The Glossary provides University level definitions for data terms commonly used in Higher Education. Glossary definitions were compiled in collaboration across all functional business areas and by referencing external sources such as the U.S. Department of Education.
Glossaries, by nature, are evolving documents. The Antioch glossary is maintained by the Data Definitions Task Group of the Data Governance Committee. Content is reviewed annually to ensure Antioch definitions are updated to meet industry standards.
If you have suggestions for glossary enhancement (additions, clarifications, corrections), please complete the Data Glossary Request Form.
For more on data governance, please see the University Data Governance Policy.
Glossary Benefits
Facilitating understanding: A glossary provides a clear definition of business terms, removes individual bias, and develops common understanding.
Improving communication: A glossary enables consistent communication between employees across functional business areas using shared understanding of common terms.
Enhancing training: A glossary is a shared repository for trusted and curated information about institutional data. A glossary expedites training of new and existing employees as a self-serve resource.
Defining data stewardship: A glossary is developed by subject matter experts then reviewed and approved according to Data Governance structures. Data stewardship is critical to creating and maintaining glossary content.
Increasing trust: A glossary helps separate data assumptions from data consumption. Tacit data assumptions are a common reason for data distrust. Glossaries help reduce misuse of data due to inaccurate understanding of business concepts and terms. An accessible glossary exposes data consumers to shared understanding of key data terms, increasing trust and confidence.
Improving productivity: A glossary helps codify data definitions critical to analytic reporting, providing an important reference for report developers and report users. A glossary can improve productivity and timeliness of the decision-making process.