Glossary
110 platform terms, explained plainly.
A
- Administration
- The role for the day-to-day business of a university: applications, student records, examinations office, transcripts — without operation and costs of the installation.
- Also: Registry · Admin
- More: Accounts, roles & permissions →
- AI labelling
- The visible notice that presenter and voice-over are AI-generated.
- More: AI on the platform — what it may and may not do →
- Assessment round
- A group of works that are all checked with the same checking tools.
- More: Checking and reviewing papers →
- Assignment
- A learning path given to a person with a start, a deadline and optionally a buddy and a mentor.
- More: Assignments with deadline, buddy and mentor →
B
- Buddy
- A colleague who accompanies a new employee during onboarding.
- Also: Onboarding buddy
- More: Onboarding journeys →
C
- Calibration
- How well your own confidence matches your hit rate — evaluated in flashcards and pocket quiz.
- Also: Calibration report
- More: Flashcards →
- Camera path
- Stops on a slide that are zoomed in one after another in time with the voice; with a timeline and test run in the slide editor.
- Also: Stops · Test run
- More: Zoom canvas and camera path →
- Campus
- The university's interface with the menus Studies, Teaching, Administration, Service and Quality & Governance. The campus demo works with sample data.
- More: Application & admission →
- Cast
- Which figure with which voice speaks a course or a range of slides.
- More: Phase 3 · Speakers & Interaction →
- Change watch
- Monitors the official curricula; if one changes, the affected learning objectives are submitted for confirmation again.
- More: Curriculum pipeline DACH →
- Class (cohort)
- A group of students that a lecturer leads through a course together.
- Also: Cohort
- More: Lecturer area →
- Command
- At the core of the slide editor every edit is a small, storable command. That is why a second device can replay the same steps.
- More: New slide editor (“Stage”) →
- Competence
- An observable ability — not a chapter and not a lesson that has been read. It has a learning outcome, a level and an assessment rubric.
- More: Competence diagnosis (competence check) →
- Competence check
- The flow of the competence diagnosis from the learner's point of view: per competence a comprehension question, a follow-up question if needed and a task from practice.
- Also: My competence check
- More: Competence diagnosis (competence check) →
- Competence diagnosis
- Checks in conversation whether someone can apply knowledge: tasks from practice, assessment per criterion with evidence, the specific gap, a targeted learning step and a new task for reassessment.
- Also: CIE · Competence Intelligence Engine
- More: Competence diagnosis (competence check) →
- Competence engine
- The rules of the competence diagnosis as a separate, versioned core without ties to database or interface — so that several learning applications use the same rules.
- Also: Domain core
- More: One competence engine, several learning applications →
- Competence passport
- Planned: the evidence from all learning applications in one place, owned by the learner, shared via QR code.
- Also: QR sharing
- More: One competence engine, several learning applications →
- Competence profile
- Per competence the level derived from your own answers, what it is based on and what is still missing — an assessment from evidence, not a measurement.
- Also: My competence profile
- More: Competence diagnosis (competence check) →
- Competency matrix
- Competencies per role with a target level and the current level per employee.
- More: Competency matrix & gap analysis →
- Consent
- The signed agreement of the person depicted, separately for image and voice. Without it no figure is built; a withdrawal takes effect immediately.
- More: Avatars & voices →
- Control ring
- The round button in the mobile player that opens all functions as a fan — each with icon and word.
- More: Mobile in the browser →
- Course player
- The place where a course runs: slide, speaking avatar, subtitles and learning tools.
- Also: Player
- More: Course player →
- Course workshop
- The authoring tool with which lecturers build a course with slides, narration, figure and voice from their material.
- Also: Studio · Course Studio
- More: Course workshop at a glance →
- Curriculum pipeline
- Planned: official curricula from Germany, Austria and Switzerland → broken down by the AI into learning objectives with prerequisites → confirmed by a teacher → kept up to date by a change watch.
- Also: DACH
- More: Curriculum pipeline DACH →
- Customer instance
- A separate installation for a single customer, with its own database and its own domain — the same software, one switch.
- Also: Own instance
- More: Tenants & brand →
D
- Default figure
- The figure that presents a course without its own cast — with its own voice assigned to it.
- More: Avatars & voices →
- Demo mode
- The operator hides features only in their own browser to keep a demonstration lean.
- More: Demo mode (button “Features”) →
- Demo role
- A fixed demo account (lecturer, registry, HR management) that shows the real surface of a role — only with fictitious people.
- Also: Persona · Demo account
- Demonstrated
- The highest level of a competence: shown in several independent tasks, including in practice. Before that: not assessed, learning need identified, developing — or still unclear.
- Also: Learning need identified · Developing
- More: Competence diagnosis (competence check) →
- Disputed assessment
- An automatic assessment with high uncertainty or an attempt to give the assessment instructions. It only counts once a teacher confirms or corrects it.
- Also: Review list
- More: Competences: switch courses, review disputed assessments →
- Divided doctrine
- For disputed questions both supported positions are shown instead of deciding for one.
- More: Fact check of the content →
E
- ECTS
- Credit points under the European system; they are listed in the achievement archive.
- Also: Credit points · Credits
- More: ECTS overview →
- Element
- A building block on a slide: text, image, video, graphic, shape or speaker spot.
- More: New slide editor (“Stage”) →
- Evidence
- An assessed answer to a competence, with a justification per criterion and a verbatim quote. “Demonstrated” needs two independent pieces of evidence, one of them from practice.
- Also: Proof · Record (competence)
- More: Competence diagnosis (competence check) →
- Evidence copy
- A copy of what an online source said at the time it was accessed; the resubmission checks whether the source still says the same.
- Also: Resubmission
- More: Library →
- Evidence file
- Your own evidence from the competence diagnosis as a structured, verifiable file with fingerprints — the precursor of the competence passport, not a certificate.
- More: Competence diagnosis (competence check) →
- External profile
- A student's talent profile for companies and alumni — visible only if they set it that way (default: nobody).
- Also: Talent profile · Public profile
- More: Careers & talent →
F
- Feature (switch)
- A single capability of the platform that can be switched on and off per tenant. Off means: not there.
- Also: Feature · Feature flag
- More: Feature catalogue: switch every feature per tenant →
- Figure
- The face of an avatar, built from a photo — with mouth shapes, blinking and eyebrows.
- Also: Avatar
- More: Avatars & voices →
G
- Grade proposal
- The platform's assessment of a piece of work. The grade itself is always set by a person.
- More: Checking and reviewing papers →
- Guard
- An automated test that checks a rule across the whole source code and permanently prevents mistakes that were once made — always with a counter-check.
- Also: Guard test
- Guardrails
- Fixed rules and checks that keep every AI on the platform within its bounds.
- Also: Safety rails
- More: AI on the platform — what it may and may not do →
- Guest (speaker)
- An additional speaker on a slide with their own figure and their own spot. They speak only with their own voice, in a separate video per section — as long as one is missing, they appear as a still image.
- Also: Multiple speakers
- More: Several speakers on one slide →
- Guideline
- The rulebook for academic work; every objection in a review cites a rule from it.
- More: Academic guideline →
H
- Half figure
- The speaker cut out next to the content, without a frame; the slide moves to the side.
- More: Speaker spot →
- Head start
- Production runs ahead of the viewer: the first slides are ready as video, the rest is created while watching.
- Also: Language “start”
- More: Phase 3 · Speakers & Interaction →
- History
- The list of all editing steps of a slide. You can go back, forward and jump to any earlier state — including abandoned ones.
- Also: Undo · Revert
- More: New slide editor (“Stage”) →
- How it all fits together
- The handbook page with three diagrams: overall structure, Competence Academy in detail, cycle of a competence.
- Also: Organisation chart · Overview
K
- Knowledge section
- The public articles under “Knowledge”: questions about learning platforms, courses, further education and credentials — answered briefly first, then in depth, with sources and date.
- Also: Knowledge · Guides
- More: Knowledge section “Knowledge” →
L
- Learning and assessment mode
- The two modes of the competence check. In assessment mode there are no hints; whoever switches to learning mode gets help — the task then counts as practice, not as evidence.
- Also: Assessment mode
- More: Competence diagnosis (competence check) →
- Learning application
- An application in which learning happens — the platform itself, the student app, later the offerings of the Academy. All are to use the same competence engine.
- More: One competence engine, several learning applications →
- Learning mode
- The way of learning chosen in the player: being asked Socratic questions, explaining back, example, exercise.
- Also: Didactics
- More: Switching learning modes →
- Learning objective
- A single objective from a curriculum, with the learning objectives it requires. It is only used once a teacher has confirmed it.
- More: Curriculum pipeline DACH →
- Learning path
- A sequence of steps with deadlines and owners in people development — for onboarding, mandatory training or further development.
- Also: Path
- More: Learning paths and templates →
- Learning tools
- Flashcards, pocket quiz, mind map, podcast and tutor chat — generated from the course material right in the player.
- More: Flashcards →
- Learning workshop
- The surface where study material is created from courses or your own material — study guide, cards, quiz, study plan.
- More: Learning workshop →
- LTI
- A standard with which another learning system launches a Universe course and receives the grade back.
- More: Interfaces to other learning systems →
M
- Mastery
- The overview per course: exam readiness, confidence per knowledge area, open misconceptions.
- Also: Knowledge level
- More: Mastery (learning progress) →
- Minimum count
- A survey only shows results from five responses upwards — below that, one could work out who answered.
- More: Surveys →
- Module
- A bookable package of features with a price, e.g. “Exams” or “Course Studio”. Booking sets the switches that belong to the module.
- Also: Package
- More: Modules & prices →
N
- Narration
- What the avatar says about a slide. If it changes, the video for that slide is ordered again.
- Also: Narration text · Script
- More: Phase 1 · Content: outline and slides →
- Next learning step
- The recommendation from the competence diagnosis: an existing learning method at the right slide, aimed at an identified gap.
- Also: My next learning step
- More: Competence diagnosis (competence check) →
O
- Onboarding journey
- The planned onboarding of a new employee from before the start until day 90.
- More: Onboarding journeys →
- Open Badges
- An open standard for digital badges that others can verify.
- More: One competence engine, several learning applications →
- Operator
- Whoever runs an installation of the platform and manages all tenants: switches features, books modules, sees costs.
- Also: Owner · Platform operator
- More: Feature catalogue: switch every feature per tenant →
- Own voice
- The rule: every face speaks only with the voice assigned to it — or not at all. There is no substitute voice.
- More: Avatars & voices →
P
- People development
- The tool for the workforce: onboarding, mandatory training, competencies and records.
- Also: Academy
- More: People development at a glance →
- Phase
- One of the four stages of the course workshop: Content, Design, Speakers & Interaction, Publish.
- More: Course workshop at a glance →
- Presenter view
- The private view of the presenter with notes and the next slide.
- More: Presenter view →
- Proctoring
- Individual camera photos and window switches during an online exam — announced openly, kept for 90 days.
- Also: Invigilation
- More: Proctoring in exams →
Q
- Quota
- The amount of avatar minutes or conversations a session may use; with notices at 80 and 95 percent and a gentle end at 100.
R
- Reassessment
- After a learning step a new, equivalent task in a different context — never the same one. The level follows only from the new evidence.
- Also: Re-check
- More: Competence diagnosis (competence check) →
- Refresher
- The new cycle of a mandatory training that starts on its own 30 days before the record expires.
- Also: Recertification
- More: Mandatory training & refreshers →
- Rendering
- Producing a lecture video for a slide on the avatar machines. Finished videos are never re-rendered on their own, only after approval.
- Also: Pre-production
- More: Phase 3 · Speakers & Interaction →
- Review folder
- The view of a checked piece of work: findings with rule numbers, check log, grade proposal and the grade that the examiner sets personally.
- Also: Finding
- More: Checking and reviewing papers →
- Row-level protection
- The database itself decides which rows a user may see. So even a faulty page cannot show someone else's data.
- Also: Row Level Security · RLS
- Rubric
- The criteria by which an answer is assessed, 0 to 3 points per criterion. It is fixed before the answer; a change creates a new version.
- Also: Assessment rubric · Criteria
- More: Competence diagnosis (competence check) →
S
- SAMPLE (MUSTER)
- The watermark on every certificate print without a valid server signature.
- More: Certificates & transcripts →
- SCORM
- A standard format for course packages. Universe plays third-party packages and exports its own courses in this format.
- More: Interfaces to other learning systems →
- Speaker spot
- The place on a slide where the avatar stands — as a bubble, half figure or large; at most one per slide.
- Also: Speaker bubble
- More: Speaker spot →
- Sphere
- An area of this handbook — e.g. Learning, Stage or Technology & Security. On the title page the spheres orbit as celestial bodies.
- Also: Area
- Stage
- The new slide editor: the slide large, every element directly editable, with history and versions.
- Also: Slide editor
- More: New slide editor (“Stage”) →
- Status live · in progress · planned · under review
- The states in this handbook: usable · being built · decided · not reliably documented in code and documents.
- More: This handbook →
- Student record
- Master data, matriculation number and history of a student in the administration.
- More: Student administration →
- Suggestion
- What an AI has generated before a person accepts it. Nothing lands on a slide unasked.
- More: New slide editor (“Stage”) →
- Support access
- A time-limited, justified and revocable permission with which the provider's support may view exactly one case.
- More: Support →
T
- Template
- A ready-made way of presenting a slide (e.g. bullet list, comparison). On the first change in the slide editor it is converted into freely movable elements; “Back to template” is possible at any time.
- More: New slide editor (“Stage”) →
- Tenant
- An institution on the platform — a university or a company — with its own brand, its own modules and strictly separated data.
- Also: Client · Customer · Organisation
- More: Tenants & brand →
- Tour
- A separate throwaway student per visitor, so that several testers do not see each other.
- More: Course player →
- Trial access
- A temporary account that is created without signing in — as a student or as an author in the workshop. It disappears after one day.
- Also: Trial account
- More: Course workshop at a glance →
U
- Universe Classroom
- Planned: an AI assistant for schools with its own, self-operated models, faithful to the curriculum, under the control of teachers, with avatar and youth protection.
- Also: Classroom
- More: Universe Classroom →
- Universe Coaching
- Planned: an offering of the Academy; its scope is under review.
- Also: Coaching
- More: Universe Coaching →
- Universe Competence Academy
- The umbrella for competence offerings — Classroom, Tutoring, Corporate, Coaching — and a marketplace for partners.
- Also: Academy
- More: Universe Competence Academy →
- Universe Corporate
- Planned: an offering of the Academy for companies; its scope is under review.
- Also: Corporate
- More: Universe Corporate →
- Universe Tutoring
- Planned: an offering of the Academy; its scope is under review.
- Also: Tutoring
- More: Universe Tutoring →
- Unverified
- A state of its own next to “supported” and “refuted”: the check was not possible, e.g. because a source could not be reached. That is not an accusation.
- More: Fact check of the content →
V
- Verifiable credential
- A digitally signed credential following an open standard, with validity and revocation status.
- Also: Verifiable Credential · VC
- More: Certificates & transcripts →
- Verifiable Credentials
- An open standard for signed, machine-verifiable credentials. The platform already issues certificates and training records this way.
- More: Certificates & transcripts →
- Verification chain
- The route by which statements are checked against sources: two independent models and a rule-based judge.
- Also: Fact check
- More: Fact check of the content →
- Verification code
- The unguessable code of a credential; with it anyone can check without an account whether the credential is genuine and valid.
- More: Certificates & transcripts →
- Version
- A named, saved state of a slide that you can return to at any time.
- Also: Snapshot
- More: New slide editor (“Stage”) →
- Visibility level
- Who sees a profile: nobody, other graduates, graduates and verified companies, or everyone.
- More: Careers & talent →
W
- Watch-along room
- The room for live co-learning: the host controls the slides, the others watch and respond.
- Also: Live co-learning
- More: Watching together (live co-learning) →
- Workshop credit
- An organisation's credit account for the AI usage of the workshop.
- Also: Credits
- More: Workshop credits →
- Workspace
- The shared surface of group work with notes, methods, timer, submission and assessment.
- Also: Board
- More: Group work →
X
- xAPI
- A standard for learning events that are sent to a university's learning record store.
- More: Interfaces to other learning systems →
Z
- Zoom canvas
- The whole course as one large surface; the presentation flies from slide to slide.
- More: Zoom canvas and camera path →