| Glossary of specialist terms | In the context of these strategy documents |
| adaptive testing | Tests, either online or on paper, that change according to pupil responses to ensure that learning is more accurately measured |
| Anytime, Anywhere | See eLearning Foundation |
| Blackboard | A proprietary online learning environment (www.blackboard.com) |
| blended learning | Learning which includes traditional face to face (sometimes written as f2f) features supplemented by online element(s): courses designed on this basis |
| broadband connectivity(see also Kbps and Mbps) | A communications system that allows a very large amount of data, including video, to be transferred quickly. The amount of data is determined by the ‘bandwidth’ and is measured in ‘bits per second’ (bps). A bit is the technical term for a ‘binary digit’ (either a 0 or a 1). It takes 8 bits to represent an alphabetic or non-alphabetic character |
| bulletin board | Online facility which hosts email, electronic notices and text conferencing |
| capacity-building | Building up the skills and capabilities of members of different organisations |
| cognitive skills | Working together with a meaningful and common purpose in a face to face and/or online environment |
| collaboration | High-level skills used by pupils to learn |
| control technology | The term given to the use of electronic devices which control a system like traffic lights, cameras, microwave ovens, washing machines, etc. |
| communities of practice | Facilitating communities, which have a common interest and purpose, to disseminate information/ideas/advice/example of practice and to provide mentorship through email, text and video conferencing in an online environment: linking such communities together into a network |
| data-centre | Central location (in Belfast) of computers which host the C2k school-wide network and the eLearning environment |
| diagnostic tests | Tests, either online or on paper, that highlight strengths and weaknesses in the candidate’s learning |
| digital/information literacy | The ability to identify, retrieve, evaluate, apply and present information. The term is defined fully in section 3.3 |
| digital portfolios;eportfolios | Online storage, usually in a web-based format, of collections of the work/materials/assignments belonging to an individual (young person or adult), either originated digitally, or created on paper and scanned digitally. Could be used to extend a pupil profile, record career development and/or for assessment and/or accreditation purposes |
| eassessment | Online assessment, testing, record-keeping and reporting services |
| eLearning (or online learning) | ‘Teaching and learning enhanced by information and communication technologies (ICT)… delivered 'anywhere, any place, any time' using communication tools, content and resources which can be accessed online.’ (NIeL Partnership) |
| eLearning Foundation | A national trust scheme designed to address the digital divide by providing computers for loan to users through schools: sometimes called “Anytime, Anywhere” |
| egovernment (services) | Any government business (tax returns, vehicle licensing, social services, etc) where the information and/or services are online |
| emoderating | Support from a tutor/teacher/mentor of the dialogue between participants in a online programme. Successful e-moderating requires a high level of specialist mentorship skills, adapted to the online world. The work of Gilly Salmon (Open University) defines levels of dialogue: from chat, to higher levels which promote high-level learning |
| flat screens; video walls | Thin, high resolution screens which do not use cathode ray tubes for the display and which take up very little space |
| formative tests | Tests, either online or on paper, on whose results the next stage of learning is based |
| generic skills | CCEA has identified a number of transferable generic skills which will be developed by pupils. They include: literacy, numeracy, ICT, thinking skills, personal skills, working with others |
| information and knowledge management skills | The skills that allow people to know where to find information online and how to use it to suit the intended purpose |
| interactive | A system that allows two-way communication to take place |
| intranet | A collection of web-based materials, similar to those on the Internet but stored on a server within an organisation and only accessible to members of that organisation (a school or business) |
| hybrid course | A hybrid course makes use of blended learning |
| Kbps | 24 Kbps stands for Kilobits per second and tells how fast the communication is. A byte is a collection of bits (and is the number of bits required for an alphabetic character). A Kilobit is approximately 1000 bits so 512 Kbps means about 65000 characters are transferred per second |
| Learning NI | The brand-name for C2k’s new online learning environment provided by Hewlett Packard |
| management (information) systems | Such as the SIMS systems which are used in the management of school information, especially assessment information for the purpose of managing learning and assessing the value added by the school |
| Mbps | 24 Megabits per second where a Megabit is approximately 1000 kilobits |
| meta-data | An tagging (indexing) system for online content/resources from multiple sources which enables integration into a common online environment and mapping to the NI Curriculum for easy retrieval |
| modelling | A mathematical process where formulae or equations are used to represent a real life system through software |
| multimedia | The combination of different forms of presentation such as graphics, sound, animation and video |
| NIeL Partnership | Northern Ireland elearning Partnership: all stakeholders working together to pilot and develop elearning to the highest standards |
| networked technologies | The bringing together of a number of hardware devices, software and data to serve an organisation and share resources |
| PDA | Personal Digital (Data) Assistant. A hand-held electronic device which can be used to store data and can then share/download this data electronically to a desktop or laptop computer |
| strategic action plan | A plan which contains action point, targets and/or milestones and evaluation processes |
| synchronous discussions/interaction | Discussions where people are online at the same time and interaction occurs without a time delay: in real-time in a virtual classroom or chat-room |
| synergy | Using the set of statistics provided by the software that records each time a user visits the different areas in the learning environment, and for how long. Most only count the ‘clicks’ and make no attempt to interpret if learning has taken place |
| value added | A measure of the amount of learning that has actually taken place against an agreed set of norms |
| video conference | Video and audio linking of sites in real time directly from point to point through the telephone network or distributed through the Internet |
| virtual learning environment | Often referred to as a “VLE”, it is a content independent software solution or environment which allows the learner and teacher to communicate and interact with the content and services and each other |
| virtual classroom or chat-room | An electronic version of some of the features of a normal classroom. Pupils and teachers can interact with one another with text, using an on-screen interactive whiteboard |
| virtual learning centre | Similar to a virtual school, with adults as the main users |
| virtual school | An organisational arrangement for providing courses, teaching and learning based on online content |
| visual/media literacy | The ability to design and manipulate visual elements through technology for creative purposes and to communicate. The terms are defined in section 3.3 |
| video-streaming | The ability to deliver video in real-time over an internet connection |
