AAC
Advanced audio coding (AAC) is an audio coding standard for digital audio compression. AAC is the standard format for YouTube.
about page
The course page that provides potential learners with a course summary, prerequisites, a course video and image, and important dates.
accessible label
In a problem component, you use special formatting to identify the specific question that learners will answer by selecting options or entering text or numeric responses.
This text is referred to as the accessible label because screen readers read all of the text that you supply for the problem and then repeat the text that is identified with this formatting immediately before reading the answer choices for the problem. This text is also used by reports and Insights to identify each problem.
All problems require accessible labels.
advanced editor
An OLX (open learning XML) editor in a problem component that allows you to create and edit any type of problem.
See Adding a problem to your Xen.ed course.
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
A third-party file hosting site where course teams can store course assets, such as problem files and videos. If videos are posted on both YouTube and AWS, the AWS version of the video serves as a backup in case the YouTube video does not play.
assignment type
The category of graded student work, such as homework, exams, and exercises. For more information.
See Setting upgrading and assignment types for your Xen.ed course.
certificate
A document issued to an enrolled learner who successfully completes a course with the required passing grade. Not all courses have to offer certificates, and not all learners enrol as certificate candidates.
For information about setting up certificates for your course, see Create a new Certificate.
checkbox problem
A problem that prompts learners to select one or more options from a list of possible answers.
chemical equation response problem
A problem that allows learners to enter chemical equations as answers.
circuit schematic builder problem
A problem that allows learners to construct a schematic answer (such as an electronics circuit) on an interactive grid.
closed captions
The spoken part of the transcript for a video file, which is overlaid on the video as it plays. To show or hide closed captions, you select the CC icon. You can move closed captions to different areas on the video screen by dragging and dropping them.
codec
A portmanteau of “code” and “decode”. A computer program that can encode or decode a data stream.
cohort
A group of learners who participate in a class together. Learners who are in the same cohort can communicate and share experiences in private discussions.
Cohorts are an optional feature.
component
The part of a unit that contains your actual course content. A unit can contain one or more components.
content-specific discussion topic
A category within the course discussion that appears at a defined point in the course to encourage questions and conversations. To add a content- specific discussion topic to your course, you add a discussion component to a unit. Learners cannot contribute to a content-specific discussion topic until the release date of the section that contains it. Content-specific discussion topics can be divided by cohort, so that learners only see and respond to posts and responses by other members of the cohort that they are in.
course catalog
The page that lists all courses offered in your LMS.
course handouts
Course handouts are files you make available to learners on the Home page.
course mode
Also called certificate type, enrolment track, course seat, course track, course type, enrolment mode, or seat type.
The enrolment track specifies the following items about a course.
The type of certificate, if any, that learners receive if they pass the course.
Whether learners must verify their identity to earn a certificate, using a webcam and a photo ID.
Whether the course requires a fee.
audit: This is the default enrolment track when learners enrol in a course. This track does not offer certificates, does not require identity verification, and does not require a course fee.
honor: This enrollment track was offered in the past and offered an honor code certificate to learners who pass the course. This track does not require identity verification and does not require a fee.
professional (no ID): This enrolment track is only used for specific professional education courses. The professional enrolment track offers certificates, does not require identity verification, and requires a fee. Fees for the professional enrolment track are generally higher than fees for the verified enrolment track. Courses that offer the professional track do not offer a free enrolment track.
course navigation pane
The navigation frame that appears at one side of the Course page in the LMS. The course navigation pane shows the sections in the course. When you select a section, the section expands to show subsections. When you select a subsection, the first unit in that subsection appears on the course page.
Course page
The page that opens first when learners access your course. On the Course page, learners can view the course outline and directly access the course, either by clicking a specific section or subsection on the outline, or by clicking the Start Course button (Resume Course if the learner has previously accessed the course).
The latest course update, such as a course welcome message, appears above the course outline. Links to various Course Tools including Bookmarks, Reviews and Updates appear at the side of this page. This page is a combination of the former Home and Courseware pages.
course run
A version of the course that runs at a particular time. Information about a course run includes start and end dates, as well as staff and the languages the course is available in. You can create a course run when you create a course.
exercises
Practice or practical problems that are interspersed in your course content to keep learners engaged. Exercises are also an important measure of teaching effectiveness and learner comprehension.
export
A tool in Xen.Ed Studio that you use to export your course or library for backup purposes, or so that you can edit the course or library directly in OLX format.
forum
See Discussion forums
fps
Frames per second. In video, the number of consecutive images that appear every second.
grade range
Thresholds that specify how numerical scores are associated with grades, and the score that learners must obtain to pass a course.
grading rubric
See Rubric.
H.264
A standard for high definition digital video.
Home page
See Course Page
HTML component
A type of component that you can use to add and format text for your course. An HTML component can contain text, lists, links, and images.
I
Image mapped input problem
A problem that presents an image and accepts clicks on the image as an answer.
Import
A tool in Studio that you use to load a course or library in OLX format into your existing course or library. When you use the Import tool, Studio replaces all of your existing course or library content with the content from the imported course or library. See also Export.
instructor dashboard
A user who has the Admin or Staff role for a course can access the instructor dashboard in the LMS by selecting Instructor. Course team members use the tools, reports, and other features that are available on the pages of the instructor dashboard to manage a running course
keyword
A variable in a bulk email message. When you send the message, a value that is specific to the each recipient is substituted for the keyword.
label
See Accessible Label.
LaTeX
A document markup language and document preparation system for the TeX typesetting program. In Studio, you can Import LaTeX Code into an HTML Component.
learning management system (LMS)
The platform that learners use to view courses, and that course team members use to manage learner enrolment, assign team member privileges, moderate discussions, and access data while the course is running.
learning sequence
See Unit Navigation Bar.
left pane
See Course Navigation Pane.
library
A pool of components for use in randomised assignments that can be shared across multiple courses from your organisation. Course teams configure randomised content blocks in course outlines to reference a specific library of components, and randomly provide a specified number of problems from that content library to each learner.
live mode
A view that allows the course team to review all published units as learners see them, regardless of the release dates of the section and subsection that contain the units.
M
math expression input problem
A problem that requires learners to enter a mathematical expression as text, such as e=m*c^2.
MathJax
A LaTeX-like language that you use to write equations. Studio uses MathJax to render text input such as x^2 and sqrt(x^2-4) as “beautiful math".
module
An item of course content, created in a content block, that appears on the Course page in Xen.Ed. Examples of modules include videos, HTML-formatted text, and problems.
Module is also used to refer to the structural components that organise course content. Sections, subsections, and units are modules; in fact, the course itself is a top-level module that contains all of the other course content as children.
multiple choice problem
A problem that asks learners to select one answer from a list of options.
numerical input problem
A problem that asks learners to enter numbers or specific and relatively simple mathematical expressions.
OLX
OLX (open learning XML) is the XML-based markup language that is used to build courses in Xen.Ed.
open response assessment
A type of assignment that allows learners to answer with text, such as a short essay and, optionally, an image or other file. Learners then evaluate each others’ work by comparing each response to a rubric created by the course team.
These assignments can also include a self assessment, in which learners compare their own responses to the rubric, or a staff assessment, in which members of course staff evaluate learner responses using the same rubric.
pages
Pages organise course materials into categories that learners select in the learning management system. Pages provide access to the course content and to tools and uploaded files that supplement the course. Links to each page appear in the course material navigation bar.
preview mode
A view that allows you to see all the units of your course as learners see them, regardless of the unit status and regardless of whether the release dates have passed.
problem component
A component that allows you to add interactive, automatically graded exercises to your course content. You can create many different types of problems.
program
A program is a collection of related courses. Learners enrol in a program by enrolling in any course that is part of a program, and earn a program certificate by passing each of the courses in the program with a grade that qualifies them for a verified certificate.
program offer
A program offer is a discount offered for a specific program. The discount can be either a percentage amount or an absolute (dollar) amount.
Progress page
The page in the learning management system that shows learners their scores on graded assignments in the course.
question
A question is a type of post that you or a learner can add to a course discussion topic to bring attention to an issue that the discussion moderation team or learners can resolve.
rubric
A list of the items that a learner’s response should cover in an open response assessment.
section
The topmost category in your course outline. A section can represent a time period or another organising principle for course content. A section contains one or more subsections.
sequential
See Subsection.
short description
The description of your course that appears on your Course List page.
simple editor
The graphical user interface in a problem component that contains a toolbar for adding Markdown formatting to the text you supply. The simple editor is available for some problem types.
single sign-on (SSO)
SSO is an authentication service that allows a user to access multiple related applications, such as Studio and the LMS, with the same username and password. The term SSO is sometimes used to refer to third party authentication, which is a different type of authentication system. For information about third party authentication, please contact us.
subsection
A division in the course outline that represents a topic in your course, such as a lesson or another organising principle. Subsections are defined inside sections and contain units.
text input problem
A problem that asks learners to enter a line of text, which is then checked against a specified expected answer.
timed exam
Timed exams are sets of problems that a learner must complete in the amount of time you specify. When a learner begins a timed exam, a countdown timer displays, showing the amount of time allowed to complete the exam. If needed, you can grant learners additional time to complete the exam.
third party authentication
A tenancy-wide configuration option that allows users who have a username and password for one system, such as a campus or institutional system, to log in to that system and automatically be given access to the LMS. These users do not enter their system credentials in the LMS.
transcript
A text version of the content of a video. You can make video transcripts available to learners.
unit
A unit is a division in the course outline that represents a lesson. Learners view all of the content in a unit on a single page.
unit navigation bar
The horizontal control that appears at the top of the Course page in the LMS. The unit navigation bar contains an icon for each unit in the selected subsection. When you move your pointer over one of these icons, the name of the unit appears. If you have bookmarked a unit, the unit navigation bar includes an identifying flag above that unit’s icon.
VBR
Variable bit rate. The bit rate is the number of bits per second that are processed or transferred. A variable bit rate allows the bit rate to change according to the complexity of the media segment.
vertical
See Unit
video component
A component that you can use to add recorded videos to your course.
whitelist
In your courses, a whitelist is a list of learners who are being provided with a particular privilege. For example, whitelisted learners can be specified as being eligible to receive a certificate in a course, regardless of whether they would otherwise have qualified based on their grade.
In the grade report for a course, whitelisted learners have a value of “Yes” in the Certificate Eligible column, regardless of the grades they attained.
wiki
The page in each course that allows both learners and members of the course team to add, modify, or delete content. Learners can use the wiki to share links, notes, and other helpful information with each other.
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