Definitions
The Aurora Institute (formerly known as iNACOL) published The Online Learning Definitions Project in 2011, from which we draw many of our definitions for this report.1 Where definitions are from other sources, we have cited the source.
| Distance Education | General term for any type of educational activity in which the participants are at a distance from each other—in other words, are separated in space. They may or may not be separated in time (asynchronous vs. synchronous). In this report, the term distance education is used when referring to a system of education, its history, and its many component parts. |
| Distance Learning | In this report, we use the term distance learning when focusing on the learning taking place when teachers and students are separated by distance. |
| Online Learning | A form of distance learning in which instruction and content are delivered primarily over the internet.{{13}} The term does not include print-based correspondence education, broadcast television or radio, videocassettes, and stand-alone educational software programs that do not have a significant internet-based instructional component. Used interchangeably with virtual learning, cyber learning, and e-learning. |
| Mobile Learning | A form of distance learning that originated in 2005 with the emergence of and widespread access to personal electronic devices. |
| Synchronous Learning | Learning in which participants interact at the same time and in the same space. |
| Asynchronous Learning | Learning that occurs in elapsed time between two or more people. Examples include email, online discussion forums, message boards, blogs, podcasts, etc. |
| Blended Learning | Situations in which a student learns at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home and at least in part through online delivery with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace; often used synonymously with hybrid learning. |
| Learning Management System (LMS) | Technology platform through which students access online courses or digital instructional materials. An LMS generally includes software for creating and editing course content, communication tools, assessment tools, and other features for managing the course. |
| Online Learning Environments (OLE) | Online spaces where interactions between teachers and students occur. A number of tools can be used to create or bring OLEs into existence, such as an LMS, a content management system (CMS), a virtual learning environment (VLE), a knowledge management system (KMS), a collaborative learning environment (CLE), or other digital tools associated with the development, administration, and delivery of online learning.{{14}} |
| Video Conferencing | Interactive communication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. Examples of video conferencing tools that have become familiar during the COVID-19 crisis include Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. |
| Universal Design for Learning (UDL) | A framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.{{15}} The Aurora Institute applies this definition to online learning in particular, noting that UDL is for the design of learning objects and environments which ensure accessibility for all users. |
| Accessibility | A person with a disability is provided an equal opportunity to acquire information, receive a service, and participate in a learning experience with ease of use and independence. Accessibility must meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards which includes Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG){{16}} and comply with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. |
Citations
- The Online Learning Definitions Project (Vienna, VA: iNACOL, October 2011), source