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Definitions for the Syrian Virtual University Terms |
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Academic Year: |
The period during which the university is in session. The SVU
Academic year consists of two main semesters: Fall and Spring and
two shorter semesters during the Summer. The
partner-universities
may have a different division of their Academic Year.
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Accreditation: |
Evaluation of a postsecondary institution by one of the locally
registered accrediting commissions. In Syria, the Ministry of
Higher Education is the official agency to evaluate universities.
Institutions and/or programs that request an agency's evaluation
and that meet an agency's criteria are then "accredited" by that
agency. All the SVU partner-universities are accredited by their
respective accrediting bodies and all the SVU degrees are
accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education.
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Admission: |
The process to allow a candidate
(prospective student)
entrance to
undertake a course of study at the University.
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Advisor: |
A professional counselor or faculty member who provides
information regarding requirements of various programs of study
and career options. An advisor is usually assigned to each
enrolled student.
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Assessment: |
The method by which a student's academic progress and performance
is measured in a unit. A student’s assessment is usually the
result of examinations, tests, assignments, participation, etc.
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Associate Degree: |
An award that requires the completion of at least two academic
years of college-level work or the equivalent in an academic or
occupationally specific field of study, and which meets
institutional standards for otherwise satisfying the requirements
for this degree level.
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Asynchronous: |
Literally means "not at the same time." An asynchronous course is
one in which the instruction is delivered upon demand and that can
be accessed by students as many times as needed, at any time.
Asynchronous courses are self-explanatory and student-led. In
asynchronous courses, students and tutors use e-mail, discussion
forums or other technologies which allow them to communicate
without having to be in the same place at the same time.
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Bachelor Degree: |
An award that requires the completion of at least four academic
years of college-level work or the equivalent in an academic or
occupationally specific field of study, and which meets
institutional standards for otherwise satisfying the requirements
for this degree level. Also called a Baccalaureate degree.
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Certificate: |
An award offered to recognize the work performed and skills or
learning acquired by taking a particular class or series of
classes. It may or may not apply toward a license or other degree.
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Course: |
A focused body of instruction offered by an education provider. A
course may be made up of one or more classes, units or modules.
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Credit: |
A unit of measure used in higher education. At some institutions a
credit is the equivalent to the number of contact hours. How
credits equate to contact hours vary at each institution. Also
referred to as academic credit.
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Credit Hour: |
An hour (or nearly an hour) of instruction given over a specific
period in a semester quarter system. It is applied toward the total number of hours
needed for completing the requirements of a traditional,
credit-based degree, diploma, certificate or other formal award.
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Doctoral Degree: |
An award and formal recognition for advanced study beyond the
Bachelor's and Master's degree. It generally takes two to four
years of full time course work. It is the highest degree available
in most areas of study.
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Grade: |
refers to the alpha-numeric code used to signify a range of
percentage marks or status of a result.
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Master Degree: |
A post graduate degree that a student can obtain after completing
a bachelor degree with a required number of years of experience.
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Online Learning: |
Courses offered online that do not require the student to be on
campus for most or all class participation. Students can work with
course materials at their own convenience or they can work
collaboratively on class projects using tools like chat and
discussion groups (bulletin boards).
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Online library: |
See Virtual Library.
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Partner University: |
The Syrian Virtual University offers International Degrees from
renowned universities worldwide, called the partner-universities.
The SVU is engaged to partner with accredited institutions only. This is a must in order to maintain the
standards set initially and to ensure quality reputation for all
the partners as well.
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PhD: |
Doctor of Philosophy - the principal research degree, for graduate
students, offered by Higher Education Institutions.
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Postgraduate Student: |
A student who is taking courses toward a Master or Doctoral
Degree.
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Prerequisites: |
A successfully completed course or courses, skills, or knowledge a
student must possess and demonstrate to the satisfaction of an
instructor prior to enrolling and taking a class. For example,
knowing how to create spreadsheets may be a prerequisite for a
class on business accounting.
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Professional courses: |
Courses provided by different institutions and universities as
training sessions which are self-paced and can be accessed at anytime
and anywhere, without the attendance of a tutor or colleagues. At
the end of the course the student may obtain a certificate of
completion which is not an academic award.
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Prospective Student: |
candidate or potential candidate of an academic institution.
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Quarter: |
An academic period used by some colleges and universities,
typically lasting about 10 weeks. An institution on quarters may
have three or four quarters in an academic year, depending on how
the summer term is defined.
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Registrar: |
Office responsible for collecting and maintaining student academic
records at the university.
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Self-paced Course: |
Course that students can go through at their own speed. Students
are not expected to proceed through self-paced courses with a
cohort or group. There often is a maximum time limit to complete
the course, but this time limit is usually far longer than it
would normally take to finish the material.
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Semester: |
A slice of the Academic Year, typically lasting between 22-30
weeks. The student may have two or three semesters in an academic
year depending on the university.
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SVU Programs: |
Programs that are designed and delivered by the SVU as opposed to
International Programs designed and offered by the
partner-universities. The SVU is the only Virtual University to
provide online academic programs in Arabic.
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Synchronous: |
Literally means "at the same time." A synchronous course is one in
which the instructors and students meet at the same time using
real-time technologies such as Virtual Classroom, Chat, Video-Conferencing, etc.
Communication and interaction between participants is instant.
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Telecenter: |
Computer labs managed by the Syrian Virtual University to provide
SVU students with computers and reliable/stable Internet
connection so they can complete their studies and attend classes.
Telecenters offer on-site technical and administrative support.
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Tuition: |
Amount of money charged to students for instructional services.
Tuition may be charged on a per term, per course, or per-credit
basis.
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Tutor: |
Academic Subject Matter Expert employed to provide teaching
assistance or instruction to a group of students.
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Undergraduate Student: |
A student who is taking courses toward an Associate or Bachelor
Degree.
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Virtual Classroom: |
The online learning space where students and instructors interact
in real-time (See Synchronous). The main components are:
- Whiteboard: An electronic version of a dry-erase
board that enables learners in a virtual classroom to view what
an instructor, presenter, or fellow learner writes or draws.
- Videoconferencing: Using video and audio enable class
attendees to see and talk to each other live.
- Chat: Real-time text-based communication in a virtual
environment. Chat can be used in e-learning for student
questions, instructor feedback, or even group discussion.
- Desktop and Application Sharing: Enables participants
located in different places to remotely share, view or use each
other’s desktops and applications in real time.
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Virtual Education: |
Is the latest generation of distance learning It depends on online
learning principles but is more advanced and allows for greater
interaction and communication via enhanced real-time technologies
(See Synchronous).
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Virtual Library: |
An electronic library is a pool of academic and professional
resources which can be accessed through an advanced search engine.
Students and faculty may access large numbers of various available
online resources (News paper and magazines articles, e-books…). |
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