Glossary

Academic Advisors
Academic advisors assist students with short-term and long-term educational planning in the areas of degree/certificate completion, the transfer process, university admissions and Student Success Services referrals.

Academic Year
The period of formal academic instruction, divided into summer, fall, winter, and spring quarters. Summer quarter marks the beginning of a new Academic year.

Areas of Interest
Cascadia College’s 7 Areas of Interest make it easier for students to find a career or program that matches a student’s interests and skills with a career in order to select a pathway. Our 7 Areas of Interest are:

1. Business
2. College and Career Foundations (CCF)
3. Communication, Creative Arts and Design
4. Earth Sciences, Sustainability and Environmental Studies
5. Health & Wellness
6. Social Sciences, Human Services and Education
7. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

Audit
Registration in a class for which enrollment is official; however, no grade or credit will be granted. An audit class requires full tuition payment and fees.  

Bock Learning Center
The Bock Learning Center provides a space where students can work independently or in small groups, receive assistance from peer tutors in a range of subject areas, and access computer and printing resources. The Bock Learning Center is located in CC2-060.

Certificate Programs
A professional technical certificate gives you the knowledge and skills you need for a specific job. All certificate programs are designed to take less than 2 years to complete. They are coordinated with Cascadia’s professional technical degrees and associate degrees to make it simple to continue your education if or when you choose. 

Class Number
The four-digit or five-digit number that identifies each class and section in the quarterly class schedule.

Course Component
Courses with labs (either science labs or performance labs, like Art or Drama) have both a lecture and a lab component listed in the class schedule. These are abbreviated LEC or LAB. When there is a lab, both components are mandatory.

Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA)
The Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) Associate degree is awarded to students who have completed a transfer curriculum that should fulfill most lower-division general education requirements for a baccalaureate degree at 4-year institutions within Washington State. Cascadia’s DTA degree is the Associate in Integrated Studies - DTA.

Drop
The official removal of a class from a student’s schedule before the 10th business day of the quarter. Students who drop a course will not receive a grade and the course will not show up on their official transcript.

eLearning
A method of instruction which allows students to complete all or part of their coursework through the use of technology like the internet, the CANVAS and WAMAP course management systems, videos, blogs, and wikis.

Enrollment Date / Enrollment Appointment
Continuing and former Cascadia students are assigned an “enrollment date” based on the number of credits earned at Cascadia College.

Enrollment Requirement / Prerequisite
Any placement level or coursework that must be completed prior to enrolling in a class.

Equity, Diversity and Power (EDP)
The EDP requirement (10-credits total) is intended to help students begin developing skills and knowledge to successfully navigate living in an increasingly interconnected, complex, and diverse world. Students take one 150 class (5 credits) and another five-credit course with EDP designation. The 150-series (CMST 150, GS150, HIST 150, HUM150, or SOC150) requirement grounds students in the cognitive tools and background needed to critically analyze their evolving positions in society so they can pursue further study and seek out their careers more intentionally. In fulfilling the EDP requirement, students learn how local and global systems of power, privilege, and inequality are created and maintained. Additionally, students learn how individuals, communities, and societies/cultures are impacted by these systems and explore strategies for equitable change.

Grade Point Average (GPA)
A student’s GPA is the average of decimal grades given for each course attempted. The cumulative (CUM) GPA includes all coursework attempted.

Hybrid Class (section code H)
A hybrid class replaces some, but not all, face-to-face class time with web-based classroom time. Examples of hybrid classes include those that have meeting requirements for exams or courses that meet once or twice a week, while all other class interaction is online.

Incomplete
This grade may be given at upon student’s request with the instructor’s approval. An “I” grade may be appropriate when a student has already completed a majority of work for the course, have passing grades, are unable to finish the remaining coursework by the end of the quarter, but will be able to complete the coursework with no additional instruction. Additional information on the Grading System is available online.

In-Person/Web-Enhanced
These are typical classes where all course instruction takes place in-person in a classroom, but students are required to use online digital tools to access or submit class materials. Most Cascadia classes fall under this category.

Instruction Mode
Instruction mode or “modality” refers to how a student will get instruction from their professor, participate in course activities, and engage with course content during the learning experience. Different course modes like In-Person/Web-enhanced, Online, or Hybrid offer varied ways of participating in the class. Class Instruction Modes are identified in the quarterly schedule of classes.

Integrated Learning (section codes include IL)
Integrated Learning courses utilize a variety of structures. These include Learning Communities (see below), as well as paired sections of courses that have assignments centered around a common theme. In some cases, you must register for both courses. In other cases, enrolling in both courses is recommended in order to enhance your learning experience, but is not required. Other integrated learning sections include community-based learning activities (CBL) or significantly interdisciplinary course content. All integrated learning courses and course combinations are designed to assist students in developing the ability to use what they learn and then take that knowledge and apply it in real-world contexts. Please refer to the catalog course descriptions and quarterly schedule for specific information on integrated learning offerings.

Learning Community (section code LC)
Learning Communities (see also Integrated Learning) offer an alternative to the traditional individual course approach. These programs are based on specific themes, and synthesize knowledge and ideas across different disciplines. Learning Communities are a cohort of students enrolled in two classes in which they experience an explicitly designed common theme that links the two content areas. Students learn to understand patterns and make connections among different schools of knowledge, and to integrate their studies with personal experience. A typical Learning Community might meet two days a week for four hours daily. The course may include workshops, seminars, lectures, online assignments, field trips, group projects, and writing assignments.

Seminars play a crucial role in the learning process. Participants learn to analyze and critique arguments, cooperate in group discussion, read critically, and debate logically. Writing assignments and group projects allow students to clarify and express their ideas and make connections among many subjects. Learning Communities represent an integrated educational approach. Courses within these coordinated studies programs may apply to the AIS degree and may transfer to other colleges and universities.

Major
The subject or department in which a student takes concentrated coursework, leading to a specialty. Majors are found at bachelor degree-granting institutions.

Major-Related Pathways (MRP)
Most Major-Related Programs (MRP) help students prepare to transfer into high demand bachelor’s degree programs that require specific courses in the first two years. Business, biology, engineering and nursing are a few examples. Each MRP is based on one of the statewide transfer agreements: Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) or the Associate in Science-Transfer (AS-T) and can reduce the time it takes to complete a specific bachelor degree pathway.

Matriculation: Degree Seeking Students
The formal admission application and acceptance of a student who wishes to take courses for a college degree or certificate.

Non-Matriculated Students: Non-Degree Seeking Students
Students not seeking a degree or certificate are considered non-matriculated students.

Online Asynchronous
A fully online class with no real-time class meetings. All course content is delivered through online tools and materials. Online Asynchronous courses are not self-paced, rather students engage regularly and actively through group projects, discussions, and other activities. Fully Online Asynchronous courses have no on-campus in-person requirements.

Online Asynchronous w/ In-Person Activities
These classes are fully online with no scheduled online meetings, but there is also some kind of required on-campus activity. For example, an Online Asynchronous class may require an orientation at the beginning of the quarter, or in-person exams at the middle and/or end of the term. Some Online Asynchronous science classes may require students come to campus at the beginning or end of the quarter to pick up lab kits or other materials, however all course instruction is fully online. In-person requirements will be specified in the Class Notes section of the quarterly schedule of classes.

Online Class (section code OL)
An eLearning class that has no on-campus or in-person class meetings; the class meets entirely online. Online courses are not self-paced, rather students engage regularly and actively through group projects, discussions, and other activities. Online classes can be fully Asynchronous, or have Scheduled real-time class meetings that are held remotely using online tools. Some online classes may have in-person on campus requirements like in-person program orientations or required exams. See also: Online Asynchronous, Online Scheduled, Online Asynchronous with In-Person Activities, and Online Scheduled with In-Person Activities.

Online Scheduled
A fully online class with some or all real-time remote class meetings. Instruction is live using online tools with scheduled class days and times.

Online Scheduled w/ In-Person Activities
These classes are fully online with regularly scheduled meetings, but there is also some kind of required on-campus activity. For example, an Online Scheduled class may require an orientation at the beginning of the quarter, or in-person exams at the middle and/or end of the term. Some Online Scheduled science classes may require students come to campus at the beginning or end of the quarter to pick up lab kits or other materials, however all course instruction is fully online. In-person requirements will be specified in the Class Notes section of the quarterly schedule of classes.

Over-enrollment
Permission given by an instructor to register for a class that has reached its capacity of registered students.

Overload
Permission required by an academic advisor to take more than 24 credits per quarter.

Pathways
Cascadia College offers 71 pathways within 7 Areas of Interest to help students find a direct path toward a chosen profession.

Performance Lab
The applied skills or studio component of a Humanities course, such as Drawing or Drama. No more than 5 credits of courses designated Humanities Performance (HP) can be applied to the Humanities Distribution Requirement.

Placement
A measure of a student’s skills in English, Math, or Science that is used to select where in a course sequence a student may enroll. Placement may be based on prior coursework or an assessment, such as a test or writing sample.

Prerequisite / Enrollment Requirement
Any placement level or coursework that must be completed prior to enrolling in a class.

Program Maps
Each of our 71 pathways has a program map with a clear course sequence breakdown of the classes required to complete any of Cascadia’s degree or certificate programs to graduate on time. Each program map also includes the most current career data and transfer information for that pathway.

Transcript
The official record of courses attempted including course titles, levels, earned credit and grades. Transcripts will document quarter-by-quarter GPA, and cumulative GPA.

Withdrawal
The official removal of a student from a class. Students who choose to Withdraw will have a “W” as their grade on their official transcript. Students have until the end of the 8th week of the quarter to withdraw themselves from any courses. (Withdrawal deadlines for summer and pre-fall are adjusted for short instructional period.) It is the student’s responsibility to avoid receiving a 0.0 grade for a class they have stopped attending by officially withdrawing from that class.