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Accessibility: A characteristic of technology that enables people with disabilities to use it. For example, accessible Websites can be navigated by people with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive impairments. Accessible design also benefits people with older or slower software and hardware.www.tartoos.com

Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP)  : A high-performance, component-level interconnect for 3D-graphics applications.

Accessibility : The extent to which computers are easy to use and available to a wide range of users, including people with one or more physical disabilities.

Active Channel  : A Web site that automatically delivers content to a user’s computer on a  regular schedule.

Active Desktop  : An interface that integrates the Windows desktop with the Internet Explorer browsing software to provide a single metaphor for accessing content or applications.

Active Setup : An application that collects information about the user’s computer before download of Internet Explorer begins, and then uses this information to manage the download intelligently.www.tartoos.com

ActiveX  : An umbrella term for Microsoft technologies that enable developers to create interactive content for the World Wide Web. A set of language-independent interoperability technologies that enable software components written in different languages to work together in networked environments. The core technology elements of ActiveX are COM and DCOM.

ActiveX : Microsoft’s brand name for the technologies that enable interoperability among components using the Component Object Model (COM).

ActiveX component : A physical file that contains classes, which are definitions of objects. Classes were formerly known as “OLE Automation servers” and “OLE Automation controllers.”www.tartoos.com

ActiveX control : A user interface element created using ActiveX technology. Controls built with the MFC Control Developer’s Kit meet the ActiveX control specification.

ActiveX designer : An ActiveX component that has a programmable interface and presents a visual interface at design time. Loaded into a host’s development environment, ActiveX designers are top-level project components that third-party developers can use to create executable applications.

address class  : A basis for differentiating networks of various sizes. The network class can be determined from the first octet of its IP address.

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) : A protocol for determining a host’s Ethernet address from its Internet address.

Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) : A system interface that provides a standard way to control power management and Plug and Play functions of the computer hardware. ACPI allows the computer motherboard to describe its device configuration and power control hardware interface to Windows 98. This allows the operating system to automatically turn on and off standard devices, such as CD-ROMs, network cards, hard disk drives, and printers, as well as consumer devices connected to the computer, such as VCRs, TVs, phones, and stereos.www.tartoos.com

Advanced Power Management (APM) : A software interface (defined by Microsoft and Intel) between hardware-specific power management software (such as that located in a system BIOS) and an operating system power management driver.

ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning): Initiative by the U.S. Department of Defense to achieve interoperability across computer and Internet-based learning courseware through the development of a common technical framework, which contains content in the form of reusable learning objects. See also SCORM and the ADL Website.

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line): A type of DSL [link] that uses the majority of the bandwidth to transmit information to the user and a small part of the bandwidth to receive information from the user.

ADSL :Asymmetic Digital Subscriber Line. A digital line that uses the existing twisted pair copper telephone network to achieve speeds of up to 6 megabits per second up to 12000 feet, or 1.5 megabits per second up to 18000 feet.

AICC (Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee): An international association of technology-based training professionals that develops training guidelines for the aviation industry. AICC has and is developing standards for interoperability of computer-based and computer-managed training products across multiple industries. See the AICC Website.

ambient properties : Properties that define a container’s surroundings, including default colors, fonts, and alignment. Ambient properties are exposed to the controls in the container.www.tartoos.com

Amplitude: The amount of variety in a signal. Commonly thought of as the height of a wave.

Analog: A signal that's received in the same form in which it is transmitted, although the amplitude and frequency may vary.

ANSI : American National Standards Institute.

AoD (audio on demand): See CoD.

API (application program interface): The set of tools used by a programmer to create a computer program.

applet :An HTML-based program built with Java that a browser temporarily downloads to a user’s hard disk, from which location it runs when the Web page is open.

application programming interface (API) : A set of routines that an application program uses to request and carry out lower-level services performed by the operating system.www.tartoos.com

Application: Computer software; also called a program. There are many types of software that fit into the category of application. Application software is distinct from other forms of software, such as operating system and utility software.

Application object  : The single instance of the Application class. The Application object controls documents, views, frame windows, and templates, and specifies application behavior such as initialization and cleanup for every instance of an application.

architecture : The structure of all or part of a computer system. Also refers to the design of system software.

ASPI : Advanced SCSI Programming Interface.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interexchange): A computer code in which characters such as letters and symbols are converted into numbers that the computer can understand.

ASCII text: The American Standard Code for Information Interchange is the most common format for text files that are transferred through the Internet. When you download a file from a web site that is composed of alphanumeric characters (letters and numbers), such as a set of instructions, you should be sure that you are transferring it in an ASCII format, rather than binary.

ASP (Active Server Pages): A programming environment that combines elements of HTML and scripting. Webpages built with ASP can change dynamically based on user input. www.tartoos.com

aspect : A characteristic of an ActiveX object, specified in the IOleObject interface. An object’s aspect includes how it should be displayed and what types of behavior it supports.

ASP (application service provider): A third-party organization that supplies software applications and/or software-related services over the Internet. ASPs allow companies to save money, time, and resources by outsourcing some or all of their information technology needs.

Assessment: The process used to systematically evaluate a learner's skill or knowledge level.

Assessment item: A question or measurable activity used to determine whether the learner has mastered a learning objective.

Asset: 1) Intellectual property. See knowledge asset. 2) Hardware and software owned by an organization.

Asynchronous learning: Learning in which interaction between instructors and students occurs intermittently with a time delay. Examples are self-paced courses taken via the Internet or CD-ROM, Q&A mentoring, online discussion groups, and email.

asymmetrical : Providing differing bandwidth in different directions. 56 K modems are asymmetrical: they offer a maximum speed of 56K for downloading, but only 28.8K or 33.6K for uploading .

attached code : Code written by a user and associated with an object. Attached code can be used to customize an object by adding properties, methods, or events.www.tartoos.com

ATM (asynchronous transfer mode): A network technology for high-speed transfer of data. Packets of information are relayed in fixed sizes, enabling smooth transmission. ATM supports real-time voice and video as well as data and can reach speeds of up to 10 Gbps.

Authenticode :A technology that makes it possible to identify who published a piece of software and verify that it has not been tampered with.automatic proxy configuration file A file that dynamically assigns browser proxy settings based on the location of hosts.

Audio bridge: A device used in audioconferencing that connects multiple telephone lines.

Audioconferencing: Voice-only connection of more than two sites using standard telephone lines.

Audiographics: Computer-based technology that enables simultaneous transmission of voice, data, and graphic images across local telephone lines for instructor-learner interaction. www.tartoos.com

Automation  : COM-based technology that enables interoperability among components.

Authoring tool: A software application or program used by trainers and instructional designers to create e-learning courseware. Types of authoring tools include instructionally focused authoring tools, Web authoring and programming tools, template-focused authoring tools, knowledge capture systems, and text and file creation tools.