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A Glossary of Digital Learning

A practical reference to the language of learning engineering, data interoperability, learning science, human-centered design, analytics, standards, and the systems that connect them. This glossary is designed for practitioners, leaders, researchers, vendors, and standards communities who need a common way to talk about learning systems across disciplinary boundaries.

Version v0.0.88 Last updated October 14, 2026 · 4:27 PM EDT
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curated entries spanning learning science, digital systems, design, interoperability, analytics, privacy, governance, and operations.

397 connected concepts31 hierarchy pairs742 related pairs17 external mappings
Linked Data

The complete glossary is available in machine-readable JSON-LD at: https://id.i2idl.org/glossary.jsonld

Stable identifiers

Concepts, definitions, sources, and the glossary concept scheme are published under the persistent namespace at: https://id.i2idl.org/

SPARQL

The glossary can also be queried directly through a read-only SPARQL endpoint at: https://id.i2idl.org/sparql

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Explore Learning Engineering, Learning Sciences, and Standards & Interoperability. Select any collection badge on a concept card to filter the glossary.

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How this glossary works

A human-readable glossary built on an interoperable semantic model.

The glossary now operates as an explicitly connected knowledge graph. Every concept participates in collections and internal semantic relationships. External mappings connect selected concepts to authoritative vocabularies such as UNESCO Thesaurus and Schema.org.

The I2IDL Glossary of Digital Learning is designed to serve both people and machines. Readers can search, browse, filter, and explore concepts through the public glossary, while the same content is maintained underneath as structured semantic data.

Each concept has a stable identity. Definitions, source evidence, classifications, relationships, provenance, citation details, and licensing information are maintained as connected parts of the record rather than as isolated text entries.

The glossary uses JSON-LD together with established standards including SKOS, Schema.org, Dublin Core Terms, and PROV-O. This allows the same underlying content to support linked data, terminology systems, publishing workflows, semantic applications, research tools, and web discovery.

Fields and types are used as editorial groupings, while semantic relationships can connect concepts across the glossary without forcing them into a single hierarchy. Definitions retain their own provenance and source relationships so the basis for each entry remains traceable.

The public glossary is one presentation of this underlying model. Its search, filtering, navigation, source links, and concept cards are generated from the same structured data that supports the machine-readable services.

Linked Data: The complete glossary is available in machine-readable JSON-LD at https://id.i2idl.org/glossary.jsonld.

Stable identifiers: Concepts, definitions, sources, and the glossary concept scheme are published under the persistent namespace https://id.i2idl.org/.

SPARQL: The glossary can also be queried directly through a read-only SPARQL endpoint at https://id.i2idl.org/sparql.

Knowledge Graph Explorer: Browse semantic relationships, investigate shortest paths, and compare concepts through the I2IDL Graph Explorer. Each glossary concept also links directly to its graph view.

Source foundations: LeBOK + Modernizing Learning + The Science of Remote Learning + Exploring Learning Engineering Design Decision Tracking + World Bank Reimagining Human Connections + UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Teachers + UNESCO UIS National Education Statistical Capacity Assessment + IEEE LTSC + IEEE xAPI Base Standard + xAPI Profiles Specification + IEEE ICICLE + UNESCO Thesaurus + CIRCLS / Digital Promise Unveiling the Value of Exploration + OECD Education at a Glance 2026LeBOK ↗Modernizing Learning ↗The Science of Remote Learning ↗Learning Engineering Design Decision Tracking ↗World Bank EdTech Approach ↗UNESCO AI Competency Framework ↗UNESCO UIS LASER Report ↗IEEE LTSC standards ↗IEEE xAPI Base Standard ↗xAPI Profiles Specification ↗IEEE ICICLE ↗UNESCO Education domain ↗CIRCLS / Digital Promise report ↗OECD Education at a Glance 2026 ↗
Copyright & licensing

Open by default, with source licenses preserved.

© 2026 Institute for Infrastructure and Interoperable Data in Learning (I2IDL).

Except where otherwise noted, original glossary definitions, editorial content, compilation, and organization created by I2IDL are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Some entries incorporate or adapt material from third-party resources. Those portions remain subject to the license or usage terms identified with their respective sources, including CC BY 4.0 IGO, CC BY 4.0, CC BY-NC 4.0, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO, and Apache License 2.0. Reference-only IEEE standards material remains subject to IEEE terms. The I2IDL CC BY 4.0 license does not supersede third-party rights and does not apply to third-party trademarks or source code unless separately stated.

I2IDL original: CC BY 4.0 Modernizing Learning: CC BY 4.0 IGO The Science of Remote Learning: CC BY 4.0 Totino & Kessler (2025): CC BY 4.0 World Bank EdTech Approach: CC BY 3.0 IGO CIRCLS / Digital Promise: CC BY-NC 4.0 OECD Education at a Glance 2026: CC BY 4.0 IEEE ICICLE: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Teachers: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO UNESCO UIS National Education Statistical Capacity Assessment: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO UNESCO Thesaurus: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO LeBOK: used with permission IEEE LTSC: IEEE terms apply IEEE xAPI Base Standard: Apache 2.0 xAPI Profiles Specification: Apache 2.0
Source, editorial & licensing note

This glossary is an I2IDL-curated reference assembled from multiple source traditions. Source and license indicators appear on individual glossary entries so downstream users can distinguish I2IDL-original material from source-specific adaptations and references.

LeBOK material is used with permission. For LeBOK citations, I2IDL links to the narrowest topic or subtopic page located in the current LeBOK hierarchy rather than using a Knowledge Area landing page as evidence for an individual term. A Direct LeBOK topic indicator means the linked LeBOK page is specifically devoted to that concept; Discussed in LeBOK means the concept is substantively addressed within the linked page but does not have a standalone page of its own.

Modernizing Learning: Building the Future Learning Ecosystem is cited as Walcutt, J.J. & Schatz, S. (Eds.) (2019), Washington, DC: Government Publishing Office, and is available under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0 IGO. Where this glossary adapts that work, the adaptation is by I2IDL; views and opinions expressed in the adaptation are the sole responsibility of I2IDL and are not endorsed by the U.S. Government. Entry-level Modernizing Learning citations use the ERIC-hosted PDF and open at a mapped printed page within the cited passage; where the glossary term can be located directly within the cited pages, the link opens at its first cited occurrence, otherwise at the first cited page. The U.S. Government Publishing Office record remains the canonical publication link in Source foundations.

The The Science of Remote Learning, cited as Goodell, J. & Kessler, A. (2020), is a beta-version synthesis of cognitive science concepts and remote-learning strategies hosted by MIT Open Learning and licensed under CC BY 4.0. Entry-level citations open directly to the PDF page where the cited concept or strategy is discussed.

Totino, L. & Kessler, A. (2025), Exploring Learning Engineering Design Decision Tracking: Emergent Themes from Practitioners’ Work, published in TechTrends 69, 816-831, is licensed under CC BY 4.0. I2IDL glossary definitions may adapt concepts from that article with attribution; entry-level citations use the Springer-hosted PDF and open at the specific PDF page where the cited concept, code, or finding is discussed.

World Bank (2020), Reimagining Human Connections: Technology and Innovation in Education at the World Bank, is available under CC BY 3.0 IGO. Entry-level World Bank citations open the official World Bank-hosted PDF at the specific page containing the cited definition, principle, or supporting passage.

UNESCO (2024), AI Competency Framework for Teachers, ISBN 978-92-3-100707-1, is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO. Entry-level citations retain the exact physical PDF page, report page, section, and relationship information for the cited framework definition, competency, principle, or supporting passage; the source link opens the official UNESCO report page, where users can access or download the publication.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2025), National Education Statistical Capacity Assessment: Global Analysis Based on a Maturity Model, ISBN 978-92-9189-336-2, is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO. Entry-level citations open the official UNESCO Institute for Statistics PDF at the exact physical PDF page where the concept is introduced or defined, while the visible citation detail preserves both the physical PDF page and the report's printed page number.

The UNESCO Thesaurus Education domain and its fourteen education microthesauri are incorporated as a structured vocabulary source. UNESCO-sourced glossary cards define the underlying education term itself; the thesaurus domain and microthesaurus structure is used for provenance and navigation rather than as the definition. This glossary contains information from The UNESCO Thesaurus which is made available by UNESCO under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO license. UNESCO-derived portions retain that license and link directly to the relevant UNESCO domain or microthesaurus page.

The IEEE ICICLE Learning Engineering Process is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0; adapted portions derived from that resource retain that license.

IEEE LTSC entries identify and link to standards represented on the LTSC active standards page and to relevant IEEE Standards Association records; the glossary does not relicense IEEE standards text. IEEE status labels reflect the IEEE Standards Association catalog, including the Inactive-Reserved status currently shown for IEEE 1484.13.3-2014 and IEEE 1484.13.6-2015.

The IEEE xAPI Base Standard documentation is an IEEE SA Open Source Project licensed under the Apache License 2.0. I2IDL adaptations based on those open-source documents identify the specific source document and section at the entry level.

The xAPI Profiles Specification is also licensed under the Apache License 2.0; glossary entries derived from it link to the exact named definition anchor when the specification formally defines a term, or to the correct specification section plus an exact-text fragment for the operative supporting passage; broader supporting passages are labeled as supporting rather than direct definitions.

The Unveiling the Value of Exploration: Insights from NSF-Funded Research on Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning, cited as Prado, Y. et al. (2024), Digital Promise, DOI 10.51388/20.500.12265/230, is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. I2IDL glossary definitions derived from the report are editorial adaptations for this noncommercial reference; source-derived portions remain subject to the report's noncommercial license. Entry-level citations open the CIRCLS-hosted PDF at the exact physical PDF page containing the cited concept or supporting passage; because this report's printed page numbering matches the physical PDF page numbering, the citation detail records both values explicitly.

OECD (2026), Education at a Glance 2026: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, DOI 10.1787/b4968bbc-en, is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Where I2IDL adapts material from this source, the OECD-required adaptation notice is preserved: This is an adaptation of an original work by the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed in an I2IDL adaptation should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its Member countries. The OECD license does not apply to third-party material identified within the publication; such material remains subject to the rights of its respective owners.

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