The Learning Management Systems are an important addition to the training initiatives of an organization. They make training easier to impart according to the ease of the trainees and at their time. They offer in-built authoring tools to formulate a good and effective learning course, which is easier to engage in as well as easy to retain.
Their metrics are a life-saver for tracking the trainees’ performance individually and provide copious amounts of data to mine and form meaningful inferences to take the important business decisions. With the advancement of technology, initiatives were taken, and an e-learning standard format was formed. The goal behind curating this platform was to ensure all-around consistency across the e-learning platform, which we have known as SCORM. Let’s further discuss this subject in detail.
SCORM Compliant LMS
SCORM Compliant LMS is software that is built-in line with the learning technology standards that actually govern the packaging and delivery of the eLearning content. This software also governs the tracking and storage of e-learning data and total spending time and loads more. The best part about this software is its compatibility with other SCORM e-learning platforms. This helps in reducing the learning costs because the e-learning content gets used again. Also, it can be integrated with LCMS then offers you a more wide range of facilities in the eLearning software.
SCORM Specifications
When we talk about SCORM standards, there are different versions to them. A learning management system can support any one of them at a time. So the choice depends on the SCORM version chosen or supported by the third-party learning content for your learning management system. For a better understanding, consider this, SCORM 1.2 version only shows the completion status of tasks while SCORM 2004 fives both completion status as well as the test scores.
Although modern LMSs are all equipped with amazing features, it still requires certain vigilance for selecting the right e-learning platform for your business. Because if you do not check certain specifications according to your organization’s requirements, then it will be a ruckus for your future work objectives. Following are the few considerations that you should go for before selecting the right SCORM Compliant Learning Management System-
• Standards
The first consideration involved in choosing the right LMS is the standards it adheres to. For example, it is important to check here if it is SCORM compliant and is supported by ADL. In case it’s not, you should check for the API elements actually supported by the software. There are instances where LMS supports all editions of SCORM, but it works with a specific edition much better. So this is why it is important to check the standards of SCORM versions.
• Ease of import of content
The next consideration is to check that your course content is easily importable on the said LMS. A few of the LMSs have in-built authoring tools that allow for the smoother import of content data. Take time to figure out their ease of use and import allowance.
• Supported Version
Only being SCORM compliant is not enough. You have to check for the version of SCORM being supported by the LMS. Even when the LMS supports all versions, check for the one which is preferred by the LMS because there were various versions of SCORM from 2000 when it was launched till today. Although SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 are the most widely used LMS, it’s better to check which SCORM version do you need and whether the LMS system supports it or not.
• SCORM Runtime Environment
The next point to consider could be to check the SCORM runtime environment, which is supported by the LMS. This specification specifies the launch of the content as well as its interaction with the LMS. The elements that work are
1. Launching the content
2. Finding API
3. Using the API
4. The interaction in the form of Initialize, terminate, get value, set value, commit, get last error, get error string, get diagnostic, etc., must be looked into.
• Plug-ins Required
The next consideration is that of finding out the plug-ins that are required to work smoothly with the LMS. Some of the LMSs work directly with HTML5 and Javascript. Some of them require plug-ins to be installed before they give you the best results.
• New Windows opening
The next consideration is ensuring that when the LMS launches, it does so in a new window that opens automatically. And take care that the pop-ups that arise do not slow down the loading process and increase the time for loading significantly.
• Look Out For SCORM Specific Features
SCORM compliant has different features, and organizations will have to look after the features they wish to have in their LMS systems. SCORM compliant is helpful for the instructors for sharing learning content, but your organizational goals might be different from a third-party SCORM compliant learning platform. One of the things you should be considering for selecting SCORM compliance is the features you will need to fulfill your work requirements and then select accordingly.
SCORM compliant LMS helps you track the quiz and test results of trainees, the time duration spent on a page, the overall results, and even the specific answers of the students that they provided. Also, the score for every module and individual progress of learners can be tracked. But, only SCORM compliance can not be enough. The above-mentioned points must be given thorough attention and consideration before making the final decision.
Being one of the oldest standards in the industry, SCORM has acquired a niche and offers specific ease. There are a few other compliances that the modern LMSs adhere to, such as tin can, Section 508, and even GDPR(General Data Protection Regulation). They must all be looked into. SCORM compliance is simply something that you cannot ignore while choosing the LMS for your organization and its training needs. In short SCORM LMS markets benefits for your organization from interoperability and makes the integration simple and seamless.
