These terms are organized hierarchically. The broad-group terms should only be assigned when a finer-level term is not applicable. When finer-level terms are applied, the broad-group term is automatically included as well.

Assessment Material - material that enables evaluation or measurement of progress, development, ability, skill, understanding, knowledge, aptitude, achievement, or an opinion/attitude (use for: webquest, building a concept map, lab report, survey, questionnaire, open-ended question, or take-home questions)

• • Assessment Material | Answer Key - a correct solution or response to a question, problem or test
  • Assessment Material | Portfolio- a collection of student work that demonstrates academic progress or knowledge acquisition over a period of time
  • Assessment Material | Rubric - statements describing the abilities, knowledge, or understanding of a content area in order to reach a certain level of mastery
  • Assessment Material | Test - an oral or written examination comprising questions, exercises, and/or problems that measure the skill, knowledge, capacity, or aptitude of an individual or group; may or may not include an answer key

Dataset - visual, factual, or numerical information that comes from a sensing device, whether instrument-measured or human-observed; describes both unprocessed, "raw" information as well as information already organized into lists, tables, or databases

• • Dataset | Database - visual, factual, or numerical information that comes from a sensing device, whether instrument-measured or human-observed; describes both unprocessed, "raw" information as well as information already organized into lists, tables, or databases
  • Dataset | List/Table - factual or numerical information arranged for ready reference and interpretation by users
  • Dataset | Observed Data - visual, factual, or numerical information generated from human observations or in-situ instrument measurements
  • Dataset | Remotely Sensed Data - visual, factual, or numerical information generated from human observations or in-situ instrument measurements
  • Dataset | Trial - one of a number of repetitions of an experiment

Event - a non-persistent, time-based occurrence [Dublin Core]

• • Event | Broadcast - media presentation (audio, video and/or text) prepared and intended for a wide or specific audience, often with limited or controlled audience participation, occurring on a certain date and often archived for later use; may lose relevancy over time (use for: concert webcast, podcast, newscast, or talk show)
  • Event | Exhibit - a non-permanent display of artifacts, images, or resources organized around a particular theme or topic
  • Event | Learning/Research Opportunity- activity whose primary object is professional/academic development and practical research experience; may or may not include a stipend or honorarium (use for: field project, course, internship, mentoring, tutoring, exchange, or college credit opportunity)
  • Event | News - general information or announcement that loses its immediate relevancy after a short time (use for: newsletter, press release)
  • Event | Workshop - short-term meeting or interaction, typically with a well-defined outcome like professional-skills development

Instructional Material - resource or learning object intended to facilitate teaching or enable learning

• • Instructional Material | Activity - non-laboratory material designed to stimulate learning and help students develop particular skills, specific knowledge, or reflexive habits of mind 
  • Instructional Material | Case Study - resource offering intensive analysis of discrete, or a combination of, peoples, locations, environments, objects, time periods, or concepts
  • Instructional Material | Course - a set of teaching materials (generally for instructors) or learning materials (generally for students) intended to achieve a range of objectives over an extended period of time
  • Instructional Material | Curriculum - a program of study which may or may not include assessment material
  • Instructional Material | Demonstration - a resource that exposes the nature and requirements of a procedure, process, or principle by manipulating real objects (term is distinct from Simulation in that demonstrations have real objects in them as opposed to representations)
  • Instructional Material | Experiment/Lab Activity - a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact [Compact Oxford English Dictionary]
  • Instructional Material | Field Trip - excursion to a place to gain firsthand information, knowledge, or experience (use for: descriptions or plans for field trips, virtual field trips)
  • Instructional Material | Game - an interactive environment in which participants compete, strategize, play, role-play, troubleshoot, or make decisions in order to learn a subject or skill
  • Instructional Material | Instructional Strategy - a guideline, pedagogical description, or tip for effective teaching and learning
  • Instructional Material | Instructor Guide/Manual - resource for teachers regarding the use of learning materials with respect to educational 
  • Instructional Material | Interactive Simulation - a representation of a system, process or environment where learners control and manipulate variables or other objects to affect outcomes (use for: applet, mathlet)
  • Instructional Material | Lecture/Presentation - audio or text record of a speech or a unit of instruction organized and delivered by an instructor for the purpose of informing a group about a topic
  • Instructional Material | Lesson/Lesson Plan - resource to support students' learning of specific concepts, skills, or content; often includes teaching instructions, educational goals, learning objectives, and procedures
  • Instructional Material | Model - a mathematical or physical construct intended to study or represent a real-world system or phenomenon
  • Instructional Material | Problem Set - series of tasks or questions posed to the student, as in homework or other assignment (use for: worksheet)
  • Instructional Material | Project - individual or group activity or problem that supplements and applies classroom studies and often results in a product
  • Instructional Material | Simulation - imitative representation of a system, process, photo, setting, or principle (note that the imitative nature of Simulation distinguishes it from a Demonstration, which employs real objects)
  • Instructional Material | Student Guide - resource for learners to help facilitate learning and comprehension of subject matter content (use for: lab manual, study guide, workbook)
  • Instructional Material | Syllabus - plan showing the structure of a particular course, including course description and objectives, grading policy, materials, assignments, lesson sequence, and course calendar [iLumina]
  • Instructional Material | Textbook - resource providing comprehensive materials for specific topics (use for: chapters or other typical book components) [ENC]
  • Instructional Material | Tutorial - resource that provides guided information about a specific subject
  • Instructional Material | Unit of Instruction - a set of teaching materials, generally for instructors, or alternatively learning materials, generally for students, intended to achieve specific and focused objectives over a limited period of time such that units often constitute a Course

Reference Material - specialized information intended to be used as an authoritative source or to stimulate topical research

• • Reference Material | Article - generally nonfiction writing communicating ideas, concepts, results, or facts; often, but not always, part of a monograph, journal, magazine, or newspaper (use for: essays, information sheets, pamphlets, brochures, preprints)
  • Reference Material | Career Information - resource describing specific science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) information and/or insight into STEM careers and requisite skills (use for: camps, internship programs, or informational programs which inform and support individuals interested in pursuing STEM careers)
  • Reference Material | Classification Key - resource providing guidelines or methods for identifying, sorting, or categorizing objects (use for: cloud chart, soil chart, taxonomic keys)
  • Reference Material | Educational Standard - level of achievement to which learners or educators are expected to aspire
  • Reference Material | FAQ- frequently asked questions about a topic, organization, or event that are intended to help users
  • Reference Material | Fiction - narrative or verse describing imaginary events, people, or objects (use for: prose literature, novels, poems)
  • Reference Material | Nonfiction Reference- writing describing facts, places, events, and things but not including instructional activities (use for: books, websites)
  • Reference Material | Periodical - materials in any medium issued under the same title with discrete parts or articles, appearing at regular or irregular intervals; may or may not describe materials with peer review (use for: journal, peer-reviewed journal, magazine, serial)
  • Reference Material | Policy - document containing statements or series of steps for a particular way of accomplishing a goal [DLESE]
  • Reference Material | Report - detailed account or statement, often outlining the results or events of a meeting, endeavor, activity, topic, issue, or study (use for: review, evaluation, monograph)
  • Reference Material | Specimen - an object from the natural world that is intended for study (use for: rock sample, lab sample, cultures, insect)

Community - a resource that facilitates communications and interactions

• • Community | Ask-an-Expert - resource affording the ability to submit questions to a responsive individual or group possessed with specific expertise in the area of interest
  • Community | Forum - meeting or medium (synchronous/asynchronous) enabling the exchange of views (use for: message board, chat)
  • Community | Weblog - a web-based publication consisting primarily of articles or entries, written by one person or a group
  • Community | Wiki - website that allows visitors to add, remove, edit, link, and change content, typically without the need for registration

Tool - physical hardware or computer software that facilitates interacting with a resource or accomplishing a task

• • Tool | Code - set of computer instructions or scripts that enhance a resource; generally does not stand alone
  • Tool | Equipmentt - physical device or implement needed to interact with a resource
  • Tool | Form - formatted document containing blank fields that users populate with data (use for: calculator, online survey form)
  • Tool | Numerical Model - set of computer instructions intended to operate on a Dataset in order to understand the natural world by predicting current, past, or future situations given a set of initial conditions
  • Tool | Software- stand-alone tool that provides access, interaction, and the ability to run resources; it does not enhance another piece of software and it is distinct from Numerical Model (use for: data analysis tools, content creation tools)

Audio/Visual- representations other than text

• • Audio/Visual | Graph - visual representation of data with the purpose of providing meaning to the data (use for: pie charts, line graphs)
  • Audio/Visual | Illustration - visual material used to clarify or annotate pieces of text (use for: drawing, diagram)
  • Audio/Visual | Image/Image Set- visual material that is not in motion and is not intended to annotate pieces of text (use for: poster, digital image of a painting or print)
  • Audio/Visual | Map - representation of physical features or data of a discrete area, often done on a flat surface at a point in time (use for: topographic map, soil map, road map, bedrock map, or atlas)
  • Audio/Visual | Movie/Animation - in-motion, dynamic, audio/visual material played in a linear fashion and often not related to a specific date in time (use for: webcast about a science concept, podcast); (see Broadcast for concert, performance, newscast)
  • Audio/Visual | Music - vocal, instrumental, electronically-produced, or mechanical sound featuring rhythm, melody and/or harmony
  • Audio/Visual | Photograph - image produced by radiant energy, especially visible light (use for: photo, digital camera, or computer generated photograph, slide)
  • Audio/Visual | Sound - non-musical, non-vocal, recorded auditory material (use for: natural world, mechanical, noise, tones)
  • Audio/Visual | Voice Recording - recorded material that tends to be descriptive in nature; may or may not be drawn from written texts (use for: audio book, oral history, interview, podcast)

Student Work - material created by students

Other - material not covered by one of he above types. Use only as a last resort.

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References:

These terms and definitions were mostly taken from the NSDL. Some have been removed and some added to meet MIT OpenCourseWare's needs.

https://wiki.ucar.edu/display/nsdldocs/Type