Glossary

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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.

Accessibility: Accessibility is a feature of online/digital training that optimizes content to help individuals with different impairments (e.g. a visual or hearing impairment).

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.

Adobe Captivate: An authoring tool that is used for creating elearning content in a quick and responsive fashion.

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.

Articulate Storyline: An authoring tool that allows for the creation of interactive, animated elearning courses. Projects created with Storyline are presented using various media elements that are animated together, often using motion paths, to deliver a visually rich customized online course.

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

Augmented Reality (AR): The addition of superimposed, computer generated interfaces, graphics or objects to a user’s vision, often delivered via camera enabled mobile hardware such as smartphones or digitally enhanced glasses/goggles to create a digitally altered view of the real world.

Authentic Learning: Refers to a wide variety of educational and instructional techniques focused on connecting what students are taught in school to real-world issues, problems, and applications.

Authoring Tool: Often paired with an LMS, this software is used to develop content for online learning and training programs. An eLearning content authoring tool is a software package which content developers use to create and package eLearning course content using SCORM or xAPI standards. There are many popular authoring tools to choose from, including Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storyline.

Blended Learning: Blended learning is the 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. It offers a great way to augment the learner’s experience.

CPD: CPD (Continuing Professional Development) programs aim to help professionals stay up-to-date with developments in their field after tertiary or postgraduate training has ended. Professionals use CPD to maintain knowledge and skills throughout their working lives.

Chunk: 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.

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

Course Builder: Functionality in a learning management system that is used to upload and create courses. Course builders allow you to combine elements such as text, image, video etc., to make your courses more engaging.

Curation: The sourcing, organization and presentation of content or media. In elearning, the curation process is often a core part of creating online courses, in which a diverse range content is collated from internal and external sources. Curating learning content can drastically reduce the time taken to create an online course and enables course content to stay highly topical and relevant.

Distance Learning: This occurs when instructors/teachers are in a different geographical location to their students, and is facilitated through learning technology platforms. This type of learning can be delivered in both synchronous and asynchronous fashion.

eLearning: 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.

ePortfolio: The accumulation of evidence demonstrating an individual’s work, accomplishments, as hosted and displayed on a web-based or digital platform.

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

Game-based Learning: Game-based learning is where actual games are integrated into a learning experience to motivate learners and increase engagement.In fact, an entire learning solution can be a game – for example a fun, online knowledge quiz competition.

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.

Graphic User Interface (GUI): A type of user interface that is built around graphical icons and visual indicators, such as windows, tabs, tiles & folders, as opposed to a purely text based interface.

HTML5 Package (H5P): A free and open source content collaboration framework based on Javascript that aims for the creation and sharing of interactive HTML5 content. The framework consists of a web-based content editor that enables users to add and replace multimedia files and text content.

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML5): HTML5 is a programming language that describes a web page’s Designed to work with a large set of technologies that allows for the construction of diverse and powerful websites and applications. It is free to use and works across a wide range of devices. HTML 5 is the fifth and current major version of HTML.

Instructional Design (ID): ID 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.

Learning Analytics: Learning analytics is the collection, measurement, analysis and reporting of information about a learner and their interaction with learning materials. Used for purposes of understanding and optimising learning resources.

Learning Management System (LMS): 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.

Learning Objectives: 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.

Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI): 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.

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): 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.

mLearning: 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.

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

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.

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.

Podcast: Digital audio files used by millions of listeners to learn about a huge range of subjects. 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 (PBL): 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 Pool: A question pool (also known as a question bank) is a group of reusable questions from which an exam or survey can be created.

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.

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.

Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM): 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.

Simulation: A simulation is a highly interactive application that allows learners to model or role-play a scenario, simulations are designed to allow learners to practice skills in a risk-free environment.

Single sign-on (SSO): Single sign-on 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.

Software as a Service (SaaS): SaaS is a software distribution model where software is hosted by a third-party provider and is licensed to customers on a subscription basis.

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.

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.

User Experience (UX): 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.

User Interface (UI): 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.

Virtual Reality (VR): 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.

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