I2IDL / Reference

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 v0.0.29 Last updated September 24, 2026 · 3:24 PM EDT
Concept of the day

Loading…

Growing reference
0

curated entries spanning learning science, digital systems, design, interoperability, analytics, privacy, governance, and operations.

Type
Field
Source
No matching entries.Try a broader search or reset the filters.
Help maintain the reference

Suggest a resource or request a removal.

If you know an authoritative resource we should consider, or if you are a rights holder or source steward and would like a resource or adapted glossary entry reviewed or removed, contact I2IDL.

Suggest a resource / request removal
Source foundations: LeBOK + Modernizing Learning + The Science of Remote Learning + Exploring Learning Engineering Design Decision Tracking + IEEE LTSC + IEEE xAPI Base Standard + xAPI Profiles Specification + IEEE ICICLE + UNESCO ThesaurusLeBOK ↗Modernizing Learning ↗The Science of Remote Learning ↗Learning Engineering Design Decision Tracking ↗IEEE LTSC standards ↗IEEE xAPI Base Standard ↗xAPI Profiles Specification ↗IEEE ICICLE ↗UNESCO Education domain ↗
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-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 IEEE ICICLE: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 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. LeBOK material is used with permission. 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. 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 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. Source and license indicators appear on individual glossary entries so downstream users can distinguish I2IDL-original material from source-specific adaptations and references. 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. 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.

Back to top ↑