IGNOU OPENNET flashcards
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33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Formative evaluation
- Assessment carried out during instruction to monitor learning and provide feedback for improvement. It is diagnostic in purpose and does not usually contribute a final grade.
- Summative evaluation
- Assessment conducted at the end of a course or unit to judge achievement against stated objectives. It typically yields grades or certification and is judgemental rather than diagnostic.
- Criterion-referenced test
- A test that interprets a learner's score against a fixed standard or set of objectives rather than against the performance of other learners.
- Null hypothesis
- A statistical statement that there is no difference or no relationship between variables. Research tests whether sample evidence is strong enough to reject it.
- Type I error
- Rejecting a null hypothesis that is actually true. Its probability is the alpha level chosen by the researcher, commonly 0.05.
- Action research
- A cyclical inquiry by practitioners-plan, act, observe, reflect-aimed at solving a local practical problem rather than building generalizable theory.
- Reliability versus validity
- Reliability is consistency of measurement across occasions or items; validity is whether the instrument measures the intended construct. Reliability is necessary but not sufficient for validity.
- Bloom's revised taxonomy
- A hierarchy of cognitive objectives: remember, understand, apply, analyse, evaluate, create. It replaces synthesis with create and places evaluation before creation.
- Probability sampling
- Sampling in which every unit has a known, non-zero chance of selection, as in simple random, systematic, stratified, and cluster sampling. It supports generalization.
- Levels of measurement
- Nominal (labels), ordinal (rank), interval (equal units, arbitrary zero), ratio (equal units, true zero). Only ratio data support ratio statements such as twice as much.
- Historiography
- The study of how history is written: methods, sources, interpretations, and changing schools of thought. It examines the discipline's practice, not past events directly.
- Public administration
- The study and practice of implementing government policy, covering bureaucracy, budgeting, personnel, and organizational structures within the state apparatus.
- Data structure
- An organized arrangement of data enabling efficient access and modification, such as arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, and graphs.
- Opportunity cost
- The value of the next best alternative forgone when a choice is made. It is central to economics and to business decision-making.
- Cell theory
- The principle that all living organisms are composed of cells, that the cell is the basic unit of life, and that new cells arise from existing cells.
- Syllogism validity
- An argument is valid when its conclusion is true in every possible situation consistent with its premises. Validity concerns form, not factual truth of premises.
- Circular arrangement
- An arrangement of n distinct items around a circle has (n−1)! distinct orders because rotations are treated as identical; reflections count as distinct unless stated otherwise.
- Percentage change
- The change from an old value to a new value expressed as (new − old) / old × 100. It is used to compare data across categories in interpretation questions.
- Necessary assumption
- An unstated premise that must be true for the given statement or argument to hold. It is required, not merely plausible or helpful.
- Blood relation notation
- A convention for drawing family trees, using symbols or signs for gender and lines for relations, so that generations appear as rows and relations can be traced.
- Inference versus implication
- An inference is a conclusion drawn from stated evidence; an implication is what a statement suggests without asserting it. Comprehension items test the former.
- Active and passive voice
- Active voice places the doer as subject; passive voice foregrounds the receiver using a form of be plus past participle, often omitting the doer.
- Direct to indirect speech
- Reported speech shifts tense one step back and adjusts pronouns and time markers, for example now to then and today to that day.
- Faulty parallelism
- A sentence error in which items in a list or comparison use mismatched grammatical forms, such as mixing infinitives with gerunds.
- Misplaced modifier
- A modifier placed so that it appears to describe the wrong word, producing ambiguity or absurd meaning. It is corrected by moving it next to its target.
- University Grants Commission
- India's statutory body for coordinating and maintaining standards in higher education, established in 1956. It also regulates open and distance learning recognition.
- Open and distance learning
- Education in which teacher and learner are separated in time or place, supported by self-learning materials, counselling, and institutional learner support services.
- Self-learning materials
- Instructional material designed for independent study, structured with objectives, content, self-check exercises, and feedback so a distant learner can progress without a teacher present.
- Open educational resources
- Freely licensed teaching and learning materials that may be reused, revised, remixed, and redistributed, typically under Creative Commons licences.
- SWAYAM
- India's national MOOC platform, offering online courses from school to higher education. Selected courses can carry academic credit under the national credit framework.
- Learning management system
- Software that hosts online courses, delivering content, managing enrolments, running assessments, and supporting discussion between learners and teachers.
- Flipped classroom
- A blended model in which learners study content online before class, and class time is used for discussion, practice, and active problem-solving.
- Digital divide
- Unequal access to devices, internet connectivity, and digital skills across learners and regions, affecting equity in online and distance education.