Education Terminology Glossary

Accreditation

A process by which an institution or program is evaluated and recognized as meeting certain standards.

Apprenticeship

A system of training a new generation of practitioners in a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study.

Assessment

The process of evaluating a student’s performance through various methods such as tests, exams, and assignments.

Bachelor's Degree

An undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to seven years.

Blended Learning

An education program that combines online digital media with traditional classroom methods.

Board Certification

A process by which a physician or other professional demonstrates a mastery of the basic knowledge and skills that define an area of medical specialization.

Career Counseling

A process that helps individuals understand their skills, interests, and values to make informed career decisions.

Credit Hour

A unit that gives weight to the value, level, or time requirements of an academic course.

Curriculum

The subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college.

Diploma

A certificate awarded by an educational institution to show that someone has successfully completed a course of study.

Distance Learning

A way of studying where tuition is carried out over the Internet or by mail.

Doctorate

The highest level of academic degree.

E-learning

Learning conducted via electronic media, typically on the Internet.

Elective

A course that students can choose to take for credit toward their degree, but which is not required.

Extracurricular Activities

Non-academic activities, such as sports, clubs, or volunteer work, that can enhance a student's educational experience.

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

A form completed by current and prospective college students in the United States to determine their eligibility for financial aid.

Fellowship

A merit-based scholarship for advanced study of an academic subject.

Fieldwork

Practical work conducted by a researcher in the natural environment, rather than in a laboratory or office.

GED (General Educational Development)

A group of tests that certify the taker has high school-level academic skills.

GPA (Grade Point Average)

A numerical representation of a student's average performance across all of their classes.

Grant

A sum of money given by an organization, especially a government, for a particular purpose.

Honours Program

A program offering advanced educational opportunities and challenges to high-achieving students.

Hybrid Course

A course that combines online and face-to-face instruction.

Inclusive Education

An education system that works to ensure that all children, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, learn together.

Independent Study

A course of study that a student undertakes with little to no supervision.

Internship

A period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time.

Job Shadowing

A career exploration activity in which an individual follows a professional to learn about their job.

Joint Degree

A program in which a student can earn two degrees from two different institutions simultaneously.

Junior College

A post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training and academic programs leading to an associate's degree.

Kindergarten

A preschool educational approach typically for children aged four to six years old.

Kinesiology

The study of human body movement.

Knowledge Transfer

The process by which experienced employees share or distribute their knowledge, skills, and behaviours to younger employees.

Learning Management System (LMS)

A software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses or training programs.

Lecture

A formal presentation by a teacher or instructor to a group of students.

Liberal Arts

Academic disciplines that include the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics.

Master's Degree

An advanced academic degree granted by universities upon completion of study demonstrating a mastery of a specific field of study.

Mentorship

Guidance provided by a mentor, especially an experienced person in a company or educational institution.

MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)

A course of study available over the Internet to a large number of people.

Niche Education

Specialized education tailored to specific interests, skills, or career paths.

Non-credit Course

A course taken for personal enrichment or professional development that does not offer college credit.

Non-traditional Student

A student who does not follow the typical path of attending college directly after high school, often balancing education with work or family responsibilities.

Online Learning

Education that takes place over the internet.

Open Enrollment

An admissions policy that allows any student to enroll in a course or program regardless of prior academic achievement.

Orientation

A program designed to introduce new students to college life.

Pedagogy

The method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.

Plagiarism

The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.

Practicum

A course that includes practical work in a particular field, often part of professional education programs.

Qualitative Research

Research that explores phenomena through the collection of non-numerical data like interviews and observations.

Quantitative Research

Research that collects and analyzes numerical data to identify patterns and averages, make predictions, and test causal relationships.

Quiz

A short test given to students.

Registrar

The office responsible for maintaining student records and managing enrollment and course registration.

Research Paper

An extended essay presenting the results of original study or analysis.

Rubric

A guide listing specific criteria for grading or scoring academic papers, projects, or tests.

Scholarship

A grant or payment made to support a student's education, awarded on the basis of academic or other achievements.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

An acronym referring to these four academic disciplines.

Syllabus

An outline of the subjects in a course of study or teaching.

Tenure

A guaranteed job security status granted to teachers and professors, typically after a probationary period.

Thesis

A statement or theory put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved.

Transcript

An official record of a student's academic performance.

Undergraduate

A student at a college or university who has not yet earned a bachelor's or equivalent degree.

University

An institution of higher education and research which awards academic degrees in various academic disciplines.

Urban Education

Education that takes place in an urban environment and often deals with issues unique to urban settings.

Virtual Classroom

An online environment that allows teachers and students to communicate, interact, and collaborate.

Visiting Scholar

A scholar from another institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research.

Vocational Training

Education that prepares people to work in various jobs, such as a trade, a craft, or as a technician.

Webinar

A seminar conducted over the internet.

Work-study

A program that allows students to work part-time while attending school, often subsidized by the government.

Writing Center

A resource center at a college or university where students can get help with writing skills and assignments.

X-Curricular

Activities that complement the academic curriculum, often involving practical applications of academic knowledge.

Xeroxing

The act of photocopying documents.

XML (eXtensible Markup Language)

A markup language that defines rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable.

Yearbook

A book published annually by a school or college recording the events and achievements of the past year.

Yield Rate

The percentage of students who choose to enroll in a particular college or university after having been offered admission.

Youth Education

Educational programs and strategies targeted towards young individuals, typically under the age of 18.

Z Score

A statistical measurement that describes a value's relationship to the mean of a group of values.

Zero Tolerance

A strict enforcement policy for rules and regulations, particularly in schools.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

A concept in educational psychology referring to the difference between what a learner can do without help and what they can achieve with guidance.

Firmware

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