An introduction to SCORM 2004

SCORM FOR ALL
FRANCESCO PUCCI - ANDREA LORENZON

AGENDA
SCORM... What???

... Learning Object SCO Content Package ...

Why SCORM?

Durability Reusability Accessibility Interoperability

What is SCORM?

Packaging Tracking Metadata Sequencing and Navigation

How does it work?

Learning Activities Learning Objectives Navigation rules ...

SCORM and its market
Certification Adoption The future of SCORM References

SCORM... WHAT???
CREATING A COMMON GROUND FOR
DISCUSSION

LEARNING OBJECT
the basic (simple or complex) unit
of a learning experience

OR:
• a small, atomic, self-contained chunk of learning that can
be reused in different contexts

(LEARNING OBJECT) TEMPLATE
 A generic model or pattern from which other objects are
based or derived

OR:
• The abstraction of the didactic structure of a Learning
Object allowing massive production of content items based
on similar pedagogical strategy and embodying the
technical aspects of content interactivity.

SCO
a Shareable Content Object

OR:
• the element of a SCORM Package that represents a
"Learning Object" with tracking capabilities.

CONTENT PACKAGE

a package containing content objects.

OR:
• a mechanism for representing the structure for collections
of learning resources (for instance, Assets and SCOs)

INTEROPERABILITY OF CONTENT

"Interoperability is a property of a product or system,
whose interfaces are completely understood, to work with
other products or systems, present or future, without any
restricted access or implementation.“

OR:
• the ability of two systems to exchange content packages
among them in a way that the same content object
provides end users the same user experience on both
systems.

LMS
A Learning Management System (commonly abbreviated as
LMS) is a software application for the administration,
documentation, tracking, and reporting of training
programs, classroom and online events, e-learning
programs, and training content (Ellis 2009).

OR:
• Any system for:
[managing training] [managing educational records]
[distributing courses] [online collaboration]
[employee registration] [student self-service]
[instructor-led training] [training workflow]
[wait-list management] [on-line learning]
[on-line assessment] [collaborative learning]
[training resource management] [talent management]
[skills management] [ePortfolio management] [… … …]

THE COMMON GROUND AT A GLANCE...

1/n

Knowledge and (Learning Object)
content assets TEMPLATE

Content
Package

1/n
1/n
1/n

(Learning Object)
INSTANCEs

SCOs
(Shareable Content Objects) DELIVERY CHANNELS

LMS

PART I:
WHY SCORM?
(WHY NOT ?!)

RETURN ON INVESTMENTS
• Considering the time and
effort spent by experts to
create content, reusing
content would be prudent for
eLearning. Institutions could
spend time on improving or
localizing existing modules.

DIGITAL REPOSITORIES AND MARKETPLACE
• Implementation of
specifications like SCORM has
facilitated searching, sharing
and the reuse of learning
objects thereby making the
task of creating digital
repositories easier and for the
content to have a much wider
reach and scope than the
intended audience and
purpose for which they were
initially created.
• When talking of “marketplace”
it’s crucial mentioning
metadata as a way to support
interoperability of content also
from a semantic perspective

IN ONE WORD, BETTER 4:

Durable Accessible Reusable Interoperable

• Durable means that • Accessible means • Reusable means that • Interoperable means
SCOs (Sharable that SCOs can be SCOs are developed that it should be
Content Objects, found as required; once and then used possible to exchange
digital learning each SCO may be in different courses; content packages
resources also linked to a usually reusability is among two systems
known as the description of its easier to achieve in a way that the
Learning Objects) content and learning when the units of same content object
must not need objectives (this learning are both provides end users
upgrading or description, often small and the same user
modification as known as metadata, independent of experience on both
learning technology is used to facilitate learning context. systems.
systems develop discovery within and
over time. across content
repositories).

• Adopting such requirements should help promoting an
adaptable and affordable e-Learning in any organization.

IN ONE WORD, BETTER 4, ACTUALLY 5:

Adaptable
means that each unit of learning (SCO)
can behave differently
according to the actual needs
of the individual learner

…this is traditionally achieved
through the tracking functions included in each SCO,
but with the introduction of
"global learning objectives" and "conditional navigation“
in SCORM 2004 the adaptation of learning content
may also be achieved at a higher level of granularity
i.e. at the level of the whole SCORM package level
or even more SCORM packages at the same time

PART II:
WHAT IS SCORM?
(AND WHAT IT’S NOT...)

WHAT IS SCORM
• Sharable Content Object
Reference Model (SCORM) is a Packaging
collection of standards and
specifications for web-based
e-learning.
• It defines:
▫ Packaging
▫ Tracking
SCORM Tracking

▫ Metadata

Metadata

WHAT IS SCORM
• Packaging
▫ how content may be Packaging
packaged into a
transferable ZIP file which
it calls its Package
Interchange Format
• Tracking
▫ how the content
SCORM Tracking

communicates with the
host system to keep track
of learner's performances
• Metadata Metadata
▫ information about the
content at several levels of
granularity

WHAT IS SCORM
Since 2004 release, SCORM also
defines: Packaging

• Sequencing and navigation rules
▫ how learners are supposed to
browse the branches of a
learning package and Sequencing
and
SCORM Tracking
whether their navigation navigation
2004
should respect any
precondition or conditional
branching rule.
Metadata

SCORM TIMELINE

• Developed by the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL)
• Sponsored by the US Department of Defence
• Goal: develop a strategy for educational and training technology

1999 - DoD Executive Order 13111
II 2000 - SCORM Version 1.0
II I I I 2001 - SCORM Version 1.1
II I I I I 2001 - SCORM Version 1.2
II I IIIII 2004 - SCORM 2004 (1st Edition)
II I IIIII I 2004 - SCORM 2004 (2st Edition)
II I IIIII II I 2006 - DoD adopts SCORM
II I IIIII II I I 2006 - SCORM 2004 (3rd Edition)
II I IIIII II I II 2009 - SCORM 2004 (4th Ed.)
II I IIIII II I II I

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

SCORM TIMELINE
1988 - AICC founded
I 1989 - Common platform for CBT delivery
I I 1992 - CMI guidelines for interoperability
I I I 1992 - Digital audio guidelines
I I II 1993 - LAN-based CMI (LMS)
I I II I 1994 - CMI guidelines for interoperability
I I II I I 1996 - Navigation icon guidelines
I I II I I I 1998 - Web-based CMI (LMS)
I I II I I I I 1999 - DoD Executive Order 13111
I I II I I I I I 1999 - CMI (LMS) Javascript-based API (basis of SCORM)
I I II I I I I II 2000 - SCORM Version 1.0
I I II I I I I II I 2001 - IMS Content Packaging 1.1
I I II I I I I II I I 2001 - IMS Meta-data
I I II I I I I II I I I 2001 - SCORM Version 1.1
I I II I I I I II I I I I 2001 - SCORM Version 1.2
I I II I I I I II I I I I I 2002 - IEEE LOM (Learning Object Metadata)
I I II I I I I II I IIIII 2004 - SCORM 2004 (1st Edition)
I I II I I I I II I IIIII I 2004 - SCORM 2004 (2st Edition)
I I II I I I I II I IIIII II 2005 - PENS guidelines
I I II I I I I II I IIIII II I 2006 - DoD adopts SCORM
I I II I I I I II I IIIII II I I 2006 - SCORM 2004 (3rd Edition)
I I II I I I I II I IIIII II I II 2009 - SCORM 2004 (4th Ed.)
I I II I I I I II I IIIII II I II I
I I II I I I I II I IIIII II I II I

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

SCORM TIMELINE

• Developed by the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL)
• Sponsored by the US Department of Defence
• Goal: develop a strategy for educational and training technology

1999 - DoD Executive Order 13111
II 2000 - SCORM Version 1.0
II I I I 2001 - SCORM Version 1.1
II I I I I 2001 - SCORM Version 1.2
II I IIIII 2004 - SCORM 2004 (1st Edition)
II I IIIII I 2004 - SCORM 2004 (2st Edition)
II I IIIII II I 2006 - DoD adopts SCORM
II I IIIII II I I 2006 - SCORM 2004 (3rd Edition)
II I IIIII II I II 2009 - SCORM 2004 (4th Ed.)

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

What’s next? -> The "SCORM 2.0" concept by LETSI.

CONTENT REUSABILITY

…the ability of a component to function and
integrate outside the environment for which it
was primarily designed.

S C O

Shareable Content Object

CONTENT REUSABILITY

…the ability of a component to function and
integrate outside the environment for which it
was primarily designed.

S C O


single

small-enough learning object
independent

CONTENT REUSABILITY

S C O


single

small-enough learning object
independent

this may have an impact on both

pedagogy and technology

CONTENT REUSABILITY - PEDAGOGY

Pedagogy Technology

• Scope of the e-learning module is • Learner must be able to access
primarily knowledge acquisition
all SCO contents in any condition
▫ A SCO should address a
consistent set of learning where he can access the main
objectives. part of the learning unit
▫ Learning design should start
from the conception of each
S
▫ Entry point Shareable
• must be
learning unit having clear in constantly reliable
mind which are the learning ▫ External references should
objectives that should be
C
supported by each activity, at also be reliable or alternative
every level of granularity. resources • Content provided
should be
instead
▫ Access-protected resources
• A learner consuming a SCO should
O
be able to achieve the declared can only be used within
learning outcomes by consuming
• Object
limited training environment
the SCO itself.
▫ Additional drill-down materials
may be used to reinforce the
learning process.

CONTENT REUSABILITY - TECHNOLOGY

Pedagogy Technology

• Scope of the e-learning module is • Learner must be able to access
primarily knowledge acquisition
all SCO contents in any condition
▫ A SCO should address a
consistent set of learning where he can access the main
objectives. part of the learning unit
S • Shareable
▫ Learning design should start
from the conception of each
▫ Entry point must be
learning unit having clear in constantly reliable
mind which are the learning ▫ External references should
objectives that should be
C
supported by each activity, at also be reliable or alternative
every level• Content
of granularity. resources should be provided
instead
▫ Access-protected resources
• A learner consuming a SCO should
O
be able to achieve the declared can only be used within
• Object
learning outcomes by consuming limited training environment
the SCO itself.
▫ Additional drill-down materials
may be used to reinforce the
learning process.

SELF-CONSISTENT PACKAGE

• SCORM specifies how to
aggregate reusable web-
based content objects (Assets
and SCOs) into a portable
package (PIF).
• The PIF contains:
▫ the content objects, each
self-consistent
▫ the manifest
(imsmanifest.xml)
describing their structure
and metadata

TRACKING LEARNER’S PERFORMANCES

SCORM provides a uniform, widely
adopted standard mechanism to
track learners' progress and mark
their achievements and LMS
Server farm
performances

SCOs
exchange data with the
RunTime Environment
in which they are launched

Through the RunTime Environment
provided by a LMS
SCOs can read and write
learners' performances and achievements
to the backend database
creating a consistent
tracking record
about every learner who accessed them

INTEROPERABILITY AND ITS ADVANTAGES

Standard
content
Standard packaging
tracking
mechanisms

Standard
Metadata

Interoperability of contents

WHAT DOES SCORM SPECIFY AND WHAT NOT

• SCORM provides detailed specs about production,
publishing and delivery of learning content, especially on:
▫ Aggregations of content objects for portability
▫ Launching and tracking of content objects in a package
▫ Prescribing an activity structure for the content package
▫ Prescribing adaptive sequencing behaviors for activities

• SCORM does not provide answers to more semantic or
pedagogical aspects such as:
▫ How to design learning content
▫ Look and feel aspects at any level
▫ How an LMS should interpret and use tracking data
▫ What is the correct level of granularity of SCOs and SCO
aggregations

SCORM SOURCES
• SCORM 2004 specification books
▫ Overview
 introduces SCORM and describes how the other books relate
▫ Content Aggregation Model
 describes packaging of content and learning object
▫ Run-Time Environment
 describes runtime API and data model used for
communication between content objects and learning
management systems
▫ Sequencing and Navigation
 describes how sequencing between learning activities is
defined and interpreted
▫ Compliance Requirements
 detailed list of the conformance requirements that are
verified by the ADL SCORM conformance test suite.

http://www.adlnet.gov/scorm

PART III:
HOW DOES IT WORK?
(WELL... DOES IT REALLY WORK?)

HOW TO PRODUCE A SCORM PACKAGE (FOR ENGINEERS)

• To create a package of SCOs we:
1. break down a course into individual units of learning
2. create each of these units as a web page from
electronic assets, such as text and image files (or other
media such as audio, video or animations)
3. add JavaScript commands to the web pages, enabling
run-time communication with the VLE through the API
Adapter
4. create meta-data descriptions for the assets, the SCOs
and the entire course
5. aggregate the resulting set of files into a zip archive

HOW TO PRODUCE A SCORM PACKAGE (FOR TEACHERS)

Pre Basic The actual
Assessments
assessment concepts contents

Concept Learning
Test 1
1 activity 1

Concept Learning
...
2 activity 2

... ... Test #

Concept Learning
# activity #

ASSET? SCO? AGGREGATION?
LEARNING
ACTIVITY

Asset Asset

LMS SCO Aggregation
Communication

SCO ...

ARE THERE LIMITATIONS TO “GRANULARITY”? (NO!)

Learning
Activity

SCO

SCO

Learning
... Activity

Pre Basic The actual SCO
Assessments
assessment concepts contents

SCO
Concept Learning
Test 1
1 activity 1
Learning
Activity
Concept Learning
...
2 activity 2
SCO

... ... Test #
...
SCO
Concept Learning Asset
# activity # ...

LEARNING CONTENT STRATEGY ESSENTIALS

1 2

KNOWLEDGE PEDAGOGY
TECHNOLOGY
1/n

RAW ASSETS TEMPLATE

3 4

1/n
1/n

AGGREGATION OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1/n

LEARNING OBJECT INSTANCES (aka “Package of SCOs”)

CONTENTS AND… METADATA

• Packages and envelopes do
not say much about their
contents
• Forms are a way to describe
what is inside our packages or
envelops.
• Same happens with digital
packages and their metadata.

by means of the metadata
included in its manifest,
you can say what is
the content of the package,
who is it intended for,
its publishing details,
its copyright information,
how long will it take to go through
…
and so on

CONTENTS AND… METADATA AND… RULES.

• You can structure the content in chunks
• You can suggest (or impose) the sequence (and
conditions) shat rule the content flow.
• You can adapt navigation constraints rules in real time,
and adapting the sequencing rules depending on the
intermediate achievements of learners.

Sequencing and
Tracking
Navigation

TRACKING FEATURES IN SCORM
• Tracking features • The main tracking information
▫ the ability of SCOs to related to a SCO:
communicate with the LMS ▫ completion status
platform to exchange was the SCO completed and
information about learner to which extent?
progress ▫ success status
did the user interact
• SCORM tracking calls are successfully with the content
object?
typically of two kinds:
▫ score
▫ GET information about
did the user get a score? how
existing tracking records for
much?
the user
▫ time spent on the learning
▫ SET a new value on user
resource
interaction with the content
how much “relevant” time
was spent on this object?

CONDITIONAL NAVIGATION

• Sequencing and Navigation rules dynamically affect the way
learners may interact with the content objects included in a
package
▫ from SCORM Pre-requisites
▫ to the adoption of IMS Simple Sequencing specs

SCO 1.2 SCO 2.1 SCO 2.2
SCO 1.1 SCO 2.3

Pre- Learning Learning Final
Assessment Activity 1 Activity 2 assessment

SET SET
GET GET GET
SET
GET

OBJ 001 OBJ 002

THE “OBJECTIVES”
• Abstract representations Objectives are de-touched from the context
in which they are set (or read).
used as indicators of
learners' performances, Any SCO (or any external component of a LMS or other
knowledge or skills, enterprise software) may have access to objectives
not necessarily for the sake tracking and use them to adapt learning paths or other
skills-related events and conditions.
of defining immediate navigation
rules.

SCO 1.2 SCO 2.1 SCO 2.2
SCO 1.1 SCO 2.3

Pre- Learning Learning Final
Assessment Activity 1 Activity 2 assessment

SET SET
GET GET GET
SET
GET

OBJ 001 OBJ 002

FROM LEARNING OBJECTIVES TO COMPETENCES AND SKILLS

SCORM 2004 objectives IMS RDCEO competences

• Objective Progress Information: • Reusable competency definition:
Each learning objective has a set of The “Reusable Definition of
tracking information allowing learner Competency or Educational Objective”
progress toward learning objectives to spec describes the part of competency
be tracked data that can be reused for more than
one learner and more than one
• SCORM 2004 Objectives have: context.
▫ A Unique Identifier
▫ A Satisfied Status • A Competency Definition has:
Satisfied / Not satisfied ▫ A Unique Identifier
▫ A Normalized Measure ▫ A set of information (including
The measure for the objective, metadata) to describe the skill
normalized between -1..1 per se, its possible levels of
(e.g. a standardized score) proficiency, the observable
behaviour associated to it, …

Whether and how it is implemented will vary from LMS to LMS.
This is however an exciting potential opportunity that leverages SCORM standard features.

WHEN SCORM IS A GOOD FIT AND WHEN IT'S NOT

WOW! Ehm...

• Being SCORM conformant is great • SCORM is probably not the right
when: answer if:
▫ You want to integrate with other ▫ You are designing simple,
vendors. static hyperlinked content
▫ You are creating a large library (like a web page or a simple
of learning objects website)
▫ You are using an LMS to deliver ▫ You just need to publish
and manage learning content simple reference material
▫ You are designing learning ▫ Your content is short lived and
content that might be reused in
will only be used one time in
other contexts
one system
▫ You are designing learning
content that tracks learner ▫ You are using a single internal
performance system that will never change
▫ You are designing learning ▫ You are developing non-
content that will monitor the traditional online learning
learner and adapt according to (such as advanced simulations and
the learner’s needs serious games)

SCORM SHOPPING

SCORM Content Delivery platform

• Standalone authoring tools • SCORM-compliant LMSs
• LCMSs with authoring capabilities • LCMSs with delivery capabilities
• LMS with Content Management • SCORM modules for third party
and authoring capabilities platforms
• SCORM plugins for traditional
authoring tools (PPT, ...)

• SCORM conformant off-the-shelf
course catalogues

SCORM SHOPPING: SCORM COMPLIANCE AND CERTIFICATION

SCORM Content Delivery platform

• Standalone authoring tools • SCORM-compliant LMSs
• LCMSs with authoring capabilities • LCMSs with delivery capabilities
• LMS with Content Management • SCORM modules for third party
and authoring capabilities platforms
• SCORM plugins for traditional
authoring tools (PPT, ...)

• SCORM conformant off-the-shelf
course catalogues

DIFFUSION OF SCORM

SCORM certified products SCORM adopters

• Classified by: • Classified by:
▫ SCORM Version ▫ SCORM Version
▫ Category ▫ Category
 Content Package  Authoring tool
 Learning Management System  Content developer
(LMS)  Gaming and simulation
 Metadata  Intelligent tutoring system
 Shareable Content Object  LCMS/LMS
(SCO)  Manifest maker
▫ Country  Metadata Generator
▫ Source
 Industry
 Academia
 Government
▫ Country

SOME NAMES...

Pay as you go... Some useful directories

• Bersin & Associates • SCORM Certified products
http://www.bersin.com http://www.adlnet.gov/Technologies/sco
rm/Custom%20Pages/Certified%20Prod
ucts.aspx
• Brandon-Hall Research
Center
• SCORM Adopters
http://www.brandon-hall.com/
http://www.adlnet.gov/Technologies/sco
rm/Custom%20Pages/SCORM%20Adopt
• Gartner ers.aspx

http://www.gartner.com/technology
/research/content/education.jsp • SCORM Authoring tools
http://docs.moodle.org/en/Tools_for_cre
• ... ating_SCORM_content

• Instructional tools
http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/i
nstructional.html

WHAT’S NEXT ? LETSI AND THE "SCORM 2.0" CONCEPT

LETSI LETSI's roadmap:
Learning, Education, and Training developing a modern and expanded
Systems Interoperability learning systems interoperability framework

“a non-profit association of • SCORM […] provided a foundation for
learning content exchange and
individuals and organizations interoperability […].
who see the need for a sea change
in the way technology is used • […] to better support browser-based
in education and job training” learning and distributed learning use cases
[…] in the late 1990s.

• […] Today's use cases and interoperability
• LETSI’s "Assumptions Document" requirements go considerably beyond the
currently available for review: design scope set for SCORM nearly a
decade ago.
https://letsi.org/index.php?option=com_cont
ent&view=article&id=82&Itemid=95
• […] LETSI […] focused on a next-
generation learning interoperability
framework to succeed the current
generation of SCORM and similar
frameworks

• … a project we called "SCORM 2.0"

THANK YOU!
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS...

Contact us:
andrea.lorenzon@teeled.com
francesco.pucci@teeled.com

www.teeled.com

SOME RESOURCES

• MIT’s OpenCourseWare, • LETSI: The International Federation
http://ocw.mit.edu for Learning, Education, and
• The Commonwealth of Learning, Training Systems Interoperability:
http://www.col.org http://letsi.org
• Moodle LMS, • Claude Ostyn on "Best practices for
http://www.moodle.org global objective identifiers":
• SCORM 2004, http://www.ostyn.com/standards/do
http://www.adlnet.gov/scorm cs/globalobjbp.htm
• SCORM 2004 overview • The three types of learning:
(by Ostyn consulting): http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/
http://www.ostyn.com/standards/do hrd/bloom.html
cs/scorm2004overview.htm • Bloom's taxonomy and the cognitive
• SCORM explained domains of learning:
(by Rustici Software): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom
http://www.scorm.com/scorm- %27s_Taxonomy
explained/ • Ellis, Ryann K. (2009), Field Guide
• The "Assumptions Document“ to Learning Management Systems,
about LETSI's SCORM 2.0 project: ASTD Learning Circuits:
https://letsi.org/index.php?option=c http://www.astd.org/NR/rdonlyres/1
om_content&view=article&id=82&It 2ECDB99-3B91-403E-9B15-
emid=95 7E597444645D/23395/LMS_fieldgui
de_20091.pdf
• IEEE LTSC - Learning Technology
Standards Committee:
http://www.ieeeltsc.org

An introduction to SCORM 2004

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