SCORM and Learning Management Systems A quick introduction

Objectives  At the end of this course, you will be able to:  Identify the connection between a Shareable Content Object (SCO) and a Learning management System (LMS)

There are two basic components of e learning that work together to produce rich, meaningful learning experiences. A Sharable Content Object (SCO) is the smallest bit of meaningful learning that can stand on its own. A Learning Management System (LMS) is a computer interface that manages, facilitates and tracks e learning. For example, a small instructional unit on the differences between apples and oranges would be a SCO. You would experience and interact with that SCO on an LMS, such as Blackboard, Desire2Learn, and many others.

However, in order for SCO’s and LMS’s to work together, they need a standard, uniform way of communicating with each other. This is SCORM—Sharable Content Object Reference Model. SCORM was developed by the Advanced Distributed Learning organization so that SLO’s and LMS’s could, effectively “talk” to each other and share information in a uniform, standardized format. Any SCORM compliant SCO can fit inside any SCORM compliant LMS and work together pretty seamlessly, in most cases. SCORM 2004 is the most recent version, but there is also SCORM 2.1. SCORMLMSSCO

Without SCORM:  The SCO and the LMS would not be able to communicate effectively, or at all, with each other  The SCO would not be able to report individual students’ progress in a particular SCO. For example, a student may stop the SCO before completing it, for various reasons. Without SCORM’s ability to let the SCO and LMS share information about that student’s performance, that student would have to start over again from the beginning upon their return, as if they had never taken the SCO at all. Imagine how annoying that would be!  SCO’s would not be sharable between different LMS’s. Every time a SCO would be uploaded into an LMS, the SCO would have to be modified and reformatted to fit that particular LMS—every time. This kind of takes the portability factor out of “Shareable” Content Object.

Advantages to SCORM: The main function of the connection between the SCO and the LMS is to pass information back and forth between them. This can be done in a number of ways:  SCORM compliance between the SCO and the LMS lets the student quit the SCO and return later at the exact place he or she stopped at the previous session.  It allows that student’s performance on quizzes and assessments to be reported and stored in the LMS.  Further, SCORM compliance can tailor the SCO to the individual students skills and abilities, rerouting learning paths within the SCO, depending on the SCO’s structure.  …and there are many more ways Also, with SCORM, SCO’s are exactly that—Shareable! One SCORM compliant SCO can be dropped into a SCORM compliant LMS with little or no modification needed, saving time and money. Very cool.

Congratulations! You have just identified the critical connection between a SCO and an LMS. This relationship is very important for e learning and you have just learned why!