization/Community (Integration Fac/Staff)
The construction and management of a body of individuals focused on the science of teaching, learning and assessment.

Learning Strategies
Specific techniques, methods and strategies designed to facilitate student’s gaining new knowledge, skills or experiences (online or traditional).

Strategic Planning
The thoughtful and directed act of creating and implementing a vision and mission taking into consideration the “higher level” issues and direction.

Student Publishing
The design, construction and use of technology-based platforms to support, store and distributed student self-published works.

Student Supports
Services and systems designed to facilitate and serve the needs of learners (help desk, financial aid, tutorial support, etc.).

Under-Represented or At-Risk Groups
Populations or individuals not represented or accounted for in the majority groups.