Have you ever needed to take an online course or eLearning program that incompatibly loaded across different learning platforms? This frustration inspired the creation of SCORM – to establish technical standards that make training content seamlessly portable and reusable across any modern LMS.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through everything involved in SCORM content packaging – from underlying technical components and data schemas to a hands-on look at building conformant SCORM courses anyone can access.
A Brief History of SCORM
First launched in 2000 by the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) initiative under the Department of Defense, SCORM aimed to solve major pain points around eLearning interoperability. Early on, specialized platforms like flight simulators created for military training were incompatible with commercial LMS technology also used for onboarding new recruits.
Retrofitting customized content cost staggering amounts. More importantly, critical training was blocked from efficiently reaching all service members. SCORM was born to establish common technical standards any system could adopt to enable specialized learning content to be broadly shared.
The Department of Defense mandated SCORM adoption, which sparked widespread usage across eLearning. The interoperability promise also attracted big commercial LMS vendors to support SCORM import and export.
Fast forward to today – global SCORM conformance has only expanded, with ADL reporting that over 80% of mid to large enterprises now leverage SCORM-compatible authoring tools and LMSs. Let‘s explore exactly what SCORM technical specifications entail beneath the surface…
SCORM Versions and Conformance Requirements
There have been a few major releases of SCORM over the years, incrementally improving capabilities:
SCORM Versions:
| Version | Year Released | Key Capabilities Supported |
|---|---|---|
| SCORM 1.1 | 2000 | Mostly proof that content API communication concept worked |
| SCORM 1.2 | 2001 | Added sequencing, navigation, more robust testing |
| SCORM 2004 3rd Edition | 2005 | Greatly expanded sequencing rules and data model |
| SCORM 2004 4th Edition | 2009 | Clarified conformance requirements and content to LMS API usage |
Each version outlines specific conformance requirements around things like consistent runtime data model usage, tracking status updates, and sequencing behaviors. Purpose-built validation suites test conformance stringently before vendors can claim "SCORM-certified" status officially endorsed by ADL.
This conformance rigor is what ensures any SCORM-exported course will reliably import and play properly across the expanding range of certified LMS platforms.
Now let‘s get into the weeds on what actually comprises a SCORM course package…
Understanding SCORM Content Packages
At its core, a SCORM package represents aggregated learning content and activities bundled together in a standardized transportable format. This enables the training materials to be easily shared across LMS servers, devices and other eLearning systems – similar to how MP3 music files seamlessly play on any device supporting the format audio standard.
Some key components bundled into SCORM course packages include:
IMS Manifest File – The imsmanifest.xml file provides critical structural information about all content pieces and how they logically fit together. The manifest outlines a hierarchy through XML elements and defines important metadata like learning objectives.
Sharable Content Objects (SCOs) – These are reusable pieces of online training content authored in web languages like HTML, JavaScript and multimedia formats. SCORM doesn‘t define SCO structure, just consistent metadata description for transport.
Content Organization Mapping – The imsmanifest maps out a nested hierarchy of learning items and SCO relationships for coherent sequencing.
Additional XML Components – Extra files like ADL‘s adlcp_rootv1p2.xsd schema supplement the technical standards referenced by SCORM runtime communication.
Media Assets & Resources – Any images, documents or other media referenced directly by the Sharable Content Objects are included in the transport package.
All components are then bundled together and zipped up into a single distributable file payload. This complete package contains all required learning content wrapped in a standards-based outer shell any SCORM-compatible LMS can import.
Now let‘s walk through some key package pieces more closely…
IMS Manifest – The SCORM Content Roadmap
The imsmanifest.xml file is critical for any SCORM eLearning course package. This manifest document serves as centralized metadata reference providing the structural mapping of content organization and technical standards used.
Some key elements defined in the typical imsmanifest include:
Metadata – Descriptive attributes like learning object title, description, creator, version status. Enables course cataloging.
Content Structure Outline – The organization of learning items, topics and SCO relationships in a logical nesting hierarchy.
Resource Listings – File locations and metadata on SCOs, media assets and other external resources in the package.
Standards Schemas – References to ADL, IEEE, IMS and other standard schemas used by XML components.
Tracking Data Model – Elements defining data stores funneled from SCO learner interactions back to the LMS database tracking system.
Here‘s a snippet example of an imsmanifest file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<manifest identifier="com.scormtest.course"
xmlns="http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imscp_v1p1"
xmlns:adlcp="http://www.adlnet.org/xsd/adlcp_v1p3"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imscp_v1p1 imscp_v1p1.xsd
http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imsmd_v1p2 imsmd_v1p2.xsd">
<metadata>
<schema>ADL SCORM</schema>
<schemaversion>1.2</schemaversion>
<lom xmlns="http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imsmd_v1p2">
<general>
<title>
<langstring xml:lang="x-none">Sample Course</langstring>
</title>
</general>
<lifecycle>
<version>
<langstring xml:lang="x-none">1</langstring>
</version>
<status>
<source>
<langstring xml:lang="x-none">LOMv1.0</langstring>
</source>
<value>
<langstring xml:lang="x-none">Final Draft</langstring>
</value>
</status>
</lifecycle>
</lom>
</metadata>
<!-- CONTENT STRUCTURE AND RESOURCES MAPPED HERE...-->
</manifest>As you can see, imsmanifest provides a flexible framework to describe all components in a structured way usable by any SCORM runtime system. The metadata enables detailed course cataloging while the content hierarchy mappings steer optimal sequencing.
Now that we‘ve covered the universal imsmanifest metadata glue, let‘s look closer at the chunks of reusable learning content…
Sharable Content Objects (SCOs)
SCORM content packaging revolves around modular Sharable Content Objects (SCOs) representing reusable pieces of training content. SCOs contain the actual instructional materials and assessments that learners directly interact with.
SCOs are authored using common web technologies like HTML pages, JavaScript, CSS, and multimedia formats. They can embed things like:
- Text passages
- Interactive quizzes
- Branching scenarios
- Media elements
Here is a snippet example of a simple SCO exported from an authoring tool:
<!-- SCO example -->
<html>
<head>
<!-- styles, javascript -->
</head>
<body>
<p>
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor
incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
</p>
<!-- Additional content like audio, images, interactions, etc... -->
</body>
</html>
SCORM doesn‘t explicitly govern formatting of SCO internal content itself – rather it standardizes consistent metadata description and packaging to enable transportability between systems.
The imsmanifest content structure maps out relationships between discrete SCO components and optimal sequence. This enables the LMS to dynamically assemble and deliver targeted course paths to each learner.
Now let‘s walk through how to bring all the pieces together into a complete portable package…
Authoring and Packaging SCORM Courses
We‘ve covered the core technical foundations of SCORM content packaging. Now let‘s put it into practice by creating a sample SCORM course:
1. Author Content Pages
First, you‘ll need to actually build the instructional content using web technologies like HTML and JavaScript that will make up the Sharable Content Objects.
Approaches include:
- Write textual passages in Google Docs, export them as HTML
- Manually code interactive HTML pages with embedded quizzes
- Use an eLearning authoring tool like Adobe Captivate or Articulate Storyline
However you produce them, ensure content pages are functional regular web content for the LMS to render.
2. Define Content Structure
Next, map out the logical structure for the course – this will correspond to <organization> hierarchy in imsmanifest.
Here is an example outline:
Course Title
Introduction
Unit 1
Lesson 1 (SCO)
Lesson 2 (SCO)
Unit 2
Lesson 3 (SCO)
Quiz (SCO)
Summary (SCO)3. Create Manifest File
The key next step is creating the imsmanifest.xml file that imports and maps the course structure.
- Download a template imsmanifest
- Edit it to reference your metadata, content pieces and assets
- Ensure proper standards schemas
This manifest is the backbone tracking glue.
4. Bundle into ZIP
Finally, grab all files – manifest, HTML SCOs, referenced images – and package together into a .zip archive.
You‘ve now authored a portable SCORM course package to distribute anywhere!
Next let‘s discuss how to test courses before launching to live learners…
Validating and Troubleshooting SCORM Packages
After authoring a SCORM course, it‘s critical to fully validate package integrity before deploying to production LMS serving actual learners.
Some key elements to test for:
Conformant runtime communication – Launch course in a SCORM sandbox like SCORM Cloud and step through as a learner to trigger API calls between content and system – confirm tracking status updates as expected.
Sequencing rules behave properly – If using complex sequencing, verify adaptive content unlocking/branching works as intended based on navigation path.
Metadata integrity – Spot check metadata identifiers and structure mirror imsmanifest mappings accurately.
Error-free LMS import – File validation before import helps troubleshoot issues – watch for XML schema errors or missing assets throwing warnings.
Isolating any bugs with simulation testing smooths real training deployment. SCORM‘s promise revolves around interoperability – so checking conformance with validation suites like ADL‘s Test Suite is key.
Now that you understand the technical anatomy driving SCORM content packages, let‘s recap some key takeaways…
Summary and Key Insights
-
SCORM establishes common eLearning technical standards enabling consistent interoperability and reusable modular content.
-
IMS Manifest XML documents provide critical centralized metadata glue binding together all content components consistently.
-
Sharable Content Objects (SCOs) wrap actual pieces of reusable training materials like HTML pages and assessments.
-
By conforming to common schemas, SCOs seamlessly import into any LMS fully intact, without retrofitting.
-
Producing SCORM packages is achievable for basic course content using just HTML and imsmanifest mapping.
My goal was to fully demystify SCORM packaging to empower you to create reusable portable training materials. With the templates and examples provided throughout this guide, you should feel equipped to start developing SCORM conformant content.
You now can play a role in fulfilling the interoperability promise that inspired SCORM in the first place – making specialized learning content broadly accessible to all. This elevates opportunities for any organization or individual leveraging modern LMS technology to efficiently skill up their teams.
