[link to A - M glossary terms ]

Common terms used both in online education and the Internet in general.

Click on any of the letter links in the table below to view terms beginning with that letter. Words beginning with A - M will be displayed on a different web page.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

N

Netiquette: [return to top]
The etiquette on the Internet. For some guidelines and some core rules check out this Netiquette web page. If you would like to test your own netiquette try out this Netequitte Quiz".

Netscape Navigator: [return to top]
A web browser that was developed by Netscape.

Network: [return to top]
A number of computers which are linked together allowing exchange of data and sharing of resources.

Newsgroup: [return to top]
A discussion forum, similar to bulletin board postings, about specific topics. Many of the newsgroups have worldwide distribution. Contributors post messages for others to read and respond to.

As an online teacher, you may want to investigate using newgroups related to your field or dicipline.

O

Online: [return to top]
You have access, and are connected to, a computer network (usually the Internet).

P

Password: [return to top]
A code used to gain access to a locked system. A good password should be made up of a combination of letters and numbers and/or symbols. It should not be an easy combination or something commonly associated with the user.

Plug-in: [return to top]
A piece of software, usually fairly small, that adds a feature or features to a larger piece of software. It is downloaded to the computer's memory. The user can choose which plug-ins to download from a large number available. Examples of common plug-ins are RealAudio, QuickTime, and Adobe Reader.

Posting: [return to top]
A message put into a network communication system such as a bulletin board.

Protocol : [return to top]
The standard used which allows computers and networks to communicate with each other.

Q

Quicktime: [return to top]
A multimedia software that was developed by Apple. It delivers synchronized media such as graphics, sound, video and text.

R

Real time: [return to top]
Information is received and responded to with no time delay. See Synchronous.

S

Search engine: [return to top]
Allows the user to search for specific content defined by the user. It can be set up to search within a web site or the whole Internet. Common ones are Alta Vista, Yahoo, Infoseek, Google and Excite.

Server: [return to top]
A networked computer or software package that allows client software running on client machines the ability to access remote (to the client) services or information. An example is a Web server and web server software which allows you to access this web site.

SGML: [return to top]
Standard Generalized Markup Language. HTML is a form of this international standard for electronic markup language.

Spam (or Spamming): [return to top]
The use of electronic communication (often email) to broadcast unsolicited messages to others.

Streaming: [return to top]
Video and/or sound is played in real time as it is downloaded over the Internet. It is played by a web browser plugin as it is transferred to the computer. Since it is not stored as a file on your computer, a fast Internet connection and powerful computer
are necessary.

Synchronous: [return to top]
Opposite of asynchronous. In an online context this term is generally used to describe communication between individuals in real time but who are not in the same place. Chat lines are an example of this.

T

T-1: [return to top]
A high speed (1.544 Mbps (million bits/second)) carrier of digital or voice data. It has 24 voice channels.

T-3: [return to top]
A digital channel which is significantly faster than T-1 (45.304 Mbps).

TCP/IP: [return to top]
The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP) are protocols that let different types of computers communicate with each other.

Teleconferencing: [return to top]
A two way communication between two or more people who are in different locations. This can be via video, audio, or computer systems.

U

URL: [return to top]
Uniform Resource Locator. This is basically an address for a website on the World Wide Web. An example of a URL is http://cde.athabascau.ca/ (The home page for Athabasca University's Centre for Distance Education).

V

Video Conferencing: [return to top]
A communication occurring between two or more remote locations that includes video and audio contact.

W

Web page: [return to top]
A site which can be found on the World Wide Web (WWW) by it's URL. It will contain data which has been written into a file and stored on a server. Web pages for distance education courses may contain such items as the course syllabus, course materials and assignments and links to resources for the course.

WWW: [return to top]
The World Wide Web is a vast collection of information (and misinformation) which can be accessed by anyone who is "hooked up" to the Internet. Use of the WWW has become more accessible to the average person since the development of web browsers such as Moasic, Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.

X

XML: [return to top]
Extensible Markup Language. An extremely simple dialect of SGML for use on the WWW.

Y

Yahoo: [return to top]
One of the largest hierarchical indices of the WWW. It can be used to search for sites on the WWW. (Is short for Yet Another Hierarchical Organized Oracle)

Yottabyte: [return to top]
2^80 = 1,208,925,819,614,629,174,706,176 bytes. [Just in case you wanted to know!]

Z

Zettabyte: [return to top]
2^70 = 1,180,591,620,717,411,303,424 bytes. [Just in case you wanted to know!]

Zip disk: [return to top]
A 3.5" cartridge that is used to back up data or to transfer data from one computer to another.

Zip drive: [return to top]
A portable disk drive needed for 100 megabyte 3.5" cartridges.

Zip file: [return to top]
A compressed archive file. File compression allows for faster transferral across computer networks. Special software, such as WinZip, PKZIP and PKWARE, is needed to compress and decompress the files.

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Have any distance education terms you'd like us to add?
Let us know. Email mdde615@home.com

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For more glossary terms check out the Distance Education Clearinghouse listing of glossaries and other links on our "Links" page.