Glossary of Terms
Academic Year - Three consecutive terms starting in Summer and progressing to Fall and finishing in Spring.
At-Risk Student - A student who is enrolled in basic skills course, on academic probation, or does not have an education plan
Basic Skills Course - Basic skills are foundational reading, writing, and mathematics courses. These courses have course numbers that are less than 070
Capacity - aka "Cap" the number of seats made available for registration
College Level Course - A course whose number is greater than 099
Curriculum Cap - Maximum course capacity determined by subject pedagogy
Scheduled Cap - The total number of classroom seats available to be occupied by students in the given term
Cohort - A selected population established for tracking purposes
Developmental Education Course - A course whose course number is greater than 069 and less than 100
Distance Education - (DE) means instruction in which the instructor and student are separated by distance and interact through the assistance of communication technology
Face-to-Face - Traditional classroom instruction. 51% or more of course delivery is done with the student and instructor in the same location
Fill Rate - The number of enrollments as a percentage of scheduled capacity
FTEF - Full-time Equivalent Faculty refers to the load factor associated with each section assignment
FTES - (Full Time Equivalent Student) 1 FTES = 525 contact hours
Headcount - A distinct count of student population where each student is counted only once
Hybrid Course - A course that uses both communication technology similar to DE and face-to-face classroom instruction
Institutional Average - The current average level for a measure at the institution
Institutional Set Standards - The minimum level for a measure at the institution
Online Course - Course delivery is within guidelines of DE and 100% instruction in which the instructor and student are separated by distance and interact through the assistance of communication technology
Persistence Rate - The ratio of students who continue enrollment from one term to another. Persistence is often confused with retention, which refers to maintaining enrollment within the term
Population - The collection of all individuals or items in a statistical study
Retention Rate - The ratio of students enrolled at census who remain in a section to the end of the term
Success Rate - The ratio of students enrolled at census who receive a passing grade.
Waitlist - The number of students who are waiting to enroll in a section.
Withdraw Rate - The ratio of students enrolled at census who withdraw from the class.