If you’re exploring Learning Management Systems (LMS), chances are you’ve encountered the term SCORM. While it might sound technical or confusing, understanding SCORM is essential for anyone involved in eLearning. This model is crucial to ensuring seamless content delivery, tracking learner progress, and maintaining compatibility across different platforms.
In this blog, we’ll explain SCORM, why it matters, and how DigitalChalk supports it to improve the learning experience.
What is SCORM?
SCORM stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model and is defined as “a specific way of constructing Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and training content so that they work well with other SCORM conformant systems.” In other words, it is a set of technical standards that allows eLearning content and LMS platforms to work together smoothly.
SCORM consists of two key components:
- Sharable Content Object (SCO): These are reusable learning assets that can function across different SCORM-compliant systems.
- Reference Model: This provides the standardized rules that LMS platforms follow to ensure compatibility.
Let’s break this down and use the example SCORM.com provides:
SCORM is like the universal DVD format. When you buy a DVD, it plays on any player brand because DVDs use a standard format. Before SCORM, online learning lacked this standard, requiring content to be customized for each LMS. SCORM solved this by making eLearning content compatible with any SCORM-compliant LMS, just like a DVD works in any player.
What SCORM Does
SCORM provides a structured way to package and deliver eLearning content. It ensures compatibility across various systems and offers consistent courses across different LMS without technical issues. SCORM tracks important learner data, such as course completion, quiz performance, and time spent on each module. It typically reports four key statuses: incomplete, completed, passed, and failed.
Additionally, SCORM tracks learners’ progress by bookmarking their position in a course. This allows them to pick up where they left off, which can be helpful for those with tight schedules. SCORM also defines mastery scores, which set a required benchmark that learners must meet or exceed to pass a module and advance. If a learner scores below 85% on a quiz, they must retake it before moving on to the next course.
The Benefits of SCORM
SCORM has been widely adopted in the eLearning industry because it offers significant advantages:
- Interoperability: SCORM makes integrating eLearning content with different Learning Management Systems (LMS) easy. This ensures smooth content sharing between systems, saving time and reducing costs.
- Affordability: Organizations can create training materials once and reuse them, reducing content development costs.
- Adability: SCORM lets content creators customize training by combining different learning objects and setting rules that adjust the course as learners progress.
- Accessibility: SCORM courses are packaged to be quickly delivered from any location without reconfiguring. This allows learners to access courses remotely, making training more flexible and convenient.
DigitalChalk & SCORM
Not all SCORM-compliant LMS platforms are the same. While SCORM ensures specific actions are tracked, the experience and features can differ from one LMS to another. You can use an LMS course builder to upload materials such as videos PowerPoints and add exams, but it will not be SCORM compliant.
An authoring tool is essential for creating SCORM content, but choosing the right one can be challenging and costly. DigitalChalk makes this process easier by offering bundled options with eLearning providers like BiggerBrains and BizLibrary for content creation and dominKnow, a top-rated, all-in-one cloud-based eLearning authoring system. This system streamlines the process of building and updating content by centralizing asset management, enabling content reuse, and supporting team collaboration.
Our platform ensures smooth SCORM integration, tracks learner progress, provides real-time analytics and combines SCORM compliance with video capabilities. Whether you’re incorporating pre-recorded lectures, interactive training videos, or AI-assisted video content, our platform ensures SCORM-compliant videos are properly tracked and optimized.
Final Thoughts
SCORM is a valuable tool for online training and eLearning. It allows content to be created once and used across multiple systems without adjustments. This flexibility makes sharing training materials within and across organizations easier without additional time or costs.
Are you ready to upload your SCORM courses or need more information? DigitalChalk LMS has the features and a dedicated support team to help you reach your training goals. Schedule your demo today.