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HomeBlogLearningIs Your LMS Scorm Compliant and Why Should You Care

Is Your LMS Scorm Compliant and Why Should You Care

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05th Sep, 2023
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    Is Your LMS Scorm Compliant and Why Should You Care

    Do you often hear about the importance of plugins, add-ons and who the other types of features, that are presented as must-haves for your learning management system(LMS)?

    The truth of the matter is you may or may not need a majority of them but when it comes to introducing Scorm, you should be confident and not doubtful. An LMS that is Scorm compliant with Scorm is definitely an asset that is actually capable of transforming the way learning occurs in your organization.

    Want to know how? Just continue reading because we will be discussing the importance of SCORM compliant LMS. So, if you aren’t really familiar with this feature, this post will surely help you grasp this concept and make an informed decision.

    Introduction: Scorm Content for Beginners

    Let’s begin by making clear what does Scorm stand for.

    SCORM = Sharable Content Object Reference Model

    Formally explained, when you talk about Scorm content, basically it means the type of content that is developed in accordance with the specifications of Scorm model.

    Simply put, Scorm is an LMS which is basically designed to be presented in a browser and organized as a set of numerous different objects. All of these objects are packed in a way which can be imported from any of the platforms that are compatible with Scorm.

    In other words, Scorm content is created in a form that allows it be portable and easy distribution using whichever browser within any operating system.

    How does Scorm pack the content?

    Scorm defines two basic types of objects that are an integral part of the content. These are ASSET and SCO.

    The ASSET objects are the basic elements that usually appear in a certain content. These can be texts, images, web pages, documents, multimedia etc.

    On the other hand, the SCO (Shareable Content Objects) are the learning objects. When it comes to their structure, it is pretty similar to the structure of the ASSET objects. However, SCO objects have the additional capability of communicating with the LMS platform. In simple words, they know how to read and write.

    SCO should be a single learning unit that is independent of its context since it is supposed to be used in different contexts and content types.

    Accordingly, Scorm package is the structure that groups and organizes these two types of objects into a comprehensive unity.

    How does Scorm describe the content?

    Both types of listed (ASSET and SCO) objects are described using a file that lists both their technical and pedagogical aspects. This information actually represents meta-data (a set of data that usually describes and offers key information about other data) and it is physically written in the XML archives. The meta-data is listed in nine categories:

    • General data – Groups the generic information that describes and identifies the content as a whole.
    • Life cycle data – Groups the information about the history and the actual state of the content
    • Meta-metadata – Groups the information about the meta-data (not about the content described by the meta-data)
    • Technical data – Groups the information about the requirements and technical characteristics of the content
    • Educational data – Groups the descriptions of the pedagogical and educational characteristics of the content
    • Rights data – Groups the information about the intellectual property rights and the conditions of the content usage
    • Relations data – Groups the data defining the relationships within this resource and other related contents
    • Comments data – Provides comments about the educational usage of the content as well as the information about when the comments were created
    • Classification data – Describes the place that’s occupied by this content within a certain classification system

    This file is defined for each SCO that becomes a part of a course. It permits the classification of the content with all its aspects and allows including it in a database of a digital library or knowledge bank. Once it’s done, every SCO can be found using different types of searches. It can also be backed-up so that we can use it again in the new content.

    What are the main specifications of an SCORM compliant LMS?

    In order to be Scorm compliant, an elerning tool must be capable of accepting Scorm content and making it available for the platform users. It should also provide an execution environment in which the content can be initiated and presented using a browser.

    Accordingly, it should provide the execution environment that is in accordance with technical demands of Scorm.

    Why should you care about Scorm compliance?

    Reason #1: In future, you may consider replacing your existing LMS

    Although no company would want to implement an LMS just to have it changed after a while, sometimes it happens. Many times, managers realize the LMS isn’t good enough and needs to be replaced. Do you know what happens with the content stored in your LMS if you don’t have an SCORM compliant LMS? Well, it vanishes. You will have to completely start over again and re-create the content.

    Reason #2: Learners simply love it

    The environment provided by Scorm is stimulating and more engaging. There’s a wide variety of tasks and other elements based on interesting interactions and fun features – mini-quizzes, expandable components, dynamic text, etc.

    Reason #3: Scorm compliant LMS provides you with user data

    In other words, once you get the information about the users and their experience, you’ll easily become aware of the features you can introduce or change in order to improve the training. The data that learning manager receives from SCORM compliant LMS encompasses of in-depth information such as user scores, if the learners accessed the content or not and much more.

    Conclusion

    To sum up – Scorm compliant LMS Softwarehas a bright future ahead. Empowering your training with SCORM compliant LMS for your organization is definitely worth a shot if you already haven’t done so.

    Once you transform all your data to Scorm content, you won’t have to worry about their compatibility with different environments and problems that may appear when you upgrade your LMS. Go for Scorm compliant LMS and make learning more impactful.

    Profile

    Jason Grills

    Blog Author

    Jason Grills is an ed-tech enthusiast with a passion for writing on emerging technologies in the areas of corporate training and education. With hands-on experience in working with ProProfs learning management system and other eLearning authoring tools, Jason has an exclusive insight into the eLearning industry.
     

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