Why This Glossary Exists

You’re reading a course platform comparison. It says: “This platform supports SCORM 1.2 and 2004, with xAPI statement forwarding and LTI 1.3 integration for external tools.”

You close the tab.

those words mean something specific, and understanding them could save you from picking the wrong platform, building the wrong structure, or paying for features you don’t need.

Why E-Learning Has So Much Jargon

The online course industry grew out of two very different worlds:

1. Corporate training and academia — universities, compliance training, professional certification. This world uses terms like SCORM, LMS, xAPI, and CEU because they have strict requirements for tracking, reporting, and accreditation.

2. Creator economy and internet marketing — coaches, consultants, solo entrepreneurs selling knowledge. This world uses terms like drip, evergreen, funnel, and launch because the focus is on marketing and selling.

If you’re coming from the creator economy side (most course creators are), the corporate/academic terminology feels like a foreign language. But as your course grows — especially if you serve businesses, offer certifications, or work with any kind of regulatory requirement — you’ll run into these terms whether you want to or not.

How This Course Is Organized

Each lesson covers a cluster of related terms. Here’s the map:

• Platform & Infrastructure — LMS, LXP, SCORM, xAPI, hosting, domains
• Course Structure — modules, lessons, drip, evergreen, cohort, self-paced
• Instructional Design — ADDIE, SAM, Bloom’s taxonomy, learning objectives
• Assessment & Completion — quizzes, rubrics, certificates, CEUs, proctoring
• Integrations & Automation — API, webhooks, Zapier, SSO
• Accessibility — WCAG, closed captions, alt text, Section 508

Each lesson gives you:

• The plain-English definition of each term
• When you’ll actually encounter it in your course creation journey
• Whether you need to care about it (some terms are only relevant for enterprise or academic courses)

You Don’t Need to Read This Straight Through

This is a reference. Jump to whatever section is relevant right now. Come back when you hit a new term. The lessons are short — most take 2–3 minutes to read.