This brief glossary aims to explain some of the main ‘academic jargon’ terminology that students may come across.
Ab Initio
Latin for "from the beginning"
Award
An award is conferred by the awarding body when you have successfully completed a programme of study. An example of an award is an Honours Bachelor Degree.
Class Rep.
Each year of each programme appoints a Class Representative. The Class Rep. can assist students in raising any issues that they may have and represent the views of the class group at Programme Board meetings etc.
Course (or Programme)
This is the specified programme of study that a student must pursue to earn an award. The programme is made up of modules. Information on the modules that make up a programme, the purpose of each one and how they are to be examined or assessed is made available in a Programme Handbook. Programme Handbooks are available from the Course Leader or School Office. The terms ‘Programme’ and ‘Course’ are used interchangeably at WIT.
Course Leader
Every course has a Course Leader who is a member of the academic staff teaching on the course. The Course Leader liaises with students, academic staff and the Institute Management on the day-to-day management of the course.
Credits
As learners complete modules and demonstrate that they have met the learning outcomes, they are awarded credits which they accumulate to earn an award. SETU Waterford modules are typically worth five credits each. On successful completion of one year of full-time study, learners are deemed to have earned 60 credits.
Dissertation
This is a long report or essay on a chosen subject that sets out the results of research carried out by a student. This is normally produced as part of the degree course. The length of the dissertation varies from course and level to be between 5,000 and 20,000 words.
ENTs Officer
The entertainment officer; usually a handy person to make friends with as they’re the ones that organise the fun promotions around campus and in the city.
Fresher
That's You! Freshers are new college students – there’s usually a Freshers’ week near the start of the year with all sorts of social events organised with a view to welcoming you to college life.
Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes describe what a student is expected to know, to understand and / or be able to do following successful completion of a module or a programme. The learning outcomes are listed in the module descriptor.
Level
In the context of academic programme, ‘level’ refers to the level of the programme on the National framework of Qualifications:
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Level 6 : Higher Certificate
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Level 7 : Bachelor Degree
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Level 8 : Honours Bachelor Degree
Module
A module is a self-contained unit of a student's workload. (Also, known as a subject). Modules are typically delivered and assessed within a semester. A ‘module descriptor’ is available to students for all modules. The module descriptor sets out what the objectives and learning outcomes of the module are, how many credits attach to the modules, how it will be assessed etc.
Modular
Some courses are divided into modules and students are required to pass a number of these modules to successfully complete their degree programme. Modules can be compulsory or optional.
Programme (or Course)
The terms ‘Programme’ and ‘Course’ are used interchangeably at WIT.
Programme Board
The Programme Board monitors the design and delivery of the programme, the academic performance of learners, and the programme’s overall academic standards. The Board is made up of all academic staff assigned to teach on the course, a representative number of students of the course and the Head of Department. Boards typically meet once per semester.
RAG Week
Stands for Raise and Give; a whole week dedicated to raising money for a chosen charity; is usually packed full of an assorted array of crazy activities like a public waxing for the hairiest guy in college, an ‘Iron Stomach’ competition and other such imaginative events!
Semester
SETU Waterford divides the academic year into two equal 15-week semesters – 15 weeks before Christmas, 15 weeks after Christmas. Each semester is made up of 12 weeks of class contact, 1 week of independent study and 2 weeks of assessment.
Socs
Also known as Clubs & Socs. These are clubs where people can get together to take part in sport or share a common interest, belief or religion. Some examples would be Athletics, Kickboxing, Sailing, Circus, Rock, Radio, Drama, Asian, Islamic.
Study Week
This is a week where there is no formal teaching, often seen by students as another holiday; but it's not! The idea is that students are given a week to concentrate on their studies, a perfect time to catch up with study if they have fallen behind.
SU
Stands for Students Union. It represents the student body and is run by elected students. It consists of various officers that are there to act as an advocate for the students.
Undergraduate
This is what a student is called when they are studying for their first award.