If you work in HR, Learning and Development you may have heard of SCORM, the Shareable Content Object Reference Model, in the context of electronic or online-learning. The main reason why SCORM is important is because it makes online-learning (web-based) content and the web applications that control and display that content to learners (i.e. Learning Management Systems or LMSs), interoperable in a standard way. If you have a SCORM conformant LMS such as the SharePoint-based Librarian, Linux-based Moodle, the web-based AT-Learning system or server-based Oracle Learning Management, you can be fairly certain that online-learning content that is also SCORM conformant will integrate successfully with your system. If you develop online-learning internally, this means that you can purchase virtually any SCORM conformant authoring or content management tool, such as Thesis, Articulate or Adobe Captivate, and then turn any computer-based content or digital media into online-learning content to then be deployed, launched and reported on through your LMS.

What does SCORM actually do?

SCORM pieces together a comprehensive model of how your LMS might deliver online-learning content to learners in a standard way, i.e. how learning content gets into the LMS, how it then gets presented to learners, and how the learner’s progress through that content is communicated back to the LMS.

Before SCORM, most online-learning courses were developed like old-style computer programs. They worked in isolation and they did what they were supposed to, but it was difficult to re-use portions of the content or to combine them in new ways. Shareable Content Objects (or SCO’s) are encapsulated bits of online-learning content that have a standard interface that can be assembled and re-assembled in an understood manner.

One way to think about the concept of SCO’s is to imagine a child’s set of Lego building blocks. They come in different sizes and shapes, however they have a standard interface (bumps on the top and holes on the bottom), which allows the builder to easily assemble them and take them apart again. The ability to easily customise online-learning now offers exciting opportunities for developing staff.

When an authoring or content management tool creates a SCO, it is normally saved as a SCORM-based .zip package (the ‘SCORM Wrap’ or wrapper). This is not like a normal zip file and should not be unzipped as it’s in a format that is useable by the LMS. The package contains a ‘manifest file’ which tells the LMS how to manage the physical files that are also contained within the zipped package. In addition to the ‘SCORM Wrapping’ (of static media content) there is also an option called ‘SCORM tunnelling’ used for wrapping dynamic media content such as a live web page, video and Microsoft Office files that need to be downloaded such as an Excel spread sheet.

Why was SCORM Created?

SCORM was created and continues to be guided by six core high-level requirements:

• Accessibility: To make online-learning content accessible and available from remote locations.
• Adaptability: To allow training to be tailored to the needs of the individual learner and the organisation.
• Affordability: To reduce the time and costs involved in developing and delivering online-learning content.
• Durability: Online-learning content should not need to be significantly redesigned, reconfigured or reprogrammed to keep up with the evolution of technology.
• Interoperability: Online-learning content developed in one location with one set of tools can be used in another location with a different tool set or platform.
• Reusability: One piece of online-learning content can be used in multiple applications and contexts. Raw media elements are used to create information objects and then used within course learning objectives for aggregation to sessions and then published as activities on the LMS. They can additionally be broken back down and reused for revised or other activities.

SCORM operational principles evolved out of the six core requirements and provide the following important capabilities:

• The ability of a web-based LMS to launch online content that is authored using tools from different vendors and to exchange data with that content.
• The ability of web-based LMS products from different vendors to launch the same online content and exchange data with that content during execution.
• The ability of multiple web-based LMS products and environments to access a common repository of executable online content and to launch such content.

Does SCORM deal with offline content such as CD-ROMs?

SCORM makes the assumption that the web is the best method to distribute online-learning content for ease of access and re-use. SCORM therefore only deals with web-based learning content and does not take into account other delivery mechanisms. This is important for HR, Learning & Development stakeholders to remember as many organisations still use non-web based computer-based training of one kind or another (e.g. distributing learning content on CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.). SCORM is not intended to embrace alternative methods of delivery, including computerised systems that are not Web-based.

However, it is a relatively straight-forward process to create SCORM-based online-content from the content on a CD-ROM and vice versa. An e-learning CD-ROM also contains a controlling manifest file along with physical media resources, so in order to change to SCORM, the original manifest is deleted and a SCORM tool such as Thesis can then be used to create the SCORM zip file which then includes the new SCORM manifest file that is readable by the LMS.

Is there more than one version of SCORM?

Yes, as it is an on-going standard and has evolved and changed substantially since its first release. There have been three main releases of the SCORM standard:

• SCORM 1.1
• SCORM 1.2
• SCORM 2004 (1.3)

It is important when talking to a vendor, whether a content developer or LMS provider to know which version of the SCORM they conform to. It is not enough to know that a vendor produces “SCORM Conformant” content, for example. There are significant differences between the versions and knowing which version a vendor adheres to is critical.

To be SCORM conformant in a given version, an LMS provider does not have to explicitly provide support for previous versions of SCORM, so an LMS that is SCORM 2004 conformant may not fully support SCORM 1.2 or vice versa.

What is an LMS according to SCORM?

There are many products in the marketplace that claim to be a LMS, but a precise definition of what one is can be hard to come by. SCORM defines an LMS quite narrowly, as it is only interested in Learning Management Systems insofar as they relate to the delivery and tracking of online-learning content and learner’s interaction with that content. SCORM defines an LMS as:

‘a server-based environment in which the intelligence for managing and delivering learning content to students resides … the LMS determines what to deliver and when, and tracks progress and performance, as the learner moves through the learning content.’

Most LMS also provide a mechanism to enrol students in courses, allow the tracking of live courses (whether online or offline), and may provide additional resources, features or tools. None of these features are covered by SCORM, and being ’SCORM Conformant’ is no measure of an individual LMS complete feature set, but only that it manages and delivers SCORM-based online-content in a standard way.

Finally, how do you create online-learning content?

You can create online-learning in much the same way you would do for a training course. For example using the systems approach and the ADDIE methodology (Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate) lends itself perfectly with a comparable EnABLE’d online-learning methodology (Engage, Analyse, Build, Launch, Evaluate). Both work in a Prince2 project management environment, and both ADDIE and EnABLE can be used together for blended projects and programmes.

Our EnABLE’d methodology allows you to keep online-learning content up to date throughout its lifecycle using this and the reusability of SCO’s.

Click here to read more about our EnABLE’d methodology.

For more information please contact us.

Shaun Wilde

Director of Workforce Services

About Shaun Wilde

Shaun is our Director of Workforce Technology and has worked with Think Associates from its earliest days back in 2004. He has a specialist interest in learning technologies and in particular e-learning development, Microsoft SharePoint, and cloud-based e-learning. As a dual qualified Chartered HR & Microsoft Certified IT Professional he focuses on developing technology solutions that enable workforce productivity in the context of HR, Learning & Development. Shaun has a MBA from Manchester Business School and is a NLP Master Practitioner.

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