eLearning Essential Information

Accessibility: The overall user-friendliness or ease-of-use that may be attributed to a resource, tool, building, program, etc., especially with regard to users or potential users who are handicapped by physical disability.

Arranged: In a course list or schedule, this usually indicates that a course takes place online and at no fixed time (see Asynchronous).

Asynchronous: A method of instruction and learning that does not take place in real time, and is largely self-paced or self-timed. In other words, an asynchronous online course does not have fixed times for classes or meetings.

Browser: A tool used to access and navigate the World Wide Web. Examples include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer/Edge, and Safari.

Canvas Commons: A repository in Canvas for courses, modules, files, and other material shared by instructors and administrators. Such material can be then be used by other Canvas users at the same institution in their courses, or by members of the global Canvas community.

Caption Hub: A third-party tool used for creating closed captions for Panopto and YouTube videos. There is a link to it in the Canvas course-level navigation column.

Conferences: A video meeting/presentation feature in Canvas, powered by BigBlueButton. It is similar to Zoom, but less versatile and robust.

Data integration: A process by which data from two or more sources are brought together. For example, course rosters and shells in Canvas are generated through integration with enrollment data.

Honorlock: A test-proctoring tool that is integrated with Canvas.

Hybrid: A method of instruction and learning that features both traditional classroom settings and online components. A hybrid course may, for example, be lecture-based, but require students to participate in online discussion boards.

Instructional Design: The development and optimization of course delivery and educational tools to fulfill learning objectives and impart measurable skills.

Learning management system (LMS): An electronic platform for conducting online education, such as Canvas, D2L, or Blackboard.

Module: In Canvas or a similar system, a module is a package of pages, assignments, and other content. It usually corresponds to a unit of instruction, such as a day or week.

Open Educational Resources: A wide variety of textual and audiovisual resources that have been made available, usually on the open Web, for free use by educators and learners throughout the world. Canvas Commons may be considered an OER repository.

Quality Matters: A standard and peer-reviewed process for assessing and optimizing online or hybrid courses. The QM rubric is a key component.

SIS ID: A code, derived from enrollment data, that serves as a unique identifier for sections in Canvas. This takes the form of the term followed by four digits, e.g., F20_1234.

Turnitin: A plagiarism detection tool for written assignments that is integrated with Canvas.