Online Learning Glossary
of Terms
American Standard Code for Information
Interchange, pronounced "askee." ASCII is the world-wide
standard code representing English characters as numbers. When
someone asks you to send a file in "text format," this
is similar to ASCII - you are being asked to provide a file in
a standard format that all programs can read.
Communication that is not synchronized;
that is, not occurring at a fixed time or place. The term asynchronous
is usually used to describe communications such as e-mail and
bulletin board systems. The opposite is synchronous.
E-mail programs allow you to "attach"
files such as Word documents to an e-mail. For example, in an
online course, you may be asked to e-mail your instructor a file
"as an attachment." Consult your e-mail program help
files for isntructions.
Blackboard is a learning
management system that is used to deliver an online course.
It offers a variety of tools for online course functions, such
as bulletin board, chat, assignment
dropbox, student homepages, interactive quizzes, and much more.
For more information see http://www.blackboard.com.
Bookmarks are tools built into the various
Web browsers (Internet Explorer calls them "Favorites,"
and Netscape calls them "bookmarks") that allow you
to "mark" a Webpage for revisit later.
Using "AND," "OR,"
and "NOT" to refine search parameters in searchable
database (such as a library database or a Web search engine) is
using Boolean Logic.
A software program that allows you to view
Web pages on the World Wide Web. Florida Community College online
courses require Web-browser software at least Internet Explorer
6.0 (download
Internet Explorer now) , or Netscape 7.1 (download
Netscape now).
An electronic message center where you
read and respond to comments made by other users. Blackboard offers Bulletin
Board Systems that students and instructors use to communicate
asynchronously.
An abbreviation of Compact Disc-Read-Only
Memory, a CD-ROM is a type of optical disk capable of storing
large amounts of data. A CD-ROM could contain reference material,
databases, audio, or video.
A style of teaching and learning where
students work in teams toward a common goal. In some online courses,
collaborative learning teams are used where you are asked to work
cooperatively with your classmates. The idea is that students
learn from each other.
In graphical user interfaces (such as Windows),
desktop is the term used to describe the main screen where icons,
folders, and documents appear.
Florida Community College at Jacksonville
offers all enrolled students a FREE e-mail account
and Dial-In Access. If you have a computer with a modem, you can
use the College's Dial-In service to connect to the Internet free
of charge. You must have an Florida Community College student
e-mail account BEFORE you can use the student dialup services.
For information about how to activate your Student Account and
Dial-In Service, see http://www.fccj.org/current/stucomputing/index.html.
To copy a file from another source to your
computer. The opposite is upload.
When we speak, our tone of voice and
facial expressions convey shades of meaning. When we write, sometimes
meanings are misinterpreted or blurred. Because of this lack of
emotional bandwidth in writing, people have invented ways to let
the reader know how they are feeling through the use of emoticons.
Emoticons involve the use of a few common keyboard characters
to form visual icons. Currently, there are over 200 facial symbols,
called smileys, that people use in their e-mail messages to add
emotion and feelings. Some examples are: :-) Smile, :-( Frown,
;D Big Smile, ;-) Wink. However, before you use emoticons in your
online courses, check with your instructor. In online courses,
like any college courses, you should always use proper grammar.
Short for electronic mail, e-mail refers
to the sending and receiving of typed messages via the Internet.
Acronym for Frequently Asked Questions.
A "flame," or "to flame"
refers to the unfortunate occasion when one writer verbally attacks
another in a public forum, such as a bulletin
board. Also see Netiquette.
Floppy disks are portable storage devices
that you can use to store, backup and transfer your files.
Copyrighted software distributed freely
on the Internet by the author. You can use freeware freely, but
cannot sell it, since it is copyrighted.
(File Transfer Protocol)
Abbreviation of File Transfer Protocol,
the protocol, or code, used on the Internet for sending files
to and from a remote server.
Electronic journals are periodicals available
fully online. Check the Florida
Community College Library Web Site or the electronic journals
that the College subscribes to.
Abbreviation of Graphics Interchange Format,
GIF is an image type that is used to display images on the World
Wide Web. JPEG is another common
graphics file format used on the Web.
Abbreviation of Graphical User Interface,
an interface that is graphical (such as Windows), rather than
text-based (such as DOS). In a GUI, you execute commands by clicking
on icons, whereas in DOS you execute commands by typing text commans
on the command line.
The main page of a Web site. Usually, the
home page serves as the main index to other links at the documents
stored at the Website.
Abbreviation for Hypertext Markup Language,
HTML is the code used to create documents that can display in
the Web browser software.
Abbreviation for HyperText Transfer Protocol,
HTTP is the protocol that supports the exchange of Web pages over
the Internet.
A special method of formatting text and
graphics so that links can be created among the objects. On the
World Wide Web, text and graphics that are "hyperlinks"
are usually underlined blue, indicating that you can click them
to link to related information.
Abbreviation for Internet Service Provider,
an ISP is a company that provides access to the Internet for a
monthly fee. You can use Florida Community College at Jacksonville
as your ISP by creating a Dial-In
account.
Abbreviation for Photographic Experts Group,
JPEG is a type of graphics format for pictures displayed on the
World Wide Web. Another commonly used graphics file format is
GIF.
Abbreviation for Local Area Network, a
LAN refers to a the connection and sharing of files between a
group of personal computers.
Software that is used to design, deliver
and manage an online course. Florida Community College at Jacksonville
uses Blackboard.
Abbreviation for modulator-demodulator,
a modem is a device that allows you to use a phone line to "dial
up" to an ISP for Internet
access.
Contraction of Internet etiquette, netiquette
is the etiquette guiding principles for posting messages to communication
forums, such as Chats, Bulletin
Boards, and e-mail. Some
examples are:
- Do not write messages in all capital letters.
In the online environment, this is interpreted as shouting.
- Send messages to the fewest recipients necessary.
Be careful of replying to all, when you mean to reply to an
individual.
- Do not publicly criticize others. This is
known as "flaming."
Some web sites and courses require
additional sofware programs for your Web browser called "plug-ins,"
that enable your broswer to display various audio, video, or graphics.
Some of these utilities are:
Abbreviation for Point-to-Point Protocol,
PPP is a method of connecting a computer to the Internet. Point-to-Point
Protocol is a standard for directly connecting computers to the
Internet via dialup telephone connections.
A web site that allows you to search the
Internet by keyword. Examples are Yahoo,
Google, and
Lycos.
A computer or device on a network that
stores and manages network resources. The server "serves"
information to other computers (clients). For example, all Web
sites are stored on Web servers. When you access a Web site, you
are a client being served files from that the hosting server.
Software distributed on the basis of an
honor system. Most shareware is downloaded from the Internet free
of charge, but if you use the software regularly, you are requested
to pay a nominal fee. The idea is that you can try before you
buy. This is different from freeware,
which is distributed for free.
Electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup
postings.
The opposite of asynchronous,
communication that occurs in real-time (such as Chat).
A terminal emulation program that connects
your computer to a server on a network so that you can enter commands
as if you were at a terminal directly connected to the network
you are accessing. Telnet access is commonly used to search library
databases.
Copying or sending a file from your computer
to a server. The opposite is download.
Abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator
(pronounced "U-R-L" or "earl"), a URL is the
Internet "address" of a Web page. Each Web page on the
World Wide Web has a unique URL.
A computer program created specifically
to cause damage to computers. Viruses are transmitted commonly
by uploading and downloading files from the Internet and via e-mail,
but can be easily avoided by using a virus-checking program to
scan files before they are opened on your computer.
