College students encounter a unique vocabulary, which includes specialized words, phrases, and abbreviations. The list below will assist in interpreting statements such as, “I thought my advanced medical certificate required BIO as a co-requisite with Anatomy, but my prof sent a notice through Blackboard informing me that the class is actually a prerequisite, so now I have to take Anatomy over the summer as a blended course in order to complete my program on time.
Alumni – the graduates or former students of an educational institution.
Associate Degree – an undergraduate academic degree awarded upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years.
Admissions – the office or department responsible for reviewing applications and determining the admittance process of students.
Academic Advisor – person who provides valuable information to assist students with academic and career goals.
ACCUPLACER - is a computerized test that students who plan to attend WCC take to assess their skill levels in reading and English.
ALEKS - is a computerized test designed to determine which math course students are ready to take. This test covers material from Arithmetic through Pre-calculus and takes approximately 90 minutes to complete.
Add/Drop – terms used to describe precise times during the registration period when courses can be added to or dropped from a student’s schedule.
Audit – allows students to take a class without the benefit of a grade or credit for a course. A student who audits a course does so for the purposes of self-enrichment and academic exploration.
Bachelor’s Degree – (also baccalaureate) an undergraduate academic degree awarded upon completion of a course of study usually lasting four years.
Blended Course – (or Hybrid) courses in which some traditional face-to-face "seat time" has been replaced by online learning activities. Their purpose is to take advantage of the best features of both face-to-face and online learning.
Canvas – an e-learning management system which houses full online courses, blended (or hybrid) course content, and supplemental information for face-to-face courses.
Certificate Program – a sequence, pattern, or group of academic credit courses that focus upon an area of specialized knowledge or information and have specifically defined outcomes.
CLEP – College Level Examination Program' a plan that enables students to earn college credit for introductory-level courses by achieving satisfactory scores on subject-specific tests.
College Transferrable Courses – classes that may be transferred to a four-year university and possibly applied toward a bachelor’s degree.
College Prep Courses – coursework that does not transfer to a four year university and is designed to assist students in building a particular skillset.
Co-requisite – a formal course of study required to be taken simultaneously with another class.
Credit Hour – the unit of measuring educational CREDIT, usually based on the number of classroom hours per week throughout a term.
Electives – courses chosen by a student from a number of optional subjects or courses in a curriculum, as opposed to specifically required courses.
Extension Sites – Off-campus locations – or satellite offices – where college classes are held.
Faculty – employees of a college or university who primarily teach/educate students.
FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Financial Aid – Financial assistance for educational purposes that comes in four different types: grants; scholarships; loans; and work studies.
In District – typically referring to reduced tuition rates for students living within the same county / geographical area as the attending college.
Lecture – traditional, oral presentation courses where information is delivered primarily by the course instructor.
Lab – hands-on learning environment, most commonly associated with science courses.
Office Hours – prearranged times and dates when professors / instructors are available to work with students outside of class time.
Override – permission granted by the instructor to bypass any restrictions regarding course enrollment.
Placement Testing – see ACCUPLACER or ALEKS.
Prerequisite – a course that students must pass prior to enrolling in the next course in a sequence.
ROLL - (Ready for Online Learning) a free course that takes approximately 1-2 hours to finish and is created for students who have not taken an online class, but plan to register for one.
STEM – acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Syllabus – an outline of the subjects in a course of study or teaching.
Transcript – a copy of a student's permanent academic record, including courses taken, grades received, honors received, and degrees earned.
Withdrawal – Process of stopping a course prior to completion. Refer to WCC’s website for specific guidelines and timeframes, as there may be consequences for withdrawing from a course after specific dates in the semester.
Waitlist - When a class has reached its maximum capacity, students can add themselves to a waitlist. If a seat in that class opens, students are sent an email informing them of the ability to register in the course.