Glossary

Academic year	The academic year runs from September to Mid-August. The year is divided into three trimesters (teaching terms) of active teaching periods that end in short periods of assessment, with a short inter-trimester break between each trimester.
Asynchronous (or synchronous)	Asynchronous sessions are not live. This could be a pre-recorded lecture, video, audio content, activity or other online teaching activity. Synchronous activities are live teaching activities that take place at a specific time and place and usually require some form of interaction from the student.
Bachelor’s degree (BSc)	This is a basic degree level qualification at SCQF level 9 in Scotland.
Block and Blend	This is a programme structure that mixes (or blends) distance, asynchronous learning activity with intensive, on campus, face to face teaching sessions that take place in short blocks of time (e.g. a few days).
Block teaching	Block teaching is a compressed and intensive teaching session that can take place over one or more days. This programme will use three -day intensive blocks of teaching to compliment the distance learning activities.
‘Earn as you Learn’	This is a term used to describe academic programmes the enrol students to study a vocational programme alongside employment (complimented by on the job training) and practice (in this case, as trainee dispensing opticians)
Registrable degree	A programme that allows students to qualify and register as a (clinical) professional at the point of graduation (the students do not need to sit a pre-registration period or further final exams to register as a dispensing optician)
Supervisor	A suitably qualified clinician that supervises the work of the student.
Tri-partite agreement	This is an agreement signed by all parties (the student, employer and institution) to agree to their roles and responsibilities. It also covers the data sharing agreement and agreement around liability.
Trimester	A trimester is a teaching period (of 11 weeks at GCU) when content (in this programme) from two or more modules is delivered and then assessed at the end.