| Term |
Description |
| 14-19 Diplomas |
A new qualification that 14-19 year olds can do at school or college, which can be studied at three levels: Foundation, Higher and Advanced. The qualifications that make up the Diploma have been designed to prepare students for work or further study. |
A |
| Access management |
Describes the process of providing controlled, secure access to resources. It involves both authentication – the process of determining that a user is who she or he claims to be, and authorisation – the process of determining what resources a user is permitted to access. |
| ADS |
Archaeology Data Service One of the Service Providers of the Arts and Humanities Data Service |
| AHDS |
Arts and Humanities Data Service |
| AHRC |
Arts and Humanities Research Council formerly Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB) |
| ALP |
Association of Learning Providers |
| ALPSP |
Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers |
| ALT |
Association for Learning Technology
A professional and scholarly association which brings together all those with an interest in the use of learning technology - includes over 200 organisations and over 600 individual members. |
| AOC |
Association of Colleges
Represents, promotes and supports the interests of further education Colleges and higher education delivered in Colleges at national and regional level, including general and tertiary further education Colleges, sixth form Colleges and specialist Colleges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. |
| The Archives Hub |
The Archives Hub enables inter-networked delivery of collection and multi-level archival finding aids (JISC-funded service) |
| Ariadne |
Ariadne is an electronic and print newsetter for librarians and information scientists. |
| ASC |
Association of Scottish Colleges
The policy and representative voice for the 43 further education (FE) colleges in Scotland. |
| Athens |
Athens system created and operated by NISS, provides access management for subscription services supplied by publishers and subscription agents. Athens is a service of EduServ |
| AUA |
Association of University Administrators |
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B |
| Backbone (network) |
Part of computer network infrastructure that interconnects various pieces of network, providing a path for the exchange of information between different Local Area Networks (LANs) or sub-networks. |
| BBC |
British Broadcasting Corporation |
| BBSRC |
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (formerly AFRC) |
|
BCE |
Business and Community Engagement - also known as 'knowledge transfer and exchange' and third stream (in reference to the third stream of funding alongside teaching and research). BCE aims to exchange knowledge and expertise with external partners (businesses in the private and public sector) for economic and social benefit. JISC supports this activity through facilitating collaboration, knowledge management and institutional change for knowledge transfer and exchange, through the appropriate deployment and support of tools and technologies. |
| Becta |
Becta The government agency leading the national drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning from schools to further education and skills. |
| BFI |
British Film Institute |
| BIDS |
Bath Information and Data Services BIDS provides access to datasets. Now part of IngentaConnect |
| Biz/ed |
Business Education on the Internet An Internet gateway to facilitate access to information about business and economics. |
| Blog |
From the term weblog, a website that allows users to reflect, share opinions, and discuss various topics in the form of an online journal. Readers can comment on posts and entries typically appear in reverse chronological order. See JISC Involve blogs |
| Bologna process |
A European reform process aimed at creating the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), based on international cooperation and academic exchange, to facilitate the mobility of students and staff, prepare students for their future careers and for life as active citizens, and offer broad access to high-quality higher education. |
| BOPCAS |
British Official Publications Current Awareness Service |
| British Library (BL) |
The British Library A world-class cultural and intellectual resource that serves the needs of researchers, as well as being the custodian of the UK’s written and spoken heritage. |
| BUFVC |
British Universities Film and Video Council A representative body which promotes the production, study and use of moving image, sound and related media in higher education and research. BUFVC is a related body of HEFCE and is funded by JISC. |
| Business and Community Engagement (BCE) |
The relationships of colleges and universities with partners and clients external to the institution, and strategic management of the associated activities and services. It includes four component areas: knowledge transfer/exchange, employer engagement/workforce development, public/community engagement, and lifelong learning. See JISC's work in this area |
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C |
| Capital Funding |
Capital funding is the funding received by JISC on a financial year basis (April - March). The current capital programme 2006-2009 is funded by HEFCE and HEFCW. |
| CHEST |
CHEST is a service of EduServ, negotiates for the supply of software, data, information, training materials and other IT related products on behalf of UK Research Councils and the Higher and Further Education community in the UK and Republic of Ireland |
| CCLRC |
Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils |
| CIE |
Common Information Environment (now Strategic Content Alliance) |
| Circular |
An announcement circulated to UK colleges and universities to announce new JISC innovation programmes. A circular acts as a call for proposals, inviting institutions to submit proposals for specific projects and bid for the funding available. See our funding opportunities |
| Cloud computing |
The provision of dynamically scalable and often virtualised resources (e.g. networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) as a service over the Internet. Cloud computing services often provide common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers. |
| Cluster |
A method of grouping projects within a JISC innovation programme, by topic, themes, or regionally. Projects within a cluster will have much in common and meet to exchange information and develop shared approaches to common issues. |
| CNI |
Coalition for Networked Information A United States organisation dedicated to supporting the transformative promise of networked information technology for the advancement of scholarly communication and the enrichment of intellectual productivity. CNI has 200 members. |
| COLEG |
Colleges Open Learning Exchange Group established to develop learning opportunities through member Scottish Further Education Colleges working together to generate, exchange and promote the use of flexible learning materials. |
| CollegesWales |
(Formerly fforwm) A national organisation representing the 22 further education (FE) colleges and two FE institutions in Wales. |
| CoLRiC |
Council for Learning Resources in Colleges |
| Committee secretary |
The secretary of one of the six JISC sub-committees that fund innovation programmes. |
| Community/communities |
Organisations and individuals in the post-compulsory education sector who use JISC’s services, and/or are involved in JISC’s innovation programmes. It may also include those who use the network and indirectly benefit from JISC’s services or innovation programmes. |
| COPAC |
COPAC is a union catalogue, giving free access to merged online cataloges of CURL (JISC-funded service) |
| Core Funding |
Core funding is the annual funding received by JISC on an academic year basis (August - July) from its core funders (HEFCE, SFC, HEFCW, DCELLS, DEL). |
| Continuing Professional Development (CPD) |
A range of short and long training programmes, some of which have an option of accreditation, which foster the development of employment-related knowledge, skills and understanding. |
| Customer Relationship Management (CRM) |
Methods that organisations use to interact with ‘customers’. |
| CURL |
Consortium of University Research Libraries |
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D |
| DANTE |
Delivery of Advanced Networking to Europe a not-for-profit company providing academic and research network links to most European countries. |
| DCC |
Digital Curation Centre supports UK institutions who store, manage and preserve data to help ensure their enhancement and their continuing long-term use. The purpose of the centre is to provide a national focus for research and development into curation issues and to promote expertise and good practice, both nationally and internationally, for the management of all research outputs in digital format. |
| DCELLS |
Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills in the Welsh Assembly Government; responsible for improving children’s services, education and training provision. |
DCSF
|
Department for Children, Schools and Families is responsible for improving the focus on all aspects of policy affecting children and young people, as part of the Government’s aim to deliver educational excellence. |
| DDA |
Disability Discrimination Act |
| DEFF |
Denmark’s Electronic Research Library - A cooperation organisation for research libraries aimed at supporting their performance and general development. |
| DEL |
Department for Employment and Learning (Northern Ireland) Responsible for promoting learning and skills. (Fomerly DENI, then DHFETE) |
| DfES |
Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has replaced the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). |
| Digital Britain |
The Government’s strategic vision for ensuring that the UK is at the leading edge of the global digital economy. The report is one of the central policy commitments in the Government's Building Britain's Future plan and draft legislative programme. |
| Digital repositories |
A managed, persistent way of making research, learning and teaching content with continuing value discoverable and accessible. Repositories can be subject or institutional in their focus. See JISC's work in this area |
| DIUS |
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) is responsible for driving forward the Government’s long-term vision to make Britain one of the best places in the world for science, research and innovation, and to deliver the ambition of a world-class skills base. |
| DPA |
Data Protection Act |
| DRRG |
Database Resources Research Group |
| DTI |
Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) has replaced the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry). This department works closely with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). |
| Dublin Core |
Dublin Core is shorthand for the Dublin Metadata Core Element Set which is a core list of metadata elements agreed at the OCLC/NCSA Metadata Workshop in Dublin, Ohio, in March 1995. The Dublin Core is positioned as a simple information resource description. However, it also aims to provide a basis for semantic interoperability between other, probably more complicated, formats. (see Metadata and Z39.50). |
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E |
| e-Assessment |
The end-to-end electronic assessment processes where ICT is used for the presentation of assessment and the recording of responses, in UK education and research. See JISC's work in this area |
| EDINA |
EDINA A JISC national academic data centre based at the University of Edinburgh whose mission is to enhance the productivity of research, learning and teaching across all universities, research institutes and colleges in the UK. |
| EDUCAUSE |
EDUCAUSE A non-profit association based in the United States whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. There are currently more than 17,000 active members. |
| EEVL |
EEVL is a gateway providing access to quality electronic resources for engineering, mathematics and computing (JISC-funded service) |
| e-Framework |
The e-Framework for Education and Research is a joint initiative by JISC, Australia’s Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), and other international partners. Its primary goal is to facilitate technical interoperability within and across education and research through improved strategic planning and implementation processes, via a service orientated technical framework. |
| e-Learning |
Learning facilitated and supported through the use of ICT. |
| e-Portfolio |
A purposeful collection of digital items such as ideas, evidence, reflections, feedback, etc, which presents a selected audience with evidence of a person's learning and/or ability. See JISC's work in this area |
| Electronic Journal |
A learned journal, but not necessarily refereed, on the Internet. Electronic journals offer reduced time to publication, allow hyperlinking to other documents, and, in some cases, are enhanced by multimedia materials. |
| ELWa |
Education and Learning Wales The National Council for Education and Training for Wales and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales are Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies, responsible for all post-16 education and training in Wales. Together these organisations are known as ELWa, Education and Learning Wales. |
| EMBASE |
Excerpta Medica Database |
| EMMAN |
East Midlands Metropolitan Area Network |
| EPSRC |
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (formerly SERC, Science and Engineering Research Council). |
| ERIC |
Educational Resources Information Centre a national information system designed to provide users with ready access to an extensive body of education-related literature. ERIC, established in 1966, is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, and the National Library of Education. |
| e-Science |
The research culture and opportunities enabled by developments in information technology, such as increased computing power and network bandwidth, and the collaborations of people and of shared resources that are needed to resolve new research challenges in the sciences. |
| ESRC |
Economic & Social Research Council |
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F |
| FEFCW |
Further Education Funding Council for Wales |
| FOI |
Freedom of Information (Act) |
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G |
| German Research Foundation |
(Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft - DFG) The central, self-governing research funding organisation that promotes research at universities and other publicly financed research institutions in Germany. |
| Google generation |
Those born after 1993 who have little or no recollection of life before the web. Google Generation report: A report on the information behaviour of the researcher of the future. Commissioned by JISC and produced by Ciber, the report was published in January 2008. |
| Green computing |
(or Green ICT) Reducing the negative environmental impact of ICT in the Higher and Further Education sectors, e.g. through organisational change, and sustainable procurement. See JISC's work in this area |
| Grid computing |
Allows computing and data resources to be shared by scientists and engineers to tackle problems which are too large for their local resources. A Grid is a loose collection of processors, storage, specialised hardware and network infrastructure. |
| GuildHE |
The formal representative body for higher education colleges in England and Northern Ireland, promoting HE colleges to government employers and other professional bodies. |
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H |
| Harnessing Technology strategy |
Harnessing Technology: Next Generation Learning 2008-14 is Becta's review and revision of Government’s original e-strategy to ensure that the requirements of today's learners are being met, setting out plans for using information and communications technologies across the education sector. |
| HDS |
History Data Service One of the Service Providers of the Arts and Humanities Data Service |
| HEDS |
Higher Education Digitisation Service |
| HEFCE |
Higher Education Funding Council for England A non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, to distribute public money to universities and colleges in England that provide higher education. |
| HEFCW |
Higher Education Funding Council for Wales An Assembly Government Sponsored Body, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government to distribute funding for higher education in Wales. |
| HESA |
Higher Education Statistics Agency |
| HESDA |
Higher Education Staff Development Agency |
| Higher Ambitions |
(2009) The Labour Government has developed a framework for higher education over the next ten to fifteen years for the development of a world class HE system, providing the nation with the high level skills needed to remain competitive, while continuing to attract the brightest students and researchers. |
| High performance computing (HPC) |
Uses supercomputers and computer clusters to solve advanced computation problems. |
| HOLIS |
HESA Online Information Service |
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I |
| IBSS |
International Bibliography of the Social Sciences |
| IETF |
Internet Engineering Task Force the organisation which co-ordinates Internet standards. |
| IMS |
Instructional Management Systems Global Learning Consortium. A global coalition of academic, commercial and government organisations, working together to define the Internet architecture for learning. IMS is an initiative of EDUCAUSE. The funded service JISC-CETIS was established to provide information on IMS standards and initiatives. |
| Industrial Activism |
Where the UK can proactively exercise economic leadership towards achieving sustainable international competitiveness for British businesses and people. |
| Information Environment |
The aim of the Information Environment is to help to provide convenient access to resources for research and learning, irrespective of their location. It does this through the use of resource discovery and resource management tools, and the development of better services and practice. |
| Internet 2 |
Internet2 is a development project funded by over 100 American universities to develop leading edge Internet applications and the next version of the Internet Protocol (IP). |
| Intute |
Intute is a free online service providing you with access to the very best web resources for education and research. The service is created by a network of UK universities and partners. |
| Intute: social sciences |
Intute: social sciences is a free online service gateway to quality resources for the social sciences; evaluated and selected by a network of subject specialists. |
| IPR |
Intellectual Property Rights |
| ITT |
Invitation to Tender - A tender document used by JISC, typically to request proposals for short and well-defined studies to support innovation programmes. See our funding opportunities |
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J |
| JANET |
Joint Academic NETwork The network dedicated to the needs of education and research in the UK. It connects the UK’s education and research organisations to each other, as well as to the rest of the world through links to the global Internet. JANET(UK) manages the operation and development of JANET on behalf of JISC for the UK Further and Higher Education Funding Councils. |
| JANET-CERT |
Now known as JANET CSIRT. Formerly JANET-Computer Emergency Response Team |
| JANET-CSIRT |
JANET Computer Security & Incident Response Team Run by JANET to help deal with illegal and improper use of JANET. |
| JCN |
Formerly JISC Network committee JISC sub-committee. Now known as the JISC Infrastructure and Resources comittee |
| JIIE |
Formerly JISC Integrated Information Environment committee JISC sub-committee. Now known as the JISC Infrastructure and Resources comittee |
| JISC |
Joint Information Systems Committee. JISC is an independent advisory body that works with further and higher education by providing strategic guidance, advice and opportunities to use ICT to support learning, teaching, research and administration. |
| JISC Advance |
JISC Advance brings together the collective expertise of eight established JISC services: JISC Digital Media, JISC infoNet, JISC Legal, JISCMail, JISC Netskills, JISC Procureweb, JISC RSC UK, and JISC TechDis. |
| JISC Board |
The JISC Board is a group of senior managers, academics and technology experts, working in UK further and higher education, who determine JISC’s programme of work to reflect the needs of the education and research communities. |
| JISC CETIS |
JISC Centre for Educational Technology Interoperability Standards Formerly known as the UK IMS project (JISC-funded service) |
| JISC Collections |
JISC Collections supports UK education and research by delivering affordable, relevant and sustainable online content. |
| JISC infoNet |
JISC infoNet is an advisory service funded by JISC as part of JISC Advance to provide resources (Infokits) promoting good practice and innovation within the education sector. |
| JISC Innovation Support Centres |
Centres that support innovation and development in JISC-funded programmes and projects, in particular UKOLN and JISC CETIS |
| JISC Legal |
JISC Legal information service. A pilot service with the primary function of making available current legal information to those working in Information Services of the FE and HE sectors. It must be stressed that the Service does not profess to give professional legal advice, and any material provided is for informative purposes only (JISC-funded service) |
| JISCMail |
JISCMail service to facilitate email discussion, collaboration and communication within the UK academic community and beyond (replaced Mailbase in November 2000) |
| JISC Services |
JISC Services are a range of high-quality, national Advisory, Content and Infrastructure services to address the needs of all users in HE and FE. |
| JISC sub-committees |
JISC sub-committees are four committees who oversee specific areas of the JISC strategy on behalf of the JISC Board. |
| JISC sustainability handbook |
Guidelines describing JISC’s approach to the sustainability of project outputs and outcomes, more specifically the process and routes for transitioning development projects into operational services. |
| JLT |
JISC Learning and Teaching committee JISC sub-committee |
| JNT |
JNT Association |
| JOS |
JISC Organisational committee JISC sub-committee |
| JSR |
JISC Support of Research committee JISC sub-committee |
| JSTOR |
Journal STORage system based in the US, mirrored at MIDAS. Provides online access to complete runs of back issues of journals in many subject areas including the humanities and science. |
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K |
|
| Knowledge Economy |
An economy where information and knowledge are the primary wealth-creating assets, and technology and knowledge are the key factors of production. |
L |
| LEAP2A |
A lightweight e-Portfolio interoperability standard. |
| Leadership Foundation (LFHE) |
A company established by UUK and GuildHE providing a dedicated service of support and advice on leadership, governance and management for all the UK’s universities and Higher Education colleges. |
| Learning and Teaching Scotland |
Learning and Teaching Scotland is a national public body charged by the Scottish Executive with providing advice, support, resources and staff development which will in turn enhance lifelong learning. |
| Learned societies |
Organisations that exist to promote an academic discipline or group of disciplines. |
| Learning and Skills Council (LSC) |
Learning and Skills Council A non-departmental public body, responsible for planning and funding a high quality, dynamic and successful further education system for England. |
| Learning and Skills Network (LSN) |
Learning and Skills Network (LSN) is an independent not-for-profit organisation committed to making a difference to education and training. |
| Lifelong learning |
All learning activity undertaken throughout life, whether formal or informal, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competence, within a personal, civic, social and/or employment-related perspective. |
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M |
| MAAS |
MAAS negotiates for the supply of moving picture and sound resources for JISC. |
| Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) |
A structured but flexible framework that allows an organisation to manage and control all the activities involved in managing a programme, through a set of Principles and a set of Processes, designed to be adapted to meet the needs of local circumstances. |
| Melville enquiry |
The Committee of Inquiry into the Changing Learner Experience, chaired by Professor Sir David Melville CBE, produced a report that considered the impact of emerging technologies, e.g. social networking and mobile devices, on the behaviour and attitudes of students coming up to and just entered higher education and the issues this poses for universities and colleges. |
| Metadata |
Data describing an information resource, sometimes referred to as 'data about data'. |
| Middleware |
Middleware, or 'glue', is a layer of software between a network and applications. This software provides services such as identification, authentication, authorisation, directories, and security. In today's Internet, applications usually have to provide these services themselves, which leads to competing and incompatible standards. By promoting standardisation and interoperability, middleware will make advanced network applications much easier to use. |
| MIMAS |
MIMAS is a nationally designated data centre that hosts a significant number of the UK's research information assets, with core expertise in building applications that enable access for a wide range of users. |
| Mission Groups |
A number of UK universities that have formed groups with common interests. There are 4 university mission groups in the UK: the 1994 Group, Million+, The Russell Group, and the University Alliance. |
| Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) |
Through strategic leadership, MLA promotes best practice in museums, libraries and archives, to inspire innovative, integrated and sustainable services for all. MLA is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). |
| MLE |
Managed Learning Environment |
| Monitoring Unit |
Monitoring Unit monitors JISC's network infrastructure and network content services, liaising with the staff of each service. It collects regular monitoring data from these services, and publishes regular reports on overall performance, trends and significant incidents for submission to JISC. |
| MRC |
Medical Research Council |
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N |
| NAMSS |
National Association for Managers of Student Services in colleges is an organisation of managers and student advisers in Student Services in UK colleges, mainly in post-16 education, training, community and adult education. |
| National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) |
An independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) |
An independent United States government agency responsible for promoting science and engineering through research programmes and education projects. |
| NATSPEC |
Association of National Specialist Colleges aims to promote opportunities for high quality education and training in residential or day settings, for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. |
| NERC |
Natural Environment Research Council |
| NESLI |
National Electronic Site Licensing Initiative the successor to the Pilot Site Licence Initiative. Provides UK higher education institutions with access to nationally negotiated electronic journals on a subscription basis. |
| Netskills |
Netskills produces training programmes and materials to help develop network skills which will enable more effective use of the internet for teaching, research and administration. |
| New Horizons agenda (Scotland) |
The vision of the Joint Future Thinking Taskforce on Universities, established by the Scottish Government and Universities Scotland. It proposed a new approach to funding for universities including a Horizons Fund, to be distributed selectively to support the achievement of specific national policy objectives. |
| New Industry, New Jobs (NINJ) |
The Government’s strategic plan to invest in Britain’s economic and industrial future. |
| NGfL |
National Grid for Learning (See Teacher Resource Exchange) A government initiative to set up a national focal point for learning on the Internet. Primary, secondary and tertiary education, lifelong learning services, museums and other cultural bodies and industry are all expected to contribute to the development of the Grid. |
| NIACE |
National Institute of Adult Continuing Education has a broad remit to promote lifelong learning opportunities for adults. |
| NILTA |
National Information and Learning Technologies Association (for FE). NILTA is committed to the provision of support to member institutions in the use of information and learning technologies within all areas of the post-16, lifelong learning sector. |
| Non-traditional student |
Refers to students in post-secondary education who are generally either older than the historically typical undergraduate student (aged 18-25), or students of traditional age who are undertaking courses that provide unconventional scheduling to allow for other responsibilities and pursuits at the same time as attaining a degree, e.g. part-time study. |
| NSF |
National Science Foundation in the US. JISC is collaborating with the NSF under its three year International Digital Libraries Research programme. |
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O |
| OFSTED |
Office for Standards in Education |
| OMNI |
Organising Medical Networked Information An information gateway providing access to quality resources on the Internet for clinical, research and management aspects of health and medicine. |
| Open access |
Enhances scholarly communication by making the results of publicly funded research available to all. JISC strongly supports Open Access and encourages authors to publish in Open Access journals, self-archive their articles in repositories, or both. See JISC's work in this area |
| Open agenda |
Encompasses Open Knowledge and Open Innovation. |
| Open educational resources |
Existing learning resources that are made freely available online, licensed in such a way to enable them to be used and repurposed worldwide. See JISC's work in this area |
| Open source |
An approach to the design, development, and distribution of software, offering accessibility to a software's source code. JISC funds the OSS Watch service to promote awareness and understanding in this area. |
| Open Source Watch (OSS Watch) |
OSS Watch provide unbiased advice and guidance on the use, development, and licensing of free and open source software. OSS Watch is funded by JISC, and its services are available free-of-charge to UK higher and further education. |
| Open standards |
A standard that is publicly available and has various rights to use associated with it, and may also have various properties of how it was designed (e.g. open process). |
| OST |
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) brings together functions of the OST (Office of Science and Technology) from the former Department of Trade and Industry with further and higher education and skills, previously part of the Department for Education and Skills. |
| OTA |
Oxford Text Archive One of the Service Providers of the Arts and Humanities Data Service |
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P |
| PA |
Publishers Association |
| PALS |
Publisher and Libraries Solutions committee |
| PADS |
Performing Arts Data Service One of the Service Providers of the Arts and Humanities Data Service |
| Personalisation |
Tools and interfaces focussed on and driven by the individual user's needs, interests and motivations. |
| Portal |
A network service that brings together content from diverse distributed resources |
| PPARC |
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council |
| Preservation |
Digital preservation is the series of managed activities necessary to ensure meaningful continued access, for as long as it is required, to digital objects and materials. Programme for Government (Northern Ireland) Sets out the Northern Ireland Executive's strategic priorities and key plans for 2008-2011 and has been used in determining the Executive’s Budget and Investment Strategy. See JISC's work in this area |
| Proprietary software |
Any computer software with restrictions on use or private modification, or with restrictions judged to be excessive on copying or publishing of modified or unmodified versions. |
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Q |
| QAA |
Quality Assurance Agency |
| QCA |
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority |
| QIA |
Quality Improvement Agency The agency is a non-departmental public body and the successor to the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA). |
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R |
| RDN |
Now known as Intute A free online service providing you with access to the very best web resources for education and research. The service is created by a network of UK universities and partners. |
| Research Councils |
The seven primary government-funded basic research organisations in the UK. They are the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Scientific and Technical Facilities Research Council, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Medical Research Council. |
| Research Excellence Framework (REF) |
To be introduced after the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), a single unified framework for the funding and assessment of research across all subjects, making greater use of quantitative indicators while taking account of key differences between the different disciplines. |
| Review of higher education (Wales) |
A review of higher education in Wales commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government in 2008-09. The second phase report was published in June 2009, the findings of which will inform a ‘Manifesto for Change’ action plan for higher education in Wales. |
| Review of student fees (England) |
The Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance, launched in November 2009 and chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley. Tasked with making recommendations to Government on the future of fees policy and financial support for full and part-time undergraduate and postgraduate students. |
| Rose Review of the Curriculum |
An independent review of the primary curriculum in England, commissioned by Government and carried out by Jim Rose. It includes proposed programmes of learning that would make up a new curriculum and the Essentials for Learning and Life that will be developed throughout the curriculum. |
| RSC |
Regional Support Centres established across the country to ensure that the Further Education community is able to take full advantage of JISC's services and as part of JISC's involvement in the National Learning Network. |
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S |
| SCONUL |
Standing Council of National and University Libraries |
| SCOP |
Standing Conference of Principals |
| Scottish Enterprise |
Scottish Enterprise has responsibility for enterprise and development, working through Local Enterprise Companies (LECs). |
| SCRE |
Scottish Council for Research in Education |
| Semantic web |
See Web 3.0 |
| Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) |
Provides a set of principles of governing concepts used during phases of systems development and integration. Such an architecture will package functionality as interoperable services that a number of different organisations may integrate or use. See the SOA animation |
| SFC The Scottish Funding Council |
A non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government, responsible for funding teaching and learning provision, research and other activities in Scotland's colleges and higher education institutions. |
| SFEU |
Scottish Further Education Unit is the primary agency which contributes to the development of learning provision within FE colleges through the support of staff and the curriculum. The SFEU supports the Virtual Learning Centre which provides access to online staff development for subject specialists, information services and an information gateway. |
| Shared services |
Institutions cooperating in the development and delivery of services, sharing skills and knowledge, possibly with commercial participation. Such services include student records, finance, library management etc. JISC infoNet has released an Infokit clarifying the issues in this area. |
| SHEFC |
Scottish Higher Education Funding Council |
| Shibboleth |
An architecture that enables organisations to build single sign-on environments that allow users to access web-based resources using a single login. Shibboleth uses open standards (such as SAML2). |
| Sir Ron Cooke’s submission to the HE Framework |
The then JISC Chair’s report on becoming a world leader in e-learning formed JISC’s contribution to the Government-led HE Debate. The report was one of several that fed into the development of a framework for higher education over the next 10-15 years, to be published in late 2009. |
| Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) |
SCONUL promotes excellence in library services in higher education and national libraries across the UK and Ireland. |
| Software as a Service (SaaS) |
A software distribution model in which applications are hosted by a vendor or service provider and are made available to customers, on demand, over a network, typically the Internet. The supplier manages the process in a secure central location. No software is installed on the premises of the purchaser. |
| SOSIG |
Now known as Intute: social sciences A free online service gateway to quality resources for the social sciences; evaluated and selected by a network of subject specialists. Funded jointly by ESRC and JISC. |
| Strategic Content Alliance (SCA) |
SCA is a 3-year initiative to build a common information environment which aims to reduce the barriers that currently inhibit access, use and re-use of online content. Collaborators are JISC, British Library, BBC, Becta, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, and NHS National Library for Health. |
| SQA |
Scottish Qualifications Agency |
| SuperJANET5 |
SuperJANET5 is the current iteration of the JANET network. A high speed, broadband backbone that forms the core of JANET. |
| SURFfoundation |
The collaborative organisation for higher education institutions and research institutes aimed at breakthrough innovations in ICT. SURF provides the foundation for the excellence of higher education and research in the Netherlands. |
| SWERN |
Bristol and West of England Metropolitan Area Network |
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T |
| TASI |
Now known as JISC Digital Media and part of JISC Advance (JISC-funded service) |
| TechDis |
TechDis provides information and advice on the use of new and existing Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to enhance access to learning and teaching, research and administration activities for students and staff with disabilities (JISC-funded service) |
| TechWatch |
Technology and Standards Watch keeps track of developments in information and communications technology that might be expected to have an impact on the core business of tertiary education in a few years time. They commission reports on important technical and standards issues, and have links to resources for over 100 specific technologies (JISC-funded service) |
| TERENA |
Trans-European Research and Education Networking Association created by the merger of RARE and EARN |
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U |
| UCAS |
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service The organisation responsible for managing applications to higher education courses in the UK. |
| UCISA |
Universities and Colleges Information System Association represents the whole of higher education, and increasingly further education, in the provision and development of academic, management and administrative information systems, providing a network of contacts and a powerful lobbying voice. |
| UK Access Management Federation |
The UK Access Management Federation is supported by JISC and Becta, and operated by JANET(UK), it provides a single solution to access online resources and services for education and research. |
| UK Data Archive |
UKDA is a national resource centre for computer readable data in the social sciences and humanities. Jointly funded by the University of Essex, JISC and the ESRC. |
| UKERNA |
Now known as JANET. The company contracted by JISC, through JCN, to manage JANET and SuperJANET. Formerly known as UKERNA (United Kingdom Educational and Research Network Association) - the trading name of the JNT Association (which was formerly the JNT, Joint Network Team). |
| UKOLN |
UKOLN is based at the University of Bath and is funded by JISC and Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, as well as project funding from JISC and the European Union. |
| Universities Scotland |
The body that works for the Principals or Directors of Scotland’s 20 higher education institutions, across six broad policy areas: learning and teaching, research and commercialisation, resources and administration, widening access and equal opportunities, internationalisation, and public affairs. |
| Universities UK (UUK) |
Universities UK The representative body and member organisation for the executive heads of UK universities, it works to advance the interests of universities and to spread good practice throughout the higher education sector. (Formerly CVCP) |
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V |
| VADS |
Visual Arts Data Service One of the Service Providers of the Arts and Humanities Data Service |
| Videoconferencing |
A communications medium variously used for lectures, tutorials, workshops, project reviews, remote site visits, etc. A videoconference can be either two-way (point-to-point) or multipoint, linking three or more sites with sound and video in real time. |
| Virtualisation |
To simulate (or make virtual) an effect or condition on a computer. |
| Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) |
A set of teaching and learning tools designed to enhance a student's learning experience by including computers and the Internet in the learning process. See JISC's work in this area |
| Virtual Research Environments (VRE) |
The tools and technologies needed by researchers to do their research, interact with other researchers (who may come from different disciplines, institutions or even countries) and to make use of resources and technical infrastructures available both locally and nationally. See JISC's work in this area |
| VTAS |
JANET Video Technology Advisory Service |
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W |
| W3C |
World Wide Web Consortium a global industry consortium run jointly by the Laboratory for Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of technology and INRIA in France. It exists to develop common standards for the evolution of the World Wide Web. JISC is a member of W3C. |
| Web 2.0 |
Innovative online tools designed to enhance communication and collaboration. These include social networking sites, blogs, wikis and user-generated taxonomies or ‘folksonomies'. See JISC's work in this area |
| Web 3.0 |
Currently defined as the ‘Semantic Web’ (seamless 'anytime, anywhere' business, entertainment and social networking over fast reliable and secure networks, for a more productive and intuitive user experience), it is the third generation of the World Wide Web. |
| WFC |
Welsh Funding Councils |
| Wiki |
A collaborative website which can be directly edited by anyone with access to it. |
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X |
| XCRI |
A JISC-funded, UK-oriented project to establish a specification to support the eXchange of Course-Related Information. |
Z |
| Z39.50 |
A NISO (National Information Standards Office) standard protocol for metadata - information describing an information resource, such as a dataset. Consistently defined metadata permits rapid and effective browsing of a wide range of data resources, an essential requirement for efficient use of electronic resources distributed across a network. |