Key Terms

Note: in the electronic version of this book, the hyperlinks associated with key terms will take readers to prominent sections of the book which relate to the concept.

A

Accommodation: Adjustments made to some aspect of learning (e.g., curriculum, environment, assignments, etc) that help students fully participate. Students with documented disabilities may have a legal right to accommodations.

Active learning: Teaching that focuses on student participation rather than passive translation of information from teacher to student.

Adjunct faculty: Part-time faculty at a college or university who typically work on a contractual basis. Similar terms include adjunct instructor, adjunct lecture, and part-time faculty. Adjunct faculty can be differentiated into different types.

Artificial intelligence (AI): Technology that is capable of performing complex tasks that typically require human intelligence.

B

C

Class cancelation: This may refer to one of two concepts: 1) A course that is cancelled administratively (e.g., due to low enrollment); 2) A class meeting within a course that is cancelled typically by the faculty member (e.g., due to instructor illness or inclement weather)

Carnegie Classifications: A framework used to categorize colleges and universities in the United States which was developed by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education in 1970.

Chancellor: A leader at a college or university. When there are multiple campuses, chancellors may head a single campus and report to a president.

Course steward: A person who knows a course well and how it fits within a larger degree program. This person may teach the course or support the consistent delivery of the course.

Credits: A measure of the typical time spent learning and studying to successfully complete a course. These are sometimes called units.

Culturally responsive practices: The strategies that an educator integrates students’ cultural frameworks in the learning environment.

D

Dean: A person who heads a department within a college or university with a focus on meeting academic goals.

Department chair: A faculty member who is appointed to represent and support the administrative management of their department.

Discipline: An academic area or vocational preparation defined by degree programs or preparation for a specific career pathway.

E

Early alert system: A system focused on proactively communicating about students who may be struggling to promote support and success.

eBooks: A book in electronic form rather than a printed, hardcopy. The term eText may also be used.

Enrollment verification: A confirmation of a student’s enrollment status at a school. Enrollment verification may be needed for student-specific benefits such as financial aid. Faculty members may be asked to complete a survey which identifies whether students are attending the courses in which they are enrolled.

F

Faculty well-being: An educators ability to be effective which can be impacted by both individual, institutional, and societal factors.

Feedback, formative: Information and guidance given to improve learning.

Feedback, summative: Evaluation typically given at the end of learning (e.g., a unit, topic, course) that provides feedback to students about their performance.

FERPA: A federal law that protects the privacy of students’ educational records.

Fist-to-five: In education, a less formal way to quickly assess student understanding by asking them to indicate using one hand with a fist representing complete lack of understanding and five fingers representing complete understanding.

Flexibility, in adjunct position: Noted as a benefit, flexibility in the adjunct position includes pairing adjunct teaching at different institutions or with other types of full-time or part-time work.

Flexibility, in course structure: Can relate to two different concepts: 1) The flexibility allowed to faculty in the course (e.g., ability to modify the syllabus or assignments); 2) Flexibility offered by a faculty member to students (e.g., assignment deadlines or format). Often described as opposite to structure.

G

General Education: Classes may not contribute specifically to a degree but help students develop general knowledge, skills, and competencies which support a well-rounded educational foundation.

Grading: The process of providing feedback and a score on student work.

H

HBCUs: Colleges and universities originally founded to educate Black, or African American, students.

High-stakes assessment: A type of assessment that has a high impact on a student (e.g., grading, course completion). This is in contrast to lower-stakes assessments. For example, a final examination worth a significant portion of the final grade would be higher-stakes in comparison to a short, ungraded quiz.

I

Icebreaker: An activity focused on helping students get to know each other and build community.

Incivility, student: Rude, impolite, or offensive behavior from students.

J

K

L

Land-grant institutions: A college or university which is designated to receive benefits of the Morrill Acts by a state legislature or the U.S. Congress.

Learning Management System (LMS): A method (often electronic software) that supports the delivery (administration, planning, tracking, reporting, etc.) of an educational or training program.

M

Motivation, student: A student’s desire to learn or complete coursework. Motivation can be influenced by internal and external factors.

Muddiest point: A classroom assessment technique (CAT) focused on informing an educator about the most confusing or difficult part of learning as perceived by students.

N

O

P

Provost: A senior leader at a college or university who focuses on overseeing the overall development of educational offerings.

Publishing a course: Making course content available for students to view or access.

Q

R

Relationship building: The process of establishing and nurturing meaningful connections between faculty and students, or faculty and colleagues or support staff. Effective relationships can enhance student and faculty engagement, foster a sense of belonging, and promote academic success by encouraging collaboration and active participation.

Rubric: A resource that provides criteria for the assignment and what performance would look like at different levels. Rubrics can be divided into different types.

S

Structure, course: The way in which an educator organizes a course.

Structure, institutional: Formal and informal ways colleges and universities are organized which may include roles, rules, values, and policies.

Student-centered teaching: An approach to education that works to meet the unique, individual needs of students.

Syllabus: The guiding overview document to share with your students what they should expect from the course, critical information about who you are and how they can contact you, a course schedule overview, and information about how the course grade is determined.

T

Textbook, faculty or desk copy: A, typically free, copy of the textbook provided by publishers to an educator to support to academic activities such as teaching.

Think-pair-share (TPS): A strategy used by educators where students first reflect individually before sharing thoughts with a partner and, later, sharing with the larger class.

Time management: Skills focused on using one’s time effectively.

U

Units: A measure of the typical time spent learning and studying to successfully complete a course. These are sometimes called credits.

V

W

X

Y

Z