Glossary

A list of terms and their meanings referred to within the Online Education website, as well as a link to an e-learning glossary.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

androgogy: study of adult learning

asynchronous: different time, different place

audio-narrated: capture of voice with electronic presentation

B

blended learning often called mixed mode learning, is a combination of traditional face-to-face lectures, tutorials and workshops with online activities such as email, announcements, discussion boards and quizzes.

blogs/blogging: short for weblog. A form of online publishing or journalism. Useful in online learning to share ideas and information as well as the forming of a community or network of like-minded individuals.

C

cognitive apprenticeship: learning through guided experience

cognitive presence: the extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse in a critical community of inquiry (Garrison & Anderson 2003:28)

collaboration: sharing of a common body of knowledge and interaction with peers

community of inquiry: process whereby a community of learners form an essential, core element of an educational experience where higher-order learning is the desired outcome. (Garrison & Anderson 2003:22)

community of learners: teachers and students transacting with the specific purposes of facilitating, constructing and validating understanding, and of developing capabilities that will lead to further learning. (Garrison & Anderson 2003:27)

constructivism: learning is essentially active; each individual structures his or her own knowledge

D

diagnostic assessment: where an assessment task is used to identify the current knowledge and skill level of learners so that the learning activities can match their requirements

discourse: more than discussion or social conversations.In an online environment, discourse not only facilitates the creation of the community of inquiry, but also is the means by which learners develop their own thought processes, through the necessity of articulating them to others. (Anderson 2004 p280 )

E

e-learning: electronic learning

experiential: the gaining of knowledge and learning through experience

F

feedback: any information, process or activity which 'affords' or accelerates learning, whether by enabling students to achieve higher-quality outcomes that they might have otherwise attained, or by enabling them to attain these outcomes more rapidly. Dai Housell, University of Edinburgh 'Reinventing Feedback in the Contemporary University'

formative assessment: where an assessment task provides practice for learners on their learning in the current course and possible development activities they require in order to improve their level of understanding. An online environment is especially conducive to formative assessment. Pedagogically, formative assessment is an integral part of effective learning

H

higher order learning: solving problems, analysing arguments, synthesising information from different sources and applying what is learnt to new and unfamiliar contexts

L

learning styles: are different ways that people can learn - see also Models of learning styles.

M

metacognition: an awareness of one's own thinking

models of learning styles: introductory

N

net generation: people born between 1982-1991 and who have grown up with technology

P

paradigm: is a model, pattern or example

pedagogy: a combination of knowledge and skills required for effective teaching

plagiarism: refers to the use of another's information, language, or writing, when done without proper acknowledgment of the original source.

problem based: where learners find solutions to problems, questions, cases (which they may themselves identify)

R

reflective learning: a structured approach that enable students to reflect upon their learning, to understand their own learning processes and allow them to become more autonomous. Strategies to encourage reflective learning.

RSS feeds: Really Simple Syndication (or Rich Site Summary). A file which keeps users uptodate with website news and announcements. A RSS reader is required which regularly checks for updates and displays the feed in a readable format.

Rubrics: scoring rules for students which includes criteria against which they will be assessed

S

situated cognition: learning knowledge and skills in contexts that reflect the way they will be used in real life

situational learning: melds content with practised behaviour, draws on real experiences which are relevant to the learners

social presence: the ability of participants in a community of inquiry to project themselves socially and emotionally (Garrison & Anderson 2003:28)

summative assessment: where assessment task responses are designed to grade and judge a learner's level of understanding and skill development for progression or certification

synchronous: same time, real time, different place

T

teaching presence: the design, facilitation and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of realizing, personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes (Garrison & Anderson 2003:29)

V
virtual classroom: an online 'live' classroom where learners and teachers interact in real time

W

webinar: a seminar which is conducted over the World Wide Web. It is a type of web conferencing. In contrast to a Webcast, which is transmission of information in one direction only, a webinar is designed to be interactive between the presenter and audience. More details at Wikipedia

wikis: A collaborative website where anyone can add, edit, delete content using any Web browser. Wiki wiki means “quick” in Hawaiian. More details at Wikipedia