Co-funded by the European Commission
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Glossary

PROMISLingua has a very innovative approach which requires a common understanding and a common nomenclature. The following section presents a list of specialist words and their definitions

Facilitative tools
Electronic features used to deliver online courses. Examples include mailing lists, chat programs, streaming audio, streaming video, and Webpages.

Source: Learning Circuits

Facilitator
The online course instructor who aids learning in the online, student-centered environment.

Source: Learning Circuits

False-starter
A person who registers for but does not complete an e-learning course.

Source: Learning Circuits

FAQ
Abbreviation for Frequently Asked Questions. A document (often a hypertext document) containing common questions and answers for a particular website or topic.
Fax (facsimile)
(noun) The print-out of information transmitted via text and/or graphic images over standard telephone lines. (verb) To transmit information via text and/or graphic images over standard telephone lines.

Source: Learning Circuits

Feedback
Communication between the instructor or system and the learner resulting from an action or process.

Source: Learning Circuits

Fiber-optic cable
Glass fiber used for laser transmission of video, audio, and/or data. Fiber-optic cable has a much greater bandwidth capacity than conventional cable or copper wire.

Source: Learning Circuits

File server
A computer on a network with the primary task of storing files that can be shared by network users.

Source: Learning Circuits

Financial Regulation
Means the Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/20021 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the General Budget of the European Communities and the Commission Regulation (CE, Euratom) No.2342/20022 of 23 December 2002 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the General Budget of the European Communities.

Source: European Commission

Finger
Internet service that provides information about the users on a particular computer.
Firewall
A technology that gives users access to the Internet while retaining internal network security.

Source: Learning Circuits

FireWire
Apple Computer s trademarked name for its high-speed serial bus supporting the IEEE 1394 data transfer standard. FireWire enables the connection of up to 63 devices and transfers data at a speed of up to 400 mbps.

Source: Learning Circuits

Flash
Software by Macromedia that enables designers to use simple vector graphics to create computer animations, which can be viewed by any browser with the correct plug-in.

Source: Learning Circuits

Floppy disk (floppy diskette)
A data storage medium used with a personal computer. Current floppy disks can store up to 1.44 MB of data and are usually 3 1/2 inches in size. Older floppy disks were 5 and ¼ inches. Also spelled as floppy disc.

Source: Learning Circuits

Footprint
1) The regions to which a communications satellite can transmit. 2) The floor or desk surface space occupied by a piece of computer equipment.

Source: Learning Circuits

Force majeure
Shall mean any unforeseeable and exceptional situation or event beyond the control of the Community or the participants which prevents either of them from fulfilling any of their obligations under this grant agreement, was not attributable to error or negligence on their part, and proves insurmountable in spite of due diligence.

Source: European Commission

Freeware
Software that is available free of charge for personal use.
Frequency
The space between waves in a signal; the amount of time between waves passing a stationary point.

Source: Learning Circuits

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
An Internet tool/software utility which allows you to transfer files between two computers that are connected to the Internet. Anonymous FTP allows you to connect to remote computers and to transfer publicly available computer files or programs.
Full-motion video
A signal that allows the transmission of the complete action taking place at the origination site.

Source: Learning Circuits

Fully interactive video (two-way interactive video)
Two sites interacting with audio and video as if they were colocated.

Source: Learning Circuits

Gateway
A computer system that connects two incompatible services such as a commercial online service and the Internet.
GB (gigabyte)
Just over one billion bytes. 1,000 megabytes.

Source: Learning Circuits

GDI (graphics device interface)
GDI Windows is a complicated operating system that's divided into several distinct areas. The graphics display interface, or GDI, is the part that draws all the graphical objects - including common elements such as scroll bars and lines - to the screen.
GDI functions are handled by a program called gdi.exe that loads automatically when you start Windows.
GIF
Graphical Interchange Format is a commonly used graphics file format for image files on the Internet.
Globalization
  • The tailoring of an offering to include clear, grammatically correct text that eliminates slang, gender references, and cultural or generational idioms.
  • The process of deploying a single system worldwide that meets a variety of needs.
  • Integrating several working systems into one.

Source: Learning Circuits

GPS (Global Positioning System)
The Global Positioning System is a satellite navigation system used to determine terrestrial position, velocity, and time.
Once exclusively used by the U.S. military, the GPS is now available to the worldwide general public. The GPS system relays satellite signals that can be processed by a GPS receiver.
Grant agreement completion date
means the date referred to in Article 2.2, subparagraph 2, of this grant agreement.

Source: European Commission

Granularity
The degree of detail something can be broken down into, or the number of discrete components making up any type of system. In e-learning, granularity is defined by the number of content chunks.

Source: Learning Circuits

Grok
To reach total understanding of a subject. From Robert Heinlein s Stranger in a Strange Land.

Source: Learning Circuits

GUI (graphical user interface)
A computer interface using icons or pictures. For example, Windows.

Source: Learning Circuits

Hard disk
A computer s main data storage component, usually housed within the CPU. Hard disks generally hold more data and can be read faster than floppy disks.

Source: Learning Circuits

Hard drive
A disk drive that reads a computer s hard disk.

Source: Learning Circuits

Hard skills
Technical skills. See also soft skills.

Source: Learning Circuits

HDTV (high-definition TV)
A television signal that has over five times the resolution of standard television and requires extraordinary bandwidth.

Source: Learning Circuits

Health and Safety Advisors or Safety Consultant
1) physicians – health, chronic illnesses
2) safety engineers and technicians – health and safety in the workplace the provision of advice relating to hazards from dangerous substances, equipment for personal protection, and other elements of a safe workplace. They need a special training.
3) chemical and process engineers – focus on plant safety to ensure safe production processes, fire and explosion prevention. Some of these engineers are registered, as required by law.
4) environmental engineers – to ensure environmental safety such as the prevention of air and water pollution.
Authorities are also a critical part of the health and safety context because of the role they play in, flow and exchange of information.

Source: PROMIS@Service Sarl

Home page
The main page of hypertext-based information for n individual or organization on the World Wide Web (WWW).
Host
(noun) A computer connected to a network. (verb) To store and manage another company s technology and/or content on your own servers.

Source: Learning Circuits

HRD (human resource development)
1) A term coined by Leonard Nadler to describe the organized learning experiences, such as training, education, and development, offered by employers within a specific timeframe to improve employee performance or personal growth.
2) Another name for the field and profession sometimes called training or training and development.

Source: Learning Circuits

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
The coding applied to text files that allows them to appear as formatted hypermedia documents on the World Wide Web.
HTTP
Abbreviation for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. Often this is the initial sequence of letters in a web address.
Hub
A network device that connects communication lines together.

Source: Learning Circuits

Hypermedia
Applications or documents that contain dynamic links to other media, such as audio, video, or graphics files.

Source: Learning Circuits

Hypertext
A system for retrieving information from servers on the Internet using World Wide Web client software. Hypertext consists of key words or phrases in a WWW page that are linked electronically to other Webpages.

Source: Learning Circuits

IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
An organization whose Learning Technology Standards Committee is working to develop technical standards, recommended practices, and guides for computer implementations of education and training systems.

Source: Learning Circuits

ILS (integrated learning system)
A complete software, hardware, and network system used for instruction. In addition to providing curriculum and lessons organized by level, an ILS usually includes a number of tools such as assessments, record keeping, report writing, and user information files that help to identify learning needs, monitor progress, and maintain student records.

Source: Learning Circuits

ILT (instructor-led training)
Usually refers to traditional classroom training, in which an instructor teaches a course to a room of learners. The term is used synonymously with on-site training and classroom training (c-learning).

Source: Learning Circuits

IMS (Instructional Management System) Global Learning Consortium
Coalition of government organizations dedicated to defining and distributing open architecture interoperability specifications for e-learning products. See the IMS Website.

Source: Learning Circuits

Information architecture
A description or design specification for how information should be treated and organized. In Web design, the term describes the the organization of online content into categories and the creation of an interface for displaying those categories.

Source: Learning Circuits

Infrastructure
The underlying mechanism or framework of a system. In e-learning, the infrastructure includes the means by which voice, video, and data can be transferred from one site to another and be processed.

Source: Learning Circuits