Glossary
Glossary
Key terms and concepts behind skill verification, defined clearly.
Assessment
A structured evaluation of skill competence, either through peer sessions or employer-initiated skill checks. Assessments produce evidence that feeds into SCI computation.
Authority Tier
The highest trust tier, reserved for practitioners with exceptional, extensive peer verification. Authority-tier users are recognized leaders in their skill domains.
Canonical Skill Key
The single, authoritative identifier for a skill in the system. All references (user profiles, sessions, evidence) resolve to canonical keys, preventing fragmentation from aliases or typos.
Endorsement
A peer's formal acknowledgment that they observed a specific skill being demonstrated during a session. Endorsements carry weight proportional to the endorser's own trust tier.
Evidence Types
The categories of observable proof generated during peer sessions: code produced, problems solved, concepts explained, design decisions made, and peer observations recorded.
Evidence-Based Skills
A framework where skill claims are backed by observable, recorded evidence from peer sessions rather than self-assessment or test scores. Evidence is immutable and auditable.
Expert Tier
The fourth trust tier, indicating deep, extensively verified expertise. Expert-tier users have a large body of peer evidence demonstrating advanced competence in their skills.
Learning Credits (LC)
The internal currency used to book peer sessions. Credits ensure fair exchange: you earn credits by helping others learn and spend them to receive help in return.
Newcomer Tier
The entry-level trust tier for users who have just started verifying their skills. Newcomers have limited evidence but are actively building their verification history.
Peer Session
A structured, time-boxed interaction between two practitioners where both demonstrate and evaluate skills. Sessions are the primary evidence-generating mechanism in skill verification.
Peer Verification
The process of having your skills evaluated by another practitioner through a live session. Both participants observe each other's abilities directly, producing mutual evidence.
Proven Tier
The second trust tier, indicating that a user has accumulated initial peer evidence supporting their skill claims. Proven-tier users have completed multiple sessions with consistent results.
SCI (Skill Credibility Index)
A computed score representing how credible a person's skill claim is, based on accumulated peer session evidence. SCI is not a test score -- it is derived from real interactions observed by peers over time.
Skill Credibility Index
The full name for SCI. A quantitative measure of demonstrated skill competence, computed from peer session evidence, session quality signals, and consistency over time.
Skill Economy
An economic model where skills are the primary unit of value. Individuals prove, trade, and build upon skills in a trust-based ecosystem rather than relying solely on formal credentials.
Skill Governance
The process of managing the official skill catalog: proposing new skills, approving them, deprecating outdated ones, and merging duplicates to maintain a clean, canonical skill taxonomy.
Skill Passport
A portable, verifiable record of all your demonstrated skills, including SCI scores, trust tiers, peer session history, and evidence. It is your professional identity on Lemma.
Smart Matching
An algorithmic system that pairs practitioners for peer sessions based on complementary skills, skill levels, availability, and learning goals to maximize mutual benefit.
Trust Tier
A progression level that reflects how much verified evidence backs your skill claims. Tiers range from Newcomer (minimal evidence) to Authority (extensive, consistent peer verification).
Verified Tier
The third trust tier, representing substantial peer-verified evidence. Verified-tier users have a consistent track record of demonstrated competence across multiple sessions.