In an online course, technology is said to be seamless (or transparent) when it is easy to use, intuitive in nature, and is NOT the focus of the learning experience. If programs are difficult to use a [..]

Also known as smilies, they are keyboard characters used in combination to produce whimsical symbols representing a range of emotions. Examples are happy :-) and sad :-(. Some use emoticons in electro [..]

A word (or a commonly pronounceable letter combination) formed by the initial letters of a phrase or title. In the online environment, people use acronyms to conserve time and space in an electronic m [..]

Online discussions occurring independent of time or location. Participants send messages to a central location (discussion forum) for later retrieval by other participants. Examples of asynchronous co [..]

Face-to-face. The traditional classroom environment.

Electronic applications used in online courses as part of the course delivery. Examples are mailing lists, chat programs, streaming audio, streaming video, Web pages, etc. A successful online course w [..]

We often call the online course instructor the facilitator. Online instructors do not retain their traditional "teacher-centered" role from the on-ground paradigm. Instead, they beco [..]

A collection of software applications, usually bundled as an integrated package, that provide the various functions commonly required for the effective conduct of online learning. An LMS often include [..]

A person is lurking when he/she reads the postings in a discussion forum but does not contribute to the discussion. It is important for an online instructor to be somewhat accepting of lurkers since s [..]

People navigating in a virtual environment must follow proper protocols and have good online 'manners', generally known as netiquette, or etiquette on the Net. The term was first posted to a [..]