Glossary

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A

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Academic Session

A time period for educational activities (semester, quarter, school year). Defined in OneRoster.

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Activity

A learning interaction tracked by Caliper. Includes start/end times, scores, and XP earned.

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Adapter

An integration layer. In SDK docs, framework adapters provide server routing or browser state/context helpers. Third-party edtech adapters are separate services that map app activity into Timeback data.

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C

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Caliper

IMS Global standard for learning analytics. Tracks learning events like activity starts, completions, and time spent.

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Class

A specific instance of a course (e.g., “Math Grade 3 - Fall 2024”). Students enroll in classes, not courses directly.

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Client

TypeScript package for direct API access (@timeback/oneroster, @timeback/edubridge, etc.).

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Course

An educational offering (e.g., “Math Grade 3”). Contains structure, resources, and learning objectives.

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Course Code

Unique identifier for a course (e.g., “MATH-3”).

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E

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EduBridge

Simplified API layer on top of OneRoster. Provides pre-aggregated analytics and convenience endpoints.

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Enrollment

Association between a user and a class. Determines what content a student can access.

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G

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Grade

Educational grade level; Timeback configuration supports Pre-K (-1), Kindergarten (0), grades 1–12, and AP (13). Used to organize courses and match content to students.

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Gradebook

OneRoster service for managing scores, results, and academic records.

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I

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Identity Mode

How the SDK obtains the current identity: SSO uses Timeback as identity provider; custom mode uses your app’s trusted authenticated session.

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Identity-Only

Lightweight SDK mode providing SSO without activity tracking or API access.

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L

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Line Item

A gradable assignment or assessment in the gradebook.

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M

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Mastery

Demonstrated competence in a learning objective. Tracked by PowerPath.

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Metadata

Custom key-value data attached to courses or resources.

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O

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OneRoster

IMS Global standard for rostering (users, classes, enrollments) and gradebook data.

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Override

Environment-specific configuration in timeback.config.json. Allows different values for staging vs production.

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P

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PowerPath

Adaptive learning system. Adjusts question difficulty based on student performance.

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Provider

React/Vue/Solid context provider that makes Timeback client available to components.

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Q

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QTI

Question and Test Interoperability. IMS Global standard for digital assessments.

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R

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Resource

Learning material (video, quiz, article) linked to a course.

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Result

A student’s score or outcome for a line item.

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Rostering

Managing users, classes, and enrollments. Handled by OneRoster.

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S

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SDK

Software Development Kit. The TypeScript @timeback/sdk or Python timeback-sdk integration package. The npm timeback package is the CLI.

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Sensor

A URL identifying a Caliper event producer. Configured per course or globally; distinct from the HTTP ingestion endpoint.

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Session

A learning session tracked by Caliper or PowerPath.

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SSO

Single Sign-On. Using Timeback as the identity provider via OIDC.

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Subject

A configured subject such as Math, Reading, Language, Writing, Vocabulary, Science, or Social Studies. Use the exact supported subject enum; ELA is not a config subject value.

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T

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Timeback

Educational data platform built on 1EdTech standards.

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TimebackId

The timebackId field returned in SDK SSO user data. Use the identity contract for its mapping rather than assuming every Cognito subject, OneRoster sourcedId, and external app ID is interchangeable.

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timeback.config.json

Configuration file defining courses, sensors, and environment overrides.

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U

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User

A person in the Timeback system. Can have roles like student, teacher, or administrator.

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X

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XP

Experience points reported for learning activity. SDK custom activities accept app-supplied XP; calculation and accuracy gates depend on the application and reviewed policy.

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Next Steps