SCORM: what it is, where to find it, how to use it, and what it looks like

SCORM. You might have see it listed as one of the possible formats your course can have (in the course settings under format) or you might have seen it listed in the possible activities you could add to your classroom when editing is turned on. This post will cover four important aspects of SCORM and how you can find, upload, implement and use it in your classroom. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive tutorial, more of a primer so that you can seek more information if you think it will be a benefit to your online classroom.

1. What is SCORM? SCORM is an international standard for learning objects. That is to say, it's a standardized, web-based format that many Learning Management Systems (such as Moodle) can integrate and display. It's an acronym which stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model (no wonder they use the acronym, right?) According to SCORM.com (which is not the originator/creator of SCORM):

SCORM is a set of technical standards for e-learning software products. SCORM tells programmers how to write their code so that it can “play well” with other e-learning software. Specifically, SCORM governs how online learning content and Learning Management Systems (LMSs) communicate with each other. SCORM does not speak to instructional design or any other pedagogical concern, it is purely a technical standard.

What's important to know is that Moodle supports SCORM 1.2 and you can find quite a bit across the internet if you know where to look. SCORM also is a way to do much, much more with Moodle than what is available in a standard install.

2. Where can I find SCORM? There are two ways to find usable SCORM: a. by finding it pre-made and available on the web, or b. by creating it yourself using a program that exports to SCORM. The latter has obvious value for creating your own course materials, but you might be surprised what's available for free to download.

To create your own: I've played around with some SCORM creation programs. By far the best and easiest to use are Camtasia and Articulate (though there are lots if you have the time to learn a new program/application; I've played with both eXe and courselab, but they required more time than the little I had to evaluate). Here's a complete list of SCORM creators from Moodle.org. I will say that the benefit of using a program like Articulate is that you can easily start from a familiar foundation (Articulate uses PPT. I'm not endorsing it though because it's pretty pricey at $995).

Where you can find some SCORM: Moodle.org is the best place to start searching for SCORM. They have a repository set up where there are some good SCORM modules posted. Here are some other sites I know about:

• Moodle SCORM repository
  
• SimpleMoodle.com (SCORM is free to download after registering, all packages were created by InfoSource, Inc.)
• SCORM.com (though these are just examples)
• Selfproject.eu (a few random packages)

If you find another site with SCORM available for download please comment.

3. How to use SCORM: there really are two ways to put a SCORM package to work once it's created and you have it. You can either upload it as a single object in your course (it will display just like any other assignment or web page you create in the online classroom). Or you can make it the complete basis of your course by creating a SCORM format course.

Which ever you choose, the process for configuring the package is the same. Once you've either created your SCORM format course or added an activity --> SCORM/AICC you'll be prompted to configure the resource.

As shown in the screen shot below, you'll need to add a title to your SCORM package, a description, etc. The most important part is the "Package File". This is how we'll choose the file that initiates your SCORM package.

When you have your SCORM package (which should be a .zip file) get to this step and choose or upload a file. Create a folder in your file directory for the package, navigate to the folder and then choose the .zip file and upload it to your course. Note that some SCORM packages can be quite large (some of the packages from SimpleMoodle.com are ~50MB so it will take some time to upload).

Once uploaded, unzip the SCORM package and then locate and "choose" the imsmanifest.xml file included (this is the most important step).

When you've returned to the SCORM configuration page you can play with any of the other fields (putting points on your SCORM, allowing X attempts, opening it as a new window, etc.). These will largely be affected by your individual preferences and needs. The default setup, minus the grading will enable your SCORM to open without a problem though if you just want to Save. Once you've saved it, your SCORM will be operational!

4. So what's SCORM look like? Packages will vary, but for the most part SCORM can be a pretty flashy, it can include assessment items and audio/video. Here's a screenshot of the completed, uploaded and correctly configured SCORM package I downloaded from Simplemoodle.com (I choose to open the package in a new window and to leave it as a learning object...so I'll know when students have completed it but it is given only 1 point per section in the grade book). Each of the sections will display for you (and for students each of the sections they complete will be marked automatically for them (resuming them at the point where they left off when they re-access later.

Clicking on either of the sections will open it in a new window, showing the SCORM in all of it's glory.

If you'd like to check out a sample (free) course with a few SCORM packages already set up, please check out our contribution to National Cyber Security Awareness Month (each of the modules is from the SimpleMoodle.com repository).

And if you read this far, thanks!