ICDL Online Collaboration key terms

The delivery of computing services such as storage, software, and processing power over the internet, so users access resources on remote servers instead of on their own local machine.

A model where a provider hosts an application and users access it through a browser or app, usually on a subscription basis, rather than installing and maintaining it locally.

Software that runs in a web browser and is accessed over a network, requiring no local installation and often enabling real-time collaboration between multiple users.

A way of working where several people edit or view the same document, board, or file at the same moment, with each person's changes appearing to the others almost instantly.

The practice of two or more people jointly creating or editing a single shared document, typically with automatic saving and a visible history of who changed what.

A visual cue, such as a coloured avatar or name label, showing which collaborators are currently viewing or editing a shared file and where their cursor is.

An online service that keeps files on remote servers so they can be uploaded, retrieved, and synchronised from any device with an internet connection.

The automatic process of keeping copies of a file identical across a cloud service and each linked device, so a change made in one place appears everywhere.

A directory in an online storage service whose contents are made available to specified people or groups, who may be given view-only or editing rights.

A web address generated by a storage service that grants anyone who opens it access to a file or folder, sometimes protected by a password or expiry date.

The set of rights assigned to a user or link for a shared item, such as view, comment, or edit, which determines what actions that recipient can perform.

The ability to open and work on cloud-stored files without an internet connection, with changes uploaded and merged once connectivity returns.

A record kept by a cloud service of earlier saved states of a file, allowing users to review changes and restore a previous version if needed.

A web-based scheduling tool that stores events on a remote server, lets users create and edit appointments, and can be shared with other people.

The act of giving other people access to a calendar so they can view availability, and sometimes add or edit events, depending on the rights granted.

A request sent from a calendar to one or more attendees asking them to take part in a scheduled activity, which they can accept, decline, or mark as tentative.

The set of people named on a calendar event, whose responses are tracked so the organiser can see who has accepted, declined, or not yet replied.

A reply to an invitation stating whether the invited person will attend, commonly recorded as accepted, declined, or tentative within the calendar system.

A label on a calendar entry, such as free, busy, or out of office, that tells others whether a person can be booked during that period.

A calendar feature that compares the calendars of several invitees and suggests meeting times when all or most of them are free.

A region of the world using a standard clock offset, which online calendars apply so that a meeting created in one location displays at the correct local time for each participant.

A calendar entry set to repeat on a defined pattern, such as weekly or monthly, so the organiser does not have to create each occurrence separately.

A live session held over the internet in which participants communicate by audio, video, or text, often sharing screens and documents in a virtual room.

Technology that connects people at different locations through a browser or app for presentations, discussions, and collaboration, typically supporting video, audio, and screen sharing.

A unique web address that attendees click to join a scheduled online meeting, usually included in the calendar invitation or confirmation email.

A numeric or alphanumeric code that identifies a specific virtual meeting room, which participants may enter manually to join a session.

A virtual holding area where guests remain until the host admits them, giving the organiser control over who enters the meeting and when.

The set of permissions available to the person running an online meeting, such as muting participants, admitting guests, sharing the screen, or ending the session.

A feature that lets one participant display their desktop or a single application window to everyone else in an online meeting or web conference.

To switch off a participant's microphone so that background noise is not transmitted to the rest of the meeting; the host can usually mute others.

A text area within a meeting or collaboration tool where participants type messages, share links, and record notes alongside the spoken discussion.

A saved audio and video capture of an online meeting, which can be stored and shared afterwards so absent people can review what was discussed.

The use of shared online spaces, such as team sites or message channels, where groups post updates, exchange files, and discuss work in an open, ongoing way.

An online conversation organised so that replies stay grouped beneath the original message, making it easier to follow several topics at once.

An indicator in a collaboration tool showing whether a colleague is available, busy, away, or offline, helping others decide whether to message or call.