Supporting learning for the Voluntary & Community Sector and Social Enterprises

Glossary

a
AACSsearch for term
Adult Advancement and Careers Service
ACEVOsearch for term
Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations
ACLsearch for term
Adult and Community Learning
Action Plansearch for term
A formal agreement between a tutor and learner setting out what will be achieved with target dates
AGMsearch for term
Annual General Meeting
Aimsearch for term
General statement outlining what the trainer hopes to achieve during a training session or programme of training.
ALIsearch for term
Adult Learning Inspectorate. Former inspectorate for adult learning, now merged with Ofsted
AP(E)Lsearch for term
Accreditation of Prior (Experimental Learning)
Assessmentsearch for term
The process of making judgements about the extent to which a learner's work meets the assessment criteria of a unit, or any additional assessment requirements of a qualification
Assessment methodssearch for term
Instrument chosen to assess a given outcome e.g written test, skills test, observation of learner performance, reports and questioning.
Assessment recordssearch for term
Documents used to record the outcome of an assessment, e.g an organisation proforma or observation report.
Assessorsearch for term
The person making a decision as to a candidate's competence.
Asylum Seekersearch for term
Person fleeing state persecution/violence in their country, seeking refuge and safety in another country
b
BASISsearch for term
Building and Sustaining Infrastructure Services. Big Lottery Fund prorgramme which funds third sector infrastructure organisations
BASSACsearch for term
Bristish Association of Settelements and Social Action Centres. A membership network of multi purpose community organisations
BERRsearch for term
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
BISsearch for term
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
BLFsearch for term
Big Lottery fund. Distributes National Lottery money to support voluntary and community groups
BME (or BMC or BOME)search for term
Black and Minority Ethnic,or Black and Minority Communities, or Black and Other Minority Ethnic
BSLsearch for term
British Sign Language
BTEGsearch for term
Black Training and Enterprise Group
c
CABsearch for term
Citizens Advice Bureau
CAFsearch for term
Charities Aid Foundation. An independent charity providing products and services to charities in the UK and internationally.
Capacity Buildingsearch for term
Often used to describe the process of supporting third sector organisations to develop their ability to deliver services
CEOsearch for term
Chief Executive Officer
CESsearch for term
Charities Evaluation Service
CFOsearch for term
Co-Financing Organisation. Public Sector intermediary organisation
ChangeUpsearch for term
Government initiative to strenthen the third sector.
CICsearch for term
Community Interest Company
CIFsearch for term
Common Inspection Framework. Informs all Ofsted inspections. Sets out the judgements inspectors will make and principles that apply during inspections of Further Education and skills providers.
CIOsearch for term
Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Competencesearch for term
Ability to do something to a set agreed standard, normally measured by undertaking an observable process or producing a final product (see assessment methods)
CPDsearch for term
Continuous Professional Development
Critical Path Analysissearch for term
Logical sequence of steps needed to go through to complete a task.
CTLLSsearch for term
Certificate in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector. Qualification for teachers of adults
CVSsearch for term
Council for Voluntary Service
d
DBISsearch for term
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (formerly DIUS)
DCSFsearch for term
Department for Children, Schools and Families
DDAsearch for term
Disability Discrimination Act
Diagnostic assessmentsearch for term
The assessment methods used to discover strengths and weaknesses in a learners work and determine future action
Diagnostic meetingsearch for term
A meeting to determine the present level of skills and knowledge of a learner, and, normally, to determine a future programme for further development.
DTLLSsearch for term
Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector. Qualification for teachers of adults
DWPsearch for term
Department for Work and Pensions
e
E-learningsearch for term
Electronic learning - learning which is supported or enhanced through the application of information and communication technology.
E-learning onlinesearch for term
Electronic learning via an internet or intranet.
ECMsearch for term
Every Child Matters
EHRCsearch for term
Equality and Human Rights Commission. Replaces the commission for Racial Equality, Disabililty Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission. The Commission is the independent advocate for equality and human rights in Britain.
ESFsearch for term
European Social Fund.
ESOLsearch for term
English for Speakers of Other Languages.
Evaluationsearch for term
Gathering information to give a measure of the effectiveness of the training which has been delivered.
External Verifiersearch for term
Appointed to ensure that all assessments undertaken within centres are fair, valid, consistent and meet the required standards.
f
FAQssearch for term
Frequently Asked Questions
FCDLsearch for term
Federation for Communit Development Learning
FEsearch for term
Further Education
Feedbacksearch for term
Written or oral information given to learners regarding their progress.
Formative assessmentsearch for term
On-going assessment carried out throughout a programme of learning.
Full Cost Recoverysearch for term
Making sure that all the costs of running a project, group or activity are costed and included in any bid or application.
g
GOSEsearch for term
Government Office for the South East
GOSWsearch for term
Government Office for the South West
Guided learning hourssearch for term
The number of hours of teacher-supervised or directed study time required to teach a qualification or unit of a qualification.
h
HEsearch for term
Higher Education
HLFsearch for term
Heritage Lottery Fund
Holistic reportsearch for term
A written statement reflecting a candidate's experience.
HSEsearch for term
Health and Safety Executive
i
IAGsearch for term
Information, Advice and Guidance
Ice breakerssearch for term
Fun and light-hearted ways of introducing learners to each other.
ICTsearch for term
Information and Communications Technology
IDeAsearch for term
Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government
IfLsearch for term
Institute for Learning. The professional body for teachers and trainers
IiPsearch for term
Investors in People
ILPsearch for term
Individual Learning Programme (see also Action Plan)
ILTsearch for term
Information and Learning Technology - the use of information and communication technologies to support learner activities.
infrastructure organisationsearch for term
An organisation which offers support to voluntary and community groups and/or social enterprises. Also referred to as umbrella or support organisations.
Initial Assessmentsearch for term
A way of ascertaining learning styles. Assessment methods used to discover strengths and areas for development in a learner's work and determine future action. A means of measuring a learner's ability, eg a literacy test.
Internal Verifiersearch for term
Appointed by a centre to ensure that all assessments undertaken within the centre are fair, valid, consistent and meet the requirements of the standards.
Internetsearch for term
Worldwide computer network
Intranetsearch for term
An organisation's own network
ISOsearch for term
Infrastructure Support Organisation
ISPsearch for term
Internet Service Provider
ITsearch for term
Information Technology - the computer infrastructure, hardware and software used to process data and deliver information.
j
JSAsearch for term
Job Seekers Allowance
k
KPIsearch for term
Key Performance Indicator. Measure set to monitor progress against objectives.
l
LAsearch for term
Local Authority
LAAsearch for term
Local Area Agreement. An agreement between a local authority and its partners and government around outcomes, indicators and targets for work in that geographical area
LEAsearch for term
Local Education Authority
Learning Outcomesearch for term
A statement of what a learner can be expected to know, understand or do as a result of a process of learning.
Learning Stylesearch for term
Particular way in which an individual prefers to learn e.g visual, aural, kinesthetic
Levelsearch for term
An indication of the relative demand, complexity and/or depth of achievement, and/or the autonomy of the learner in demonstrating that achievement.
LGBTsearch for term
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
LIOsearch for term
Local Infrastructure Organisation
LLUKsearch for term
The Sector Skills Council (SSC) for lifelong learning in the UK
Local Infrastructure Organisationsearch for term
Local Infrastructure Organisation
LSCsearch for term
Learning and Skills Council. Body which oversees planning and funding of post 16 education, training and skills. to be replaced in 2010 by Skills Funding Agency and Young People's Learning Agency
LSISsearch for term
The Learning and Skills Improvement Service. New body (2009), formed from CEL (Centre for Excellence in Leadership) and QIA (Quality Improvement Agency) to develop excellent and sustainable FE provision across the sector.
LSPsearch for term
Local Strategic Partnership. Overal strategic partnership with representation of public services, community and voluntary sector/social economy, private sector. Usually covers a local authority area.
m
Mentoringsearch for term
Mentoring is the long term passing on of support, guidance and advice. In the workplace it has tended to describe a relationship in which a more experienced colleague uses their greater knowledge and understanding of the work or workplace to support the development of a more junior or inexperienced member of staff. This comes from the Greek myth where Odysseus entrusts the education of his son to his friend Mentor.
MEPsearch for term
Member of the European Parliament
Micro-teachingsearch for term
Delivery to peers in a learning setting
Monitoringsearch for term
Monitoring is about collecting information that will help you answer questions about your project. It is important that this information is collected in a planned, organised and routine way. You can use this information to report on your project and to help you evaluate.
Moodlesearch for term
Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. Open source e-learning software platform designed to help educators create online courses.
MPsearch for term
Member of Parliament
Multi-mediasearch for term
The use of various types of equipment to present text, graphics, video, animation and sound in an integrated way.
n
NASsearch for term
National Apprenticeship Service
National Occupational Standards search for term
Describes what a person needs to do, know and understand in a job to carry out the role in a consistent and competent way.
NAVCAsearch for term
National Association for Voluntary and Community Action
NCVCCOsearch for term
National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations
NCVOsearch for term
National Council of Voluntary Organisations. Overall umbrella body for voluntary organisations with a strong focus on national voluntary organisations/charities
NCVYSsearch for term
National Council for Voluntary Youth Services. National agency to support local umbrella organisations that support young people's organisations in the voluntary sector
NEETsearch for term
Not in Education, Employment or Training. Refers to young people under 19.
NESsearch for term
National Employer Service
NIACEsearch for term
National Institute of Adult Continuing Education
NOMSsearch for term
National Offender Management Service
NOSsearch for term
National Occupational Standards.
NVQsearch for term
National Vocational Qualification. work-related, competence-based qualification based on national occupational standards (NOS), which reflect the skills and knowledge needed to do a job effectively, and show that a candidate is competent in that area of work.
NVQsearch for term
National Vocational Qualification
o
Ofqualsearch for term
Regulator of qualifications
OTLsearch for term
Observation of Teaching and Learning. Planned observations of teaching sessions as part of on-going quality monitoring.
OUsearch for term
Open University
p
Pathwaysearch for term
A route to the achievement of a qualification
Pedagogysearch for term
Tutor centred learning
PQASSOsearch for term
Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations. Process by which organisations can evidence that their systems operate to a good standard. Development and owned by CES.
PTTLSsearch for term
The Award in preparing to teach in the lifelong sector (previously referred to as a 'passport' or 'initial award'.
q
QCFsearch for term
Qualification and Credit Framework
QTLS Frameworksearch for term
Qualified teacher learning and skills framework
Qualification and Credit Frameworksearch for term
Designed to provide an inclusive and flexible regulated framework containing units and qualifications that recognise a wide range of quality assured learner achievements.
r
RDAsearch for term
Regional Development Agency
s
S-TSsearch for term
Skills - Third Sector. New National Body to be launched September 2009 to support the workforce development in the third sector.
SARsearch for term
Self Assessment Report. Required report for all providers of government funded training. Links to Common Assessment Framework.
Sector Skills Councilsearch for term
Body responsible for formulating and reviewing occupational standards for a specific sector across the UK, and supporting the development of Units and qualifications based on these standards. Employer-led, independent organisation licensed by government.
SFAsearch for term
Skills Funding Agency. Oversees the distribution of funds to the FE sector for adults and skills and manages performance of FE colleges
SfLsearch for term
Skills for Life. Also known as Basic Skills. Refers to skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT.
SKiLDsearch for term
Skills and Knowledge for Local Development. NAVCA project which supports development workers in infrastructure organisations
Skills analysissearch for term
Breakdown of a task/job into its component skills (sometimes known as task analysis)
Skills-Third Sectorsearch for term
New national body to be launched September 2009 to support workforce development in the third sector.
Skypesearch for term
Software application that allows users to make voice calls over the internet.
SLAsearch for term
Service Level Agreement
SMARTsearch for term
Specific, measurable, achieveable, realistic, time bound
Social Enterprisesearch for term
A business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners. Social enterprises can include; consumer cooperatives, mutuals, housing associations, trading arms of charities, worker and consumer co-operatives, community businesses, development trusts, social firms, intermediate labour market projects and social businesses.
SORPsearch for term
Statement of Recommended Practice
SSCsearch for term
Sector Skills Council
Summative assessmentsearch for term
An assessment made to determine the final level of achievement. Often done by a final test or examination.
SWRDAsearch for term
South West Regional Development Agency. RDA for the South West region
t
TNAsearch for term
Training Needs Analysis (or Assessment). involves the systematic identification of the skills and knowledge required by an organisation/individual compared with an ‘inventory’ of existing skills and knowledge. A TNA enables the identification of training needs.
Train to Gainsearch for term
Government initiative providing funding and support to encourage employers to access training and qualifications for their workforces.
u
ULNsearch for term
Unique Learner Number
Umbrella Organisationsearch for term
An organisation which provides support, information and advice to Voluntary and Community groups. Also known as "infrastructure organisations"
Unitsearch for term
A coherent and explicit set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria, with a title, credit value and level.
v
VACSRsearch for term
Valid, authentic, current, sufficient, reliable
VARKsearch for term
Visual, aural, read/write, kinesthetic
VCOsearch for term
Voluntary Community Organisation
VCSsearch for term
Voluntary Community Sector
VCSEsearch for term
Voluntary and Community and Social Enterprise
w
WEAsearch for term
Workers' Educational Association
y
YOTsearch for term
Youth Offending Team
YPLAsearch for term
Young People's Learning Agency. Supports local authorities in the new role in commissioning and funding 14-19 provision