Adult Learner

Glossary of Terms used in the UW System

This glossary has been written by UW HELP and borrows from a glossary developed by Keith Montgomery, an associate professor at UW-Marathon County , and the book 101 Things Every Adult Student Ought to Know by Dr. Carlette Jackson Hardin.

Academic Adviser
An academic adviser is granted formal authority by an academic unit (college, school or department) to approve the student's academic program of study and assist the student in progressing toward the appropriate degree.

Academic Standing
Students are expected to maintain certain standards of academic achievement. This is measured by both semester and cumulative grade point average. Certain exceptions are sometimes allowed for part-time students, but unless otherwise stated, part-time students are expected to meet the same standards of academic achievement as other students.

• Good standing is the status assigned when your semester and cumulative GPA is 2.0 or higher;
• Probation and final probation are the statuses assigned when your academic progress is inadequate as determined by semester and/or cumulative GPA;
• Academic suspension is the status assigned when your record of achievement is unacceptable to the extent that continued enrollment is not permitted.

Admission
The process of entering a school, college or university. Alternately, the office at schools, colleges or universities that handles the application process of entering students.

In most cases there are additional (or different) admission requirements to enter a specific major, or a specific school or college within a university, than simply gaining admission to the university.

Adult Student
When compared to a typical student attending college right out of high school, an adult student is different. An adult student may have taken time away from formal education, may have a child and/or may have a full-time job. Also referred to as a nontraditional student.

Alumnus and Alumni (pl.)
A graduate from a school, college or university.

Associate Degree
A two-year degree (when attending full time) offered through one of the UW Colleges or by a technical college. The Associate of Arts and Sciences Degree from the UW Colleges is a foundation for many majors in the UW System and is generally accepted by other UW System institutions as fulfilling the university-wide, college and school General Education Breadth Requirements.

Attendance in Class
Some instructors establish class attendance policies which are announced in the course syllabus. Whether or not the student attends, he/she is responsible for completing all work.

Baccalaureate Degree
When attending full time, a four-year degree offered by a college or university. Also referred to as a bachelor's degree. For some programs and majors, it may take five years to complete the requirements.

Bachelor of Arts Degree
A four-year degree emphasizing course work in humanities (the study of cultures and ideas, such as philosophy, history and languages) and the arts.

Bachelor of Science Degree
When attending full time, a four-year degree emphasizing course work in math-and science-related areas.

Bachelor's Degree
A four-year degree offered by a college or university. Also referred to as a baccalaureate degree. For some programs and majors, it may take more than four years to complete the requirements.

Career Services Office
An office providing assistance to students choosing careers or looking for employment.

Certificate
A document that states that a person either has completed credit or non-credit coursework or has attained the necessary skills to be certified in a specific field. A certificate is not a degree.

Certification
Recognition by an outside organization of fulfillment of requirements to meet professional standards. For example, teacher certification programs are approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

CLEP
College Level Examination Program. This program enables students to take standardized exams to obtain course credit without repeating what they already know through traditional coursework. Check with your campus to see if they will consider CLEP scores.

Closed Course
A course that has been filled to capacity. Students typically cannot register for a closed course unless they have permission from the instructor.

Commencement
Graduation ceremonies held at the end of the semester where those who have completed degrees are recognized.

Course Load
How many courses a student takes simultaneously during a semester. Twelve credits is considered a full-time load during the fall or spring semester. Generally, students should plan to study 2 hours out of class for each hour in class, i.e. a 15-credit course load would take approximately 45 hours of time each week.

Credit
A nationally standardized numeric value assigned to the completion of college courses. Students can take courses for either credit or for non-credit. Credits from coursework may be accumulated toward the completion of a certificate or a degree.

Credit Hours
Equal to one fifty minute ("hour") lecture or discussion once a week for the duration of the semester. For example, a three-credit course meets for three fifty-minute periods per week (or equivalent time). Lab hours may count differently.

Cumulative GPA
Cumulative grade point average. A numerical average of all of a student's grades obtained at the campus. GPA is typically on a scale of 0-4 with higher numbers reflecting better grades.

Dean's List
A published list of students who have achieved an honorable grade point average (typically 3.5 or higher) for the semester.

Degree Requirements
Minimum university-wide degree requirements that must be met in order to obtain any degree. These university-wide requirements generally consist of:  

• proficiency in English and math (level depends on particular institution).
• general education requirements, consisting of a number of credits (about 50-60) distributed across a variety of disciplines or groupings of courses.
• various requirements on the number of credits, such as:
• a minimum total number of credits (usually about 120).
• a minimum number of credits that must be taken at the campus (a maximum number that can be transferred in).
• a minimum number of credits that must be taken from junior and senior level courses.
• a minimum number of credits in the major subject.

Students should work closely with an academic adviser to plan their courses leading to their degrees.

Discipline
An area of study representing a branch of knowledge, such as mathematics.

Distance Learning
Any formal approach to learning in which a majority of the instruction occurs while the educator and the student learning are at a distance from one another, often in as many different locations as the number of students enrolled. This can include correspondence study, video-taped classes, computer-based instruction, online (Internet) instruction, interactive video instruction as well as instruction via local public TV, cable and satellite. Visit http://distancelearning.wisconsin.edu for definitions and more info rmation about distance learning.

Drop
Students may drop registration for a course in the beginning weeks of the semester. Students need special permission to drop a course after the initial deadline. Drop deadlines are identified in the semester/term schedule of classes.

Electives
A ll degrees require a minimum number of credits, and a certain number of these can be electives, meaning you can choose which courses you'd like to explore within certain limits. They are not "lost" or "wasted" -- they count towards a degree. In fact, most electives are extremely useful in expanding a person's knowledge of a subject and, if well chosen, can lead the student in directions he/she never thought to try.

Exemption
To be excused from a requirement to which others are subject, based on test scores or previous course work. Exemptions are rare and only occur in special circumstances.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
FERPA of 1974 as amended governs and protects your rights to your individual educational records. The primary rights protected under FERPA are students' rights to: review and inspect their educational records, have their educational records amended or corrected, and control disclosure of certain portions of their educational records

Fees
Also called segregated fees. C harges in addition to tuition assessed to all students for services, programs and facilities that support the primary mission of the university. Segregated fees support campus services such as library, day care, health services, student activities, organizations, intramurals, student center/union, and more.

Financial Aid
The UW System campuses have a comprehensive student financial aid program which includes all major federal and state aid funds, along with campus funds. Students must apply for financial aid annually because eligibility does not carry over from one academic year to the next.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
A federal financial aid form that becomes available January 1 each year. Students can complete this form if they are interested in receiving financial aid. The federal government will assess the student's need for aid and what options it can offer. The government will then pass this info rmation to the campus the student attends. The campus will consider aid programs at the campus level, and will offer the student the aid options available via an award letter.

General Education
General Education proficiencies and distribution requirements are the foundation of a baccalaureate degree. It is general education that produces a well-rounded graduate and not just a narrow specialist. General education emphasizes proficiencies and breadth of knowledge that contribute to our knowledge and abilities as citizens.

GPA
Grade Point Average. A numerical average of a student's grades over a period of time. GPA is typically on a scale of 0-4 with higher numbers reflecting better grades.

Campuses use different grading scales. For example, some use the scale A, A-, B+, B, etc. Others use the scale A, AB, B, BC, etc. Consequently, GPAs at the different campuses may be numerically different because of the different grading scales.

Guaranteed Transfer Program
Students can begin their education as freshmen at the UW Colleges and be guaranteed admission to another UW System campus as juniors. Students must sign the Guaranteed Transfer Agreement within the first 30 credits they obtain. After fulfilling certain credit and GPA requirements, the students will transfer with the same rights and privileges as those who began their education at the 4-year UW System campus they plan to enter.

Graduate Student
A student who has completed a bachelor's degree and who is working toward a graduate (master's, specialist, or doctoral) degree.

Incomplete
A (temporary) grade given by the instructor to indicate the student has not completed the course work. An “I” grade is granted because of extenuating circumstances deemed appropriate by the campus. Campus policy may place a time limit on completion of course requirements before the incomplete grade changes.

Independent Study
A method of course delivery in which students study through correspondence. Also called “print-based,” many of these courses have an e-mail option. Students have up to 12 months to complete a course. UW-Extension has been offering Independent Learning courses for more than 100 years. Visit http://learn.wisconsin.edu/il for more info rmation.

Liberal Arts
A broad area of study including the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.

License
Formal permission from an authority to participate in a profession. For example, teachers need a license before they can teach in Wisconsin 's public schools.

Major
Beyond taking General Education courses, students will specialize in a particular discipline called a major. A lesser specialization (minor, concentration, etc.) may also be completed at the same time. Double majors are also possible. Search for majors and other academic programs at http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/majormania .

Matriculate
To be admitted and be eligible to enroll at a college or university.

Nondegree Student
Not currently working toward a degree at the campus from which the student is currently attending. A student may be a degree-seeing student at one campus while taking a course as a nondegree student from another. Also called a special student.

Nontraditional Student
When compared to a typical student attending college right out of high school, a nontraditional student is different. A nontraditional student may have taken some time away from formal education, may have a child and/or may have a full-time job. Also referred to as an adult student.

Orientation
Activities and programs to help new students become acquainted with the campus. Orientation programs will often include registration assistance and instruction, academic advising and other info rmation and services to help students get started successfully.

Pass-Fail Option
Students have the option of taking a course on a pass-fail basis rather than receiving a letter grade. Some restrictions apply to this option and should be discussed with an academic adviser.

Permanent Academic Record
The student's academic record including courses taken, grades earned, grade point average, status (e.g.academic standing, major and class level) and certain personal identifying info rmation.

Placement Tests
Tests given to determine which courses a student should take in specific subject areas, for example, math, English and foreign language.

Pre-Professional Study
Prerequisite courses taken in preparation to apply or be admitted to a professional area of study such as medicine, education, law or business, to name a few.

Proctored Exam
When a student takes a course through distance learning, the student would not be expected to travel to the campus to take the exam. A proctored exam is taken off-campus and is supervised, just as it would be for a course taken on campus. Simply stated, a proctor supervises a student's exam. It is up to each student to find a qualified, approved proctor.

Professional Program
An academic program pertaining to, or connected with, a profession (i.e. pharmacy, engineering or veterinary medicine). Professional programs have admission requirements that are separate from the requirements to be admitted to the university.

Professor
A tenured or tenure-probationary faculty member. Other faculty who teach classes are academic staff instructors. However, both are often referred to as "instructors."

Registrar
The person or office at a college or university who is responsible for tracking each student's courses, grades and credits earned. The registrar's office is responsible for administering academic policy, and maintaining and sending transcripts.

Registration
The process in which students enroll in courses, typically done online.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Qualitative and quantitative standards used to monitor a student's academic progress to maintain financial aid eligibility.

Segregated Fees
C harges in addition to tuition assessed to all students for services, programs and facilities that support the primary mission of the university. Segregated fees support campus services such as library, day care, health services, student activities, organizations, intramurals, student center/union, and more. Sometimes known as “fees.”

Semester
A period of time that courses are offered. Fall semester begins in early September and ends in late December. Spring semester begins mid-January and ends in mid-May.

There are other terms that are shorter than a traditional fell or spring semester. Summer sessions can occur any time during the summer, and may range in length from 1 week to more than 12 weeks. Some campuses may have an interim session in early January that ends before the spring semester begins.

Special Student
Not currently working toward a degree at the campus from which the student is currently attending. A student may be a degree-seeing student at one campus while taking a course as a special student from another. Also called a nondegree student.

Submajor, Concentration, Specialization or Emphasis
A specific area studied within a major.

Survey Course
A course designed to provide a general overview of a subject area.

Syllabus
A document usually provided in the first class. It contains info rmation of great importance to successfully completing a course, such as: the name, phone number and office hours of the professor; the text(s) to buy; the manner in which grades will be computed; class policies on attendance, missed exams, late papers etc.; a listing of topics in sequential order with readings, exams times and dates; and just about anything else the instructor thinks students ought to know about the course.

Technical College
A post-secondary institution that provides training in occupational or vocational areas. There are 16 colleges in the Wisconsin Technical College System. Visit http://www.witechcolleges.com for more info rmation. Check with the Transfer Information System at http://www.uwsa.edu/tis to see how credits will transfer. Generally, programs may be completed in one or two years or less.

Tenure
The status of holding a faculty position on a permanent basis without periodic contract renewals.

Transcript
A student's academic record. A transcript (and the grades it contains) cannot be released except by written student request . A student may obtain a copy of his/her transcript from the registrar's office.

If the student is obtaining a transcript for an educational purpose such as transferring to a new campus or applying to graduate school, the student needs to obtain an "official" transcript. An official transcript is one that is sent directly from the registrar's office to the destination, or one that is released to a student in a sealed, embossed envelope that is not to be opened except by the destination.

Visit http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/admission/requirements/transscriptinfo.asp to find info rmation on obtaining a transcript from any UW System campus.

Transfer Student
A student who is transferring from one campus to another.

Transfer Coordinator
The person at the receiving campus who is responsible for coordinating the admission processes for prospective transfer students. This person serves as the transfer student's main contact.

Transfer Credits
Credits accepted by a campus but earned at a previous campus. UW System campuses assess transfer credits after a transfer student is admitted. The evaluation of transfer credits will assist the student and advisors in determining remaining course work to be completed to earn a degree.

Transfer Information System
A website offering UW System and Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) students the ability to see how credits will transfer between campuses. Visit http://www.uwsa.edu/tis to find how credits will transfer, transfer guides and agreements, resources for transfer students, contact info rmation and more.

Tuition
The amount of money charged to students for taking courses.

Undergraduate Student
A student who is working toward a bachelor's degree.

University
A post-secondary institution that grants bachelor's and graduate degrees.

UW Colleges
The 13 two-year, freshman-sophomore level campuses in the UW System. Courses taken at one of the UW Colleges will transfer to a 4-year campus so that students may apply them toward a bachelor's degree. Visit http://www.uwc.edu for more info rmation.

UW System
The collection of 13 two-year colleges and 13 four-year universities, along with statewide UW-Extension. Visit http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu for more info rmation.

Withdrawal
Officially terminating a student's registration for the semester. Non-attendance does not constitute official withdrawal. Date of withdrawal will determine financial obligation to the college or university. Consult the schedule of classes to determine withdrawal procedures.