Online Education Glossary

Before you sign up for online courses, it's important to be familiar with all the technical terms and jargon that getting an online education involves. Don't get behind before even enrolling, learn about all of the important online education terms you need to know in this Glossary:

• Accredited - Refers to the approval or recognition of a university by an accrediting agency. Schools must meet certain requirements or standards to be officially accredited. Many of the schools in our New Jersey Online Education network are accredited!
• Asynchronous Courses - Types of online classes that do not require students to meet a specified time. Typically, students will still be required to meet certain deadlines for assignments.
• Audit - To enroll in a course without receiving any actual academic credit. Can be useful for those who simply want to learn about a specific topic.
• Bandwidth - The capacity of an internet connection to send information. Certain bandwidth intensive courses may require your internet connection can provide a minimum amount in order to enroll.
• eLearning - Generic term used to describe any type of distance learning that is conducted over a computer.
• High Speed Internet - A high speed internet connection is usually defined as any connection capable of speeds over 256 kilobytes a second. Some course may require a high speed internet connection.
• Hybrid Course - This is a type of course that incorporates aspects of both online and physical classes. For instance, students may meet in person once a week for a lab while completing other work from home on the computer.
• Netiquette - Informal rules regarding online behavior in your courses. For instance, promptly responding to fellow classmates e-mails would be considered good netiquette.
• Proctored Exams - Tests or exams that are given or monitored by an authorized member of the school's faculty. Some online classes may require students take proctored exams at a physical location, in order to prevent cheating and ensure that the student enrolled is actually the one taking the test.
• Prerequisite - In terms of education, a prerequisite is a course that must be passed before moving on to more advanced classes.
• Synchronous Courses - A type of online course where classes have a scheduled meeting time in which students must virtually attend.
• Syllabus - A document that students receive at the beginning of a course, it typically includes important information such as test dates, required text books, and a tentative course schedule.
• System Requirements - Refers to the technical specifications that your computer must meet in order to fully participate in a specific online course. Some courses may have higher system requirements than others.
• Tuition - The cost of attending a university. Many online schools offer lower tuition prices than traditional universities.