Glossary

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that technology procured, developed, or maintained by institutions that receive federal funding must be accessible to people with disabilities.

A document template used to evaluate a technology's accessibility. Any company that produces a product to be sold to institutions that receive federal funding must ensure that their product does not violate Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

A program that focuses on creating and sustaining relationships with graduates, usually to facilitate donations and support advancement of institutional goals and priorities.

Raising money for use by a higher education institution to pay for various strategic programs.

 The process by which a qualified person known as an advisor helps students develop an educational roadmap for the realization of academic goals.

A type of software that records student attendance and absences per class. 

A tool that compares what courses a student has completed against program requirements needed for graduation.

A diploma awarded by a higher education institution to students after the successful completion of a program of study.

A system that helps a student monitor their progression towards the completion of their program by tracking credits and classes needed to graduate.

Reform efforts aimed at reducing the number and negative impact of “killer courses” through active learning techniques, greater student engagement, defined learning outcomes, and individual faculty/departmental goals.

A clear academic roadmap of the classes students need to take to complete a degree, with guidance to help them stay on plan and receive a degree in a timely fashion.

Historically black colleges and universities (HCBU) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, primarily serving the Black American community.

A personalized student program for learning that takes into account the individual's strengths, weaknesses, and long-term goals. The ILP is developed during middle school and high school to facilitate the path to higher education.

Certificate or degree programs that offer a systemized way for students to move between higher education and the workforce. Students' earned credits count toward the next certificate or degree, no matter when the credits are needed.

Streamlined programs of study featuring clear choices, limited electives, and targeted coursework relevant to a degree. They typically enable a student to graduate on time.

An official record of a student's coursework, grades, degrees, and awards provided to students by institutions. Transcripts are used by employers and other institutions to confirm a student's credentials. 

The official evaluation of transfer credits and how they equate to a different school system, usually performed by the registrar's office. This is a way of granting credit to a student for educational experiences or courses completed at another institution.

A technology system to manage all aspects of a higher education entity, including admissions, student information, certificates and documents, financials, supply chain, operations, commerce, reporting, and human resource activities, that is stored in the cloud instead of on-premises.

The process of moving an organization's applications, data, and software from local environments to hardware and servers in the cloud (or off-premises).

A cloud model in which multiple customers share the same instance of the software application and database, typically divided to prevent companies from accessing each other’s information.  

A cloud model in which the hardware—including servers, storage, and computing power—is dedicated entirely to one customer and hosted either on-premises or in the cloud provider’s data center. It delivers the agility, scalability, and efficiency of public cloud, while providing greater levels of control and security for customers with strict data, regulation, and governance obligations.

A cloud model in which the hardware—including servers, storage, and computing power—is owned and operated by a cloud provider and shared by multiple customers. This shared infrastructure enables customers to take a lower-cost, pay-as-you-go approach to managing IT services. Most “as-a-service” technology is provided through a public cloud.

A cloud model in which each customer has their own instance of a software application and its supporting infrastructure.  

All information available to an institution, including both structured data (information that has a high degree of organization, such as student ID numbers and dates of birth) and unstructured data (such as emails and social media posts). 

A strategic approach that analyzes current and historical data to create a comprehensive view of an institution and inform decision-making. 

Information that is collected and processed, but not analyzed. Often, this data is retained only for compliance.

A collection of detailed information that defines a piece of data, its value, and its use within a database. Establishing common definitions across databases enables accurate analysis.

Rules and regulations to help an institution decide what information is important, how it will (or won't) be used, and who has access to it. Data governance encompasses management and security, and in higher education, it ensures regulatory compliance with federal and state laws.

A large repository of all data from across an organization and its various departments and components. Data lakes hold raw, unstructured information, as well as structured information.

Collecting, structuring, and mining institutional data for use in analytics and strategic decision-making. Data management can help institutions develop new programs to foster student success, greater efficiency, and cost savings.

The strategies that ensure privacy and keep data safe from illegal access and use. Also called "information security" and "cybersecurity."

A form of data storage that defines uses for information and organizes it into a consistent filing structure. Information within a data warehouse has been scrubbed clean and pre-packaged for easy consumption.

An organized collection of data stored in a computer system or in the cloud, ensuring information can be accessed, searched, retrieved, managed, and used for analytical operations. 

Using data and analytics to inform strategic plans, predict future developments, and make business decisions at all levels of an organization. 

Methods and processes for collecting, interpreting, and analyzing information from an institutional perspective, rather than a departmental or divisional angle. This approach grants an institution a comprehensive view of information and influential factors that affect the entire organization.

A relatively new method for preparing data for analysis. In this approach, extracted data can be loaded into a repository—such as a data warehouse—and immediately structured for analysis. This process affords more flexibility and speed, enabling access to large amounts of data at any time.

A method for preparing data for analysis in which raw data is retrieved from a data pool, moved to a temporary location to be structured and organized, and then loaded to a data warehouse for analysis and reporting.  

A regulation governing how personal data can be used, processed, and stored by companies. While the GPDR is a European Union law, it has been used as a model for many other legal frameworks around the world. 

Collecting and analyzing data about student learning processes with the goal of improving and streamlining knowledge transfer. Analytics can be used by faculty, staff, and students to maximize student outcomes and inform decision-making.

A branch of analytics that combines historical data analysis, statistical modeling, and machine learning to find patterns and make predictions. 

The standardized process of collecting all data supporting purchases and expenses of goods and services while analyzing the information to make cost-saving procurement decisions.

Customized, automated software processes to increase efficiency and accuracy. 

All types of money offered to a student to help pay costs of attending a postsecondary institution, such as tuition and fees. Monies typically come from loans, grants, scholarships, fellowships, and work-study programs. 

Statement issued to students by institutions for use in reporting qualified tuition and expenses paid for a tax year.

Document submitted by students to apply for financial aid from U.S. federal and state governments.

Money to help students pay for postsecondary education, which typically does not have to be repaid. Grants can come from the federal or state government, a higher education institution, or a private or nonprofit organization.

A type of financial aid given to a student by an institution, individual, organization, company, charity, or government.

The process by which prospective students apply to attend a higher educaiton institution. Admissions processes work in tandem with recruitment.

A comprehensive process for improving outcomes throughout the student lifecycle, targeting student recruitment, retention, and graduation.

The process of encouraging students to attend a specific postsecondary institution by providing information about the school, student activities, and paths of study. Modern recruitment strategies are highly dependent on technology, including recruiting software, social media platforms, and CRM systems. 

The process in which students sign up for courses and are charged tuition and fees. Registration is a key revenue KPI for higher education institutions.

Business practices and policies which uphold philanthropic or charitable goals by supporting volunteering, environmental best practices, and activism.

A broad policy concept designed to maintain ecological balance through environmental, economic, and social action. For higher education, sustainability is practiced through institutional decision-making and the incorporation of its associated knowledge, skills, and values into the curriculum. 

Describes the processes, software, and personnel involved in the administration of an institution.

A growth-oriented methodology that proactively directs teams and organizations to minimize disruptions during change and make the most of new opportunities.

Describes a set of tools and structures used in response to business disruptions with the goal of minimizing negative impacts. 

A combination of business strategies, software, and processes to manage and unify communications to institutional contacts.

Systems of support for higher education technology strategies, including consulting, software implementations, assessments, deployments, managed services, training, and call center services.

The daily life of a student—including academics and social activities—within the educational campus. Campus life is enhanced by opportunities with student organizations, sports, fraternities and sororities, civic engagement, community volunteering, and the arts.

Interactions between institutions and their constituents, including alumni, donors, faculty, staff, parents, students, businesses, foundations, and partners.

A network of people online supporting each other's goals, sharing ideas, and building relationships. These virtual spaces are designed to decrease feelings of isolation and make connections across distances.

Large, entry-level courses required for progress within the major that have high rates of DFWI (D/failure/withdrawal/incomplete) and terminate students’ degree progress, motivation, financial aid eligibility, and GPA.

Clusters of academic programs, grouped together by common or related courses or occupations, that help students focus their interests early and enroll in relevant courses aligned with a coherent degree program.

Activities and strategies to ensure students are involved and passionate about their higher education pathway, degree, classes, and experience. High engagement leads to better outcomes throughout the student lifecycle.

The student's entire journey through a higher education institution, encompassing the time from application to graduation and post-baccalaureate achievement. 

The ability to keep students enrolled at an institution through completion of a program or degree path.

Technology and business processes that give students the agency to manage aspects of their education online. Examples include viewing enrollment information, obtaining enrollment verification certificates, ordering transcripts, and more.

How well students are prepared to accomplish their goals through the development of knowledge, a sense of responsibility and self-reliance, and a connection to society. 

Learning model that combines classroom instruction with online teaching. Also called "HyFlex," blended learning does not replace in-person meetings, but supplements class time with online activities.

An electronic learning model allows students to receive instruction and take classes digitally, enabling educators to reach students regardless of geographic distance. E-learning can be synchronous—with students and educators interacting in real time—or asynchronous—such as when pre-recorded classes are available on-demand. 

A teaching mode that seeks to make learning fun and engaging by incorporating video game design elements such as competitive play.

Classes facilitated by one or more teachers, either online or in person, typically involving interaction. Does not include self-paced or on-demand learning.

Software used for creating, delivering, tracking, and reporting classes. Institutions use LMS software to plan, implement, facilitate, assess, and monitor student learning.

Using mobile devices, such as phones or tablets to access content needed to complete a class. M-learning or mobile learning allows students to access information and learn at any time.

Part of the hiring process to integrate people to a new organization, which includes training about processes, systems and the culture and structure.

The process of helping students prepare for and acclimate to campus life by supporting admissions, financial aid, orientation, and registration.

An educational approach that customizes learning and assignments for each student's strengths, needs, skills, and interests. Students can work at their own pace in ways that appeal to them.

Software that allows two applications to communicate with one another. Programmers use APIs to connect systems and programs so they can share data and work together.

The digital transformation of school technology, which includes updating all hardware, software, and applications to be interconnected and always accessible. Often involves migrating systems to the cloud. 

The hardware, software, network infrastructure, and internet-connected devices that support the transactions needed to run a higher education institution.

Software based on artificial intelligence that interacts with humans to answer basic questions and provide information.

Describes the advancement in technology used to manage business processes and meet evolving market expectations. Includes both the adoption of new tools as well as shifts in company culture to embrace them.

A system that tracks, stores, and provides access to electronic documents. Features include security tools, centralized storage, audit trails, and search and retrieval processes.

Digital tools and processes that support teaching and learning. This includes software in the classroom and the underlying infrastructure of the campus to run multiple departments. 

Technology that manages and integrates business processes in order to maintain daily activities and business workflows. ERP systems streamline the flow of information between all business systems, functions, and departments within the institution.

 Hardware—including servers, storage, and networks—owned and managed by the vendor and made accessible to customers on demand via the internet.

The ability to share, secure, and access data between different applications and technologies. Best practices include adhering to IMS Global standards for higher education technology to provide solutions as an integrated, open platform in which data flows freely and securely between software solutions.

Software, hardware, and applications that are compatible with other systems and allow for easy integration with open source code. Not proprietary.

Operating system/middleware hosted by the vendor on which customers can develop and manage their applications over the internet.

A grouping of hardware, software, and applications shared by multiple institutions to accomplish a particular task while pooling resources and driving innovation. This includes standardized, modernized business practices with new efficiencies created to deliver improved student outcomes through the sharing of actionable data.

An authentication protocol using one login and password to access an institution's technology systems. All stakeholders—including students, staff and faculty—can sign in to multiple applications through one set of credentials. 

Software hosted and maintained by the vendor and delivered over the internet via subscription. SaaS models give students access to coursework and faculty to school systems no matter where they are located.

A roadmap of technology systems institutions can employ to keep their campuses up to date. It involves evaluating people, processes, and systems used to run all aspects of the school.

A software platform that manages and reports on the student lifecycle, including grades, attendance, and schedules. It is a solution that allows schools to manage all aspects of a student's life digitally.