Glossary

The parent's glossary for online ASU courses.

College courses come with their own vocabulary. Here are the words families run into most, in plain language. Where a policy can change, we point you to the course syllabus or ASU's current page.

Search the glossary

A

Add the credit (credit conversion): Paying ASU $400 after a course ends to put it, with its grade, on an official ASU transcript. It's only possible with a C or better, and only if the family chooses. Should we add the credit?
Arizona time: Most of Arizona doesn't observe daylight saving time, so its offset from other time zones shifts in spring and fall. If a due time is listed in Arizona time, check the syllabus and convert it to your own clock.
ASURITE ID: The student's ASU username. It's used with a password to sign in to My ASU, Canvas and other ASU systems.

C

Canvas: The online classroom ASU uses for courses. It's where students find readings, submit assignments, take quizzes and see grades. Check the course welcome email for how to get in.
ClassWallet: The online platform Arizona's ESA program uses to pay for approved education costs. Arizona ESA families can pay Caveat through ClassWallet.
Common App “Colleges & Universities” section: The part of the Common Application where students list colleges where they've taken courses, including courses taken during high school. If you're unsure how to list a course that was never added to a transcript, ask each college's admissions office. College courses and admissions.
Credit hour: A unit of college credit, loosely tied to time spent on the course each week over a semester. The course page lists how many credits a course carries.
Credit Map Caveat: Caveat's lookup of how UA and NAU count each online ASU course, such as a direct equivalent or elective credit. Each college still makes the final decision. Open the Credit Map.

D

Direct equivalent: When a college matches a course to one of its own specific courses, so the credit can stand in for that course. It's the most useful kind of transfer credit, but the college decides.
Dual enrollment: College courses taken through a high school partnership that may count for both high school and college credit. UA doesn't consider dual enrollment on a high school transcript for college credit; it looks for credit on the college's own transcript.
Duo two-factor: The extra sign-in step ASU uses. After the password, the Duo app asks the student to approve the login on a phone. Set it up before the first day of class.

E

Elective credit: Credit a college accepts without matching it to a specific course. It can count toward the total needed for a degree, but may not replace a required course.
ESA (Empowerment Scholarship Account): Arizona's program that gives eligible families state funds for approved education costs. Check with the ESA program about which costs it covers before you count on it.

F

First-year applicant: A student applying to college for the first time after high school. Students who take college courses during high school generally still apply this way. College enrollment after high school graduation can affect first-year scholarships at ASU and UA. The scholarship guide.
Friday report Caveat: A short update to parents every Friday on how the course is going, part of Stay on Track and Go One-on-One support.

G

General education: The broad set of courses most colleges require of every student, in areas like writing, math, science and the humanities. Many introductory courses are taken to cover these requirements.
GPA impact: An online ASU course grade only reaches a transcript if the family adds the credit. Once added, it's permanent, and colleges can ask for every college transcript, so they may see it. How each college uses it varies.

H

Honorlock: An online proctoring tool some courses use for exams. It typically runs in the browser and may use the webcam and microphone. The syllabus says whether a course uses it. The first-week checklist.

I

Incomplete: In many college courses, a grade that gives extra time to finish after the term ends, usually only in limited situations. Whether it applies to an online college course is up to ASU; check the syllabus or ASU's current page.

L

Late policy: The course's rules for work turned in after the due date: whether it's accepted and how many points it loses. Each course sets its own; check the syllabus.

M

Module: A unit of the course in Canvas, usually a week or a topic, holding the readings, videos and assignments for that stretch.
My ASU: ASU's student portal. Students sign in with their ASURITE ID to see their courses and account, and it's where you order an official transcript.

O

Office hours: Times the instructor or course staff set aside to answer questions. For online courses these are often by video or message. The syllabus lists them.
Official transcript: ASU's formal record of the courses and grades added to it, sent directly to a college. It costs $15, ordered through Parchment from My ASU.
On-demand course (starts any day): Many online college courses can be started on any day rather than on a set session date. Check the course page for how long the student has to finish.

P

Pacing calendar Caveat: A week-by-week schedule built from the syllabus showing what to finish and when, part of Stay on Track support.
Parchment: The service ASU uses to send official transcripts. You start the order from My ASU.
Proctored exam: An exam taken under supervision, which for online courses usually means a proctoring tool watching through the webcam. Students typically need photo ID and a quiet room. The syllabus lists which exams are proctored.

S

Session: A course run with a fixed start date, so students move through it on the same schedule. ASU's spring 2027 sessions start January 12 and March 16. Planning for spring.
Syllabus: The course's rulebook: what's covered, every due date, how grades are calculated, and policies on late work and exams. Read it in the first week and keep it handy.

T

Transfer applicant: A student applying to a college after attending another college, usually after high school. A student who took courses during high school is usually still a first-year applicant; check with each college if you're unsure.
Transfer credit: Credit one college gives for a course taken at another. Each college decides what it accepts and how, and the course has to be on the original college's transcript to be reviewed.

U

Unenroll: Leaving a course early. Unenrolling within 10 days refunds the $25 start fee; check ASU's current page for the exact window.
ASU online course, open to anyone: An online ASU course anyone can take, with no application and no GPA minimum. It costs $25 to start, and there are 64 to choose from. The family can pay $400 to add it to an official ASU transcript with a C or better.

W

Withdrawal: Leaving a course after the refund window has passed. Check the syllabus and ASU's current page for deadlines and what it means for the course.

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Definitions as of October 2026. ASU sets its own fees, dates and policies and can change them; check the course syllabus or ASU's current page for details. Caveat Academic Services offers independent college preparation services and is not affiliated with Arizona State University. Students do all of their own coursework. Each college decides which credits it accepts; Caveat does not promise that credit will transfer.