AIU ODeL Glossary

The Defense Department issues to each veteran a DD-214, identifying the veteran’s condition of discharge – honorable, general, other than honorable, dishonorable, or bad conduct. The Report of Separation contains information normally needed to verify military service for benefits, retirement, employment, and membership in veterans’ organizations.7 

Schools offer a variety of degree programs. Determining why you are going back to school will help guide what type of education you need. Certificates are miniature degrees that offer only what you need for a specific professional field or task. Typically, a certificate is much shorter than a traditional degree. Some certificates can lead to other degrees. Associate’s degrees typically require around 60 credit hours and may represent the first two years of a bachelor’s degree. Bachelor’s degrees require 124-128 credit hours. Master’s degrees require 32-36 hours beyond a bachelor’s degree. Some programs require as many as 44 credit hours. Doctorate degrees require around 60-75 credit hours beyond a bachelor’s, plus successful completion of a comprehensive examination and a written dissertation of original research. 

The term “thread” in computing refers to a series of related postings (sharing comments) in an online discussion. Your instructor may provide students with a private discussion forum to communicate with one another. You can organize this forum by creating new discussion threads specific to conversation topics.