Read each term where it’s used
In Augment’s notes, a marked term shows its definition when you hover or tap it, and each page ends with the terms it introduces.
In Augment’s notes, a marked term shows its definition when you hover or tap it, and each page ends with the terms it introduces.
159 terms from Contexts, each defined in a sentence or two, with the part of the syllabus where you first meet it.
A person's position in relation to disability, including physical, sensory, intellectual, cognitive and mental health conditions, and how far the surrounding environment, including digital systems, enables or restricts their participation.
The degree to which products, services, environments and digital content can be used by people with the widest possible range of abilities, including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive impairments.
Action taken by individuals or groups to bring about political or social change, such as campaigning, protesting, organising boycotts or raising awareness.
An approach in which software uses data about a learner's responses to adjust the content, difficulty and pace of what it presents next.
Making a three-dimensional object by building it up layer by layer from a digital design file, commonly called 3D printing.
The use of algorithms and data to assign, monitor, evaluate and discipline workers, for example by allocating jobs, setting pay per task and deactivating accounts with low ratings.
Any device, software or system that maintains or improves the functioning and independence of a person with a disability, such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, screen readers, communication apps and prosthetics.
An economic system in which human attention is treated as a scarce resource that platforms compete to capture and sell, usually to advertisers, so that time and engagement become the main measures of success.
The use of machines, software or robots to carry out tasks that people previously did, with little or no human involvement.
The variety of living things in a place or on Earth as a whole, including the diversity of species, the genetic diversity within species and the diversity of ecosystems.
Attempts by individuals, often outside medical institutions, to change or enhance their own bodies or biology, for example by implanting devices, self-tracking intensively, taking supplements or experimenting with genetic techniques.
A form of 3D printing that builds living tissue layer by layer from a bioink containing living cells, with the long-term aim of producing tissues and organs for repair, research and transplantation.
A mode of education that combines face-to-face teaching with online learning, with some control for the learner over the time, place or pace of the online part.
A system that records signals from the brain and translates them into commands for an external device, such as a computer cursor, a robotic arm or a speech synthesiser.
The total amount of greenhouse gases released, directly and indirectly, by a product, activity, person or organisation, usually expressed in kilograms or tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
An economy in which most payments are made electronically, by card, phone, app or transfer, and physical cash is rarely used.
An economic model that aims to keep products and materials in use for as long as possible through durable design, repair, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling, instead of the linear model of take, make and dispose.
Scientific research in which members of the public take part, for example by collecting observations, classifying data or analysing results, usually in partnership with professional scientists.
The recognition that all people share basic needs, rights, emotions and vulnerabilities, whatever their nationality, culture or other group membership.
The use of algorithms, automation and big data, such as bots, fake accounts and targeted advertising, to spread propaganda on digital platforms.
Minerals mined in conflict zones and sold in ways that fund armed groups, prolong violence or involve human rights abuses; the term usually refers to tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold.
Minerals that are essential to important technologies, such as electronics, batteries and renewable energy, and whose supply is at risk because production is concentrated in a few countries or is hard to increase quickly.
Paid work offered through an online platform to a large, open group of workers, any of whom can take it on.
Obtaining ideas, labour, data or funding from a large and often anonymous group of people, usually through an online platform, rather than from a small group of employees or experts.
A digital currency that uses cryptography to secure transactions and usually a blockchain to record ownership, without a central bank or company in control.
The worldwide spread and mixing of ideas, values, media and practices, so that cultures in different places become more connected and influence each other.
The objects, places, traditions, languages and knowledge that a community inherits from past generations, values and wishes to pass on. It can be tangible, such as buildings and artefacts, or intangible, such as songs, rituals, skills and languages.
The process by which local cultures become more alike, and lose distinctive features, as a small number of dominant cultural products and practices spread across the world.
The shared beliefs, values, practices, customs, languages, arts and objects that a group of people creates and passes on, and through which its members understand themselves and each other.
Repeated, intentional hurtful behaviour carried out through digital systems, such as messaging, social media or games, usually among people who know each other, especially children and young people.
The use of cyberattacks by non-state groups to cause serious harm, such as loss of life or damage to critical infrastructure, in order to spread fear and achieve political aims.
The use of cyberattacks by a state, or groups acting for it, to damage, disrupt or spy on another state's computer systems, infrastructure or information as part of a conflict.
A building or group of buildings that houses large numbers of servers, storage systems and network equipment, together with the power supplies and cooling systems needed to keep them running continuously.
A law that sets rules for how organisations collect, store, use and share personal data, and gives individuals rights over their data, such as the right to see it, correct it or have it deleted.
Cultural and scientific resources that are created in digital form or converted into it, such as 3D scans of monuments, digitized archives and born-digital works, and that are worth preserving for future generations.
The skills needed to find, evaluate, create and communicate information safely and effectively using digital technologies.
A person who has grown up surrounded by digital technologies such as the internet, mobile phones and social media; the term, popularised by Marc Prensky in 2001, is criticised because digital skills vary widely within the same generation.
A person who works remotely using digital systems while travelling or living in different places, often in other countries, for months or years at a time.
The study and practice of teaching approaches that use digital technologies to support learning, chosen for how they help students learn rather than for the technology itself.
A state in which a person's use of digital technology supports, rather than harms, their physical and mental health, relationships and goals; the term is also used for tools and practices that aim to achieve this.
Buying and selling goods and services over the internet, including sales from businesses to consumers, between businesses and between consumers.
The use of digital systems by governments to deliver public services, share information and interact with citizens and businesses, for example through online tax returns, digital identity cards and public service portals.
Learning delivered or supported through electronic devices and digital networks, such as online courses, educational apps and virtual classrooms.
Buying and selling financial assets such as shares, currencies, bonds or cryptocurrencies through electronic platforms instead of by phone or on a trading floor.
The use of electronic systems to cast or count votes, including electronic voting machines at polling stations and remote internet voting from a voter's own device.
Discarded products that have a plug or battery, such as phones, computers, televisions, cables and household appliances, which often contain both valuable metals and hazardous substances.
An integrated system that detects or forecasts a hazard, assesses the risk and sends timely warnings to people in danger so that they can act to reduce harm.
An environment, online or offline, in which people mainly meet views that repeat and reinforce their own, because they choose like-minded sources and contacts.
A community of living organisms interacting with each other and with their physical environment, such as a rainforest, a coral reef or a wetland.
A digital record of a person's health history, such as diagnoses, medicines, test results and vaccinations, that authorised clinicians can access and update, often across different hospitals and clinics.
The design of tools, workplaces and systems to fit the human body and mind, so that people can use them safely, comfortably and efficiently.
A wearable frame, powered by motors or using passive springs, that supports or adds strength to the body's movement, used in rehabilitation, by people with paralysis and by workers doing heavy or repetitive tasks.
A community of fans of a particular artist, work, sport or franchise who share their enthusiasm and often create and organise activities together, such as fan art, fan fiction, events and campaigns.
A persistent worry that others are having rewarding experiences that one is missing, which can drive people to keep checking social media to stay connected.
A form of blended learning in which students study new content at home, usually through short videos, and use class time for practice, discussion and support from the teacher.
Structured learning in an organised system of schools, colleges and universities that follows a set curriculum, is taught by qualified teachers and leads to recognised qualifications.
The use of game elements, such as points, badges, levels, streaks and leaderboards, in non-game activities such as learning, to increase motivation and engagement.
The ways a person shows their gender to others, for example through clothing, hairstyle, voice, behaviour, name and pronouns, which may or may not match social expectations for their sex or gender identity.
Differences in values, behaviour and experience between people of different generations, which in a digital society often appear as differences in how, how much and why they use digital systems.
A computer system for capturing, storing, analysing and displaying data linked to locations on the Earth's surface, usually as layers on a map that share the same coordinates.
A labour market in which people are paid per task or gig, such as a ride or a delivery, usually found through a digital platform, instead of receiving a regular wage from one employer.
A US-owned satellite navigation system in which receivers calculate their position on Earth by measuring the time taken for signals to arrive from several satellites.
Buying goods, parts, materials or services from suppliers in whichever countries offer the best combination of cost, quality and speed, often coordinated through digital supply-chain systems.
The growing interconnection of economies, cultures and societies across the world through trade, investment, the movement of people and the flow of data.
Designing, making, using and disposing of computers and other digital systems in ways that reduce their environmental impact, for example by saving energy, using renewable power, extending device life and recycling safely.
The use of hacking for political purposes, such as defacing websites, leaking documents or launching denial-of-service attacks against governments or companies.
The continuous or regular collection of data about a person's body or behaviour, such as heart rate, sleep, steps or blood glucose, by wearable devices, apps or home sensors, usually to inform the person or their clinician.
The tendency of people to form ties with others who are similar to them in characteristics such as age, class, ethnicity, beliefs or interests, a pattern that recommendation systems can strengthen online.
The use of technology, drugs or genetic methods to improve human abilities beyond what is needed to restore health, such as stronger, faster, longer-lived or more capable bodies and minds.
A device placed inside the body, partly or completely, to replace, support or monitor a biological function or to add a new one, such as a pacemaker, a cochlear implant or a microchip.
A person who uses a large or highly engaged online following to affect the opinions, behaviour or purchases of that audience, often in return for payment from brands.
Learning that happens through everyday activities, conversations and media use, without a set curriculum, teacher or qualification.
Moving work to a lower-cost region of a firm's home country instead of abroad. The term is also used for work that foreign firms bring into a country.
Bringing work that had been outsourced to another company back inside the firm, to be done by its own staff.
An attitude of openness to and curiosity about other cultures, languages and perspectives, combined with a sense of responsibility towards people beyond one's own community and country.
A person who becomes famous mainly through online platforms, such as video sites, social media or livestreaming services, rather than through traditional media such as television or film.
An intentional disruption of internet or mobile data services by a government or on its orders, making them unavailable or unusable for a specific population or area, usually to control the flow of information.
Software that schools and organisations use to deliver, organise and track courses, including resources, assignments, communication and grades.
A weapon that, once activated, can select and attack targets, including people, without further human intervention.
Excessive or badly directed artificial light, such as skyglow over cities, glare and light spilling into places where it is not wanted, which disrupts ecosystems, human sleep and views of the night sky.
Attempts by organised groups, such as companies, trade associations, unions and campaign groups, to influence the decisions of lawmakers and officials through direct contact, research, events and public campaigns.
The painful feeling that one's social relationships are fewer or less satisfying than one wants, which can occur even when a person is surrounded by others; it differs from social isolation, an objective lack of contact.
The monitoring of a whole population, or a large part of it, without individual suspicion, for example by collecting the communications data of all users of a network or scanning every face in a public place.
An online course open to unlimited numbers of participants over the internet, usually with video lectures, automated assessment and online discussion, and often free to join.
Techniques that produce pictures of the inside of the body, such as X-rays, ultrasound, CT and MRI scans and retinal photographs, so that clinicians can diagnose and monitor disease without surgery.
A state of well-being in which a person can cope with the normal stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community; it includes emotional, psychological and social well-being, not only the absence of mental illness.
A certificate that records the completion of a short, focused course in a specific skill or competency, often earned online and designed to be combined with others.
A small payment made inside a digital product, usually a game or app, for virtual items, extra features, in-game currency or chances to win random rewards.
The use of data about individuals to divide voters into small groups and send each group a different message designed to appeal to its particular interests, fears or characteristics.
Crowd work broken into very small, repetitive online tasks, such as labelling images, often paid a few cents each, that together complete a larger job.
A service that lets people store money in an account linked to their mobile phone number and use it to send, receive and pay, with cash paid in and taken out through local agents.
Any material or energy source that comes from the natural world and that people use, such as minerals, water, land, forests and fossil fuels.
The increase in value of a product or service to each user as more people use it, which tends to make the largest platform in a market grow larger still.
Organised, intentional learning outside the formal school and university system, such as workplace training, community courses, coding bootcamps and online courses that do not lead to a full formal qualification.
A unique record on a blockchain that represents ownership of a specific item, often a digital image, video or in-game object, and cannot be swapped for another token as if they were the same.
A non-profit organisation that is independent of government and works for a social, political, humanitarian or environmental cause, for example by campaigning, providing services or monitoring governments and companies.
An individual or organisation that has political influence but is not part of a government, such as a multinational company, an armed group, a hacker collective, a religious organisation or a wealthy individual.
Moving work to another country, either to a firm's own operation abroad or to a foreign contractor.
A group of people who interact regularly through a digital platform around a shared interest, identity or purpose, and who develop shared norms, language and a sense of belonging.
The use of websites and apps to find, contact and assess possible romantic or sexual partners, usually through profiles, search filters and matching algorithms.
Hostile or threatening behaviour directed at a person through digital systems, including name-calling, threats, stalking, sexual harassment and publishing private information, which may come from strangers and need not be repeated.
A platform on which many independent sellers offer goods or services to buyers, with the platform handling search, payment and often delivery in return for fees.
Making research outputs, especially journal articles, freely available online to anyone, without subscription charges, often with permission to reuse them.
Teaching and learning materials in any medium that are free to access and released under an open licence, so that others can reuse, adapt and redistribute them.
Contracting another company to carry out work that a firm used to do itself, whether in the same country or abroad.
A situation in which the number of visitors to a place is so high that it damages the quality of life of residents, the environment or the experience of visitors themselves.
The process in which experts in a field evaluate a research paper's methods, evidence and conclusions before it is published, to judge its quality and validity.
Adapting the content of marketing, such as the products shown, offers, prices and messages, to each individual, based on data about that person.
Digital systems deliberately designed to change users' attitudes or behaviour, for example through notifications, streaks, rewards, autoplay and infinite scrolling.
Designing or managing a product so that it becomes outdated, stops working or seems unfashionable after a limited time, which encourages people to replace it sooner.
Economic activity organised through digital platforms that match buyers and sellers of goods, services or labour, with the platform company setting the rules and taking a commission or fee.
Organised activity by candidates, parties or groups to persuade people to support them, to vote or to back a cause, through speeches, advertisements, events, canvassing and online content.
Any activity by which people try to influence who governs or what governments and other powerful organisations decide, from voting and joining a party to signing petitions, protesting and campaigning online.
The growing distance between political groups, both in their views and in how much they dislike and distrust each other.
The forms of entertainment, media, fashion, music and everyday practice that are widely enjoyed and shared by large numbers of people at a particular time.
Learning that adults undertake after completing their initial formal education, such as professional development, retraining and learning for personal interest, often in non-formal or informal settings.
A measure of a data centre's energy efficiency, found by dividing the total energy the facility uses by the energy used by its computing equipment; a value of 1.0 would mean no energy is used for cooling or other overheads.
A farming approach that uses GPS, sensors, satellite or drone images and data analysis to measure differences within fields and apply water, seed, fertiliser and pesticides only where and when they are needed.
The use of algorithms that analyse past crime data to forecast where crimes are likely to happen or who is likely to be involved, so that police can direct their resources.
A complete version of a research paper that authors share publicly, usually on an online server, before it has been peer reviewed or published in a journal.
Communication designed to influence people's beliefs and actions in support of a political cause, often by appealing to emotion, repeating simple messages and presenting selected or misleading information.
Classifying people by personality traits, values and attitudes, rather than only by demographic data such as age and location, often in order to tailor messages to them.
A rule, usually made under the authority of a law, that controls how organisations or individuals behave, together with the bodies and processes that monitor and enforce it.
Education that takes place when learners and teachers are in different physical locations, delivered through any medium, from online platforms to radio, television and printed packs.
Collecting information about the Earth's surface or atmosphere from a distance, usually with sensors on satellites, aircraft or drones that measure reflected light, heat or radar signals.
Doing paid work away from the employer's premises, usually at home, using digital systems such as laptops, video calls and cloud services to stay connected.
Systematic work carried out to increase knowledge (research) and to use that knowledge to create new or improved products, processes and services (development).
Moving work that had been sent abroad back to a firm's home country.
The principle, increasingly written into law, that owners and independent repairers should be able to fix products, with access to spare parts, tools, manuals and software at a fair price.
A ceremony or event that marks a person's move from one stage of life or social status to another, such as a birth, coming of age, graduation, marriage or death.
The total time a person spends using devices with screens, such as phones, computers, televisions and games consoles; it is a simple measure that does not show what the person was doing.
Learning in which individuals take the initiative to decide what to learn, find resources, set goals and judge their own progress, with or without help from others.
The use of a computer model to imitate the behaviour of a real system over time, so that researchers can test scenarios that would be impossible, unsafe, slow or expensive to test in reality.
Low-effort online support for a cause, such as liking, sharing or changing a profile picture, which may make people feel they have helped without leading to real change.
An urban area that uses sensors, networks and data analysis to monitor and manage services such as transport, energy, water, waste and public safety, with the aim of making them more efficient and sustainable.
A home in which appliances, heating, lighting, security and entertainment devices are connected to the internet and can be monitored and controlled remotely or automatically, often through a phone app or voice assistant.
An online service that delivers music, video, games or live events to users over the internet on demand, usually through a subscription or advertising model, without the user keeping a permanent copy.
A group within a larger culture that shares distinctive values, styles, language or practices that set it apart from the mainstream, while still belonging to the wider society.
Choosing which people see an advertisement based on data about their characteristics, location or online behaviour.
The delivery of medical care at a distance using digital communication, such as video consultations, remote monitoring of patients and the electronic exchange of images and test results between clinicians.
An organisation of workers that acts together to improve pay, conditions and job security, mainly by negotiating with employers on behalf of its members.
A family whose members live in different countries but keep a sense of shared belonging and responsibility, often through regular digital communication and money sent home.
An organisation that employs people to run many fake or anonymous accounts in order to spread propaganda, attack opponents and create a false impression of public opinion.
An approach to design in which products, environments and digital content are made usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities from the start, without the need for later adaptation.
An exhibition of artworks, objects or documents presented through a digital system, such as a website, 360-degree tour or virtual reality space, which visitors can explore remotely.
The process by which people orient themselves in a physical space and plan and follow a route to a destination, using cues such as signs, landmarks, maps and, increasingly, navigation apps.
A relationship with an acquaintance rather than a close friend or relative; because weak ties link people to different social circles, they often provide new information and opportunities such as jobs.
The shared tastes, styles, language, values and activities of young people, which often differ from those of older generations and change quickly.
A social media account controlled wholly or partly by software, which posts, likes or shares content automatically while appearing to be a real person.