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

Glossary
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spoon-fed. May also include elements of students taking more responsibility for
determining and directing the content of their learning.
Blended learning A mix of face-to-face and online learning.
Blogs Websites which allow people to set up and maintain an electronic journal without
specialist knowledge of web design. Users can typically subscribe to them so that they
are alerted to new entries.
Blueprinting (of assessment) Ensures that assessment tasks adequately sample what
the student is expected to have learnt.
Bologna Process A movement to bring compatibility to degree structures that will
promote recognition of qualifications outside their country of origin.
Broadband Highspeed internet connection and transmission.
Bulletin board An electronic version of the notice-board. Messages are left and
questions asked or answered by contributing to themed or ‘threaded’ discussions – also
called ‘asynchronous communication’.
Buzz group A small group activity, typically within a large group, in which students
work together on a short problem, task or discussion. So called because of the noise the
activity generates.
CAL (computer-aided learning) Use of computers for education and training,
sometimes referred to as computer-assisted instruction (CAI) or computer-based
learning (CBL). In this context the computer is usually used as a discrete item of
teaching.
CALL Computer-assisted language learning.
CAS Computer algebra system.
Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) HEFCE-funded centres bid for
by universities to promote student learning.
Code of Practice A ‘series of system-wide expectations’ for a range of areas (e.g.
assessment) set out by the QAA.
Cognitive domain The major area of learning in most disciplines, to do with knowledge,
understanding and thinking.
Communicative approach An approach to the teaching and learning of languages
which emphasises the primacy of meaning and communication needs.
Community of practice The community is made up of those who share common
understandings and practices (e.g. in a discipline) and who may extend or create
knowledge by virtue of shared practices and discussion (e.g. in the case of those
working in the profession).
Competence Most contemporary use in education relates to performing a task or series
of tasks, with debate over how far such activities also require underpinning knowledge
and understanding. (1) May be used generically to mean demonstrated achievement
with respect to any clearly defined set of outcomes. (2) Is used to indicate both a high
level of achievement and a just acceptable level of activity. (3) Something which a
person in a given occupational area should be able to do.
Computer-based learning See CAL.
Constructive alignment Ensuring, at least, learning outcomes, teaching methods,
learning activities, and assessment are compatible with each other.