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Glossary
A
ACFHE - Association of Colleges of Further & Higher Education.
Adaptive Technology - Technology adapted to suit the needs of the individual (see assistive technology)..
AGCAS - Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.
AGCAS leads and supports collaboration between its members to deliver effective and high quality careers services to their graduates.
AGR - Association of Graduate Recruiters.
AGR is an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting employers in all aspects of graduate recruitment. We represent over 600 organisations that, between them, offer a high proportion of graduate opportunities in the UK.
AHDS - Arts & Humanities Data Service.
The AHDS was a national service to collect, preserve and promote re-use of the electronic resources which result from research in the arts and humanities. It encouraged research and educational use of its collections and make information about them available through an on-line catalogue. A cross-search facility is still being maintained.
AHRC - Arts & Humanities Research Council
Established in April 2005, the Arts and Humanities Research Council [AHRC] is a Non-Departmental Public body. AHRC evolved from the Arts and Humanities Research Board, which was founded in 1998.
ALT - Association for Learning Technology.
ALT is an educational organisation which seeks to bring together all those with an interest in the use of learning technology in higher and further education.
ASCILITE - The Australasian Society for Computers In Learning In Tertiary Education.
ASSHE - The ASSHE Inventory: Changing assessment practices in Scottish Higher Education
The ASSHE Inventory is a rich source of information and ideas on assessment in higher education. It brings together over 120 descriptions by Scottish university and college teachers of changes in how they assess their students' progress and performance.
Assistive Technology - Information and communication technology designed to compensate for impairment and/or limitations in disabled users.
ATHENS - (Athens is not an acronym).
Developed by NISS with the support of JISC funding, Athens combines a user authentication service with a resource authorisation management facility. Its key features are a 'single sign-on' to multiple resources, together with a distributed management of user accounts.
AUCL - Association of University & College Lecturers.
AUT - Association of University Teachers. (now UCU)
AUT is a trade union and professional association representing all types of professional staff across the UK higher education sectors. In 2006 it joinhed with NATFHE to form UCU.
B
BECTA - British Communications and Technology Agency.
BECTA supports the Government's efforts to drive up standards in curriculum subjects, in the teaching of key skills, in institutional effectiveness, and in the development of lifelong learning. Becta is responsible for developing the National Grid for Learning (NGfL).
Bluetooth - Radio technology that connects electronic devices without using a cable.
Data and voice can be exchanged at ranges of up to 10 metres without the need for devices to be lined up together.
BUFVC - British Universities Film and Video Council.
The BUFVC is a representative body which aims to promote the production, study and use of film and related media in British higher education and research.
C
CCH - Centre for Computing in the Humanities
The Centre for Computing in the Humanities (CCH) is an academic department in the School of Arts and Humanities at King's College London with emphasis on research. The primary objective of the CCH is to study the possibilities of computing for arts and humanities scholarship
CCUE - Council for College and University English
CCUE is the representative body for higher education departments teaching and researching in English Language and Literature in the UK. Its website contains relevant documents and details of the constitution and membership.
C&IT (1 of 2) - Computing and IT.
C&IT (2 of 2) - Communication and Information Technologies.
CAA - Computer Assisted Assessment.
CE - Continuing Education.
CETH - Centre for Employability through the humanities, now...
CETL - Centre for Excellence in Teaching & Learning
CILASS - Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences
CILASS is a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), based at the University of Sheffield.
CILT - Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research.
CILT aims to collect and disseminate information on all aspects of modern languages and the teaching of modern languages. CILT's prime objectives are to promote a greater national capability in languages and to support the work of all those concerned with language teaching and learning.
CMC - Computer Mediated Communications.
CMS - Content Management System for webpages.
A system allowing management of the content contained within web pages.
Corpus
CTI - Computers in Teaching Initiative.
The CTI was set up in 1984 by the then Computer Board for Universities and Research Councils to help University staff use computers in support of their teaching. In its first phase, 139 pilot projects on the use of computers in teaching were funded. In 1989 the CTI entered a new phase in which Centres were established in all the main disciplines with the remit to inform and support universities.
D
DDA - Disability Discrimination Act (1995).
This Act, later replaced by SENDA, legislated against any discrimination of disabled people.
DENI - Department of Education for Northern Ireland.
DENI has responsibility for the development of primary, secondary and further education, oversight of the five area Education and Library Boards; teacher training, teachers' salaries and superannuation; examinations; the arts and libraries; youth services; sport and recreation; community services and facilities; and the improvement of community relations.
DIUS - Department for Business, Innovation Universities & Skills
Government department with responsibility for....is replaced by??
E
e-learning - A way by which people can interact with the internet and use it for the delivery of information.
EDEXCEL - Derived from ‘Educational Excellence’.
Edexcel was formed in 1996 by the merger of two bodies, BTEC (the Business & Technology Education Council) and ULEAC (the University of London Examinations and Assessment Council). Both were leaders in their respective fields of academic and vocational qualifications.
Now Edexcel provides a very wide range of qualifications to cater for all needs and learning styles.
EDINA - Edinburgh Data and Information Access --.
EDINA is a JISC-funded national data centre. It offers networked access to a library of data, information and research resources. All EDINA services are available free of charge to members of UK tertiary education institutions for academic use, although institutional subscription and end-user registration are required for most services.
EDUSERV -
EFL - English as a Foreign Language.
ELGG -
English Association
The aim of the English Association is to further knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the English language and its literatures and to foster good practice in its teaching and learning at all levels. Its website contains details of events, papers and prizes and links to other websites.
ERA - Educational Recording Agency.
ESD - Education for Sustainable development
ESSE - European Society for the Study of English
ESSE is a European federation of national higher educational associations for the study of English. Its aim is to promote the European study and understanding of English languages, literatures in English and cultures of English-speaking peoples. The website contains details about conferences and other events, and the ESSE journal, The Messenger.
EVS - Electronic Voting Systems.
Handheld, interactive electronic transmitters, allowing a lecturer to quickly tally individual answers to questions posed to students. Provides formative and summative feedback and increases engagement by encouraging participation.
F
FDTL - Fund for the development of Teaching and Learning
FE - Further Education.
FEC - Further Education College.
FILTER - Focusing Images for Learning & Teaching - an Enriched Resource.
A project run by TASI (now JISC digital ) that explored the use of images in teaching and learning.
G
GuildHE
GuildHE is one of the two formal representative bodies for Higher Education in the UK. It is a Company Limited by Guarantee and a Charity. It was founded in 1967 as the Standing Conference of Principals, registered as a company in 1992 and became GuildHE in 2006.
H
HE - Higher Education.
HEA - Higher Education Academy
HEFC - Higher Education Funding Councils.
HEFCE - Higher Education Funding Council for England.
HEFCE distributes public money for teaching and research to universities and colleges. It aims to promote high quality education and research, within a financially healthy sector.
HEFCW - Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.
HEFCW is a non-departmental public body. The Council is concerned with the funding of colleges and institutions of higher education and universities in Wales. It also has the power to fund higher education in further education colleges.
HEI - Higher Education Institution.
HERO - Higher Education & Research Opoortunities.
HERO has been created to be the primary internet portal for higher education and academic research in the UK, the natural entry point for enquiries about UK higher education for the widest possible range of customers and a showcase for the diversity and quality of UK higher education and research
HESA - Higher Education Statistics Agency..
HESA has been set up by the UK universities and HE colleges to collect, analyse and report on HE statistics as the basis of a comprehensive management information system for publicly funded HE in the UK. Its members are from the CVCP, SCOP and CSCFC and represent virtually all UK higher education institutions.
HESCWP - Higher Education Statistics Co-ordination Working Group.
HumBox -
I
IBL - Inquiry-based learning
ICT - Information and Communication Technology.
ILT - Institute for Learning and Teaching in higher education.
ILT is a professional body for all who teach and support learning in HE in the UK. It is a fast-growing membership body which aims to enhance the status of teaching, improve the experience of learning and support innovation in higher education.
Intute - Intute is a free Internet service dedicated to providing effective access to high quality Internet resources for the learning, teaching and research community. The service is primarily aimed at Internet users in further and higher education.
IPR - Intellectual Property Rights.
IT - Information Technology.
J
JISC - Joint Information Systems Committee.
JISC promotes the innovative application and use of information systems and information technology in Higher and Further education across the UK.
JVCS - Janet Video Conferencing Service.
The Booking System provides a web interface to request a JANET videoconferencing booking. It also provides details of videoconferencing facilities at each registered institution and a summary of existing bookings.
K
L
L 7 T - Learning & Teaching
LLAS - Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies Subject Centre
LTSN - Learning and Teaching Support Network (Now the Higher Education Academy).
LTSN promotes high quality learning and teaching in all subject disciplines in HE. The network will support the sharing of innovation and good practices in learning and teaching including the use, where appropriate, of C&IT. The network will consist of 24 subject centres, a Generic Learning and Teaching Centre and a programme director and co-ordinator.
M
MIS - Management Information Systems.
MLE - Managed Learning Environment.
A term used to describe the entirety of the learning and teaching responsibility within an institution
N
NATE - National Association for the Teaching of English
Professional subject association for those working within English education.
NAWE - National Association of Writers in Education
The National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE) is the one organization supporting the development of creative writing of all genres and in all educational and community settings throughout the UK.
NATFHE - National Association of Teachers in Further & Higher Education.
NCT - National Co-ordination Team.
The NCT works on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Department for Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment (DHFETE) to manage and co-ordinate two initiatives focused on encouraging innovation and new developments within learning and teaching.
NDT - National Disability Team.
The NDT manages and co-ordinates projects to enhance disability provision in fifty higher education institutions in England and Northern Ireland.
NTF - National Teaching Fellow
NTFS - National Teaching Fellowship Scheme.
The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) is part of an overall programme to raise the status of learning and teaching in Higher Education. It was set up by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) in Northern Ireland and is managed by the Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILTHE). The high profile scheme celebrates excellence in teaching by recognising individuals who are outstanding as teachers and promoters of learning.
O
OFSTED - Office for Standards in Education.
OFSTED's remit is to improve standards of achievement and quality of education through regular independent inspection, public reporting and informed independent advice. OFSTED's principal task is the management of the system of school inspection defined originally by the Education (Schools) Act 1992. This provides for the regular inspection of all 24,000 schools in England which are wholly or mainly state-funded.
OU - Open University.
The Open University admitted its first students in 1971. It is the UK's largest university, with over 200,000 students and customers. The OU represents 22% of all part-time higher education students in the UK.
P
PALATINE - The Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Dance, Drama and Music
PBL - Problem based learning
PG - Post Graduate.
PRS - Personal Response Systems.
Handheld, interactive electronic transmitters, allowing a lecturer to quickly tally individual answers to questions posed to students. Provides formative and summative feedback and increases engagement by encouraging participation
PRS - Philosophy and Religious Studies Subject Centre
Q
QAA - Quality Assurance Agency.
The Agency's core business is to review the quality and standards of HE in universities and colleges. It does this by auditing institutional arrangements for managing quality and standards, including arrangements for collaboration with overseas partners; and by assessing the quality and standards of teaching and learning at subject level.
QCA - Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
QCA was established by the 1997 Education Act and is accountable to the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. It is a non-departmental public body. QCA is a guardian of standards in education and training. Our work includes advising the Secretary of State about the curriculum, assessment and qualifications; publishing information and guidance for early years practitioners, teachers and parents; and developing criteria for qualifications to ensure their quality and consistency, both in general education and vocational training.
R
RAE - Research Assessment Exercise.
The main purpose of the RAE is to enable the higher education funding bodies to distribute public funds for research selectively on the basis of quality. The RAE assesses the quality of research in universities and colleges in the UK.
REF - Research Excellence Framework
RSC - JISC Regional Support Centres for FE.
To ensure that the Further Education community is able to take full advantage of the JISC’s services and as part of the JISC’s involvement in the National Learning Network, a number of JISC Regional Support Centres (RSCs) have been established across the country
S
SAPHE - Self Assessment in Professional and higher education - Project
The SAPHE project was concerned with developing students' learning to help them plan, monitor and evaluate their work.
SCRAN - Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network.
SCRAN's mission is to create a fully searchable resource base of Scottish material culture and human history.
SEDA - Staff and Educational Development Association.
SEDA is the professional association for staff and educational developers in the UK, promoting innovation and good practice in higher education, and was formed in 1993. SEDA's activities are clustered into four main areas: accreditation; conferences and events; networks and services to members; publications.
SENDA - Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001.
Resulted in discrimination against disabled students in the provision of education, training and other related services becoming unlawful.
SFC - The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council
The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC) is the national, strategic body that is responsible for funding teaching and learning provision, research and other activities in Scotland's 43 colleges and 20 higher education institutions. We are more commonly known as 'The Scottish Funding Council' or 'SFC'.
SRHE - Society for Research into Higher Education.
The Society for Research into Higher Education was established in 1965 to stimulate and co-ordinate research into all aspects of higher education.
Sustainable Development - Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs..
T
T&L - Teaching & Learning.
TechDis - Disability in education support team.
TechDis is a Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) funded service supporting the further and higher education community in all aspects of technology and disabilities and/or learning difficulties.
THE - The Times Higher Education
Weekly magazine covering HIgher Education (formerly THES)
U
UCAS - Universities & colleges admissions service for the UK.
UCAS is the UK central organisation through which applications are processed for entry to full-time undergraduate courses, HND's and university diplomas. The mission of UCAS is to promote the partnership between prospective students, universities, colleges and schools.
UCoSDA - University & Colleges Staff Development Association.
UCoSDA is a higher education membership organisation UCoSDA is committed to the promotion of strategically planned staff development and training provision across universities and colleges in the United Kingdom.
UUK
V
VLE - Virtual Learning Environment.
W
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