Glossary

accessibility: difficulties in accessing a product or service may be due to a number of reasons, including a user's disability or the environment in which they are accessing the product/service; making it accessible means it is easier for everyone to use, whatever their circumstances
basic skills: 'the ability to read, write and speak in English/Welsh and to use mathematics at a level necessary to function and progress at work and in society in general' (Basic Skills Agency 2004)
blended learning: using both electronic and face-to-face delivery and support of teaching and learning
bulletin board: a digital notice-board; messages posted on bulletin boards are visible to anyone who has access to the space on which the notice-board sits; they are often organised by themes (threads) so that people can follow the discussions
chat: electronic messages that are exchanged 'synchronously' between individuals or groups who are all logged on to the same 'chat-room' at the same time; chat-rooms allow senders' messages to be displayed to everyone in the chat-room immediately; chat is more ephemeral than e-mail or bulletin board messages
communities of practice: usually small groups of people who have worked together over a period of time, and through extensive communication have developed a common sense of purpose and desire to share work-related knowledge and experience
connectivity: the ability to connect, using telecommunications infrastructure (such as telephone lines, cable networks or mobile services), to networks such as the worldwide web
database: a collection of information that is organised so that it can easily be accessed, managed and updated
distance learning: where the learner is not geographically close to the individual or organisation delivering learning; distance learning is often thought to be synonymous with e-learning; in fact, e-learning can be used to support face-to-face learning (a blended approach), and distance learning can be conducted without the use of e-learning (e.g. a print-based correspondence course)
educator: in the context of social care, refers to both vocational trainers and educators in higher education and elsewhere; also includes service users and carers
educator support: the provision of services and products that help educators do their teaching; includes, for example, technical training or advice, provision of e-learning content, training in e-moderating or online assessment techniques
e-GIF (E-Government Interoperability Framework): guidance on internet and worldwide web standards for all UK government systems; aims to reduce the costs and risk of operating information technology systems, while keeping the public sector in step with the global internet revolution
e-learning: the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide, support or enhance learning via the internet, network or standalone computer
e-learning courses: also known as online courses; any structured set of digital materials addressing specified learning objectives, divided into meaningful sections and arranged in a sequence and/or hierarchy that promotes learning
e-mail: electronic mail; messages sent between individuals or to groups of individuals at specific addresses; they are 'asynchronous' - that is, held in a 'mailbox' and read whenever the recipient chooses; only visible to designated recipients of the message, in contrast to bulletin boards; each individual can do what they like with their messages (save them, delete them, file them etc.); e-mail was one of the first uses of the internet, and is still the most popular
e-moderating: the ability to plan and manage events online; this includes understanding the concepts of online social interaction, as well as having the technical skills to run events
e-portfolio: portable, electronic databases that are private, personalised and shareable and are easily accessible via the world wide web; an e-portfolio enables the user to collect and organise text, audio, graphic and video files that provide evidence of their knowledge, skills and training
European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL): a widely recognised certificate that shows the holder is competent in the use of a personal computer and common computer applications, and knows the essential concepts of information technology
hardware: the physical aspect of computers, telecommunications and other information technology devices; the term arose as a way to distinguish the 'box' and the electronic circuitry and components of a computer from the programs (or software) that make it do things
ICTs: information and communication technologies; an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as the worldwide web
ICT skills: those skills needed to take full advantage of the information and services accessible via computers and other digital communication devices; also known as e-skills; one aspect of information literacy
information literacy: the ability to locate, evaluate and use information to become a lifelong learner; includes ICT skills as well as information search and evaluation skills
infrastructure: the hardware, such as personal computers, servers and telecommunications networks, necessary to support information and communication technologies such as the internet and worldwide web
instructional design: the application of a systematic methodology based on instructional theory to create content for learning
internet: a worldwide network of computer networks; an interconnection of large and small networks around the globe
interoperability: the ability of learning content, a subsystem or system to work seamlessly with other systems, sub-systems or content via the use of agreed specifications and standards
knowledge management: an organisation acquires and manages its knowledge, both the explicit knowledge in its information systems and also the 'tacit' knowledge that resides largely in people's heads; knowledge management is the attempt to make tacit knowledge explicit, and to encourage sharing in order to improve effectiveness in achieving the organisation's goals
learner-centred: putting the end-user of e-learning at the centre of development processes; includes assessing needs from a learner perspective; trialling pilot materials and systems on learners; asking learners to evaluate e-learning experiences
learner support: the services and systems that enable learners to learn; includes, for example, guidance on choosing the correct learning; supporting learning skills such as information and communication technology skills, information literacy; and all the administrative processes that support progress through a learning experience
learning content: any form of digital material designed to address learning needs
learning management systems: software that automates the administration of learning; registers users, tracks courses, records data from learners and provides reports to those administering the system; often focuses on managing courses created by a variety of sources
learning networks: networks that use information and communication technologies to promote connections between learners and their peers and tutors, and between a learning community and its learning resources (Elearningeuropa 2004)
learning objects: small 'chunks' of digital learning, focusing on one, or occasionally two, learning objectives; often used as modular building blocks for e-learning content
learning object repository: a specialised digital repository holding digital learning objects described by specialised information called metadata
managed learning environment: a single software environment that supports the whole range of information systems and processes that contribute directly or indirectly to learning and learning management
online communities: the internet facilitates two-way communication between people, as well as being a medium for the 'one-way' publishing of information; online communities are groups of individuals who visit a designated online space to share a common interest
pedagogy: the theories, principles and practices of teaching, learning and education; ensuring that e-learning content has input from pedagogical experts is as important as ensuring input from technical experts
personalised learning: learning that is tailored to the individual learner's needs and preferences throughout the learning process; this is a key element of the Department for Education and Skills' Five Year Strategy
practice learning: social care skills learned through real-life practice in a workplace, and through simulation such as role play, action learning and case study analysis; includes supervised, assessed practice in the workplace using real-life experiences, including face-to-face work with individuals and families, groups and communities
repository: a specialised database that stores digital assets and artefacts of relevance to learning to enable easy retrieval, sharing and management across digital networks such as the worldwide web; also known as learning content management systems
scalability: the ability of a system to increase in size and/or complexity in order to address increasing demand or widening scope
sector portal: a web site that provides a gateway to information related to a particular industry, such as health or social care; it offers services to the various groups of people who have an interest in exchanging information about a particular sector
skills audit and skills gap analysis: skills audit involves identifying the skills and knowledge (both used and latent) held by existing staff; the determination of gaps involves comparing skills and knowledge held by the organisations (determined in the skills audit) with the skills and knowledge required (the established benchmarks)
software: computer programs; software is often divided into application software (programs that do work users are directly interested in, such word processing and spreadsheet programs, or internet browsers) and system software such as operating systems, which support the application software
usability: a measure of how effectively, efficiently and easily a person can navigate a system or product, find information on it and achieve their goals in using the product
virtual learning environment (VLE): 'an environment where on-line interactions of various kinds take place between learners and tutors' (JISC 2003)
worldwide web (www): a collection of documents on the internet linked by a common language called HTML (hypertext mark-up language); the most popular method of finding information on the internet