As a new or returning Del Mar college student, you may hear many acronyms and terms abbreviated or referred to for the many programs and offices with which you come in contact. This guide will assist you in understanding common terms and phrases.
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Academic Advisor
Academic advising takes place in "situations in which an institutional representative gives insight or direction to a college student about an academic, social, or personal matter. The nature of this direction might be to inform, suggest, counsel, discipline, coach, mentor, or even teach."
https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Definitions-of-academic-advising.aspx
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Academic Probation I
Students with a cumulative GPA less than 2.0 and who have 12 or more credit hours completed will be placed on academic probation. Students on Probation I are eligible to enroll at the College to work towards earning good scholastic standing. Students will receive correspondence from the Dean of Student Engagement and Retention outlining student support options including contact information for Advocacy Specialists. A registration hold will be placed the student’s account. Removal of the registration hold requires completion of two sequential steps: 1) completion of an Academic Recovery Course and 2) a visit with an Advocacy Specialist. Students are also encouraged to meet with their program/academic advisor before registering for courses. Students with less than 30 semester credit hours must meet with their academic advisor.
https://delmarcollege.smartcatalogiq.com/2023-2024/catalog-and-student-handbook/
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Academic Probation II: Second Warning
Students with a cumulative GPA less than 2.0 for more than one semester and complete 13 credit hours or more and have less than a 2.0 cumulative GPA will be on Probation II. Students on Probation II are eligible to enroll at the College to work towards earning good scholastic standing. Students will receive correspondence from the Dean of Student Engagement and Retention outlining next steps. As with Probation I, a registration hold is placed on the student's account. Removal of the registration hold requires completion of two sequential steps: 1) completion of an Academic Recovery Course and 2) a visit with an Advocacy Specialist. Students are encouraged to meet with their program/academic advisor before registering for courses. Students with less than 30 semester credit hours must meet with their academic advisor.
https://delmarcollege.smartcatalogiq.com/2023-2024/catalog-and-student-handbook/
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Academic Standing
Academic standing will be established once you have completed 12 college credit hours. Academic standing is determined at the end of each semester when an evaluation is made of your cumulative grade point average (GPA).
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Academic Year
The annual period of sessions of an educational institution usually beginning in September and ending in June.
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Adult Basic Education (ABE)
Adult education and literacy programs that help adults acquire the basic skills they need including reading, writing, math, English language proficiency, and problem-solving to be productive workers, family members, and citizens.
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Advanced Placement (AP)
Advanced Placement (AP) courses were created by the College Board, an US non-profit organization that connects high school students to colleges and universities, and assists in their preparation for higher education. Essentially, AP courses are college-level classes that you take while you are still completing your high school degree.
https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/efacademyblog/what-are-ap-courses/
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Advising Hold
A student that has earned less than 30 semester credits hours (SCH).
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American College Test (ACT)
The American College Test (ACT) is a national standardized test that measures skills in English, Mathematics, Reading and Science to determine how well you perform the skills necessary for college coursework.
It is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. It is a multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper test administered by ACT, Inc.
https://www.delmar.edu/offices/testing/
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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability just as other civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. The ADA guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs.
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Approved Electives
This list of pre-approved electives will be expanded over time, please consult your advisor for details.
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Articulation Agreement
An articulation agreement document is between two colleges or universities and lays out a transfer plan between two program offerings. It helps the student by ensuring all completed classes (credits) transfer and shows a clear pathway for continued advancement.
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Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)
An umbrella term that refers to a vast, diverse group of people from a collection of countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The label is primarily a geographic one and includes people with “Asian, Asian American or Pacific Islander ancestry, who trace their origins to the countries, states and communities of these regions.
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a35711434/asian-american-pacific-islander-difference-aapi/
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Associate in Applied Science (AAS)
A degree designed for immediate employment after completion of a two-year program, often in technical or vocational areas.
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Associate in Arts (AA)
A degree typically earned after completing a two-year program primarily focused on liberal arts and humanities.
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Associate in Science (AS)
A degree earned after completing a two-year program emphasizing sciences, mathematics, and technical fields.
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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.
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Attentional Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd
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Canvas
Del Mar College uses Canvas by Instructure as our Learning Management System (LMS). Online, Hybrid, and Web-Enhanced classes are offered through the Canvas system. Canvas functions work best through the Google Chrome browser. Some courses use Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor for testing. Links for downloading Lockdown Browser, as well as Google Chrome can be located on the Help Desk section of the Del Mar College website (https://www.delmar.edu/helpdesk). Students are responsible for providing their own computers, software, and Internet Service Providers or for accessing the Internet using technology available through the various learning centers on a Del Mar College campus.
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Catalog
Information contained in the catalog reflects the College operations at the time of publication. The College maintains the right to adjust operational parameters as necessary to ensure efficient College management. Students must be familiar with the information in this catalog in order to avoid problems and complete their educational goal in a timely manner.
https://delmarcollege.smartcatalogiq.com/2023-2024/catalog-and-student-handbook/
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Centralized Advising Structure
Where professional and faculty advisors are housed in one academic or administrative unit.
https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Organizational-Models-for-Advising.aspx
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College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a national program of credit by examination that allows examinees to obtain recognition for college level achievement. The Del Mar College Testing Center offers all 33 CLEP exams. CLEP exams cover material taught in courses that most students take as requirements in the first two years of college.
https://www.delmar.edu/offices/testing/
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Concurrent
A concurrent is a course or other requirement that a student must satisfactorily complete either prior to or during the same semester as a given course.
https://cim.psu.edu/user-guides/course-management/prerequisites-concurrents-corequisites/
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Continuing Education Unit (CEU)
Many courses offer Continuing Education Units (CEU) which may be used to meet state or professional requirements. A CEU is a reporting unit defined as ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience. A student may request a Continuing Education transcript for personal or professional use to demonstrate successful completion of a course, hours awarded, and CEUs earned.
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Corequisite
A corequisite is a course or other requirement that a student must satisfactorily complete simultaneously during the same semester as a given course. Corequisites are used rarely as a course requirement.
https://cim.psu.edu/user-guides/course-management/prerequisites-concurrents-corequisites/
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Credit by Exam (CBE)
You can earn credit by exam by taking national tests and departmental exams.
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Dean's List
If you are enrolled for and complete 6 or more semester hours of college-level coursework and earn a grade point average of 3.5 or more on your semester grades, your name will be included on the Honors List. Developmental courses beginning with the number zero are not considered in Honors List calculations.
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Decentralized Advising Structure
Professional or faculty advisors are located in their respective academic departments.
https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Organizational-Models-for-Advising.aspx
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Degree Planner
A planning tool to assist students and advisors in mapping courses towards degree completion and to provide students with the best-recommended sequence of courses for success.
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Dental Admission Test (DAT)
The Dental Admissions Test (DAT) is required by all U.S. dental schools and measures academic ability, scientific understanding, and perceptual ability.
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Developmental Education Course (Dev-Ed)
You might need to enroll in developmental courses to build a strong academic foundation prior to enrolling in college-level courses.
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Education Testing Services (ETS)
E.T.S.—Advancing the science of measurement to power human progress · We measure proficiency to help learners, leaders and organizations build a better future.
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English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
The ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Program at Del Mar College offers students the opportunity to improve their spoken, written, and grammatical English. Courses are designed for students born in other countries and students who were born in the United States but who learned another language before they learned English.
https://www.delmar.edu/offices/comm/esol/esol-program.html
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Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
Expected Family Contribution
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Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
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Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that affords parents the right to have access to their children’s education records, the right to seek to have the records amended, and the right to have some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the education records.
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First Generation College Student
The definition of first-generation students — a term that was coined by the Council for Opportunity in Education in 1980 — varies from campus to campus. For some colleges, it means that neither of the student’s biological parents attended college. For many other institutions, the definition used to determine eligibility for some federal support programs is preferred: Students are considered first-generation if their parents did not graduate from college.
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First Time In College (FTIC)
The definition of first-generation students — a term that was coined by the Council for Opportunity in Education in 1980 — varies from campus to campus. For some colleges, it means that neither of the student’s biological parents attended college. For many other institutions, the definition used to determine eligibility for some federal support programs is preferred: Students are considered first-generation if their parents did not graduate from college.
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Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Federal Student Aid offers grants, loans, work-study, and more to help you pay for college or career school. Use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply.
https://www.usa.gov/fafsa
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Full Time Enrollment (FTE)
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General Education (GE or Gen Ed)
The general education courses can be selected from the listings provided in the General Education Curriculum areas below. Students must earn 3 credits in each of these areas. Some of the courses in the options below are NOT guaranteed transferability. Students should check the specific core curriculum course requirements of the college or university to which they plan to transfer.
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General Education Development (GED)
General Education Development
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Grade Point Average (GPA)
Your Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated by multiplying the semester-hour value of the course by the point value in which a completion grade of “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” “F,” “R,” or “P” was earned. For example, 3 semester hours with a grade of a “B” equates to 9 grade points.
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Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
The GRE General Test is an objective assessment of skills that are critical for success in thousands of graduate, business and law programs worldwide.
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Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
HIPAA is a federal law that requires the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed.
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Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)
A Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) is defined as an institution of higher education that—is an eligible insititution; and has enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanci students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application.
https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis/
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Historical Black College/Universities (HBCU)
HBCUs are a source of accomplishment and great pride for the African American community as well as the entire nation. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as: “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.”
https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/
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Incomplete (I)
When you do not complete a course because of illness or extenuating circ*mstances in any semester, the instructor may assign the “I” grade, signifying that your work is incomplete.
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Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
A system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). IPEDS gathers information from every college, university, and technical and vocational institution that participates in the federal student financial aid programs. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires that institutions that participate in federal student aid programs report data on enrollments, program completions, graduation rates, faculty and staff, finances, institutional prices, and student financial aid.
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International Baccalaureate (IB)
If you are an incoming freshman and have earned the International Baccalaureate diploma, you will be awarded at least 24 semester hours of college credit for all IB exam scores of 4 or above. Fewer credits may be granted if you have scored less than 4 on any IB exam administered as part of the diploma program. The maximum credit that you can receive for the IB exams is 42 semester credit hours.
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Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is an integral part of law school admission in the United States, Canada, and a growing number of other countries.
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Learning Management System (LMS)
Canvas by Instructure as our Learning Management System (LMS). Online, Hybrid, and Web-Enhanced classes are offered through the Canvas system. Canvas functions work best through the Google Chrome browser.
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Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
The Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®) is a standardized, multiple-choice examination designed to assess your problem-solving, critical thinking, and knowledge of natural, behavioral, and social science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine.
https://students-residents.aamc.org/about-mcat-exam/about-mcat-exam
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Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is an agreement between two or more parties/institutions. MOUs are not legally binding, but serve to document each collaborator’s expectations or intentions.
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Minority Serving Institution (MSI)
MSIs are institutions of higher education that serve minority populations. They are unique both in their missions and in their day-to-day operations. Some of these colleges and universities are located in remote regions of the country, whereas others serve urban neighborhoods. Some are only a few decades old, whereas others, have been striving for more than a century to give their constituents the social and educational skills needed to overcome racial discrimination and limited economic opportunities.
https://www.doi.gov/pmb/eeo/doi-minority-serving-institutions-program
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Non Course Based Option (NCBO)
The Base NCBO is designed to help students gain the necessary skills to successfully complete Developmental Mathematics. Topics include the study of numeracy and the real number system; algebraic concepts, notation, and reasoning; quantitative relationships; mathematical models and problem solving.
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Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA)
With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.
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Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)
The PCAT is a specialized, standardized test that helps identify qualified applicants to pharmacy colleges and schools. It measures general academic ability and scientific knowledge necessary for the commencement of pharmaceutical education.
https://www.aacp.org/resource/pharmacy-college-admission-test
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Prerequisite
A prerequisite is a course or other requirement that a student must satisfactorily complete prior to the start of a given course.
https://cim.psu.edu/user-guides/course-management/prerequisites-concurrents-corequisites/
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Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
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Shared Advising Structure
Where some advisors meet with students in a central administrative unit (i.e., an advising center), while others advise students in the academic department of their major discipline.
https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Organizational-Models-for-Advising.aspx
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Student Aid Index (SAI)
An eligibility index number that your college’s or career school’s financial aid office uses to determine how much federal student aid you would receive if you attended the school.
https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/what-is-sai
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Semester Credit Hours (SCH)
A semester credit hour is an academic unit earned for fifteen 50-minute sessions of classroom instruction with a normal expectation of two hours of outside study for each class session. Typically, a three-semester credit hour course meets three 50-minute sessions per week for fifteen weeks for a total of 45 sessions.
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Subsidized Loan (Sub Loan)
Loans for undergraduate students with financial need, as determined by your cost of attendance minus expected family contribution and other financial aid (such as grants or scholarships). Subsidized Loans do not accrue interest while you are in school at least half-time or during deferment periods.
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Supplemental Instruction (SI)
Supplemental Instruction is a campus-wide initiative to support learning at Del Mar College. Spearheaded by the Curriculum Committee of the Developmental Education Council at DMC, SI is modeled after a successful national program.
https://www.delmar.edu/offices/si/index.html
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Suspension
Students who fail to raise their GPA above 2.0 after two probation semesters will then be subject to academic suspension. Students on suspension will receive correspondence from the Dean of Student Engagement and Retention outlining next steps. Additionally, a registration hold is placed on the student's account. If you are placed on academic suspension and desire to register for courses, you must appeal utilizing the Academic Suspension Appeal form. Removal of the registration block requires completion of five sequential steps:
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Syllabus
Document that communicates information about an academic course or class and defines expectations and responsibilities.
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Teachers Assistant (TA)
A teacher assistant plays a supporting role in the classroom. They work under the lead teacher’s supervision to give students added educational support and instruction, which allows the teacher in charge to focus more time on classroom instruction. While most assistants help with everything from tutoring to creating lesson plans, their day-to-day can look different based on the school and age of the students they teach.
https://www.wgu.edu/career-guide/education/teacher-assistant-career.html
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Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
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Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
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Texas Success Iniaitive (TSI)
The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) is a state mandate that requires testing to measure college-level readiness in reading, mathematics, and writing. This test will determine which classes you will be required to take during your first and subsequent semesters at Del Mar College.
https://www.delmar.edu/offices/testing/
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Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU)
TCUs are both integral and essential to their communities, creating environments that foster American Indian culture, languages, and traditions. They are often the only postsecondary institutions within some of our Nation’s poorest rural areas. TCUs serve a variety of people, from young adults to senior citizens, AI to non-American Indians. They also serve as community resources for crucial social services and add hope to communities that suffer from high rates of poverty and unemployment.
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Trio Student Support Services (TRIO SSS)
The Federal TRIO Programs are educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
https://www.delmar.edu/offices/trio/sss.html
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Unsubsidized Loan (Un Sub Loan)
Loans for both undergraduate and graduate students that are not based on financial need. Eligibility is determined by your cost of attendance minus other financial aid (such as grants or scholarships). Interest is charged during in-school, deferment, and grace periods. Unlike a subsidized loan, you are responsible for the interest from the time the unsubsidized loan is disbursed until it’s paid in full.
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Withdrawal (W)
An official withdrawal from a course may be initiated by a student or faculty member resulting in the assignment of a “W” grade and which is not computed in a grade point average. Students must meet the “W” grade deadline in order to be eligible to receive this designation. Failure to meet the deadline will result in a failing grade.
Page last updated May 13, 2024.
