Learning Glossary List

Competency-based learning is an approach that focuses on developing clearly defined skills, behaviours, and capabilities. Progress is based on demonstrating competence rather than time spent learning. In vocational education settings, such as the Australian VET sector, this approach must align with national standards, units of competency, and oversight from bodies like ASQA.

Discovery is the phase where learning teams gather information to understand the problem, the audience, and the context for the work. It reveals what people actually need to learn and why. Discovery is particularly valuable when the learning team is unsure what the right solution should be, because it identifies priorities and clarifies the approach most likely to succeed. Poor discovery leads to assumptions, unclear scope, and learning solutions that fail to address the real issue.

Adult learning refers to the principles and practices that guide how adults acquire knowledge, skills, and behaviours. It recognises that adults learn differently from children, relying on relevance, experience, autonomy, and readiness to learn.

Compliance training prepares employees to meet legal, regulatory, and organisational requirements. Good compliance training helps people understand not just what the rules are, but how to apply them in real situations. It supports safe, ethical, and consistent behaviour. Poor compliance training, on the other hand, focuses on information rather than action and leaves people unsure about what to do differently.

AI video for learning refers to tools that generate instructional or training videos using artificial intelligence. These tools can create presenters, translate scripts, add captions, and produce customised learning videos at scale.

Adaptive learning adjusts content, difficulty, and learning pathways in response to learner decisions, performance, and needs. It ensures individuals receive support tailored to their capability gaps.