1. Improving E-Learning At An-Najah University Through the Adoption of SCORM Dr. Raed Alqadi SCORM Workshop-2 APRIL 29/2009 Funded by QIF
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

2. Outline Project E-learning: LMS-Authoring tools-Interaction SCORM
Why SCORM?
Authoring Tool
OCCW2
New Authoring Tool
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

3. Project Goals
Understand and Adopt SCORM in E-learning at An-Najah University
Use Standards “SCORM” in Developing Courses from Now ON.
Develop OCC2- SCORM Compliant LMS
Develop pilot SCORM compliant Courses and disseminate knowledge to all Instructors .
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

4. Project Team
Management: Dr. Raed, Dr. Loai and an Administrative Assistant.
Consultants
Research and Analysis- Traing Consultant (Eng RAZI)
SCORM Consultant- Dr. Farouq Mosa
IT consultants: Eng. Abdullah Rashed and Eng Imad Natsheh.
Instructors Team: Dr. Isam Jerdaneh, Dr. Majdi Dwikat. Dr. Hasan Al-Qadi, and Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Shqair.
Support Team : Sameer Allouneh and Haitham Salwaha ( 5th year Computer Engineering Students– Almost Engineers)
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

5. E-Learning Main Components
Learning Management System (LMS)
Course Material=> needs Authoring Tools
Instructor/Course Designer
Students
Interaction between Students and Instructions through the LMS
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

6. Learning Management System (LMS)
Container for the Courses
Interaction with the Students/Instructor
Assignments, quizzes
Monitors Student Activities
Forums, wikis, blogs
, messages, notes, appointments
Calendar
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

7. LMS Also called VLE ( Virtual Learning Environment) Commercial LMSs
WebCT, Blackboard, and others
Cost Lots of Money per year
Open Source (Free)
MOODLE , SAKAI
Needs Customization
Home Grown ( In house Developed)
OCC ( Online Course Container)
OCC is developed by us at An-Najah
Integrated with Zajel
Available and people have been using it
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

8. Course Material How to develop Course material ?
Can use ad/hoc techniques
HTML ( website pages)
PowerPoint slides, pdf …, etc
Can use Authoring tools
Commercial tools
Open Source ( free tools)
Tools provided by some LMSs (e.g. MOODLE)
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

9. We need Standards
Different Authoring Tools, Different LMSs cause problems
Change LMS … need to rebuild the material ..not good
Need also a standard way for interaction and building the material.
Standard : Best Known so far is SCORM
SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004
MOODLE is only SCORM 1.2
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

10. SCORM Sharable content Object Reference Model
A collection of specifications adapted from multiple sources by Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) to provide a comprehensive suite of e-learning capabilities that enable accessibility, interoperability, durability, reusability, and cost effectiveness of web based learning content
Brings other standards together:
AICC, IMS, IEEE, ARIADNE
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

11. What does SCORM let you do
Lets you make small independent learning object called Sharable Content Objects (SCOs)
Lets you easily combine and recombine these SCOs in different Aggregations(eg. Courses) for different purposes
Lets you create learning content that is independent of any particular Learning Management Systems (LMS) implementation
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

12. What is a SCO ?
A SCO is a collection of one or more assets that can be viewed in a web browser, and uses the SCORM RTE to communicate with an LMS.
SCOs are described with XML metadata so that they can be indexed ,searched, and accessed within an LMS.
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

13. SCO, Resource, Asset
In SCORM, a Content Object is a web-deliverable learning unit. At its most basic a content object is just an HTML page or document that can be viewed with a web-browser. A content object can use all same technologies a web-page can use (Flash, JavaScript, frames, images, etc). However, resources cannot be pages that require a server-side engine to process, such as ASP, PHP, or JSP pages.
Content objects are defined in a content package manifest file as a Resource, along with all the files it depends on. A Resource definition provides information about your learning object and how it may be used by a run-time environment.
Resources come in two flavors: Assets and Shareable Content Objects (SCOs).
An asset is a simple resource, such as a static HTML page or a PDF document, or collection of files, such as images and a style-sheet, which does not make use of the run-time API defined by SCORM. Therefore an asset does not communicate with the run-time environment delivering it.
A shareable content object (SCO) is a resource that communicates with the delivering run-time environment via the SCORM run-time API.
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

14. How do you combine SCOs to make an Aggregation (e g. course)?
Using the file imsmanifest.xml
Provides metadata describing the Aggregation as
a whole
Lists all the files in each SCO used in the Aggregation
This allows for easier transfer and integration with other content
Describes the way those SCOs are organized within the Course (content organization )
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

15. 11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

16. What’s the Content Package ?
The SCORM Content Package is the collection of all files required to run the content presented in a standard formats.
Content Packages enable learning content to be exchanged between developers and LMSs.
When a developer completes a piece of learning content (using whatever SCORM authoring tools or systems that they prefer), they can package that content up into a Content Package and then deliver it to a SCORM Learning Management System.
a Content Package is presented as a single PIF or “Package Interchange File”.
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

17. Content Package
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

18. Content Package Component
The manifest File(imsmanifest.xml):
Metadata: Data describing the content package  
Organizations: Contains the content structure or organization of the learning resources
Resources: Defines the learning resources bundled in the content package
(sub)Manifest(s): Describes any logically nested units of instruction
The content (i.e., physical files) making up the content package.
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

19. So how exactly does this work?
SCO cannot link to or even refer to any other SCO
Each SCO is required to make the JavaScript call to LMSInitialize() on launch and LMSFinish() on closing SCO
SCO may also get or set values in the CMI data model using LMSGetValue() or LMSSetValue()
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

20. What are these JavaScript calls communicating with?
The LMS provides an API Adapter.
The API Adapter serves as an intermediary between the SCO and the LMS.
The API Adapter receives the standard JavaScript SCORM API calls from the SCO and sends them on to the LMS, translated into a language the particular LMS can understand
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

21. SCO- Technical Only one launched and is active at a time
Must launch in a child window or frame that exposes the API adapter as a document object model (DOM) object
API adapter provided by LMS
SCO search parent opener window until api adapter found
Use to communicate with LMS
Recognised functions:
Execution state
LMSInitialize
LMSFinish
State Management
LMSGetLastError
LMSGetErrorString
LMSGetDiagnostic(parameter)
Data transfer
LMSGetValue(datamodelelement)
LMSSetValue(datamodelelement,value)
LMSCommit
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

22. 11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

23. Why SCORM ? Can share and reuse SCOs Not an easy standard
LMSs claim to be SCORM compliant … how true is that?
MOODLE can open material developed by SCORM Authoring Tools.
MOODLE authoring tool is NOT SCORM
SCORM separates Authoring from LMS but keeps interaction.
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

24. Why SCORM ?
Lets you make small independent learning object called Sharable Content Objects (SCOs)
Lets you easily combine and recombine these SCOs in different Aggregations(eg. Courses) for different purposes
Lets you create learning content that is independent of any particular Learning Management Systems (LMS) implementation
Greater Efficiencies and lower costs
Reuse content for faster development
Share content between systems
Reduce costs of content maintenance
Reduce Risk
Future –proof courseware investments
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

25. Why SCORM? Develop your material based on SCORM
It will work on WebCT, MOODLE, new OCC …etc
Use SCORM compliant Authoring Tools ( Not MOODLE Tool)
OCC is currently being transformed to SCORM
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

26. What is the Authoring tool
It is a program used to generate a SCORM packages , it will facilitate creating courses based on SCORM standard. - i.e. It will generate all needed files and code. - The author does not need to deal with small details of the standard
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

27. SCORM Compliant Authoring Tools
Commercial : many , but cost Money
Best Commercial ( according to us ) is Course Genie . It is a plug in for Microsoft Word
There is also Trident ( Commercial) ..
Open Source (free)
We are building our own ..free
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

28. Free (Open Source) Authoring Tools
eXe, we will adopt this for now  
Reload ( use it with eXe)
CourseLab    
All are SCORM 1.2
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

29. eXe - Advantages
It is a free and user friendly xHTML e-learning editor
The main advantage of this tool is the ease of use and great support of webpage editing ( the main part of any e-learning activity ).
Also support simple SCORM compliant quiz's .
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

30. eXe - Disadvantages
Supports SCORM 1.2 standard , and does not support SCORM rd edition . Does not support sequencing , it only supports simple sequencing provided by arranging the activities in the activity
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

31. Reload Editor – Advantages
It fully Supports SCROM rd edition Also supports editing of SCROM packages previously generated by other authoring tools
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

32. Reload Editor – Disadvantages
Does not Support HTML Editing and Exam editing that provided by eXe . Difficult to use and requires a professional person to deal with. This software is more of a SCORM Editor than an Authoring Tool .
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

33. Commercial Tools
 Course Genie 2.0 price 200$  : Link:  
Trident 2.0:   price 349$  : Link:
Free download trial for one month
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

34. Najah Authoring Tool (NAJAUT)
We try to combine the advantages of eXeLearning authoring tool and Reload Editor . We can edit HTML pages easily with a user-friendly Editor and edit the complex sequencing and Rule based Sequencing using a rich embedded SCROM
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

35. What can you using NAJAUT
Create a SCORM 2004 compliant course and save it as project file , also you can export the final package
Import packages generated from other authoring tools like eXe and modify these packages
Additional features
It is SCORM 2004  Navigation and Sequencing
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

36. NAJAUT-Additional Features
Adding PowerPoint file to item
Adding word file to item
Adding quizzes [exams]
Optional objective to each item
Logging file , for future analysis and fault detecting
Error Reporting , assist the developer to improve the software .
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

37. HTML Editing Area Word/PPT Import Area Package Import/Export Area
File Resources Area
Activity Tree Manipulation Area
HTML Editing Area
Activity Tree Area
Log Area
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

38. Editing Panel
Sequencing Tree Area
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

39. Imported From Power point
Animals - Activity Tree
Animals
Introduction
Some Animals
Simple animal flash
Animal Video
Quick Quiz
Summary
Imported From Word
Imported From Power point
Exam
Finish
Question
Question
Question
Question
Question
Question
Question
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

40. Animals – Activity Tree
Add Activity
Edit Activity
Delete Activity
Move Up
Move Down
Cut Activity
Past Activity
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

41. Difference between 1.2 and 2004
SCORM 1.2 : Material, Interaction (exams and others) . No Sequencing and navigation
SCORM 2004: latest, all what in Sequencing and Navigation and more Interaction.
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

42. What is Needed to transform OCC into SCORM 2004 Compliant LMS
Understand the SCORM Standards – Thousands of pages
Implement the Run Time Library
Implement CAM (Content Aggregation Model)
Implement Sequencing and Navigation.
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi

43. Thank you
11/27/2018
Dr. Raed Alqadi