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Distance Learning Glossary

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API (application program interface)
A connection point at which information is transmitted between a software application to run smoothly, where certain maintenance services, such as file management functions, must be performed. The application communicates the need for these services to the operating system over an API

ASP (application service provider)
An application service provider allows a company to have a software application hosted, and in some cases managed by a third party. ASP's provide IT and business operation expertise in a particular market niche or in a particular functional area (such as human resources). An ASP delivers standardized application software via a network, though not particularly or exclusively over the Internet

asynchronous learning
Any self-paced learning event that is delivered after the original live event. Also used to indicate a learning event where the interaction is delayed over time, such as a correspondence course. Forms of asynchronous communication include e-mail, listservs, audiocassette courses, videotaped courses and Internet courses

audioconference
A conference, most frequently over the plain old telephone system (POTS), between two or more remote locations with live, audio transmission

brick-and-mortar training model
This method describes a traditional company that uses non-Web channels as the primary training outlet for its employees

broadcast
Method of transferring learning content to many learners simultaneously. Variants include: IP multicast, delivery of a learning event over the network using the Internet Protocol from a single source to multiple participants, and satellite broadcast. Broadcasting is a useful feature in e-mail systems and is also supported by some fax systems

carrier-grade hosting
Carrier-grade hosting (in ASP model) uses hardware/software and services that bring the similar quality and reliability of carrier-grade computing from the telco central office to Internet service providers (ISP's). For example, Sun Microsystems Netra t 1125 system enables customers to deploy network services--such as network management, subscriber services, e-commerce applications and e-Learning--outside of the telco central office, in commercial environments

compressed video
A method currently used to transmit images electronically. Compression of sequences of images is necessary because of the huge volume of digital information inherent in video. For instance, a CD-ROM with a memory capacity of about 650 megabytes can store only 30 seconds of a video segment without video compression. With compression, an approximately 70-minute-long video program can be stored

CBT (computer-based training)
Any instructional event that can be accessed via a stand-alone computer. Training materials and content are delivered via software applications and are installed on the learner's computer. CBT evolved as a way to augment and reduce reliance on the classroom model

client-server model
A network arrangement with a server and one or more clients. Both the server and the clients are complete, stand-alone computers. The server can be a personal computer, minicomputer, or mainframe, and it provides resources such as data management and allows clients to share information with each other. Also referred to as client/server architecture

computer conferencing
Interactive sessions between networked computers whereby data, documents, and/or video and audio are shared. The term encompasses both data conferencing and desktop video conferencing. Web chat, whiteboards, and web-based conferencing may be used in computer conferencing.

corporate training portal concept
A location on the corporate Internet or enterprise intranet that serves as a central source of information that allows access to students training and training administrator functions. The portal serves as a gateway to e-Learning including course enrolment, course tracking and launching courses via synchronous, asynchronous and other delivery methods

Digital
A method of recording, transmitting, or reproducing sound, pictures (video), or other material by sampling an analog signal and translating those samples into digital information, or data. The digital signal, as opposed to an analog signal, bears no resemblance to its original form unless it is converted back into analog form. Example: Unlike with my old phonograph, the musical information on my CDs is a bunch of binary data that bears no resemblance to the sound waves that were present in the studio and picked up by the microphone

Distance Learning
A type of education where students work on their own at home or at the office and communicate with faculty and other students via e-mail, electronic forums, videoconferencing and other forms of computer-based communication. Distance learning is becoming especially popular with companies that need to regularly re-train their employees because it is less expensive than bringing all the students together in a traditional classroom setting. Most distance learning programs include a computer-based training (CBT) system and communications tools to produce a virtual classroom. Because the Internet and World Wide Web are accessible from virtually all computer platforms, they serve as the foundation for many distance learning systems

e-Learning (CBT, e-training)
Network-enabled transfer of skills and knowledge that covers a wide set of applications and processes such as Web-based learning, computer-based learning, and virtual classrooms. It includes the delivery of content via the Internet, LANs/WANs, audio/video tapes, satellite broadcasts, interactive TV and CD-ROMs. The Internet has transformed the way education occurs and creates new ways of learning

e-mail
Electronic mail. The system whereby messages are automatically passed from one computer user to another through computer networks. Most e-mail systems allow "attachments" of files of different formats to be sent along with the text in the message body

ERP (enterprise resource planning system)
Enterprise resource planning is a process usually involving specialized software that helps businesses keep track of important activities, such as inventory control, parts ordering, and tracking orders. There is a wide variety of software in this field, from code written to perform a specific task at a specific company to mass-produced software that performs common tasks

firewall
A security barrier between a company intranet and the larger Internet to protect systems from viruses and other unwanted digital intrusions. Firewalls are used to thwart would-be hackers from infiltrating computer systems

fully hosted environment
A situation in which the hosting of software, content and sometimes management, is outsourced to a third party

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
A standard format for compression of images. Images on web pages are commonly stored in the GIF or JPEG formats

Hertz
Standard measuring unit for frequency measured in cycles per second. Named for Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist. Abbreviation: Hz

HTML (hypertext markup language)
A language used to create electronic documents, especially pages on the World Wide Web (WWW) that contain connections called hyperlinks. HTML tells a web browser how to display the Web pages it receives

intranet
A private network inside a company or organization that uses the same kinds of software that you would find on the public Internet, but that is only for internal use. As the Internet has become more popular many of the tools used on the Internet are being used in private networks, for example, many companies have Web servers that are available only to employees

ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network
A fairly recent offering in the telecommunications industry, ISDN is a dialable, digital service available to most residences and businesses that offers much higher bandwidth than POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service). ISDN lines come in two basic formats, BRI (Basic Rate Interface, capable of 128k of bandwidth, several of which can be aggregated by an Inverse Mux) and PRI (Primary Rate Interface, capable of 1472k bandwidth). Example: We got so tired of waiting for web pages to download over our telephone modem line that we got an ISDN line that's much, much faster

ISP (Internet service provider)
An organization that provides access to the Internet, which can be provided in two ways: a. Modem: Uses a common telephone line to dial directly to the ISP that connects the user to the Internet. b. T1 line: Direct connection to the Internet using a T1 line. It offers speed far superior to a modem

JPEG: (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
A standard format for compression of images. Images on web pages are commonly stored in the JPEG or GIF formats

LAN (local area network)
A group of two or more computers linked together for communication purposes, generally within a small geographical area, such as a floor of an office building

learning extranets
The connecting of two or more enterprise intranets, allowing the organization to share resources and communicate over the Internet in their own virtual space

Listserv
Mailing list management software which scans e-mail messages for the words "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" to automatically update the list

media development

The utilization of new media software tools to create Web-based content, or to transform existing materials so that they can be delivered over the Web

Modem
An electronic device that converts serial data from a computer into an audio signal in order to transmit data over a telephone line

Network
A set of nodes, points, or locations which are connected by means of data, voice, and video communications for the purpose of exchanging information

network-centric model
This model describes a situation where the Internet or enterprise intranet serves as the key vehicle for operations. A network-centric learning model includes the following three elements: the Internet or enterprise intranet, Web-based content and Web-based administration of the entire system

new media
As opposed to "old media" which includes traditional outlets such as radio and television, new media includes all computer-based advertising and production, including enterprises operating over the Internet

Online
Available for immediate use. Example: I tried to get online with my Inernet Service Provider, America Online, but I was unsuccessful

open Internet development platform
As business practices have matured in the Internet world, it has become clear that there is good reason to expect that companies will be able to know when to cooperate and collaborate based on common standards. CORBA is an example of a widely used open standards and development platform based on independent platforms

Open Java Standard
Fundamentally, the Java? platform is a new way of computing. It is based on the power of networks and the idea that the same software should run on many different kinds of computers, consumer gadgets, and other devices. With Java technology, you can use the same application from any kind of machine -- a PC, a Macintosh computer, a network computer, or even on new technologies like Internet screen phones

Packet
A data unit sent across a network

packet switching
The system which enables data to travel expediently across a computer network by breaking messages into packets which are individually routed between hosts, with no previously established communication path. Packets are routed to their destination through the most expedient route. The packets of a single message may follow different routes. The destination computer reassembles the packets into their appropriate sequence. Packet switching is used to optimise the use of the bandwidth

Portal
A location on the Web that serves as a central source for information and content targeted to a specific group. Serves as a gateway to information and e-Learning from a variety of different sources

POTS
Plain old telephone service

PSTN: (Public Switched Telephone Network)
the public telephone network

Quicktime
Multi-platform multimedia software developed by Apple that delivers synchronized graphics, sound, video, text and music

RF: stands for radio frequency
Radio frequencies are electromagnetic signals which range from microwave to radio in length

robust
A well built, sophisticated system that has the stability to recover gracefully from a wide range of inputs and situations in a given environment. A robust program will not lock up the computer, cause damage to data or send the user through an endless chain of dialogue boxes without purpose

satellite conference
A conference between different locations where the communication links are made between orbiting satellites and various points on Earth. Communications satellites provide telephone,television, and data services between widely separated locations such as universities or television stations in different cities. The technique involves the transmission of signals from an Earth station to a satellite. The satellite has equipment that receives the signals, amplifies them, and transmits them to Earth. Receiving stations then pick up the signals and provide the communications link

scalable
How well a solution to some problem will work when the size of the problem increases and can be made larger or smaller relatively easily and painlessly, while the cost to grow is a relatively straight line. ISOPIA's multi-tier architecture allows scalability from single-server departmental solutions, to outsourced and hosted systems supporting millions of transactions

session Bean
An enterprise bean that is created by a client and that usually exists for the duration of a single client/server session. A session bean performs operations, such as calculations or accessing a database, for the client. While the session bean may be transactional, it is not recoverable should a system crash occur

streaming audio/video
Audio or video transferred over a network that plays dynamically as the content is downloaded. This gives an impression to the user similar to that of watching television or listening to the radio. To avoid interruptions due to network problems, a few seconds of streaming content is usually buffered on the receiving PC. Streaming content is primarily used on the Internet

synchronous learning
A learning event delivered in real time to the learner that can include immediate, two-way communication between participants. Assignments are given, questions are asked and answered, and exams and pop quizzes are taken

template
A predefined set of tools or forms that establish the structure and settings necessary to quickly create content and functionality

T1
A general term for a digital carrier, typically leased from a local or long-distance provider, capable of transmitting 1.544 Mbps of electronic information. A T1 line is point to point, as opposed to a dialable ISDN line. T1 lines may be used fractionally or at their full bandwidth. E1 is the approximate European equivalent, prevalent also in Mexico. Example: The UT video network is composed primarily of leased T1 lines that carry compressed video and Internet data between UT components

Transponder
The part of a communications satellite that receives transmission from the ground (an uplink site) and retransmits it back to earth (a downlink site). Example: On the C-band satellite Galaxy 9, orbital location 123 degrees west, transponder 22 operates at a frequency of 4140 megahertz and has horizontal polarity

ubiquitous
Existing or being everywhere at the same time. Example: In American, hamburgers are ubiquitous

Uplink
The process of sending video, or data, up to a communications satellite, from where it is downlinked to a receiving site. Example: The local PBS station is going to uplink our teleconference so that it will be viewable by anyone with a C-band dish

URL
Uniform Resource Locator. An address on the World Wide Web. Example: The URL for this Primer is: http://www.utexas.edu/cc/cit/de/deprimer/deprimindex.html

Usenet
A distributed electronic bulletin board system which allows users to post and read articles thereon. It is international in scope and is probably the largest decentralized information utility in existence. Newsgroups, postings on Usenet, provide a mechanism for class collaboration and communication

videoconference
A video communications session between two or more remote locations, with live, animated image transmission and display. TechWeb Technology Encyclopedia provides a more detailed definition and history of videoconferencing, including a discussion of various protocols and systems

VPN (virtual private network)
A means of augmenting a shared network on a secure basis through encryption and tunneling. Through encrypting, the organization secures its data from prying eyes, while realizing the cost advantages of the shared network

WAN (wide area network)
A group of two or more networks at different geographic locations that are linked together for communication purposes

WBT (Web-based training)
Training that occurs using a web interface that is accessed over the Internet or an organization's intranet

Web chat
A system that allows two or more logged-in users to set up a typed, real-time, on-line conversation across the World Wide Web

Web page
A location on the World Wide Web, identified by a URL, which contains a block of data. A web page is stored on a server as a file written in HTML. Web pages for distance education classes often provide a course syllabus and hypertext links to related Internet resources and class materials

Whiteboard
An electronic bulletin board which allows users across a network to colaborate in real time

World Wide Web
A distributed information retrieval system in which documents formatted in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) are linked via Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to other documents, as well as audio, video, and graphics files. By using a web browser and clicking on hot spots, computers are connected across the Internet. Use of the Internet has exploded with the development of web browsers such as Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, and Microsoft's Internet Explorer which use a graphical user interface (GUI).

X.25
An OSI (Open Systems Interconnect) standard protocol which was describes how data passes into and out of public data communications networks. Other protocols related to packet switching are X.3, X.28, X.29, X.75

XMODEM
A widely available protocol used for file transfer between modems. Also referred to as the "Christensen" file transfer protocol, XModem uses 128 byte packets with error detection. It is fairly slow but reliable. Improvements to the protocol were made and released as YModem and ZModem

XML (extensible markup language)
XML is an emerging markup language standard for data content representation of documents and for exchanging information over the Internet. It is becoming a universal standard for exchanging data in e-services environments

YMODEM
File transfer protocol between modems which can use larger packets (1 kilobyte) than those used in Xmodem (128 byte)

ZMODEM
A modem file transfer protocol with error checking and crash recovery

Zip
A compressed archived file created by PKWare's PKZIP or a compatible archiver. Compressing files allows faster transport across computer networks

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