The aim of this blog post is to take the mystery out of some of the terms that you will come across when navigating the Virtual Learning Environment. You may find this article especially useful if you are new to SETU or new to eLearning.

Accessibility

This often refers to a characteristic of technology that enables people with impairments or disabilities to use it. For example, accessible online materials can be navigated by people with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive impairments. Accessible design also benefits people with older or slower software and hardware.

Active Learning

Active learning is a strategy focused on encouraging learners to actively participate in training. This approach prompts learners to read, discuss, and solve problems in order to synthesize course content. Examples of active learning activities include practical tasks and problem-solving conducted in small groups.

ADDIE

The ADDIE model is an acronym: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. It’s a five-phase framework that instructional designers use; a guideline for building effective training and learning support tools. In today’s fast-paced learning environments, the AGILE method is often seen as more efficient than ADDIE.

Agile Learning

Often contrasted with the ADDIE process, the Agile design method emerged in the 1970s and became widely adopted in the 1990s. Unlike ADDIE, the agile method dives straight into a project, producing small pieces of content very quickly. Then the results are then refined over multiple quick iterations.

API (Application Programming Interface)

API provides an interface that allows developers to interact with programs and applications, including learning management systems. An API includes a set of credentials known as keys that are used by admins and developers. Similar to a username and password pair, the key allows developers to access the API and interact with data in an LMS. (Zoom and Mahara are examples)

Assessment

Assessments often take the form of a test included at the end of a course to evaluate learner performance. They should be aligned with the learning objectives of a course to accurately measure learner progress.

Asynchronous Learning

Asynchronous learning allows learners to train individually, enabling them to complete courses at a time, place, and pace that suits them.

Authoring Tool

Often paired with an LMS, this software is used to develop content for online learning and training programs. 

Blended Learning

Blended learning is a combination of traditional, face-to-face learning methods with technology-based online learning methods. It’s also be described as a blending of live training and self-paced training.

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

Bring Your Own Device is a policy whereby employees or members bring and use their own mobile, tablet or laptop device in a training or work setting. 

Branching Navigation

This adaptive learning technique that gives learners control over outcomes. Learners are prompted to choose from multiple solutions to given scenarios. And different outcomes are presented for each challenge encountered along the way.

Certification

A certificate confirms that a learner has successfully completed a training program to a predefined standard. Many professional bodies require registered members to be recertified at regular intervals.

Chunking

A small unit of a larger piece of learning content is referred to as a chunk. It’s designed to make assimilation more manageable for learners. Chunking content also helps to combat learner fatigue.

Classroom-Based Training

Also known as face-to-face or live training, classroom-based training is a more traditional training method. An instructor guides learners through a course in a real-world environment such as a classroom or meeting room.

CMS (Content Management System)

A CMS is a system that supports the creation and management of digital content, usually for publishing. A CMS is more passive than an LMS. Users can view documents but the CMS cannot track and report on their progress as an LMS does.

Cognitive Load

A theory developed by John Sweller that describes the strain working memory experiences when information is being processed.

Course Catalogue

A collection of courses made available to learners so they can self-select the training they want to complete.

CPD (Continuing Professional Development)

CPD programs aim to help professionals stay up-to-date with developments in their field after tertiary or postgraduate training has ended. Also known as Continuing Professional Education (CPE), professionals use CPD to maintain knowledge and skills throughout their working lives. CPD obligations are common across professions and include formal, informal, structured and self-directed learning approaches.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

A customer relationship management system manages all your company’s relationships and interactions with your current and future customers. It helps you improve your profitability and retain customers. Integrating your CRM with your LMS will enable you to pursue an extended enterprise learning program.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)

CSS is a markup language that defines the design of an HTML web-page. In very basic terms, HTML structures a page, while CSS controls how it looks.

eLearning (Electronic Learning)

eLearning, or electronic learning, is the delivery of learning and training through digital resources. Although eLearning is based on formalized learning, it’s provided through electronic devices such as computers, tablets and even cellular phones that are connected to the internet. This makes it easy for users to learn anytime, anywhere, with few, if any, restrictions.

Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT)

ERT should not be confused with distance learning or online learning, emergency remote teaching is an 'emergency' measure that is adopted in response to a crisis where the curriculum has to be rapidly moved to a virtual online setting, we have just been through an emergency remote teaching here with COVID 19.

F2F (Face to Face Training)

Face to face training refers to the in-person elements of instructor-led training.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

A list of most often asked questions from learners provided to address common issues. FAQs allow learners to get the information they need without having to contact the vendor directly.  

Feedback

Feedback can be provided while a learner completes a course, an exam, or an assignment in Moodle. Types of feedback include showing the learner if the answer they submitted is correct or incorrect or displaying correct answers after submission.

Flash

Adobe Flash technology has supported the delivery of multimedia content for nearly twenty years. Three popular eLearning formats rely on Flash technology: SCORM, xAPI (Tin Can), and video. That’s one reason why the decline of Flash technology, which Adobe will cease to support in 2020.

Flipped Class

Flipped classes A feature of some blended learning approaches where lectures are replaced by classes or tutorial-type settings. Students consume content perhaps by viewing a lecture video or completing an assignment, at home before engaging in analysis and discussion in the live class setting. The practice results in more face-to-face time and affords the instructor greater flexibility in being able to engage directly with students during class, and it can help increase student engagement as they are required to prepare material ahead of the class.

Gamification

The insertion of game mechanics into a process that is not itself a game. In eLearning, it takes the form of points, badges, and leaderboards used to engage and motivate learners.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)

Developed by software writer Steve Wilhite in 1987. Originally used to compress image files, nowadays it’s best known for moving images which are a lightweight alternative to video. GIFs are becoming an increasingly popular element of course content.

HTML5

HTML5 technology provides many tools to fill the gap left by the decline of Flash. HTML5 enables video and audio content to render directly in a browser. It’s also more efficient than Flash as it requires less processing power.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

HTTP is the foundation of communicating data over the internet. Hypertext is a structured text that uses logical links (hyperlinks) between nodes containing text.

iCal

iCalendar is a globally adopted format for sharing meeting requests. An LMS like Moodle can send ILT invitations with an attached iCal invite so that your learners can save the session to their calendar.

ID (Instructional Design)

Involves applying a methodology based on cognitive psychology and instructional theory to create learning content. An instructional designer typically uses an authoring tool to develop effective course content that achieves specific learning objectives.

Interactive Content

Interactive content aids learning by encouraging users to actively engage with it. An authoring tool can be used to transform static content formats, like PowerPoint presentations, into an interactive course. Techniques to make eLearning content more interactive include adding drag and drop elements and prompting learners to complete an action before progressing to the next module.

Interoperability

The extent to which hardware and software elements work together. eLearning standards like SCORM, xAPI (Tin Can) and AICC were developed to enhance the interoperability of online learning content and technologies.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

JPEG is a compression technique for color images. It can reduce image file sizes to about 5% of their original size, although some of the image detail is lost in the compression.

Knowledge Base

A specialized repository used to store information and knowledge assets.

Learning Path

Learning paths are used to build structured learning programs that guide learners through a series of courses. They allow admins to control the timeframe in which courses are made available to learners and the order in which they’re completed.

LMS (Learning Management System)

A learning management system (LMS) is a software application that is used to create, manage, deliver and track training. A good LMS will allow you to deliver course content in a range of eLearning standards, sell online courses, assess and evaluate learner performance, deliver blended learning, brand or white label the LMS, integrate with third-party systems, and much more.

LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability)

The primary purpose of the LTI standard, created by the IMS Global Learning Consortium, is to connect learning systems, such as an LMS, with external service tools.

Manifest File

The manifest is a nitty-gritty detail of SCORM. The SCORM package itself is a zip file that contains all of the content a course is made from, including media like SCOs (Shareable Content Objects), HTML, and Flash files. The SCORM package also contains the manifest file which determines the structure and contents of the course. The name of the manifest is always imsmanifest.xml and the file must be located in the root of the zipped package. If the manifest file isn’t located in the root of the zip, the course isn’t a valid SCORM content package and it’s likely you’ll run into issues when importing it into your LMS.

Microlearning

Microlearning is a way to deliver training content to learners in bite-sized, focused bursts. Each unit or module focuses on an individual learning objective.

mLearning (Mobile Learning)

This is learning that’s conducted on a mobile device, like a smartphone or tablet. mLearning can occur anywhere at any time. The movement from desktop to portable devices has had a big impact on the development of online learning content. Instructional designers increasingly need to develop responsive mobile learning content that can adapt to the many devices learners now use.

Module

In SETU's LMS (Moodle), a module is a basic block a course is built from. A module can consist of any course material, such as a video, document, SCORM file, or an exam or survey.

MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)

This is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. It is generally used for more academic focused training and education.

Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment)

Open source learning platform mostly implemented in education settings. One of the main benefits of open source platforms like Moodle is that they’re free and can be highly customized. 

Multiple Intelligences

Theory introduced by Howard Gardner defining eight types of intelligence: logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist intelligence. Instead of viewing intelligence as a general ability, the multiple intelligences theory asserts that different learners can excel in different areas.

Navigation

Describes how learners move through a course, website or document. Good instructional design should make navigation clear, simple and engaging for users.

Objectives

Course or learning objectives define the knowledge or skills learners are expected to gain from a training program. The development of course content should be goal-driven. Understanding who learning content is created for, and what they should learn from it, will shape how it’s designed and presented. Defining clear objectives also helps to assess the effectiveness of a course after its completion.

Onboarding

This is the process of integrating a new employee, partner, or customer into an organization and familiarizing them with the organization’s products and services.

Online Assessment

An online assessment evaluates what the learner has learned. This can come in the form of quizzes, surveys, questionnaires, etc.

Online Learning

Often used interchangeably with eLearning and web-based training. Any form of learning conducted on a computer and usually over the internet.

Open Source Software

Software for which the source code is publicly available for use and development free of charge. Moodle is an example of open source software that’s used widely in specific kinds of eLearning environments, like universities.

Outcomes

Describes the knowledge or skills learners are expected to gain from engaging with course content. While objectives describe what an instructor intends learners to learn, outcomes record what learners actually learned.

Pedagogy

Derived from the Greek for ‘to lead’, pedagogy is an instructor-centered approach to educational activities in online and face-to-face environments. In eLearning, pedagogy involves selecting the best methods to convey information to learners.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

PNG is a file format that supports lossless data compression. It was created as an improved, non-patented replacement for Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), and is the most widely used lossless image compression format on the internet.

Podcast

Digital audio files used by millions of listeners to learn about a huge range of subjects. One popular eLearning podcast is hosted by Connie Malamed and started in 2013. Many instructors and course developers have started to create podcasts to share their expertise with learners and the eLearning world in general.

Problem Based Learning

A learner-centered approach that’s similar to Scenario-Based Learning. In this approach, learners are presented with a problem and gain knowledge from the development of a solution.

Question Bank

A question bank (also known as a question pool) is a group of reusable questions from which an exam or survey can be created.

Resources

Learning materials often stored in an LMS are referred to as resources. Learners can use resources like help guides or dictionaries to support their learning independently.

Responsive Design

Responsive design is essential for software and courseware intended for use on mobile devices. It’s a type of web development that allows the appearance of a website to dynamically adapt to a range of screen sizes. A good LMS should be mobile responsive for the convenience of users.

SaaS (Software as a Service)

Software as a service is hosted in the cloud by an LMS vendor so that customers don’t need to install the system locally. Eliminating the installation of an LMS reduces demands on the customer for software maintenance and in-house technical support. Choosing a cloud-based LMS eliminates costs generated by purchasing and installing hardware and allocating resources to manage it. But a self-hosted platform can be a better fit in scenarios where every application in an organization must follow the same architecture.

Scaffolding

Scaffolding is the collection of resources given to online learners to help them achieve their goals. That can include praise, dividing a task into manageable steps or offering tips to help them overcome an obstacle. As the online learner progresses, resources are slowly removed. The goal is to provide a learner with the guidance they need to become confident and empowered. The result is that they are able to participate in self-guided learning activities without assistance.

Scalability

Scalability refers to the extent to which an LMS can expand to handle a growing number of courses, concurrent users, and request response times. It’s an important requirement for organizations that intend to grow or have unpredictable usage patterns. Most companies need an LMS that’s flexible enough to adjust as numbers of admins and learners rise and fall. Most cloud-based learning management systems are flexible enough to adapt to agile environments.

SCORM (Shareable Content Object Reference Model)

Perhaps the most ubiquitous set of standards, SCORM was developed by Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) and applied when developing LMS content. SCORM defines how online learning content speaks to, and tracks results back to, an LMS. The acronym indicates that SCORM is interoperable: a piece of content that’s easy to reuse, share and repurpose across eLearning tools and platforms.

SCORM package

A SCORM package is a zip file created for upload to a SCORM compliant LMS. The package is created by selecting the export to SCORM option in the authoring tool used to create course content. All the elements of the course (like text, images, video, navigation settings, quizzes) will be used to create the SCORM package. The package understands the SCORM protocol and can be reused and imported to any LMS that supports SCORM.

Self-Paced Learning

A type of asynchronous instruction, self-paced learning allows learners to control the pace and timing of their progress through course materials.

SLA (Service Level Agreement)

Drafted by an organization and LMS provider, an SLA records expectations about the service to be delivered. It should include expectations about the implementation, hosting, performance, maintenance, and support of an LMS. An SLA must also document the consequences of not meeting expectations.

SME (Subject Matter Expert)

An individual with specialist knowledge about a topic or subject area covered in a course is commonly referred to as a subject matter expert Instructional designers collaborate with subject matter experts to develop engaging content that’s informed and accurate beyond the expertise of their own domain.

SSL (Secure Socket Layer)

Secure Socket Layer is the standard in security technology for the encryption of links between a web server and a browser. All data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and secure.

SSO (Single Sign-On)

Single sign-on or SSO is a single set of credentials that allows users to access multiple applications in your organization while only needing to log in once. When SSO is implemented, users don’t need to login to access applications, like your LMS, separately.

Storyboard

A key part of the process of developing eLearning courseware, storyboards are simple and effective for course builders. Originated in cartoon animation as illustrators would roughly sketch frames for approval by stakeholders before drafting final content. Storyboards are usually mapped with tools like PowerPoint, Word, and Visio

Successive Approximation Model (SAM)

Introduced as an alternative to ADDIE, the instructional design approach of SAM consists of repeated small steps that are aimed to solve common pain points, such as scheduling and budgeting.

Synchronous Learning

Synchronous Learning is instructor-led learning in a virtual classroom setting. During this kind of event, learners log on at the same time and an instructor guides the class.

UI (User Interface)

The user interface is the means by which the user and a computer system interact. In particular, it refers to the use of input devices and software.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

A URL is informally known as a web address. If you are using a web-based LMS, you will usually be given a sub-domain such as www.setu.ie.

Webinar

A webinar is a class in which participants view the same screen at the same time. Very useful in a classroom setting, the instructor controls proceedings and participants can communicate through the use of interactive features such as chatrooms, polls, and quizzes.

UX (User Experience)

User experience refers to an individual's reaction to the use of a particular product, system or service. It generally describes the emotional reaction to the use of the system mainly in light of its ease of use or the satisfaction it provides.

VR (Virtual Reality)

Virtual Reality or VR is a perception of being physically present in a non-physical world. It is created by surrounding the user of the VR system within an environment, sound, and other stimuli. It provides an engrossing sense of immersion, imagination, and interaction to increase engagement. VR is becoming more prevalent in eLearning as instructional designers work towards making more engaging content for learners.

xAPI (Tin Can)

xAPI (Experience API, formerly Tin Can) is often seen as the next evolution of SCORM. xAPI redefined some of the fundamental practices of tracking learning experiences. The major difference between xAPI and SCORM is the type of learning each can track. While SCORM is limited to recording online learning, xAPI can track almost any activity. xAPI delivers a far more detailed view of learner progress, both online and offline. The kinds of learning xAPI tracks include reading a webpage, attending an event, borrowing a library book, playing a game, blended learning, and team-based learning.

XML (Extensible Markup Language)

This is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. It allows you to define your own tags for the transfer of data between two computer systems.

ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development)

Developed by Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky, the ZPD theory examines what a learner can achieve with and without the help of an instructor.  

If you have a Moodle query or need technical support or advice please send an email to moodle@setu.ie We operate a helpdesk from Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.