SCORM: The Ultimate Guide for Non-Technicians

If you google “scorm compliant elearning course” you get almost 200,000 results. It’s a jungle.

We also delve into the history of SCORM to understand its evolution, the technical aspects that help you tackle common challenges, choose the right version of SCORM, and a look at the future of SCORM and alternative e-learning standards , including the Tin Can API (xAPI).

If you are completely new to SCORM, Tomas can teach you in less than 2 minutes:

What is SCORM?

SCORM stands for "Sharable Content Object Reference Model" and is an elearning standard that ensures that content works with different Learning Management Systems (LMSs).

With SCORM, you can create content once and use it across different platforms, saving time and resources.

Think of SCORM like a PDF file: just as a PDF can contain anything from a Word document to an advanced CAD drawing, SCORM is also a format that ensures you can view e-learning content on a variety of platforms. And just like a PDF, you can't edit a SCORM file directly.

What is a Scorm package?

A SCORM package is a standardized way to package and deliver content to e-learning platforms. SCORM stands for “Sharable Content Object Reference Model” and is a collection of technical specifications that ensure e-learning content can work across different platforms.

A SCORM package consists of various files organized according to a specific structure. This includes a manifest file (imsmanifest.xml) that acts as a guide for how the content should be presented.

The package can contain different types of media, such as text, images, audio and video, as well as interactive elements such as quizzes and exercises. In practice, a SCORM file is a zip file with e-learning content organized in a specific way.

When a SCORM package is uploaded to an e-learning platform, it can handle and present the content in accordance with SCORM standards. This allows the platform to track user interaction, such as quizzes completed or time spent on the content. SCORM packages thus enable educators and course designers to deliver structured and interactive e-learning content.

How to create SCORM packages?

The easiest way to create SCORM packages is to purchase an authoring tool such as Articulate Storyline or Articulate Rise.

With an authoring tool, you can publish, or save as SCORM, in the same way that you can save a PowerPoint file as a PDF.

Once you have saved your e-learning course in SCORM format, it must be uploaded to the LMS to make it available to students.

We recommend that you read our article on SCORM authoring tools to get an overview of the different options and what each one can offer.

Can you create SCORM packages without an authoring tool?

Yes, but it requires a great deal of technical knowledge and can be time-consuming and is generally not something we recommend.

Are there free SCORM tools?

Yes, but it's quite technical and DIY. Here's a link: https://github.com/pipwerks

Not worth the trouble if you ask me.

There are also various tools that claim to be free, such as ScormHero, but when you look closely, they are NOT free, and the functionality is limited compared to the tools we have included in our article about SCORM authoring tools .

How do you use SCORM packages?

To use SCORM packages, follow these steps:

1. Creating a SCORM package: First, you need to create your e-learning course using a SCORM-compliant tool. This tool allows you to create and organize the content in SCORM format.
2. Uploading the SCORM package: Once your course is created, you need to upload the SCORM package to an LMS (Learning Management System) that supports SCORM. This is called SCORM compliant. This can usually be done by logging into the LMS as an administrator and navigating to the admin panel to upload the file.
3. Assigning the course: Once the SCORM package is uploaded, you can assign the course to users. This can be done by creating user profiles and assigning the course to the relevant users. The users will then be able to access the course via the LMS.
4. Interaction with e-learning: Once users have access to the course, they can interact with the content. The SCORM package usually tracks user interactions, such as completed modules, quiz results, etc. This data can then be used to evaluate user progress and performance. SCORM packages are a convenient way to organize and distribute e-learning courses. By using a SCORM-compliant LMS, you can easily manage and track user progress.

How do you find a SCORM compliant LMS?

There are so many different Learning Management Systems out there, it can be hard to choose. There are LMSs that don't support SCORM, and many LMSs can do more than most people need, and many are quite expensive.

We have created an LMS, Activate LMS , that is distinguished by being cheap and user-friendly. Otherwise, you can learn more about choosing an LMS in this easy-to-understand guide to LMS.

If you don't want to read the entire guide, here's an ultra-short overview of the points in it:

• Types of LMS and SCORM support:
  • Consumer LMS : Focuses on simplicity and ease of use, but typically does not support SCORM . Suitable for providers who want to sell standard courses to individual users.
  • Academic LMS : Designed for complexity and use in schools, some with SCORM support . However, the use of SCORM in academic LMSs can often exceed what the SCORM standard actually offers, due to the platforms' need for broader functionalities. And it is typically too “school-like” for companies that use elearning for, for example, onboarding, or compliance training (GDPR, ESG, NIS2, etc.)
  • Corporate LMS : Tailored to the specific training needs of companies, and typically support SCORM . This makes them ideal for managing, tracking, and reporting on employee training and development. The problem here is that there are many to choose from and they quickly become very expensive.
• Choose LMS based on needs :
  • It is crucial to understand your specific needs and goals before choosing an LMS. Consider SCORM compatibility as part of your decision-making process, especially if tracking and reporting e-learning progress is important to your organization. Be careful not to overpay.
• Considerations for free LMS :
  • Free or cheap LMS solutions can be tempting, but beware of limitations, especially around SCORM data storage. Moodle is a powerful but complex open-source LMS that requires technical skill and may be best suited for academic institutions.
• Recommendations :
  • To avoid being locked into a specific LMS, we recommend using separate authoring tools to create your e-learning content. This ensures high quality, flexibility, and that the content can be reused across different platforms.

Where can I find a SCORM supplier?

We can't help but mention the American company Rustici software https://rusticisoftware.com/ which also runs SCORM.com . They have a number of SCORM tools that are really good (although perhaps a bit technical), including SCORM Cloud . They are probably world champions in SCORM if you ask us. In addition to tools, they are also really good at explaining what SCORM is and what it can do. So good that they are actually better than the Wikipedia article on SCORM

If you would like help from someone who speaks Danish and is perhaps not too far away, please contact us. You can read more about which SCORM related tasks we can help you with .

Securing and Updating SCORM Content with SCORM Proxy

If you want to offer e-learning courses to customers who want to run in their own LMS, concerns often arise about both security and the ability to update content after it has been distributed to a customer's Learning Management System (LMS). An effective solution to this problem is the use of a so-called SCORM proxy, a concept that lies outside the original SCORM standard, but which offers an innovative approach to handling SCORM packages.

A SCORM proxy is not widely used; in fact, there are only a few on the market, including American Rustici Dispatch and our own, Activate LMS , and a few others.

The way it works is relatively simple, but extremely effective: You upload your SCORM package to the LMS as usual. You then assign the SCORM package to a user profile that represents the customer. After this assignment, it is possible to download a new SCORM package that is specifically linked to that customer. This customer-specific SCORM package can then be sent to the customer for implementation in their own LMS.

The uniqueness of this method is that it allows the provider to retain some form of control over the content, even after it has been distributed. Should the customer relationship end, it is possible to simply "turn off" the customer's access to the course directly from Activate LMS. This provides a unique security measure that prevents unauthorized access and use of the course. Furthermore, it is possible to update the content in the customer's LMS without them having to upload new modules - a feature that both saves time and ensures that all users always have access to the latest material.

SCORM proxy therefore offers an elegant solution to an otherwise complex problem by combining security with flexibility. This tool is a testament to innovation in e-learning, ensuring that providers can distribute and manage their SCORM content in a way that is both secure and efficient.

SCORM FAQs

Who is behind SCORM and what is the story behind SCORM?

SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) was developed by the Advanced Distributed Learning ( ADL ) Initiative, which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense. ADL began developing SCORM in the mid-1990s to standardize the way eLearning is delivered and tracked across different platforms and systems.

The story behind SCORM began with the need to create interoperability between different e-learning tools and platforms. Before SCORM, there were many different proprietary formats and standards that made it difficult to exchange and reuse e-learning content.

ADL took the initiative to develop SCORM to create a common standard that could be used by all e-learning players. SCORM was developed by combining various existing standards and technologies, including AICC (Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee) and IMS (Instructional Management Systems).

SCORM was first published in 2000 and has undergone several updates and improvements since then. The standard has gained wide acceptance and use in e-learning and has been implemented in many different e-learning platforms and tools.

Today, SCORM is still one of the most widely used standards for e-learning and is used to deliver and track content such as courses often with interactivity, presentations, and tests across different systems and platforms.

What versions of SCORM are there and which one should I choose?

SCORM comes in two different versions: SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 (also known as SCORM 1.3).

SCORM 2004 also has some sub-editions such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th edition, but for the vast majority it will not really matter whether you choose one version or another.

If your LMS (learning management system) supports SCORM 2004, you may as well choose it as it has a few improvements over SCORM 1.2. However, if your LMS only supports SCORM 1.2, then you should of course use that version.

What values can SCORM store?

SCORM sends data from the e-learning content to the LMS and can store a number of values, including the user's answers to questions, time spent on the content, and whether they have completed the entire e-learning content, for example by passing a test.

You can find a complete list of what is sent between content and the LMS, a so-called scorm runtime reference, here .

How do you convert PowerPoint or movies to SCORM?

Many e-learning developers want to convert existing PowerPoint presentations or movies into SCORM-compliant content. There are various tools available to help you do this, including Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate.

Converting PowerPoint presentations to SCORM content can be a relatively simple process, as many authoring tools include features that allow you to convert PowerPoint files directly to SCORM-compliant content. However, converting movies to SCORM-compliant content may require more technical knowledge and video editing tools.

What is the file extension of a SCORM file?

A SCORM package is a ZIP file that contains all the files needed to run the e-learning content.

How do you tell if a ZIP file is a SCORM file?

To see if a ZIP file is a SCORM package, open the ZIP file and look for a file named "imsmanifest.xml" in the root folder. This is a mandatory file in a SCORM package that describes the structure and content of the e-learning content. When it comes to the file extension of a SCORM file, it is typically .zip, but it can vary depending on how the file is packaged and stored. However, you can always open the SCORM package by extracting the ZIP file and opening the imsmanifest.xml file in a text editor to get an understanding of the contents.

How can you see which SCORM messages are being sent, for example in SCORM Cloud?

SCORM Cloud is a popular tool used to deploy and test SCORM-compliant content. It also includes a number of tools that can help you view and debug SCORM messages. One of these tools is Debug Logs, which we mentioned earlier. In addition to Debug Logs, SCORM Cloud also includes a tool called SCORM Dispatch, which allows you to send test messages to your content and see how it responds to those messages. Overall, SCORM Cloud is a valuable tool for testing and debugging your SCORM-compliant content. SCORM Cloud requires you to create a free account.

What is Simple Sequencing in SCORM?

Simple Sequencing in SCORM is part of the SCORM standard's structure for controlling the sequence of content in an e-learning course. The intention behind Simple Sequencing was to allow developers to define a linear sequence of content where users would complete the modules in a specific order.

Unfortunately, Simple Sequencing is anything but simple and is not used very often in practice. This is due to several factors. First, implementing Simple Sequencing requires a deep technical understanding of the complexity of the SCORM standard. This makes it difficult for non-technical users to implement and manage.

Additionally, e-learning courses today are often more interactive and flexible, allowing users to choose their own order of content or skip certain modules. This makes Simple Sequencing less relevant and limits the flexibility of the course.

In practice, it is more common to use other methods to control the order of content in an e-learning course, such as navigation buttons or a module overview. These methods give users more freedom to explore the content at their own pace and in the order they prefer.

What other e-learning standards are there and how do they differ from SCORM?

In addition to SCORM, there are other e-learning standards, including AICC (Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee) and Tin Can API (also known as Experience API or xAPI).

AICC was developed before SCORM and is an older standard that we have not encountered in our 20 years in the industry.

xApi, formerly known as Tin Can API, is the latest standard and was developed to overcome some of the limitations of SCORM. xApi focuses on tracking activities and experiences that lie outside the traditional e-learning course. It allows for tracking learning in more complex environments, such as on the job or in real life. In practice, xApi is not supported by many LMSs and the new features of xApi that were supposed to differentiate it from SCORM are not really being used. Even if xApi is used, the same kind of data is typically stored as with SCORM.

Unlike SCORM and AICC, Tin Can API is not tied to a specific technology and can be used across different platforms and applications. Tin Can API can also track multiple types of learning, including blended learning and gamification.

There are also other standards, such as Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI), Common Cartridge, and Learning Content Development System (LCDS).

In practice, everyone in the e-learning world uses SCORM and it is difficult to see that changing in the near future.

SCORM is an old standard. Should I be worried about the future?

No, if you choose a tool such as Articulate Storyline, you can save the same course in all the most common formats.

What is Tin Can API (xAPI) and how does it work in relation to SCORM?

Tin Can API (also known as Experience API or xAPI) is a newer standard for e-learning content that differs from SCORM in several ways. While SCORM primarily focuses on tracking specific actions within an e-learning module, such as answering questions or browsing pages, Tin Can API allows for tracking more nuanced interactions, such as participating in a simulation or performing an action outside of the e-learning module itself.

The Tin Can API does this by providing the ability to send "experience data" from a user action in an application to a "Learning Record Store" (LRS), which acts as a central database to store and analyze this data. In this way, user activities can be tracked and analyzed across different applications and systems.

While SCORM is primarily designed to work within an LMS, the Tin Can API can be used across a wide range of applications and systems, such as mobile applications and gamification platforms.

It is important to note, however, that SCORM is still the most widely used standard for e-learning and that many LMSs still only support SCORM. However, with the Tin Can API, new opportunities have opened up for tracking and analyzing user activities across different platforms and systems. Tin Can is exciting, but its spread and use are still to be seen.

If you have any questions about SCORM, please contact us .

Should we help you develop SCORM e-learning , or do you want to learn how to create e-learning yourself? Or are you looking for an LMS that won't break the bank?

We usually develop SCORM e-learning using the tools Articulate Storyline and Articulate Rise , but can also create custom solutions and expand the possibilities of what you can do with SCORM.