Glossary of Terms

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A
AA	Armed Forces of the Americas state code.
AACTE	American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. This organization is the leading voice on educator preparation. AACTE represents more than 800 postsecondary institutions with educator preparation programs dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are ready to teach all learners.
AACU	Association of American Colleges & Universities. The leading national association dedicated to advancing the vitality and public standing of liberal education by making quality and equity the foundations for excellence in undergraduate education in service to democracy.
AAHAM	The American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management. The premier professional organization in healthcare administrative management. AAHAM is a resource center for information, education and advocacy in the areas of reimbursement, admitting and registration, data management, medical records, patient relations and much more.
AASA	American Association of School Administrators. The professional organization for educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education.
AB	Alberta province code.
Academic Calendar	ACE schedules multiple five-week and ten-week terms each year for the students’ convenience. There is a one-to two-week break between terms.
Academic Council	This committee creates policies and procedures for the institution, reviews the data to validate the effectiveness of the programs, and recommends and approves enhancements to the educational programs.
Academic Data Mart (ADM)	This is the in-house database for Canvas data. The Canvas application does not have a database we can connect to and do reporting from. Instead, we build the ADM based on transactions from Canvas that we read from API (application programming interface) calls and flat files each night.
Academic Integrity	Academic dishonesty, which includes but is not limited to plagiarism, collusion, abuse of resource materials, conspiracy to plagiarize, or cheating on an examination or other academic work, is subject to disciplinary action.
Academic Integrity/Plagiarism Reporting	If an ACE faculty member believes a student has violated the Academic Integrity Policy, the faculty member should submit the “Academic Integrity/Plagiarism Reporting Form” available in Faculty Commons. These reports will be routed to the department chair or program director for further review.
Academic Probation	Academic Probation is assigned to a provisionally admitted student or when a student on Academic Warning status is not successful in raising his or her cumulative GPA to the appropriate GPA.
Academic Warning	Academic Warning is assigned when a student’s cumulative grade point average falls below a 2.0 for undergraduate and 3.0 for graduate and all Nursing (RN-MSN, RN-BSN, and BSN-MSN) students. The status is assigned for two terms to provide students the opportunity to raise their GPA. If the GPA is not raised to the academic achievement level at this time, they will be placed on Academic Probation.
Acalog	Software to produce, house, and track the ACE Catalog and the Data and Reporting Dictionary.
ACE Catalog	Project management tracking systems (Microsoft planner) where information is housed that needs to be added, edited, modified, removed for each catalog version.
ACE Mobile	The College launched the ACE Mobile App to provide students better access to College interfaces and resources. Features include College announcements and incoming alerts, access to the ACE calendar, accces to student account information and the College Catalog, mobile course access and enrollment information, easy access to the online store for ACE-branded merchandise, and Mindfulness Resources.
ACHE	American College of Healthcare Executives. This organization focuses on one mission - advancing leaders and the field of healthcare management.
Active Enrollments	A student whose enrollment record indicates their status is Active. A student who is currently active in courses towards their enrollment.
Active Waiting for Class	A status for students actively enrolled at ACE but are not currently enrolled in a class. This status results from a course drop or stop-out during the program.
ADC	Access & Diversity Collaborative. This organization exists to provide robust information and tools to higher education institutions as they develop and implement policies and practices in support of educational access and diversity.
Administrative Withdrawal	An ACE-initiated separation from the institution due to non-payment, inactivity in the course, exceeding maximum extensions, violation of the admissions and/or registration requirement,s or failure to return from Leave of Absence. This status is not applicable for newly admitted students. Conditions for returning to the College are the same as those in a Withdrawn status.
Admissions Appeal	Potential students have the right to appeal a decision in regards to his/her admission to the College. An applicant appealing a decision should submit a written request with a full description of the rationale and supporting evidence as to why an admissions appeal should be granted.
Admitted	An applicant who has been reviewed and has met admissions standards for the program and term start date on his/her application.
Adobe Connect	Suite of software for remote training, web conferencing, presentation, and desktop sharing.
AE	Armed Forces of Europe state code.
AIDU	Annual Institutional Data Update
AK	Alaska state code.
AL	Alabama state code.
Alumni	Former student of ACE-ACE’s Alumni continue the ACE tradition of improving the fields of education, leadership, and healthcare through shared knowledge and experience.
ANA	American Nurses Association. This organization improves patient care through supporting both individuals and organizations to advance the nursing profession.
AONE	Association of Nurse Executives. The association advances the professional development of nurse leaders through innovative and competency-based learning experiences.
AP	Armed Forces of the Pacific state code.
APA	American Psychological Association. ACE utilizes the 7th Edition of the DSM as the standardized format for citing scholarly references. Papers and original discussion posts should be in APA style.
API	Application Programming Interface. A way to programmatically interact with separate software componenets or resources.
Appeal	An action for candidates or students needing to dispute a policy or decision at ACE. An appeal can be used for admissions, grade, or general policies/decisions.
Application	An individual who has applied or is applying to a program or course of student at ACE. Someone in this status has not been admitted to the College yet and must be reviewed by admissions.
APR	Annual Program Review
AR	Arkansas state code.
ASCA	American School Counselor Association. This organization supports school counselors’ efforts to help students focus on academic, career and social/emotional development so they achieve success in school and are prepared to lead fulfilling lives as responsible members of society. ASCA provides professional development publications and other resources, research and advocacy to school counselors around the globe.
Attendance	An attendance policy is required by the Higher Learning Commission to fulfill a federal compliance mandate. ACE attendance is measured by student’s engagement in the course at least once in the first five days of the term. To maintain registration in the course, students must complete the Mandatory Attendance Verification form by 5:00 p.m. PST on Friday of the first week. Students who do not complete the Attendance Verification form by this time are administratively withdrawn from the course.
Attrition	Permanent leave (withdrawal, dismissal) after matriculation: students who show up for the course, but drop after the drop date (in any courses).
AZ	Arizona state code.
Azure	Azure is a public cloud computing platform with solutions including Infrastructure, Platform and Software services that can be used for analytics, virtual computing, storage, networking, etc.
Azure DevOps	A Microsoft software platform that provides end-to-end tool chain management for developing and deploying software.
B
B Corp	Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
BA	Bachelor of Arts degree.
BC	British Columbia province code.
Benchmark	MAT/T2T students at ACE must pass three benchmarks during their coursework to advance to student teaching. Students who are not able to pass the benchmarks will be scheduled for non-licensure tracks which will allow them to earn a degree but not receive a teaching license.
Biosig	ACE requires a biometric sign-in for all courses. The sign-in process provides ACE’s students with an additional layer of security and will also ensure the integrity of ACES’s courses. All students will create a BioSigID account during orientation in Canvas.
BOT	Board of Trustees. This board provides guidance to the institution and receives regular updates on the academic and fiscal state of the College, as well as progress on strategic goals.
BPE	Board for Proprietary Education
C
CA	California state code.
CAEP	Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. CAEP seeks to increase the value of accreditation and to increase participation, building on the decades of institutional knowledge of education’s previous accreditors.
CampusNexus Student	Student Information System (SIS) for higher education provided by Campus Management Corp. (now Anthology).
Cancel	A school status issued to new students who have enrolled at ACE and never matriculates. The student may submit a cancellation form or can be administratively canceled due to nonpayment or non-activity in his/her class.
Canned Reports	Reports available within Campus Nexus that come standard with the product and have been developed using Crystal Reports. While a canned report cannot be modified or altered, functionality exists to create custom reports within Campus Nexus and can be requested.
Canvas	ACE’s online learning management system (LMS) that allows students to access their courses and interact with other students and faculty.
Capstone	The Capstone Experience is a culminating project spanning the length of a students program and designed to measure their growth and competency in learning the skills associated with their selected filed of study.
Career Services	Located in Student Commons, providing students with self-service resources to assist in the job search. Students can also reach out to staff for resume and cover letter reviews by email.
Carry-In	A student is considered a carry-in when the original expected start date on their enrollment record does not match the expected start date on enrollment record due to requested change in a status of enrolled or beyond. This most typically indicates a change to a later expected start date but less often could be the result of moving to an earlier expected start date.
CASA	Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad. CASA is a non-profit academic consortium of twelve leading comprehensive research universities formed for the purpose of organizing and delivering rigorous education abroad programs in collaboration with leading world universities.
CCNE	Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The specialized accreditor for ACE’s nursing programs.
Certification	Certification is granted from an external agency, such as a state professional licensing board that entitles the holder to a specific benefit, such as an increase in salary or a change in title
CHEDSS	Commission for Higher Education Data Submission System
Clinical Partner	This is a partnership managed through academics to allow for clinical affiliation agreements with educational or healthcare systems to enable students to complete elements of their program.
CN	CampusNexus, the student information system at ACE. Previously called CampusVue (CVue).
CO	Colorado state code.
College Leadership Team	Members appointed by the President, who provide overall guidance for ACE, advises the President on matters of policy and procedures, and provides weekly updates on the progress of the strategic plan, operational effectiveness and academic issues.
College Navigator	A website tool that provides selected IPEDS data to the public to obtain information from over nearly 6,000 postsecondary institutions in the United States and other areas. It offers a wide range of information including programs offered, retention rates and graduation rates, aid available, campus safety, accreditation, and estimated student expenses. This is critical information for students considering their educational options. College Navigator Link College Navigator Video Tutorial
Collusion	A scheme to defraud.
Commencement	Celebratory event for graduates. Students who are in good standing, either in graduate status, pending graduate status, or anticipated to graduate close to commencement may attend the ceremony by completing the appropriate graduation forms.
Complaint	Informal complaint consists of a difference of perspective or expectation and can be resolved with additional communication through appropriate channels. Formal complaints are defined by regulatory agencies and require specific steps to ensure fair, consistent and equitable procedures are followed. These steps are addressed in the Student Complaint Policy in the Student Handbook.
Completed, Not Conferred	A school status issued to individuals who have completed their classes; but a degree cannot be conferred due to the individual not being in (financial) good standing with the College.
Completer	Students who complete a postsecondary education program.
Concur	Travel, expense and invoice management software. Book travel in compliance with company policies. Produce and submit expense reports for approved expenses.
Conflict of Interest	A situation in which an individual’s financial, personal or professional considerations may either directly or indirectly impact or appear to impact an individual’s professional judgment in carrying out any College duty or responsibility, including the conduct or reporting of research.
COSD	Change of Start Date. A student can request to change the date in which they expect to start courses to an earlier or later term.
Course Drop	Student request to drop current course after the register/unregister period (week one). Course drops requests must be submitted by Friday of week 3 to be considered. Student stays in the program, earns a “W” in the dropped course and is still continuously enrolled in subsequent courses. Longer requests must be made by requesting a leave of absence.
Course E-Reserves	Readings for each course are accessible in the E-Reserves (located in Library Resources area in each course). The readings are divided up by module.
Course Numbering	Course numbers are set by a defined, consistent system for course identification aligned with higher education standards and readily understood on transcripts. The course numbering system uses a prefix, unique course number identifier and credit hour value.
Course Registration	It is the practice of ACE’s registration office to schedule new enrollments for their first class immediately upont enrollment. This first class, in all degree programs, is a dedicated first class and is listed as such in the College’s catalog.
CPR	Comprehensive Program Review.
Crystal Reports	Reporting tool used to create canned reports and custom reports within Campus Nexus.
CT	Connecticut state code.
Curriculum and Development Committee	Provides general oversight for the assessment and evaluation of all courses and programs and prepares recommendations for changes to the Academic Council based on direct and indirect student feedback.
Custom Reports (inside Campus Nexus)	Custom reports are those reports available within Campus Nexus that we at ACE have developed using Crystal Reports. Custom reports are represented on the Reports menu in Campus Nexus with an asterisk (*).
Customer Dynamics	Communications integration partner that provides solutions to connect ACE’s phone system (InContact) with ACE’s CRM (Microsoft Dynamics 365) for phone, webchat and autodialer functions. Additionally, they provide ACE’s ongoing support for projects related to InContact.
D
DAP	Developmentally Appropriate Practices is a teaching perspective in early childhood education where a teacher nurtures a child’s development (social, emotional, physical, and cognitive) based on the child’s cultural background (community, family history and family structure.
DC	District of Columbia state code.
DE	Delaware state code.
Degree Conferral	The recording of Graduate or Completer status from the College in the Student Information System (SIS). The recording is done after all academic requirements and financial obligations have been met. The student will be eligible to receive a diploma, verification, certification, etc.
DegreeMap	Degree maps provide college students with a clear and direct path to on-time completion. A clear degree map combined with proactive advising will guide students to on-time completion.
Degree Seeking	A student who has been admitted into an academic program that leads to an ACE degree.
Degree Type	The four main degree levels include associate, bachelors, masters, and doctorate.
Department of Continuous Improvement (CI)	Collects, analyzes and reports data related to student outcomes.
DigiArc	Academic Catalog Management. Publish catalog data that can be pulled into other websites and campus systems to ensure consistency across digital assets.
Digital Learning Connections (DLC)	A college-wide plan to infuse technology across ACE’s courses and curriculum.
Disability Accommodation	ACE provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities unless doing so would cause “undue hardship” to the College.
Discussion Board	Tool within Canvas used for interactive communication between students and instructors.
Dismissed	ACE-Initiated separation of a student from the institution in accordance with the Satisfactory Academic Policy (SAP), maximum time to completion policy, or academic integrity policy. Re-Application or Re-entry requirements are outlined in the SAP policy which can be found in Academic Policies.
Dissertation	The final documentation requirement of a doctoral candidate; consists of a demonstration of scholarly expertise through the completion of an original research project.
Dissertation Chair	Assigned to each doctoral candidate along with two dissertation committee members to guide and assist them in working towards completion of a doctoral degree.
Dissertation Committee	ACE assigns to each doctoral candidate a doctoral dissertation committee, which consists of one (1) dissertation chair and two (2) committee members, to guide and assist them in working towards completion of a doctoral degree.
DLC	Digital Learning Connections. A college-wide initiative to infuse technology across ACE’s courses and curriculum.
DLDT	Distance Learning Dataset Training. An online, interactive tool that allows you to learn about the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data products across the education spectrum and evaluate them for your particular purposes. The DLDT modules are designed to introduce you to many NCES datasets, their design, and special considerations for analysis to facilitate effective use.
DQP	Degree Qualifications Profile. Describes the knowledge, skills and applications that prepare graduates to succeed in the economy, civil society and their own lives.
Drop Out Detective	Student retention and success solution that integrates directly with Canvas to provide a “risk index” of how likely it is that each online student will drop out of or fail their online course(s).
DSS	Disability Support Services. ACE makes all efforts to comply with the requirements of applicable state and federal laws, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, in the provision of and access to post-secondary education. ACE provides reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities unless doing so would cause undue hardship to the college.
Dublabs	Empowers higher education institutions to effectively deliver the critical information students need to succeed, in a way in which they prefer.
E
EBSCO Discovery Service	Provides users with a means of accessing all of ACE’s library’s information resources through a single search.
ECSI	Educational Computer Systems, Inc. is a one-stop-shop for student loan software, loan processing, and IRS 1098 services.
ECSI Monthly Payment Plan	Tuition payment plan that divides a student’s yearly balance into equal monthly payments. There is an initial fee to set up a payment plan with ECSI, but there are no additional charges, fees, or interest unless you miss a payment.
Education Records	Defined by FERPA as records maintained by ACE, or a party acting on ACE’s behalf, and directly related and personally identifiable to a student.
Education Solutions Partner	ACE began working at the Superintendent, CEO, and CNO levels in 2023. This may result in elevating existing partners or forming new partners across all verticals. If a partnership is already in place, there may be an opportunity to promote the current discounting structure or enter into a formal agreement to serve the organizational needs. In this instance, the B2B representative will partner with field and marketing to evaluate the requirements to support the partnership to ensure success. (School Districts, Hospitals, Private Employer of Educators, Healthcare Organizations, Community College, Other)
Employee Survey	Survey to see what ACE employees think about the institution.
Employer Satisfaction Survey	Survey that asks employers of ACE graduates how they have done/progressed since completing the program. The survey is ranked in areas: content knowledge, ethics, assessment, leadership, prof. development, multicultural perspective, technology and skills.
Employer Satisfaction Survey BSN Level	Survey that asks employers of RNMSN students that have completed BSN level how they have done/ progressed so far.
Employment Verification	Evidence of full-time teaching assignment from the chief academic/department head or human resources official of the school at their current place of employment.
Engagement	To maintain registration in the course, students must complete the Mandatory Attendance Verification form by Friday of the first week.
Enrolled	A student who has been admitted, registered and enrolled in courses for an upcoming term.
Enrollment Agreement	A legally binding contract between the student and ACE stating the terms and provisions of the student’s enrollment in an academic program at the College.
Enrollment Dashboard	Dashboard view of data from the Enrollment Reports. It displays yesterday’s gross and viable leads and contact Rate. A MoY view of viable and gross leads for the year. A MoY view of the contact rate and the month’s activities. A Month by Month view of the 30, 60, 90, 120 Day Conversions.
Enrollment Management	Provides direct support to individuals seeking degree programs to fit their personal and professional goals.
EPP	Educator Preparation Programs. Per Indiana website, “refers to the institution or entity offering one or more licensure content areas.”
ESL	English as a Second Language.
Essay	Writing an academic essay means fashioning a coherent set of ideas into an argument.
Exception Policy	The College permits a student to request an exception to policies and procedures due to extenuating circumstances by completing an appeal form stating the reason the exception should be made.
Expected Start Date	The term start date a student is expected to start class.
F
Fabrication	Making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
Faculty 180	ACE’s credentialing and faculty information database.
Faculty Commons	Virtual “hub” of faculty resources. On faculty commons you will find training resources, observation rubrics and schedules, the ACE Directory, announcements for faculty, and answers to frequency asked questions.
Faculty Member	Dedicated to the success of the students. The primary role is to ensure high quality delivery of course content. They contribute to the academic learning environment though the sharing of professional knowledge and experiences. They respond to all student requests for information or clarification of course content within 24 hours. They provide feedback regarding student performance as measured by progress monitors, quizzes, discussion threads, assignments and exams.
Faculty Qualification Policy	Document that clearly identifies appropriate qualifications for specific assignments and responsibilities within the department.
FAFSA	Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Form used to apply for financial aid for college or graduate school. ACE does not participate in Title IV, thus students do not submit FAFSA forms.
Falsification	Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
FERPA	Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. A Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.
FL	Florida state code.
Florida District Partnership Survey	Required as part of overall eIPEP report-Compnonents include: Accreditation Evidence, Curriculum Outlines, Enrollment Report, Graduate Rate Report, Average GPA report, Withdrawal report, Catalog Policies, Faculty Information, Audited Financial Statement.
Focus of Study: Doctoral Level	At the Doctoral level a series of six 3-semester credit courses in an area of study, approved by ACE’s Curriculum and Assessment Committee. Upon completion of the degree requirements, including the focus of study and the dissertation, the Doctor of Education will be conferred. The focus of study will be listed on the transcript.
Focus of Study: Master’s Level	At the Master’s level, a series of three or four 3-semester credit courses concentrated in an area of study, within a degree program approved by ACE’s Curriculum and Assessment Committee. Upon completion of the degree requirements, including the focus of study courses, the Master’s degree will be conferred. The focus of study will be listed on the transcript.
G
GA	Georgia state code.
General Appeal	When a student seeks further discussion about a policy or procedural decision, the student should complete an appeal form found in the MyACE Portal, Student Commons, or ACE website. A written justification for the appeal is required. The appeal will be approved by the department leadership and escalated to the Academic Appeals Committee or senior vice president of academic affairs, whose decision is final.
Good Financial Standing	A student is considered in Good Financial Standing as long as s/he remains current in payments according to the agreed-upon financing options and/or any outstanding financial obligations have been satisfied. Only students in Good Financial Standing may continue to matriculate in their degree or certificate program.
GPA	Grade Point Average.
GPS	The acronym used to describe the Growth, Plan and Support (GPS) methodology used within Paylocity Performance Management system.
Grade Appeal	A student has the right to appeal a final course grade which they allege to be the result of arbitrary or capricious grading.
Grade Change	A faculty member or department chair can initiate an official grade change after official grades are posted due to computational or technical errors. Grades may also be changed from an “I” to an earned grade.
Graduate Exit Survey	Survey that gets student feedback from recent ACE graduates.
H
Handbook	Catalog and Student Handbook provides students with information about online degree programs, admissions requirements, academic policies and tuition information.
HCAA	Health Care Administrators Association. A nonprofit membership trade association supporting the education, networking, resource and advocacy needs of benefit administrators (TPAs), stop loss insurance carriers, managing general underwriters, audit firms, medical managers, technology organizations, pharmacy benefit managaers, brokers/agents, human resource managers, plan sponsors and health care consultants.
HelpDesk	A single point of contact for users to gain assistance in troubleshooting, get answers to questions and solve known problems. The HelpDesk at ACE manages requests with the issue tracking software, Spiceworks.
HI	Hawaii state code.
HLC	Higher Learning Commission. A federally-recognized regional accrediting agency. Accreditation ensures an institution’s academic program meets or exceeds acceptable levels of quality and is the most recognized accreditation status for higher education entities.
HLC Annual Contact Update Survey	HLC asks Accreditation Liaison Officers to complete the Contact Update Survey in order to ensure HLC has the correct contact information on file for the individuals who are responsible for preparing and submitting the Update. These individuals include the Chief Executive Officer, Accreditation Liaison Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Data Update Coordinator.
HLC Annual Institutional Data Update (AIDU)	HLC requires each institution to update data on financials, enrollments, completions and more every year. Much of the data draws on IPEDS submissions.
HLC Non-Financial Indicator	Report is a narrative with data that comes from the AIDU. AIDU data is verified against IPEDS data. Other internal metrics should be gathered from reliable sources such as survey data and usage reports. This is not scheduled and not guaranteed, but has become commonly required; Alison and Shawntel receive notice if this is required in roughly August with roughly 6 weeks to respond.
I
IA	Iowa state code.
IAC	Institutional Actions Council. Appointed by the Board of Trustees who authorizes the members to conduct reviews and take actions on the majority of accreditation recommendations. IAC members consist of representatives of academic institutions accredited by HLC, as well as members of the public.
ID	Idaho state code.
IDOE	Indiana Department of Education
IELTS	International English Language Testing System. An exam with a required minimum IELTS score of 6.5. Note: IELTS is not acceptable for Texas programs leading to certification. The testing agency must send test scores directly to ACE.
IL	Illinois state code.
IN	Indiana state code.
Incomplete Grade	If a student is unable to complete all course requirements within the course term because of unanticipated circumstances arising near the end of the term, and have completed at least half of the course work, they may request a grade of an “I” (Incomplete) from the course instructor.
Indiana Economic Development Corporation Annual Report (IEDC)	Annual report to the state of Indiana outlining employment and capital investments within the state to qualify for tax incentives.
Innovation	Applying creative approaches to create or improve upon value-added change.
Internship	At ACE, M.Ed. In Educational Leadership students, as well as some students at large, are required to complete an administrative internship (practicum for Texas students) experience as a portion of their required coursework. The internship is widely regarded as the most meaningful learning experience of a principal preparation program. This experience is intended to develop students into transformational educators who will have the tools to make a lasting, genuine contribution to education by exemplifying visionary leadership; instructional leadership; administrative and ethical leadership; school and community leadership; and social, political and legal leadership.
IPEDS Data Center	A website that hosts a set of tools for retrieving IPEDS data. Anyone can easily download data files for one or more institutions with information from any of the IPEDS components or download complete data files, produce a variety of reports, or create group statistics. This information is used to produce the IPEDS Completion Analysis. IPEDS Data Center Link IPEDS Data Center Video Tutorial
IPEDS	Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. A system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). IPEDS provides basic data needed to describe - and analyze trends in - postsecondary education in the United States, in terms of the numbers of students enrolled, staff employed, dollars expended, and degrees earned. Congress, federal agencies, state governments, education providers, professional associations, private businesses, media, students and parents, and others rely on IPEDS data for this basic information on postsecondary institutions. There are 3 important components of the IPEDS system: College Navigator, IPEDS Data Center, and IPEDS Data Collection System.
IRB	Institutional Review Board. An administrative body of ACE established in 2011 to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of the institution.
IRB Application	Review of Human Subjects Research submitted to the IRB of ACE for approval.
IRB Chair	The IRB Chair and Assistant Chair oversee IRB meetings to ensure reviews and approvals comply with regulatory requirements, the Belmont Report, state laws and University policy.
ISP	Internet Service Provider. A company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. ISPs may also provide software packages (such as browsers), e-mail accounts and a personal website or home page.
ISTE	International Society for Technology in Education. These standards help educators and education leaders worldwide prepare learners to thrive in work and life.
J

K
KS	Kansas state code.
KY	Kentucky state code.
L
LA	Louisiana state code.
Lead Enrollment Analysis	Report contained in PBI IA App consisting of two pages. 1. Inquiries contains Inquiries by Year, Inquiries by Partnership and State, Inquiries by Partnership and Year, Weekly Inquiries by State, and Monthly Inquiries By State 2. Enrollments contains Applications by State broken out by App Status, Applications by Partnership and App Status, Monthly Applications by App Status, and Application by Year by App Status. Both pages can be filtered by Year, Month, Week, State, and Partnership.
LETRS	Language Essential for Teachers of Reading and Spelling. Voyager Sopris Learning’s landmark professional learning series on the science of reading.
LMS	Learning Management System. At ACE, this system is Canvas.
LOA	Leave of Absence. A formal request from a student to take leave from their current course work for one term, effectively putting their enrollment on hold until their return.
M
MA	Massachusetts state code OR Master of Arts degree.
Major	A major is comprised of six 3-semester credit courses in a specific area of study. If a program requires a major to be selected, these courses are required to be completed before the degree or certificate can be conferred. The major selected/earned will appear on the College transcript and diploma/certificate.
MAT	Master of Arts in Elementary Teaching degree-designed for those who want to be elementary teachers but have bachelor’s degrees in non-education fields.
Matriculate	Active engagement, which is when “engagement” occurs. At ACE active engagement is defined as logging on and registering minutes in the LMS after the drop date.
MAV	Mandatory Attendance Verification.
MB	Manitoba province code.
MD	Maryland state code.
ME	Maine state code.
Medical Leave of Absence	A policy available for unexpected medical or familial matters. A MLOA can be requested at any time during a term or break period but must be accompanied by appropriate documentation on official letterhead bearing the signature of the attending physician indicating the leave is warranted.
Melt	A student is considered a melt when the student is active in their courses for a term start and either cancel or change their start date (COSD) away from the term, within the ten-day add/drop period.
Mentor Teacher	ACE requires for all MAT/T2T students to haven an approved mentor teacher before beginning the student teaching experience. If a mentor teacher is not approved by the beginning of student teaching, he/she will not be permitted to progress in the program until the requirement is met.
MI	Michigan state code.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM	Customer Relationship Management software.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV	Accounting software that records and processes accounting transactions within functional modules such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, journal, general ledger, payroll and trial balance.
Microsoft Teams	Unified communication and collaboration platform that combines workplace chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration.
Military Leave of Absence	Students who are deployed on military service and provide deployment orders will be granted a Leave of Absence for the time of their deployment. No limit exists to the number of LOAs granted, nor is there a maximum time limit for LOAs granted for documented military deployment.
MLOA	Medical Leave of Absence. A policy available for unexpected medical or familial matters. A MLOA can be requested at any time during a term or break period but must be accompanied by appropriate documentation on official letterhead bearing the signature of the attending physician indicating the leave is warranted.
MN	Minnesota state code.
MO	Missouri state code.
Monthly Book Value	Monthly book value report for Fixed Asset tie out.
Monthly Financial Statements	Written records that convey the business activities and performance of a company. These include the Balance Sheet, Income Statement and Cash Flow Statement.
MOU	Memorandum of Understanding. At ACE, these are agreements between the Field team and an Academic, EDU, or Healthcare Partner.
MS	Mississippi state code.
MT	Montana state code.
Multiple Course Request	ACE recognizes circumstances may exist when a student may benefit from taking several courses during a single term. A student completes the Multiple Course Request form (located in the MyACE Portal). Requests are reviewed; decisions are rendered based on GPA (3.0 or above) and course completion (at least one course successfully completed at ACE), and course availability. Students are notified of the decision via email. If approved, students will be scheduled for the additional courses in the requested term.
My ACE Portal	ACE’s student portal where a student can access unofficial transcripts, view grades, make payments, and update personal/profile information.
N
NACES	National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. Transcripts that are international and/or not in English must be evaluated through an evaluation agency.
NAECOB	National Accreditation & Equivalency Council of The Bahamas. The Institutional Recognition status indicates the institution currently holds full accreditation status from international or regional accreditation bodies recognized by NAECOB.
NAEYC	National Association for the Education of Young Children. A professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
NASDTEC	National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification. Has negotiated licensure reciprocity agreements across states. This means if a student earns teacher or administrator licensure in Indiana, they may be able to gain licensure in the state in which they live or intend to teach or administrate.
NB	New Brunswick province code.
NBPTS	National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. It certifies teachers who successfully complete its rigorous certification process.
NC	North Carolina state code.
NCES	National Center for Education Statistics
ND	North Dakota state code.
NE	Nebraska state code.
NEA	National Education Association. Educators, students, activists, workers, parents, neighbors, friends who believe in opportunity for all students and in the power of public education to transform lives and create a more just and inclusive society.
New Student Survey Level and Program Analysis	Term data analysis of likert and multiple choice questions.
NH	New Hampshire state code.
NILOA	National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. A research and resource-development organization, dedicated to documenting, advocating, and facilitating the systematic use of learning outcomes assessment to improve student learning.
NJ	New Jersey state code.
NL	Newfoundland and Labrador province code.
NLN	National League for Nursing. An organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers professional development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives. NLN members represent nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education, health care organizations, and agencies.
NM	New Mexico state code.
Non-Degree Seeking	A student who has been admitted as a student at large or into a certificate program at ACE.
Non-profit Partner	ACE is committed to working with non-profit partner organizations that provide service and support in education, healthcare, and business. On an annual basis, ACE will provide a monetary donation to the identified organizations and, in some cases, offer additional support through marketing opportunities and volunteer support.
NS	Nova Scotia province code.
NT	Northwest Territories province code.
NU	Nunavut province code.
NV	Nevada state code.
NY	New York state code.
O
OAE	The Office of Academic Excellence. Focused on student support in the areas of scholarly writing, disability support services, and alumni and career services.
Office365	Line of subscription services offered by Microsoft as part of the Microsoft Office product line (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, etc.) Provides a reliable communication channel between ACE and students. Allows ACE to move forward with single-sign-on activities and other software requiring authentication or unique accounts.
OH	Ohio state code.
OIA	Office of Institutional Analytics.
OIRE	Office of Institutional Research; now called Office of Institutional Analytics.
OK	Oklahoma state code.
ON	Ontario province code.
One Drive	Part of the Microsoft 365 Office Suite. Provides the ability to share all files in one place and share and collaborate with others and get to files and photos from anywhere.
Ongoing final numbers by term	Excel workbook listing the final numbers at each term (an overview of other reports).
Open Athens	Authentication system which allows users to access Mythen Library portal, which includes the Discovery Search, an A to Z Publications Locator, and a listing of all ACE’s library databases. Users can authenticate to publisher websites with their OpenAthens credentials and directly obtain the full text of ACE’s subscribed resources.
OR	Oregon state code.
ORAC	Office of Regulatory Affairs & Compliance.
Outlook	A Microsoft product mainly used to send and receive emails. It is also used to manage personal data, like calendar appointments, tasks, reminders, notes, etc.
Outstanding Checklist	Monthly outstanding check list after the bank reconciliations.
P
PA	Pennsylvania state code.
Partner	This is a term the field team uses to identify an organization that has agreed to distribute information about ACE to its employees or members of an association. In ACE’s current state, a partner is not required to sign a contractual agreement; instead, they formally commit to sending information or displaying ACE as an educational option through an employee portal or newsletter. ACE partners can make up one of the following: Public, Private, or Charter Schools at the p-12 level, healthcare providers or health systems, businesses of any type, community colleges, or other higher education institutions that need to provide education as a benefit. The Healthcare/Nursing division may extend a Commercial Agreement because the hospital/healthcare system requires it. Discount Eligibility: 3% Standard Discount 5% 25-50K Employees or 50+ annual enrollments 10% 50-75K Employees or 75+ annual enrollments 15% 75-100K Employees or 100+ annual enrollments 20% 100K+ Employees
Paylocity	Provider of cloud based payroll and human resources management software.
Payment Agreement	Completed Agreement with the College indicating payment arrangements for tuition.
PE	Prince Edward Island province code.
Pending Graduate	An ACE school status for students waiting for degree conferral via the conferral process after having completed their courses at ACE.
Power BI	Power BI (PBI) is a business intelligence platform for analyzing, visualizing and sharing data. PBI provides the ability to connect disparate data sets, clean and organize the data, and create data models from which visualizations (charts, graphs, etc.) can be created. This allows an organization to gather insights within its data to assist in decision making.
PR	Puerto Rico state code.
Program Change	Desire by a student to change a Program, Major, or Focus of Study. Students must submit a Program Change Form. The request is reviewed and a decision to grant the request is based on all admissions requirements for the new program. This request is appropriate when the original program level is at the same level or at a lower level as the requested program. If a student wishes to change to a program in a higher program level, a new application will be required and the admissions process will ensue.
Provisional Admit	An applicant who has been reviewed and admitted to the program indicated on the application with conditions surrounding the admission that must be met (i.e. required minimum GPA after first two terms or official document provided by end of first term). Provisional admission allowance and conditions may vary from program to program.
Q
QC	Quebec province code.
R
Re-Entry	A way for a withdrawn student to return without having to apply again. To be eligible for re-entry, the last date of attendance of the student must be within 365 days of the expected return date. All other requirements outlined in the Re-entry policy will apply. This policy can be found in Academic Policies.
Registration Hold	A hold on the student’s registration for the next available subsequent term(s).
Reinstate	A student in a cancel status that enrolls for a start date that occurs less than 365 days after they apply.
Retention	Retention rate is a percentage of all ACE degree-seekers enrolled at some point during a calendar year (less graduates) who remain actively enrolled as of January 2nd of the following year.
RI	Rhode Island state code.
Rubric	A matrix which describes and defines criteria used to measure the quality of performance on a given task.
S
SAL	Student at Large.
SAP	Satisfactory Academic Progress.
SARA	State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-National Council for). Establishes a state-level reciprocity process that will support the nation in its efforts to increase the educational attainment of its people by mandating institutions only need home state authorization in order to offer distance education to any other SARA member state.
SC	South Carolina state code.
SD	South Dakota state code.
SharePoint	A web-based collaborative platform that integrates with Microsoft Office. SharePoint is used as a secure place to store, organize, share, and access information from any device using a web browser.
Sigma Theta Tau	Supports nurses’ efforts to improve the health of the world’s people.
Single Pane of Glass Concept	An overall idea of working towards making needed resources available in the native environment to provide a one-stop shop for users. This primarily happens through integration or utilizing system functionality to replace the need to navigate out of the native environment to access needed information or functionality. For Enrollment, Student Services, and Field Operations the native environment is Microsoft Dynamics 365.
Single Sign-On	Authentication scheme that allows a user to log in with a single ID and password to any of several related, yet independent, software systems. True single sign on allows the user to login once and access services without re-entering authentication factors.
SIS	Student Information System. At ACE, this system is CampusNexus.
SK	Saskatchewan province code.
Skype	Telecommunications application specializing in providing video chat and voice calls between computers, tablets, mobile devices, the Xbox One console, and smartwatches over the Internet. ACE transitioned away from Skype for Business to use Microsoft Teams.
SLO	Student Learning Outcomes
SME	Subject Matter Expert
Spiceworks	A cloud-based help desk system previously used at ACE to manage issue intake, tracking and resolution.
SSRS	SQL Server Reporting Services. A reporting software to produce formatted reports, best suited for paginated reports, daily transactions, and text and data heavy tables and matrices.
Standard Accommodation	Since ACE is a fully online institution, most reasonable accommodations granted will be related to additional time on completing coursework.
Standards of Student Behavior	Requires the demonstration of mutual respect and civility in academic and professional discourse. Conduct that is determined to impair the opportunities of others to learn or that disrupts the orderly functions of the College will be deemed misconduct and will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.
Start	A student who was previously enrolled and has become active in their courses.
Strategic Content Partner	An organization that ACE has entered into a formal agreement to offer one of the following services: Articulation of credit for transcription Articulation of credit as a pathway White-labeled educational offerings to offer expanded learning options ACE looks for organizations with similar missions and reach to identify strategic pathways.
STRF	Student Tuition Recovery Fund. A fund administered by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (Bureau) that relieves or mitigates economic loss suffered by a student while enrolled in a qualifying institution - generally, one that is approved or registered by the Bureau. At the time of his or her enrollment, the student must have been a California resident or enrolled in a California residency program, prepaid tuition, and suffered economic loss.
Student	An individual currently enrolled, or who has ever been enrolled, for classes at ACE. For new ACE students, FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) coverage begins on the first day of the first term for which they are registered for a class.
Student Commons	A virtual place for students to learn more about the College and a repository for additional resources to support learning at ACE. Additionally, ACE utilizes Student Commons to communicate with students.
Student Development and Affairs	Leadership in student affairs serves the interest of students through advising, program support, technology guidance, and information necessary to successfully complete a degree pathway as aligned to institutional policies, processes, and procedures.
Student Group	Student groups serve to organize a list of students who have one or more characteristics in common (such as status, program, scholarship awards, etc). Student groups can be created in Campus Nexus by using lists of students returned on a report, using a search of student master records, or by manually adding a new group and selecting students to be members of it.
Student Identification	Login user names and passwords students use to verify identity and access courses.
Student Number	The unique identifier used in CampusNexus to represent a student. It is also referred to as StuNum. This identifier is separate and different from SyStudentID.
Student Right to Know	Calculation of completion or graduation rates of certificate-or degree-seeking, full-time students entering that institution, and disclose these rates to current and prospective students.
Student Satisfaction Survey	Report of yearly student satisfaction.
SurveyMonkey	Online survey & questionnaire development cloud-based software. SurveyMonkey (SM) is the primary survey tool at ACE.
SyStudentID	The unique identifier used to represent a student in the CampusNexus database. There is a one to one relationship between Student Number and SyStudentID. SyStudentID is mostly used by technical and IT personnel that utilize the CampusNexus database.
T
1098-T	Tuition Statement (IRS form) Eligible educational institutes file Form 1098-T for each student they enroll and for whom a reportable transaction is made. Insurers file this form for each individual to whom they made reimbursements or refunds of qualified tuition and related expenses.
1099-DIV Reporting	Used by banks and other financial institutions to report dividends and other distributions to taxpayers and to the IRS.
1099-MISC Reporting	IRS form taxpayers use to report non-employee compensation. This is generally a business payment-not a personal payment.
T2T	Transition to Teaching Certificate programs (at Master’s level) Certificate in Transition to Teaching in Elementary Education (T2TE) Certificate in Transition to Teaching in Secondary Education (T2TS)
TEA	Texas Education Agency
TEAC	Teacher Education Accreditation Council (programmatic accrediting organization)
Teaching Certificate	Teaching certificate requires the satisfactory completion of all coursework and student teaching experience with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 with no D’s or F’s.
Term Census Report	Term report of student numbers.
Term Cohort	The group of students that are active for a term start
Tes Teach	Gather digital information focused on a specific lesson.
Texas Teacher Service Record	The teacher service record must correctly indicate the total number of years of service provided to a given school district by the teacher, librarian, school counselor, or nurse. The TSR must also contain a record of days used and accumulated under the former state sick leave programs, as well as the current state personal leave program.
TOEFL	Test of English as a Foreign Language. The minimum TOEFL score required for the internet-based version is 80, and paper-based version requires a minimum TOEFL score of 20 for each of the three skills: Reading, Listening, and Writing. The testing agency must send test scores directly to ACE.
Turnitin (TII)	A plagiarism detection system, which reviews student papers and publications to ensure students maintain academic integrity.
Tutor.com	Offers students access to 24/7 tutoring. Tutor.com can assist students with writing, course concepts, and exam preparation.
U
Unregister	Process by which a student is removed from a course during the “unregister” period, the first week of a term.
V
VA	Veterans Affair
Veteran Benefits	VA education benefits can help you pay your tuition, pick out a school, choose a career and more.
Viable Lead	Prospective student in CRM that DOES NOT fall under one of these disqualifying factors: An Inquiry Status equal to Duplicate Suspect An Inquiry Status Reason equal to Does Not Meet Admission Does Not Speak English No or Invalid Contact Did Not Inquire Prank Program Not Offered The Lead Owner is equal to CRM TESTUSER crtmest EM
W
Withdrawal	A separation from ACE initiated by a student at any point after matriculation (first week of first course.) If initiated in week two or three, the student will be removed from the course(s) and receive a grade of “W.” If initiated after Friday of week 3, the student will remain in the course and will receive the grade earned at its conclusion.
The Writing Center	Current students have access to The Writing Center within Canvas. Scholarly standards, APA formatting, revising per Turnitin Reports, and full-paper reviews with a referral from a faculty member are available here.
WuFoo	Educational forms used to capture crucial info and stay organized.
X

Y

Z
Zoom	Communications technology that provides videotelephony and online chat services through a cloud-based peer-to-peer software platform and is used for teleconferencing, telecommuting, distance education, and social relations.
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