AIU ODeL Glossary

An academic term or “session” is a portion of an academic year, the time during which an educational institution holds classes. A “semester” system (from the Latin meaning “six-monthly”) divides the academic year into two terms, which are usually 14-20 weeks each. Some schools follow a trimester (three terms a year) or even a quadmester (four terms a year) schedule. 

Many institutions offer accelerated courses, which are traditional 16-week semester courses that have been condensed into half the time. Accelerated courses allow you to complete your degree or program sooner, but they cover the same amount of material in less time and can be demanding. 

Accreditation is a process by which a school is determined to have met predetermined quality standards determined and monitored by nongovernmental agencies authorized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. There are two types of accreditation: Institutional, for the school as a whole, is granted by a national or regional accreditation-granting organization. Programmatic or specialized accreditation acknowledges that a specific program within the school has successfully completed the accreditation process relevant to its field. 

Adjunct Instructor or Adjunct Professor signifies that the individual may be a part-time employee of the school. 

Prospective students will work with an admissions manager after applying to the program. From this point, the admissions manager will assist the applicant in gathering documents, such as transcripts, letters of intent, etc., for the student’s overall admissions packet. 

Applied Learning, or Practice-Based Learning can be defined as experiential, hands-on, active learning that integrates deep academic and rigorous technical content in problems and projects that connect school to life and work-learning on the basis of one’s own reflections on one’s own actions.1 Applied Learning may be complemented by Theory-Based Learning. See also: Theory-Based Learning. 

App is short for “application,” which is the same as a software program (not to be confused with an application for entry to a school). 

Assistant Professor is the post held by a faculty member who is on the tenure track but has not yet received tenure. After serving, on average, three to seven years, an individual is considered for promotion and tenure. 

Asynchronous learning is a general term used to describe forms of education, instruction, and learning that do not occur in the same place or at the same time. This means you do the work when it’s convenient for you. Most online courses are asynchronous in nature, though instructors may include synchronous components, such as weekly meetings, and require attendance or participation. See also: Synchronous. 

“Banner Self-Service for Students” is a web-based application that gives students access to a wide array of Utica University academic and administrative information, including academic transcript and grades.2