Glossary
Sarah Irvine; Rowena McGregor; Anbarasu Thangavelu; Kacie Fahey; Matthew Thompson; and Charlene Jackson
| TERM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| Academic advisors | People at university who can help with your study. They could help with your enrolment, progression of study, or could even help to make sure you get the most out of your study. |
| Academic integrity | Creating the highest quality, accurate, and original response to an assessment task with the resources you have available. |
| Academic misconduct | An act of cheating that is related to your academic study. For example, cheating on an exam, or paying someone to do your assignment for you. It can result in serious penalties at university. |
| Academic writing | The type of writing used at university. |
| Allyship | The practice of supporting people who are part of a marginalised group, although you yourself are not part of the group. |
| Alumni | Graduates of university. |
| Analytical essay | An essay that analyses, examines, discusses, determines or explores a topic. |
| Annotated bibliography | An alphabetical list of suitable sources (books, journals or websites) on a topic, along with a short summary, evaluation and sometimes a written consideration on their usefulness or importance to your topic. |
| Argument | To express a position on a particular topic, and then support your position using evidence. |
| Argumentative essay | An essay that argues, evaluates, supports or determine features of a topic. |
| Assignments | The tasks you must complete and get marked on at university. |
| Attribute (author) | To recognise the author or copyright holder of a piece of work. |
| Bias | The prejudice you may hold about someone or something. |
| Boolean operators | The use of specific words or phrases to enter into an electronic record to help you find what you need. |
| Brainstorm | Taking time to think of ideas for a particular project, assignment or task. |
| Browser (internet) | The program used to browse the internet. Some examples of browsers include Google Chrome, Apple Safari or Mozilla Firefox. |
| CALD | The acronym CALD stands for ‘Culturally and Linguistically Diverse’ and refers to people of a multicultural background (excluding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples). |
| Case study exams | Exams requiring students to apply knowledge to a real-life situation. |
| Case study responses | Written work, often organised as an essay that explores and applies theory, policy and or practices in relation to a case study. |
| Catalogue | A physical or online listing of items in a collection, such as a library catalogue. |
| Closed exams | Usually allows students to bring only writing and drawing equipment. Formula sheets (in the case of maths and statistics exams) may or may not be provided. |
| Coherence | Using words and ideas in sentences to make meanings clear. |
| Cohesion | Flow of the sentences and how they are connected together. |
| Collusion | Unethically working with another student/s to produce academic or assessment work. |
| Concept association | Exam studying approach that involves linking the information you are learning with information that you already know. |
| Concept map | A visual way of showing key ideas about a topic. |
| Conclusion | The conclusion should restate your thesis and summarise the key points used to prove this thesis. |
| Contemplate | Think or consider an idea. |
| Course | A subject that you will study at university. |
| Cramming | An ineffective exam revision approach that involves trying to learn and memorise all of the information required for an exam in a very short period of time. |
| Criteria sheet | Similar to marking rubric. |
| Critical thinking | Ability to think open-mindedly and analytically to come up with a conclusion about an idea. |
| Culturally safe | The creation of physical and virtual environments that do not threaten, deny, assault, or challenge the cultural identity of a person or group. |
| Database | An organised collection of information. |
| Deadly | An Aboriginal English word meaning ‘awesome’, ‘excellent’, or ‘great’. |
| Decolonisation | The undoing of colonialism and removal of colonial impacts on systems, procedures, and societies. |
| Degree | A tertiary qualification that is received after completing a program of study at a university. |
| Digital identity | Your individual online presence made up of your connections and involvement on various online platforms. |
| Digital literacy | Your level of ability in participating and using online systems and/or platforms. |
| Disability | A limitation, restriction, or impairment lasting more than, or is likely to last more than at least six (6) months and also restricts everyday activities. |
| Discipline-specific | Your area of study (for example Science, Engineering). |
| Dissertation | An original piece of academic writing at a higher level of study. |
| Editing | Finding and correcting important features of a work that support (or detract from) the bigger picture. |
| Enculturating | Gradually learning and adopting the norms and practices of another group of people |
| Encyclopedia | A reference book to look up various pieces of information. |
| Entrepreneurial | To achieve better outcomes by taking risks such as financial or social risks. |
| Essay exams | An exam requiring a response with numerous paragraphs that should be rational and well-structured. |
| Essay | Written work on a particular subject which is structured into: introduction, several body paragraphs and conclusion. |
| Feedback/feedforward | Feedback: Notes on an assessment or performance that highlights strengths and weaknesses. Feedforward: Feedback that can be used in future assessment to improve your work. |
| Formal language | Communicating in a professional way using full expressions of words. |
| Formula | A set of processes/rules to follow. |
| In-text citation | Short bibliographic details provided within a written work indicating that the ideas or words were found in the mentioned (cited) document. The citation often includes the name and publication date of the document. |
| Intercultural fluency | The ability to successfully operate and communicate within diverse cultural contexts. |
| Interleaving | Exam revision approach defined by switching between study topics or subjects to help memory. |
| Introduction | Usually the beginning paragraph of an essay or written assignment that introduces the readers to the main ideas in the paper. |
| Learning management systems | An online platform where you will find your study information and resources. |
| LGBTQIA+ | The acronym LGBTQIA+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual/Aromatic; the ‘+’ encompasses those who may not feel that other identifiers are suitable for their experience. |
| Lecturer | A teacher at a higher education institution. |
| Literature reviews | A review which explores and appraises the literature on a research topic in a systemic (clear and understandable) way. |
| Major | Your specialisation in your area of study at university. |
| Marking rubric (See also Criteria sheet) | A document, often published as a table, detailing how marks are given for an assessment. Can be used as a checklist. |
| Methodology | A set of techniques used to investigate a question. |
| Mnemonics | Exam revision approach that can help you to remember things by using letters or phrases as a form of connection. |
| Mob | An Aboriginal English word, used primarily by First Nations Australians, to refer to their Country, Nation, or peoples. |
| Multiple choice | Exam questions requiring students to select from one or more answers provided. |
| Open book exams | These exams allow you to have access to any printed or written material and a calculator (if required) during the exam. |
| Pagination | Differentiation and division of pages into sections. |
| Paragraph | Section of text made up of several sentences that gives more details on one idea. A paragraph usually starts with a topic sentence that introduces the idea. |
| Paraphrasing | Changing the writing of another author into your words while retaining the original meaning. |
| Patriarchal | Relating to the patriarchy, which is a social system where men hold the majority of political, social, economic, and religious power. |
| Peer assisted learning programs | Study programs are led by experienced students. |
| Peer-reviewed | A document which has been reviewed by experts in the field. |
| Presentation | Assessment that may be presented orally, as a poster, or mix of other media. |
| Primary education | Education of students from the age of around 5 to 12 years old. |
| Proofreading | Finding and correcting the fine details of a work – usually the grammatical and stylistic errors. |
| Rationalise | To carefully consider and explain an option. |
| Raw data | Data that has been collected and not changed in any way. |
| Reasonable adjustments | Reasonable changes to assessment conditions for students who meet disability support or equity criteria. May include additional time, assistive technologies, furniture changes, or different locations. |
| Reconciliation | The strengthening of relationships between parties by putting hostilities to an end. |
| Referee | An individual who can confirm your skills and qualifications. |
| Reference list | A list of sources used with detailed information used at the end of an assignment. |
| Reflective writing | Written work that requires you to break down a situation, problem or event, consider what you may have learnt and discover how this may impact your thinking and actions in the future. |
| Reflective/reflection | Looking back on the past with the idea of finding any learning from the past and using that learning in the future. |
| Report | Detailed and organised document providing truthful information in a clear and simple manner. |
| Repositories | Storage and/or collection of resources. |
| Resources | Different types and/or sources of information. |
| Restricted exams | These exams allow you to bring in only specific things such as a single page of notes, or in the case of maths exams, a calculator or a formula sheet. |
| Rural & Remote | Areas outside of Major Cities – including Inner Regional, Outer Regional, Remote, and Very Remote areas. |
| Scholarly information (see also peer reviewed) | Information that has been peer-reviewed and is considered reliable. |
| Secondary education | Education of students from the age of around 12 to 17 years old. |
| Self-efficacy | A belief in your ability to do well with the skill that you have. |
| Semester | A formal period of study. |
| Sentence | A group of words that expresses a thought. |
| Short answer exams | Exam questions requiring students to write a sentence or a short paragraph. |
| Soft skills | Skills that are used often and related to different tasks, for example critical thinking, reading, notetaking. |
| Spacing/spaced practice | An exam study approach using short periods of study followed by a break to improve understanding, retention, problem solving and use of knowledge. |
| Synthesis | Combining more than one source of information to deepen your argument. |
| Take home exams | Students are provided with the exam paper and are able to complete it in a location of your choice within a set period of time. |
| Task sheet | Assessment instructions and outline provided in written form. |
| Thesis | A piece of scholarly (academic) evidence-based writing covering a research topic. It can also mean the overall argument in a piece of writing. |
| Thesis statement | A sentence that tells the reader the purpose, reason, or direction you will take to answer your assignment question. |
| Topic analysis | Complete reading of the task that often involves breaking the task into smaller parts and developing an understanding of how each part might be covered. |
| Topic sentence | Often the first sentence in a paragraph that explains what the paragraph will be about. |
| Trimester | A study period that is about 3-4 months and will occur 3 times per year. |
| Truth-telling | A process of accurately discussing historical truths and their current day impacts on marginalised people to allow societies to move forward in a more inclusive, socially just way. |
| Tutor | A teacher in a higher education institution who mainly covers tutorial classes. |
| Two-way learning | Also referred to as both-ways learning, is the process by which people from two different cultural backgrounds can learn from one another without the assumption of one way being better than another. |
| Yarning | A First Nations Australian practice of two or more parties engaging in non-judgmental conversation that prioritises active listening, knowledge sharing, and genuine learning. |
