Appendix 1: Data Definitions / Glossary
This glossary is written for the staff and faculty who support online student success across SUNY campuses: coaches, advisors, learning specialists, and others who may encounter terms used differently across tools, communities, and institutions. The goal of the Glossary is to create a clear and common vocabulary for students and staff to discuss online readiness and approaches to online success.
B
Back-Up Plan: A back-up plan for online learning includes habits of saving your work in multiple places, knowing different ways to do the same thing such as sending a document as an attachment or creating a link to a cloud-based document, and being able to address technological problems in way(s) that do not significantly interrupt workflow.
C
Cloud (The): Information on a computer can be stored on the computer’s hard drive, on an external hard drive, or on a server. Some servers are located at your college or university or they can be remote. Organizations can subscribe (and pay money) to companies that store information on remote servers. In that case, it is called the cloud.
Cultural Barriers: Habits, traditions, and beliefs that get in the way of people understanding each other. (1)
D
Device: Various types of electronic equipment. It can refer to a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.
Digital Literacy: the ability to find, critically evaluate, utilize, share, and create content using technologies and the Internet. It also includes the ability to use digital technology, communication tools and/or networks appropriately and according to standard practices and use policies.
Digital Resilience: The psychological and behavioral capacity to adapt, recover, and persist when encountering technology-specific challenges in an online learning environment. Digital resilience includes understanding potential technology threats and disruptions; trouble-shooting problems independently and knowing how to find solutions; willingness to learn new technology skills; recovering emotionally from technology-related stress and frustration; and maintaining forward momentum and persistence when technology doesn’t work as expected. (2)
Disadvantaged Student (SUNY): A student who is eligible for supplemental financial assistance in Education Opportunity Programs under criteria established by the State University of New York, pursuant to section 6452 of the Education Law and Subpart 27¬2 of Part 27 of Chapter I of Title 8 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York (Rules of the Board of Regents). This definition applies irrespective of whether or not the institution has such an Education Opportunity Program or whether or not the individual is receiving such funds. (3)
Diversity: refers to all aspects of human difference and variation, and each person is a unique combination of those aspects. (4)
E
Engagement: instances when learners enter a continuous, positive emotional, and fulfilling mental state while learning, including three characteristics: vigor, dedication, and absorption.
Equity: refers to creating and upholding the kinds of fair and just practices and policies that ensure all campus community members have an equal opportunity to thrive. (4)
F
First Generation College Student (SUNY): A student whose parents do not have college degree. Family members may have attended or may be concurrently attending a college but have not yet completed either an associate or bachelor’s degree. (3)
Help Seeking Behavior: The ability and willingness to recognize when support is needed and to seek appropriate assistance. Help seeking behavior includes knowing where and how to access support resources; reaching out early rather than waiting until a crisis point; and overcoming barriers such as embarrassment, concerns about imposing on others, or cultural norms that discourage asking for help.
I
Inclusion: refers to the kind of active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity that cultivates an environment where any individual or group can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. (4)
Intake: the process of enrolling and placing new students accepted into the institution. It includes collecting applications, assessing eligibility, and ensuring that the applicant’s qualifications are aligned with the specific program requirements.
Intervention: the act of identifying a gap in performance and the institution determining how to address that gap and improve performance.
L
Learning Strategies and Flexibility: The ability to employ multiple approaches for comprehension and synthesis of course material, and to adapt learning strategies based on different content, learning contexts, and environments.
Locus of Control: represents the concept of where control in any situation resides. It is typically described on a continuum of internal to external locus of control. That is, for any situation, an assessment is made of where the control resides from internal to external.
M
Module: a set of questions organized to gain insight into applicants’/students’ self-reported relationship with online/remote courses. SOSSI 2.0 modules include: digital resilience, technical access and reliability, help-seeking behavior, and self-regulation.
Motivation & Goal Orientation Having personally meaningful reasons for pursuing online education and the ability to translate those reasons into actionable course-level goals. Motivation and goal orientation include having a defined purpose for being in school. Students with strong motivation and goal orientation can articulate their “why” and use it to sustain effort over time.
N
Netiquette: refers to the expected standards of respectful, professional, and responsible behavior when communicating in online environments. (5)
Non-traditional – over age of 25, and/or caretaker, and/or veteran … SUNY does not currently have one, “but will work towards it (lengthy process sometimes to come up with Sys-Wide definitions)”. As for adult student, SUNY uses 25+ to define adult learner, which aligns with the U.S. Census Bureau’s approach. Here are NCES materials for non-traditional students: https://nces.ed.gov/pubs/web/97578e.asp
O
Orientation: the process of introducing someone to a new environment and/or experience in such a way that aims to increase familiarity and increase the likelihood of success in that new arena.
Outreach: the act of reaching out, either in structured or unstructured ways, to invite participation in an experience and/or activity.
P
Persistence: As adults staying in programs for as long as they can, engaging in self-directed study or distance education when they must stop attending program services, and returning to program services as soon as the demands of their lives allow. (6)
Prior Online/Hybrid Experience: Previous experience in online or hybrid learning classes . This module assesses whether students have taken online or hybrid courses before, what they learned from those experiences, and whether they hold realistic expectations about the time commitment, self-direction, communication patterns, and learning approaches required in distance education. Questions in this module are designed both to identify students who lack experience and to help all students reflect on whether their expectations align with the realities of online learning.
Program: a series of organized experiences designed in a way to increase competency in a specific way after having participated in the experiences. Examples include workshop series, an academic and/or workforce development program preparing participants for a specific field.
R
Reliability: “Reliability in technology means building systems and processes that consistently perform as expected, even in challenging conditions or during heavy use. Using technology for reliability involves adopting strategies and tools that minimize failures, prevent downtime, and maintain service quality—whether in data centers, software, or field operations.” (7)
S
Self-Efficacy: students have confidence in their ability to succeed in academic tasks and environments, which shapes their engagement, motivation, and cognitive function in educational settings. See also, Locus of Control: Empowerment, Student has control over their success (Agency – Growth Mind set vs. Fixed) — students are in the driver’s seat. Focus your attention and ability.
Self-Efficacy & Agency: Confidence in one’s ability to succeed specifically in online, remote, and distance learning formats, combined with belief that academic success depends primarily on one’s own actions and effort rather than external factors. This includes believing that persistence and strategy adjustment will lead to positive outcomes (growth mindset), feeling empowered to take control of one’s learning process, and trusting that challenges can be overcome through personal effort and skill development.
Self-Regulation: The capacity to independently manage study habits, attention, and task completion in an online learning environment. Self-regulation includes planning study time and organizing deadlines; following through on study plans and completing tasks on schedule; monitoring one’s own learning progress and time usage; reflecting on the effectiveness of current strategies; and adjusting one’s study process, schedule, or effort when needed. It also encompasses managing attention, focus, and academic-related frustration.
T
Technical Access: The availability of functional technology infrastructure necessary for participating in online and remote learning, including access to appropriate devices, stable internet connectivity, and the ability to install required software. This module also assesses whether students have considered contingency plans for when their primary technology access is disrupted or unavailable.
Technological Self-Regulation: the ability to manage one’s interactions with technology in ways that avoid and/or minimize stress while using technology as a tool to achieve one’s goals.
Threat Management: Managing online and offline world threats that impact online work by knowing how to identify and respond to nefarious online activity.
W
Well-Being & Emotional Regulation The capacity to recognize, manage, and cope with stress, anxiety, isolation, and other emotional challenges that may arise from online and/or remote learning or affect one’s ability to succeed in online courses. Well-being and emotional regulation include having strategies for reducing stress when coursework becomes overwhelming; managing feelings of loneliness or disconnection common in distance learning; maintaining emotional stability during academic and technological setbacks; and knowing when and how to seek support for mental health concerns that interfere with academic progress.
References
Cambridge Dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/example/english/cultural-barrier, accessed 12/18/25.
Sun H, Yuan C, Qian Q, He S and Luo Q (2022) Digital Resilience Among Individuals in School Education Settings: A Concept Analysis Based on a Scoping Review. Front. Psychiatry 13:858515. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.858515
State University of New York, System Administration, Office of Institutional Research. (2022, December 1). Glossary of terms. https://system.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/institutional-research/Glossary-of-Terms-Dec-1-2022.pdf
Stony Brook University. (2023). Defining DEI. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Planning Toolkit. https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/cdo/toolkit/1-why-work-on-dei/defining-dei.php
Oxford Dictionary, oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/netiquette, accessed 12/18/25.
Comings, J. (2007). Persistence: Helping adult education students reach their goals. In J. Comings, B. Garner, & C. Smith (Eds.), Connecting research, policy, and practice: Review of adult learning and literacy (Vol. 7, pp. 23–46). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
How to Use Technology for Reliability https://www.linkedin.com/top-content/technology/best-practices-in-technology/how-to-use-technology-for-reliability/ (accessed 12/22/25)