A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Enhancing academic and Practice

Glossary
This glossary provides two types of information. First, it provides the reader with simple
explanations and definitions of technical and educational terms used in this book. Second,
it provides a dictionary of many commonly used abbreviations and acronyms. The
glossary has been carefully assembled by the editors. In the text, the first mention in each
chapter of a glossary item appears in bold. The entries reflect current usage in higher
education in the UK.
3D virtual world An online 3D environment in which users control a character or avatar
to interact with each other and with the surrounding environment.
Academic practice A term used to describe the collective responsibilities of academic
staff in higher education, namely those for teaching, learning and communicating the
subject, discipline-specific research/scholarship, academic management activities and,
for some, service requirements.
Access course A qualification for non-traditional, usually mature, students, as a route
into higher education.
Accreditation Certified as meeting required standards (e.g. an accredited programme
is one that has been approved by an external body as meeting certain standards or
criteria).
Achievement motivation Adesire to succeed at a task (e.g. obtaining high grades, even
when the task does not inspire interest) (see also extrinsic motivation, intrinsic
motivation).
Achieving approach to learning See strategic approach.
Action learning An approach to learning involving individuals working on real projects
with the support of a group (set) which meets regularly to help members reflect on their
experience and to plan next actions.
Action research Researching one’s own practice in a cyclical manner. See Chapter 28,
Case study 1.
Active learning A process of engaging with the learning task at both the cognitive and
affective level.
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