A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
See a list of additional glossaries
A graphics adapter powerful enough to process complex graphics, e.g. 3-dimensional images and virtual reality.
A type of radio transmitter that allows computers to connect to a wireless network.
The remote computer system that connects your personal computer with an access to the Internet.
A programming interface (API) that allows web browsers to download and execute Windows programs.
Adobe Reader is a free program created and distributed by Adobe Systems. It is used to open PDF documents. PDFs can be a wide variety of files, such as images, text documents, forms, books, or any combination of these. Adobe Reader cannot create PDFs. If you want to create or edit a PDF, you will need to get Adobe Acrobat, which is not free.
Advertising Software. Software that contains or displays advertising. Adware installed without a user's consent is a form of malware.
HTML code that works in combination with graphical tags to provide alternative text for graphical elements.
A device that processes infinitely varying signals, such as voltage or frequencies. Some special-purpose, complex analog computers are built, but almost all computers are digital.
A program that protects your PC against spyware and helps to keep your computer and personal details secure.
Computer program that runs from within another application.
A program used to perform a specific task, e.g. a word-processor.
Learning in which interaction between instructors and students occurs intermittently with a time delay. Examples are self-paced courses taken via the Internet or CD-ROM, online discussion groups, and e-mail.
A file such as a Word document or spreadsheet attached to an email message as an enclosure. It is a duplicate of the original file, and is a superior alternative to faxing. An attachment can be any type of software file, and can be opened by the receiver if that person has the appropriate software.
An audio communications session among three or more people who are geographically dispersed. It is provided by a conference function in a PBX or multiline telephone or by the telephone companies.
A secondary copy of important documents and data kept as insurance against loss due to a hardware failure or accidental deletion. It is essential to keep backup copies of all your important data, preferably on removable storage or on a different computer.
Bandwidth refers to how much data you can send through a network or modem connection. The more bandwidth, the more information that can be transferred within a given amount of time.
A small local-area network installed in a home to link several household PCs.
A program stored in a ROM chip on the motherboard which configures hardware components such as the keyboard and hard disk. The BIOS makes it possible for the computer to boot and load the operating system.
Electronic files with formatting information that is software dependent.
A system for posting information, carrying on discussions, uploading and downloading files, chatting, and other online services related to online teaching and learning. Blackboard courses are used as a Web-based educational environment for UMOnline courses.
Blended or Hybrid courses combine face-to-face instruction with computer-mediated instruction.
On e-mail; recipient of mail does not see the BCC person's e-mail address.
Short for "Web Log," this term refers to a list of journal entries posted on a Web page. A public web site where users post informal writings on their thoughts and philosophies, updated frequently and normally reflecting the views of the blog's creator.
This wireless technology enables communication between Bluetooth-compatible devices. It is used for short-range connections between desktop and laptop computers, PDAs, digital cameras, scanners, cellular phones, and printers.
An electronic method of saving the location of a particular Web site. Explorer calls a bookmark a "Favorite". Netscape calls a bookmark a "Bookmark". Whichever name you use, a bookmark allows you to return to a web page without searching the Internet or remembering the URL.
To start up a computer. Because the computer cannot run until it has loaded a program, and it cannot load a program until it is running, it is said to "lift itself up by its own bootstraps" - which explains the origin of the term.
bits per second (lower case is significant) is a common measure of data speed for computer modems and transmission carrier signals. As the term implies, the speed in bps is equal to the number of bits transmitted or received each second. The bandwidth of a signal depends on the speed in bps.
Bread crumbs typically appear horizontally near the top of a Web page, providing links back to each previous page that the user navigates through in order to get to the current page. Basically, they provide a trail for the user to follow back to the starting/entry point of a Web site and may look something like this: home page --> section page --> sub section page
A program that allows people to interface to the World Wide Web. It interprets HTML code, text, images, hypertext links, java applets, etc. allowing users to view Web sites and move from one site to another. The most popular browsers include Netscape, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
A mistake in the design of a computer program that prevents it from working correctly. The term originates from a malfunction in one of the earliest computers which was caused by a moth.
The process of writing data (audio or visual) onto a CD.
One character that can be a letter, number, or symbol.
The files you automatically request by looking at a Web page. A cache is on your hard disk. When you return to a page you've recently looked at, the browser can get it from the cache rather than the original server, saving you time and the network the burden of some additional traffic.
A microchip that acts as the computer's "brain", executing instructions sequentially as if following a recipe. The speed of a CPU is measured in megahertz or gigahertz. The most common CPUs are manufactured by Intel (e.g. Pentium) and AMD (e.g. Athlon, Duron, Sempron).
Real-time communication between two people via the Internet.
An area of memory which stores text, graphics and other data when it is cut or copied so that it can be pasted again.
Cloud Computing refers to the concept of computer users renting or borrowing online software and data storage space instead of actually purchasing and installing it on their own computers. All of the processing work and file saving will be done "in the cloud" of the Internet, and the users will plug into that cloud every day to do their work.
Videoconferencing hardware uses a codec to code the outgoing video and audio signals and decode the incoming signals. Prior to transmission, the codec converts analog signals to digital signals and compresses the digital signals. Incoming audio and video must be decompressed and converted from digital back to analog.
In education, the term cohort refers to a group of students who enroll and progress through a particular program at the same time.
An approach to teaching and learning involving two or more students working together to gain knowledge, skills, and experiences.
An optical storage medium developed for audio and now also used to store computer data. The capacity of a standard CD is approximately 700 megabytes.
By installing the Compatibility Pack along side of Microsoft Office XP, or Office 2003, a person will be able open, edit, save, and create files using the Open XML Formats new to the 2007 Microsoft Office system.
The process of encoding data so that it takes up less space. Apart from saving memory and storage space, compression speeds up the transmission of data over a network and reduces bandwidth consumption. However, it sometimes results in loss of information or a reduction in quality. Most of the images on the World Wide Web are compressed JPEG or GIF files. Other compression formats include Zip (primarily for text-based documents) and MP3 (for audio data).
Training conducted on a computer. CBT most often refers to education or training presented while a computer is not connected to the Internet.
The ability to operate a computer and to understand the language used in working with a specific system or systems.
A computer virus is a piece of code that is secretly introduced into a system in order to corrupt it or destroy data. Often viruses are hidden in other programs or documents and when opened, the virus is let loose.
Connectivity is the ability of the computer to communicate to other computers and information sources.
Computer software, housed on a web site's server, which manages the publication of content to the Web site.
Data sent to your computer by a Web server that records your actions on a certain Web site. It's similar to a preference file for a typical computer program. When you visit the site after being sent the cookie, the site will load certain pages according to the information stored in the cookie.
A slang term for the Internet and the information in it.
A pre-determined value for an option in a computer program.
A piece of software that controls an item of hardware such as a printer or scanner. After purchasing a new device it is usually necessary to install a driver before using it.
A dial-up connection uses a modem to connect to an ISP or another computer. It uses standard analog phone lines to transfer data up to 56 Kbps.
The Digital Drop Box is a tool that the Instructor and Students can use to exchange files. The Digital Drop Box works by uploading a file to a depository. Files can be sent back and forth from the Instructor's Drop Box to the Drop Box of other users in the course.
An optical storage medium with a much higher capacity than the CD, used to store computer data as well as video. The storage capacity of a standard DVD is about 4.7 gigabytes (equivalent to almost 7 CDs).
A type of DVD which can be used only once to store information. Once data is burnt onto a blank DVD-R, its contents cannot be modified.
A type of DVD which can be erased and reused.
A system that your computer uses to organize files on the basis of specific information. Directories can be organized hierarchically so that files appear in a number of different ways, such as the order in which they were created, i.e., alphabetically, by name, or by file type, for example.
A discussion board (known also by various other names such as discussion group, discussion forum, message board, and online forum) is a general term for any online "bulletin board" where you can compose new message, reply to messages left by others, or you can just read the board.
A system for assigning addresses to Internet web servers (aka "Internet hosts"). Somewhat like international phone numbers, the domain name system helps to give every Internet server a memorable and easy-to-spell address. Simultaneously, the domain names keep the unique technical IP address invisible for most viewers.
The process of sending information to your computer from the Internet or from another computer.
To move or resize an object on the screen by holding down a mouse button and moving the mouse to a different position before releasing the button.
A type of memory card that can be plugged into the motherboard of a computer.
Web pages generated by a server as and when required. For example, when you purchase something online, the page that displays your "shopping basket" is dynamic content.
A collection of work assembled and managed by a user, usually on the Web. It may include text, images, multimedia, blog entries, and hyperlinks. E-portfolios are both demonstrations of the user's abilities and platforms for self-expression, and, if they are online, they can be maintained dynamically over time.
Specialized combinations of characters used as a digital form of expression widely used in chat rooms, online forums, and e-mail. Emoticons are intended to show the facial expression and convey an emotion of the sender of the message. Emoticons can add the subtleties of vocal inflection, facial expression, and body language. It is particularly useful when the mood of your written message could be easily misconstrued. : )
Encryption converts data into an encoded form before it is sent over the Internet, preventing unauthorized access to the information.
The person using a particular technology.
A circuit board that can be plugged into a computer's motherboard to provide additional functions. For example, to connect a computer to a wireless network it may be necessary to install a wireless network card.
The extension is the second part of the file name. It is often three characters long, but can be longer. The extension tells the computer which program, or application, to associate the file with. For example, if you create a document in Microsoft Word, the computer automatically assigns that file the extension "doc". That code tells the computer that it is an MS Word document, and should be opened using Word.
Created to help answer a majority of questions that a user may have when coming to a Web site for the first time.
An instructor who assists, directs, and stimulates the learning during an online course.
A named block of information on a hard disk or other storage device. Files can contain any kind of data including documents, pictures and programs.
The extension is the second part of the file name. It is often three characters long, but can be longer. The extension tells the computer which program, or application, to associate the file with. For example, if you create a document in Microsoft Word, the computer automatically assigns that file the extension "doc". That code tells the computer that it is an MS Word document, and should be opened using Word.
The system of organizing data within a file so that it can understood by a particular application. A standardized file format makes it possible for different programs to share the same information. For example, Web pages are stored in a format called HTML, which is understood by all browsers.
A computer that stores and manages files and software on a network, giving users the capability of sharing information.
A firewall is used to protect a networked server from damage by those who log in to it. This can either be a computer equipped with security features, software protection, or both. A firewall allows only certain messages from the Internet to flow in and out of the internal network.
Streaming animation for Web pages. Sometimes Flash is a portion of an html web page, and sometimes a web page is made entirely of Flash.
Flash drives have many names - jump drives, thumb drives, pen drives, and USB keychain drives. They all refer to the same thing - a small portable data storage device with a built-in USB connection.
A container for grouping files together on a hard disk and other storage devices.
Free software, usually downloaded from the Internet.
A gigabyte is 1000 megabytes, or 1,073,741,824 characters. Roughly equivalent to a thousand novels.
Physical equipment related to computers.
An external program that can be called up by a Web browser to display specially formatted material, such as word processed documents, spreadsheet documents or video/sound pieces. The Helper program is launched by the Web browser as a separate application to view or play the file.
The starting point or main page of a Web site. This page usually has information about the site and links to other pages within the site.
A computer system on a network that distributes and receives information from other computers.
Computer code used to structure text and images for viewing with a browser.
An Internet application protocol used for exchanging information over the World Wide Web.
Blended or Hybrid courses combine face-to-face instruction with computer-mediated instruction.
Highlighted text in a Web page that links the user to additional related information.
A link from a hypertext file to another location or file; typically activated by clicking on a highlighted word or icon at a particular location on the screen.
The ability to identify what information is needed and the ability to locate, evaluate the quality of information, and use the information in solving problems and writing. Information literacy is a competency that provides for survival and success in an education environment.
This is a type of real time communication service. It is somewhat like e-mail, but much more like a chat room. Both parties are online at the same time, and they "talk" to each other by typing text and sending small pictures in real time.
A code made up of numbers and dots that identify a particular computer on the Internet. Every computer, whether it is a web server or the computer you're using right now, requires an IP address to connect to the Internet.
A telecommunications line that is able to carry data, voice, and video simultaneously.
This is a company that offers its customers access to the Internet. The ISP connects to its customers using a data transmission technology appropriate for delivering Internet Protocol data grams, such as dial-up, DSL, cable modem or dedicated high-speed interconnects.
Many Internet-based programs run on Java, a computer programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. A current version is necessary to run the programs correctly. You may be prompted to update Java in order to access your online course. The update is free and you will be provided with a link to get the update.
A graphic image format. (See Compression).
Keywords are used by information seekers to describe what they hope to find.
A link from a hypertext file to another location or file; typically activated by clicking on a highlighted word or icon at a particular location on the screen.
A type of electronic mailing list, allowing for distribution of e-mail to many subscribers.
Online courses are often set up in "learning units," as a way of grouping materials, assignments, and assessments together in a logical structure. A learning unit for any given week may contain everything that is needed for that week. A course that runs the duration of the semester may contain fifteen learning units.
A username or a code that identifies you to a certain server, often used in conjunction with a password to verify who is accessing the server.
Malicious software intended to infiltrate and damage a computer system without the owner's consent.
An HTML code line that identifies the contents of the Web page to search engine indexes.
A device that converts signals from analog to digital and from digital back to analog.
An audio, video, e-mail, or application broadcast over the Web, from one computer to many.
Table of contents and links to the other pages within the site.
A network identifier. The NetID format is your first initial, last initial and six numbers. UM NetID lookup can be found here: https://onestop.umt.edu/portal/page/portal/OneStopPublic/NetIDLookup.
Rules of polite behavior on the Internet.
A course in which all materials and interactions are presented via the Internet rather than in a traditional classroom.
A framework for providing coursework, electronic communication and other instructional activities via the Internet.
Source code freely available to the public. Unlike commercial software, open source programs can be modified and distributed by anyone and are often developed as a community rather than by a single organization.
Software that "talks" with computer's hardware. The OS allocates memory, processes tasks, accesses disks and peripherals, and acts as the user interface.
Technology system that scans and converts printed materials into electronic text.
A secret word or phrase used to gain admittance. A password is a sequence of characters input to gain access to a computer file and to safeguard against other users having access to your computer files.
A multi-platform file format that captures document text, fonts, images, and even formatting of documents from a variety of applications. If you e-mail a PDF document to another person, it will look the same way on his screen and print the same way it does on your system, even if that person has a Mac and you have a PC. To view a PDF file, you need Adobe Reader, a free application program distributed by Adobe Systems.
A code number to enable an account holder to use certain computerized systems.
Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another person while representing them as your own work.
Text documents come in two flavors - "rich text" and "plain text." Plain text supports standard ASCII characters, including numbers, symbols, and spaces, but it does not support any type of text formatting. Therefore you cannot use bold, italics, underlining, or different font sizes in a plain text document. Because plain text does not contain information about text sizes or styles, it is the most efficient way to store text. Plain text documents often take up less than half the size of rich text documents containing the same number of characters.
A software program that enhances your browser and allows it to perform additional tasks such as playing audio, displaying video, and viewing documents.
Audio broadcast that has been converted to an MP3 file or other audio file format for playback. Although many podcasts are played in a regular computer, the original idea was to listen on a portable device; hence, the "pod" name from "iPod." Although podcasts are mostly verbal, they may contain music, images and video.
This is a form of online advertising on the World Wide Web intended to attract Web traffic or capture e-mail addresses. It works when Web sites open a new browser window to display advertisements.
Any software or application that disables pop-up advertisements.
A Web site that is a gateway to additional information on the Internet.
A "post" is a message put on an electronic bulletin board, discussion board, newsgroup, or a blog. Post also refers to the act of posting.
In computer technology, a queue is a sequence of computer jobs that are waiting to be processed in sequential order.
Multimedia technology developed by Apple Computer. It is a popular format for creating and storing sound, graphics, and movie files. Though it is an Apple technology, QuickTime software is available for both the Mac and the PC.
Communication with little or no delay; synchronous interaction.
The acronym RSS stands for many versions of the same thing: Really Simple Syndication, Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91), RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0), Real-time Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0). Regardless of the name, the purpose is the same: to have Web sites of your choice deliver their latest news directly to your computer. Instead of having to visit many different places on the Internet to get your weather, sports, favorite photos, latest gossip, or latest political debates, you just go to one screen and see it combined into a single window.
A file format for creating formatted text files. Unlike a plain text file, an RTF file can include information such as text style, size, and color.
Software used to echo text on a computer screen to audio output, often used by people with visual impairments, or learning disabilities.
Usually designed as a long rectangular area on one or two sides of the viewing area, containing a bar that can be dragged along a track to move the body of the document as well as two arrows on either end for precise adjustments.
A computer program that retrieves documents and files from the Internet (e.g. Google, Yahoo, or Dogpile).
This is a protocol that provides a high level of security for communication over the Internet.
A computer with a special service function on a network, generally receiving and connecting incoming information. The term can refer to software on the WWW or a specific machine for where the software is running.
Software that is available free of charge. Evaluation copies of software developed for sale may be considered shareware.
Interactive multimedia presentations designed to look like real scenarios which allow the user to participate and experience without risk.
A listing of all sections of a Web site, often represented in a graphical, sometimes hierarchical way. Usually, each listing in a site map is a hyperlink.
A protocol that allows XML-based messages to be sent and received over a network. HTTP is usually used as the application layer protocol for transferring the messages.
The ability to save and categorize a personal collection of bookmarks through services such as Delicious and share them with others. Users may also take bookmarks saved by others and add them to their own collection, as well as to subscribe to the lists of others.
Social networking is the term used to describe the way that users build online networks of contacts and interact with these personal or business friends in a secure environment. Some of the most popular social networking sites include Facebook and MySpace.
Unsolicited e-mail.
A method of controlling a computer and creating text by dictation. Speech input software is combined with a microphone, to create e-mail, documents and spreadsheets by speaking rather than typing.
This is a standard interactive and programming language for getting information from and updating a database.
Streaming refers to any data transmission that occurs in a continuous flow. Streaming video files allow you to play the beginning before all the data has been transferred.
Learning where people are online at the same time and interaction occurs without a time delay (in real-time) and which requires them to attend at specific times.
Two way electronic communications between two or more groups in separate locations via audio, video, and/or computer systems.
The command and program used to login from one Internet site to another.
Sending and receiving written messages on mobile phones, or any technical system which allows this.
A form of asynchronous discussion on the Web whereby one user posts a message or a document, and other users see it and respond to it in their own time. The thread occurs as users keep the topic ‘alive.'
A program that disguises itself as another program. Similar to a virus, these programs are hidden and cause an unwanted effect. They differ from viruses because they are normally not designed to replicate like a virus.
A person who posts to an online forum or blog in order to provoke a hostile response from other readers.
The University of Montana Online
The process of sending information from your computer to another computer via the Internet.
Address used to locate a specific resource on the Internet. Sometimes referred to as a Web address.
USB is the most common type of computer port used in today's computers. It is used to connect keyboards, mice, game controllers, printers, scanners, digital cameras, and removable flash drives to computers.
Live video and audio communication between three or more locations.
The area where students and instructors interact online.
A community on the Internet where people share common interests; an online community.
Software used to emulate a keyboard. A picture of a keyboard is displayed on a computer screen and the user points and clicks on the pictures of keys to enter text.
Software code that is secretly introduced into a computer system in order to corrupt it or destroy data. Often viruses are hidden in other programs or documents and when opened, the virus is set loose. It is important to keep your virus control software up to date to protect your computer from viruses.
Video podcast. The online delivery of video clips via an RSS feed.
Two-way voice transmission via the Internet.
The technology by which sounds, words or phrases spoken by humans are converted into electrical signals, and these signals are transformed into coding patterns that can be identified by a computer. Based on this identification, the computer usually takes some action. (See Speech input.)
Address used to locate a specific resource on the Internet. Sometimes referred to as a URL, or Uniform Resource Locator.
"Web 2.0" describes the current state of the World Wide Web, having evolved into a buffet of online software services, with your Web browser as the software interface. The Web is no longer a flat, lifeless source of documentation, it is now dynamic and interactive.
Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings or presentations over the Internet.
A group of Web sites with a common theme, built in a loop, allowing a surfer easy access to subsequent sites in the ring by clicking on links.
A server program that allows users to collaborate in forming the content of a document or Web site.
The wireless Web refers to use of the World Wide Web through a wireless device, such as a cellular telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA). Wireless Web connection provides anytime/anywhere connection to e-mail, mobile banking, instant messaging, weather and travel information, and other Internet services.
A set of internationally accepted standards which ensures the compatibility of wireless network devices manufactured by different companies.
A type of virus that spreads without any user interaction, typically by exploiting a flaw in popular software.
An acronym that stands for, "What you see is what you get." For example, a heading in a Word document that appears in bold print will be in bold print when it is printed or sent to another user.
Zone Information Protocol is an Internet protocol by which AppleTalk network members are associated with zone names. A zone is a subdivision of the network that made sense to humans (for example, "Accounting Department"); but while a network number had to be assigned to a topologically-contiguous section of the network, a zone could include several different discontiguous portions of the network.
Method of compressing computer data into one small file so they can be transferred over the Internet faster.
