Use a Glossary – Student Guide

Glossaries allow lecturers and students to create and maintain a list of module-specific dictionary definitions. Entries can be searched or browsed in many different formats and definitions can ‘pop up’ over instances of the word whenever the term appears in the module.  One useful Glossary type is the FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) which allows a question and answer to be entered instead of a word and a definition.

 

Why are glossaries used?

Why are glossaries used?

  • To provide contextualised definitions for difficult course terms and avoid repeatedly answering similar questions.
  • It can enable students to contribute and become familiar with course concepts.
  • It can also be used as a facility that allows students to share files, links or other content with their classmates. Forums can be used for this purpose too, but a glossary can be easier to search and display items.

It can be a very useful tool, for instance, where subject-specific words and definitions are used ‘loosely’ in a given field but need to be agreed on for the purposes of group discussion.

Add a new glossary entry

Add a new glossary entry

  1. Select Add a new entry.
  2. Enter the name of the glossary entry in the Concept field and add a Definition of the word or concept.
  3. If categories have been defined in the Browse by category tab, categorise the entry by selecting the correct category from the Categories list.
  4. Enter any Keywords (aliases) that should link to this entry, one per line.
  5. To add an Attachment, e.g. a picture or document, either locate the file and drag and drop it into to the drag and drop area or click the Add button to upload via the file picker, open the folder where the file is located and click on the file. Click Select this file. 
  6. For more information about formatting in the editor please view our guidance on the Moodle editor.
  7. Save changes.