Uniservity

Accessibility: The process of ensuring that all learners, including those with disabilities and learning difficulties, can access places of learning and learning resources, including e-learning content.

Authentic learning: Learning which comes from direct experience or via simulations that mirror real situations.

Becta: British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. Becta is the Government's lead partner in the strategic development and delivery of its e-strategy for the schools and the learning and skills sector. Visit the Becta website at www.becta.org.uk

BETT: British Education and Training Technology Show. The premier educational ICT event, bringing together the global teaching and learning community. UniServity will be exhibiting on stand D130 at BETT 2008. www.bettshow.com

Blogs: A webpage / website which is compiled of individual entries written in a chronological order. Blogs are commonly specific to a particular topic e.g; history, politics or IT. Most blogs are text based, but can include images, video or audio files.

cLc: connected Learning community is the abbreviated name of the UniServity cLc Learning Platform.

cLc success: The online portal for UniServity cLc Learning Platform users. The site includes users guides, resources, best practice examples and tips on how to make the most of using the cLc to support teaching and learning. The gateway for schools to join global collaborative school projects. www.clcsuccess.com

Dcsf: The Department for children, schools and families. A government department dedicated to wellbeing of children and improving and promoting learning for all. Visit the Dcsf website at www.dcsf.gov.uk

E-portfolio: A personal online storage area for examples of a learner's best work which provides snapshots of their capability over time. It may develop into a more dynamic environment with functionality to allow the learner to control the publishing of parts of their portfolio in different forms such as for assessment. An e-portfolio can store text, video, audio files and learning resources.

Learning Platform: A term used to describe a collection of online tools that are designed to support teaching, learning, management and administration. A Learning Platfom is used by all members of a learning community, from learners to teachers, governors to heads, parents to local authority staff.

MIS: Management Information System. A generic name for the academic discipline covering the application of technologies, procedures and people (information systems), MIS are distinct from regular information systems in that they are used to analyze other information systems applied in operational activities in the organization.

MLE: Managed Learning Environment. The most important feature of a managed learning environment is that a VLE and school management information systems (MIS) can share data and exchange information. MLE's are used by all members of a learning community, from learners to teachers, governors to heads, parents to local authority staff.

Naace: National Association of Advisors for Computers in Education. The professional association for those concerned with advancing education through the appropriate use of information and communications technology. www.naace.co.uk

NCSL: The National College for School Leadership. Provides learning and development opportunities and professional and practical support for school leaders at every stage in their career. For more information, visit www.ncsl.org.uk

Podcasting: The publishing of sound files on the internet. Users subscribe to podcasting via designated software.

RSS: Really Simple Syndication. Put simply, RSS is an alternative way of pushing our dynamic website content (such as news and events information) out to users and partners, to use and manipulate as they wish.

SEN: Special Educational Needs. Children with special educational needs (SEN) all have learning difficulties, or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age. These children may need extra or different help from that given to other children of the same age.

VLE: Virtual Learning Environment. A software tool which brings together resources for curriculum mapping, delivery, assessment, tutor support, communication and tracking.