What is SCORM?

This post is a two minute SCORM primer for the absolute non-technical beginner. Read on if you're about to commission some bespoke e-learning content and you want to know a bit about SCORM and why it could be something you should add to your e-learning content.

1. What does SCORM stand for?

   SCORM stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model. It came out of the US Department of Defence’s Advanced Distance Learning Initiative and it basically a specification that describes how a learning management system and a piece of e-learning content should exchange information.




2. What does SCORM do?

   SCORM compliant e-learning content can save information about learner progress - simple scores, bookmarks and other simple bits of data - back into the SCORM compliant learning management system (LMS) that hosts the content. That’s useful because learners get a more interactive experience and the learning management system can track who’s started content, who’s finished and also report back basic scores.




3. Do I need to make my e-learning content SCORM compliant?

   The answer is ‘yes’ if you’re planning to use a SCORM compliant learning management system and you’re interested in tracking learner progress. Maybe you’re an employer who needs to be able to demonstrate to auditors that staff have completed a series of training modules as part of their new staff induction. In that scenario, SCORM based e-learning modules and a SCORM compliant learning management system like Moodle might make sense.




4. It sounds complicated, does it make the e-learning content more expensive?

   It shouldn’t make the content more expensive. The SCORM specification is well established and most e-learning developers should be able to create SCORM content in a way that re-uses some standard boilerplate SCORM code. At SkillsLogic we have an in-house tool that generates all the SCORM ‘plumbing’ - it makes no difference to the cost of the content.




5. What can’t I do with SCORM?

   The significant limitations are around tracking assessments. You can’t use SCORM to do anything more sophisticated than feed an overall score back to the LMS - SCORM isn’t the right solution if you want to deliver online tests or assessments and then track the detail of individual question answers. You need a different kind of system - perhaps a bespoke learning management system - if you want learner answers to be marked by online tutors or you need to collect and then report detailed progress information from within the assessments.

   SCORM also emphasizes a separation between e-learning content and the LMS. It’s a specification that lets you connect e-learning content from one supplier with a learning management system from another. That understandably limits the level of integration between content and LMS. It doesn’t let you build the kind of sophisticated, integrated e-learning you see with something like Duolingo.

SkillsLogic develop SCORM based e-learning content and we also build bespoke learning management systems. If you’d like to know more about SCORM or are thinking about the best way to deliver learning online then please get in touch.