APPENDIX B
Glossary of IT Technical Jargon
| Accessibility | The features that allow the LMS to operate in conjunction with assistive devices such as screen readers, voice control, and switch controls so that they can be used by people with visual, physical, auditory, and cognitive challenges. |
| AD or ADFS | Active Directory or Active Directory Federation Services. Microsoft’s single sign-on solution. (See Single Sign-On.) |
| API | Application programming interface. A library of programming functions allowing software developers to access LMS content and features to integrate it with other systems and applications or automate manual tasks and processes. |
| Backups | A scheduled set of processes that pull data from the LMS servers and store them for retrieval in the event that the server’s data is overwritten or lost. |
| Configuration Management | A methodical approach to implementing changes to the configurable settings of an LMS. |
| CSV | Comma separated values. One of several file formats (.csv) for data feeds that can be viewed and edited using spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel. |
| Dashboard | A high-level graphical view of multiple types of data tracked in an LMS that is typically displayed as pie, bar, or cluster charts; heat maps; or other formats. |
| Data Feed | A type of integration between two information systems where data are automatically extracted from the source system and loaded into the LMS, usually on a recurring scheduled basis. |
| Data Migration | The process involved in moving data out of an old LMS and into the new LMS that will replace it. |
| Day One Support | The problem resolution services that are expected from a help desk on the first day users begin using a new LMS. |
| Deep Link | A web address to a specific page within the LMS that is one or more hierarchical levels below its homepage. |
| Disaster Recovery (DR) | A comprehensive plan for recovering from a major event, such as an earthquake, fire, or flood at the data center that renders the primary LMS servers and network permanently incapacitated. |
| Downtime | The time that elapses when user access to the LMS is disrupted (the opposite of uptime). |
| Error Log | An automatically generated test file that contains a time-stamped list of all error conditions, codes, and messages that occur while the LMS application is running. |
| Escalation Process | The conditions and rules under which a reported LMS problem is routed to more highly skilled support staff. |
| ETL | Extract-transform-load. Another term for a data feed, in which data are automatically extracted from a source system, transformed into a specified format, and loaded into the LMS. |
| Failover | A solution for transferring LMS data and users to an operational server or network if the primary server or network fails. |
| GoLive | The date upon which the LMS first becomes accessible to end users. |
| Help Desk Script | Documentation containing a list of anticipated help desk inquiries, procedures and information to resolve them, and escalation processes for problems that cannot be resolved by help desk staff. |
| Hosting | The hardware on which the LMS software is installed, the network through which it is accessed, and the performance guarantees and data center services involved in keeping it running and reliable, such as system monitoring, backups, failover, and disaster recovery. |
| HRMS | Human resource management system. A system that businesses use to manage employee information. Also known as a human resource information system (HRIS). |
| Instance | A specific installation of the LMS on a server. Two of the most typical instances are staging and production. The staging instance is a limited access installation of the LMS used for testing purposes. The production instance is the main instance, which is available to end users. Can also be referred to as site or environment. |
| Kerberos | A software protocol for network authentication that can be used in single sign-on solutions. |
| LDAP | Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. A software protocol for resource location that can be used in a single sign-on solution. |
| Load Testing | A method for testing LMS software that simulates a configurable number of users accessing the system simultaneously and measures how response time and other aspects of its performance are affected. |
| Maintenance | Software bug fixes, patches, and minor and major releases to the LMS software. |
| MMS | Membership management system. A system that professional associations use to manage member information. Also known as an associate management system (AMS). |
| oAuth | Open authorization. An open standard for authentication and authorization that can be used in single sign-on solutions. |
| Performance Guarantee | A contractual obligation that specifies the percentage of expected uptime, such as 99.97 percent, outage resolution times, and other speed and reliability parameters for the LMS. |
| Player | Software that typically plugs into an Internet browser to provide special features that run specific file types. In the LMS context, players may be required for a user to run a SCORM course, video, audio, or a webinar. |
| Production | The installation or instance of an LMS that contains your most current content and is accessible to end users. |
| Remote Server | A computer on the network where course content is stored and accessed by users through the LMS. The server is “remote” because it is not the LMS server. The LMS links to the web addresses of courses on the remote server. |
| Response Time | The amount of elapsed time between a user-triggered action and the LMS application’s response. |
| Responsive | A software application design method that ensures the user interface is rendered appropriately on all devices, screen sizes, and resolutions. |
| REST | Representational state transfer. A best practice approach to creating well-designed system interfaces and APIs that enable software applications to communicate with one another through the web. REST APIs are sometimes called RESTful. |
| Rotating Backups | A proven practice in reliable data handling where, for example, daily backups are stored for the last seven days prior to the current date, weekly backups are stored for the last five weeks, monthly backups for the last three months, quarterly backups for the last four quarters, and annual backups for the last seven years. |
| SAML | Security Assertion Markup Language. An open standard for authentication and authorization that can be used in single sign-on solutions. |
| Scheduled Process | An automated software process, such as a backup or data feed, that is queued to be run automatically at a specific date and time, which may be recurring. |
| Server | The computer on which your LMS application is installed. Multiple users can access the LMS by navigating to the web address of the server. |
| Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) | An approach to software design where an application supporting a specific business activity is assembled using many discrete components from a variety of vendors and products. |
| Single Sign-On (SSO) | A method for maintaining the identity of users in a central repository, sometimes called an identity provider, which is available to multiple enterprise systems and applications. After the user has logged in to one SSO-enabled system, they are automatically logged in to any other SSO-enabled system they access. For more information, see: AD, Kerberos, LDAP, oAuth, and SAML. |
| SIS | Student information system. A system that academic institutions use to manage student information. |
| SSL | Secure Sockets Layer. A security protocol that encrypts all communications between your LMS and the browser of anyone who accesses it. The address of webpages running under SSL appears as HTTPS, instead of HTTP. |
| Staging | The installation or instance of the LMS that is used for testing purposes and is only accessible to administrators. After going live, you can use the staging site to try out new configurations, test previously unused features, install and test new e-learning programs, and test new versions of the LMS before making them available in production. Throughout the implementation process leading up to going live, you will be working almost exclusively in staging. Also known as testbed, UAT, or QA. |
| System Configuration | Every LMS offers a set of properties with values that can be entered or selected by the customer organization. Once configured, these properties determine how the LMS looks and behaves. |
| System Heartbeat | An indication of whether your LMS server is up and running. Typically monitored around the clock by an automated software program running on a different server on the same network as the LMS, which alerts data center administrators within seconds of a system disruption. |
| System Monitoring | Monitoring ensures that the LMS servers and network are continuously up, running, and accessible. |
| Systems Integration | A method by which two systems share data or trigger each other’s functionality. Many organizations need the LMS to fit into their broader IT technology infrastructure, which may require one or more systems integrations. |
| Systems Integration Testing | The process by which systems integrators fully and methodically test all LMS integrations with other systems to ensure that they are working properly. |
| Tiered Support | A model for LMS support composed of multiple support levels or tiers, which typically include a help desk as the first tier, LMS administrators as the second tier, and IT and the LMS vendor as the third tier. |
| UAT | User acceptance testing. The process by which your organization (the user) fully and methodically tests all LMS features, functionality, and content to ensure it is working as you expect before you go live. |
| Uptime | The time that elapses when user access to the LMS is continuous without disruption (the opposite of downtime). |
| XML | Extensible markup language. One of several file formats (.xml) for data feeds that can be viewed and edited using an XML or HTML editor. |
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