The Basics on SCORM
SCORM is a collection of technical standards and specifications for formatting e-learning content, such as learning objects, so that it may be used and reused with any conformant learning management system. Programmers turn to SCORM standards for how to define communications between client side content and a LMS host system using XML as their code.
SCORM is produced by ADL, Advanced Distributed Learning, a research group sponsored by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The standard focuses around creating units of online training material and how to make them reusable. Meeting SCORM requirements is a self test and attempting to follow the standards doesn’t guarantee that your learning object will function correctly in every LMS. A more surefire way to make you learning object sharable is to get it independently tested and certified for compliance through ADL. Certification confirms your learning object meets technical standards and will function the same regardless of the LMS used by the learner.
SCORM Critique
Having a system of standardization is attractive to many organizations who wish to reach large audiences and have their objects reused multiple times. But some argue that meeting SCORM compliance forces you to make creative and pedagogical compromises.
Some instructional designers have found that following SCORM guidelines can require you to rethink your instructional design plans and to compromise some pedagogical ideas in effort to meet the standards. One might have to limit flexibility and interaction in design in order to meet SCORM’s emphasis on modular functionality.
For example, the desire to create a LO with immersive narrative elements may conflict with SCORM requirements to keep things highly modular. Modular requirements resist a set order of narration in favor of the ability to start and stop a lesson at any point. In order to meet this modular need, introductory units of instruction must be wrapped around each lesson, resulting in the learner now having to repeat viewing of the same introduction for multiple lessons, causing unnecessary time draining repetition.
Another example might be the desire to make things highly specialized for each individual learner, where they can customize the menus to their lessons based on their needs, as a means to cater to their repeat usage of a series of lessons. But such a personalized design desire would not be supported by the LMS environment, which has its own set of menus. So even though your idea might be highly beneficial to the repeat learner, it might not be compliant with SCORM standards.
Design Tips & Considerations
Size: At what size do you define your SCO (sharable content object)? The size depends on the type of project and the objectives of the client for the project. No one size is right for all projects but it is important to know your size plan before you start designing. Small is considered to be a 1-5 screen segment. Midrange is a 15 min segment and a larger project would mean the entire course lesson is encompassed within a single module. If it is going to be a midrange to large project then your project will be composed of many modules and you will most likely need to design introductory wrappers for each module. A wrapper provides information about instructional objectives for the module, guiding the learner on how to use the module and what they are to get out of it.
Testing: if you are designing a large project with many modules, make sure you test the first module after completion for proper functioning in the LMS environment and for meeting SCORM requirements before continuing onto designing the next module. If you don’t, you will most likely find yourself needing to do considerable revisions.
Helpful Links
SCORM Guidelines
SCORM Course Instruction
Adobe SCORM packager
News & Case Studies on SCORM
