SCORM 2.0

[Marc Mantha]

I'm trying to find out if SCORM 2.0 will allow the use of server-side
technologies.
Also, in your opinion, if a course was developped in ASP, doesn't need
to be shared or redistributed on other servers, uses SCORM for
tracking purposes and passes the ADL conformance test suite, would you
consider it as a SCORM-compliant course? I would say it is...

[Philip Hutchison]

Interesting questions.

SCORM 2.0 doesn't exist. Now that SCORM has reverted back to the ADL (LETSI isn't taking it after all), it probably will take years to get to 2.0. When it finally gets through the door, I'm sure it will contain wholesale changes to the SCORM model, which hopefully will include more flexibility RE: external content and cloud computing.

As for conformance, strictly speaking, SCORM 1.2/2004 requires all content be packaged into a ZIP, with no external dependencies.  Reliance on server-side code such as ASP, Java, or PHP violates that requirement, which means the course is non-conformant, even if it works. Server-side technologies are the biggest no-no because they impact interoperability -- you can't take a course that requires ASP to a PHP-based server and vice-versa.

However, there is an inherent contradiction in SCORM: SCORM is meant to promote reusability. If a package is self-contained, how can pieces of it be reusable?  The answer for many SCORM users (including the military) is the use of a Content Management System (CMS).  These CMSs are frequently used for storing simple media elements such as images and movies. Would a course that uses a CMS be considered non-conformant? Probably not.

If your courses use a CMS model where the content is stored on a CMS but the package that gets uploaded to the LMS does *not* use server-side code, you'll probably be ok. So long as the course's server-side processing is only occurring in the CMS, you can probably skirt the rules and call the course conformant.

The biggest issue with external resources is reliability: do you know those external resources will always be there when the course is launched?  Will they continue to work if the course is ported from one LMS to another? (Probably not, if locked behind a firewall)

Really, it's all kind of an honor system... in theory any content can be "SCORMified" -- modified to use SCORM for packaging & LMS communication -- but that doesn't mean it's conformant. Any course can be made to pass the test suite(s), but the test suites dont' know if you use ASP or PHP.

- philip

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[John Smith]

Thanks great the reply Philip, it is now to finally talk to people about this stuff who has a excellent grasp of it.

When did LETSI gave up on SCORM 2.0? I was still reading info on their website, never saw that lol

I like the concep of a CMS, this can fix lots of problems about data duplication. Bilingual courses are a good example of that i think.
When you talking about CMS, its a diffrent thing than the LCMS right?

This brings me to another question. If I understant correctly, when working with a lms and lcms, a user would register to an online course containing a "SCORM wrapped" in the LMS, launch if from its learning activities. From there the LMS communicates to the LCMS to load the course. The LMS reads the data from the manifest and loads all the SCOs from the LCMS when needed. This might sound stupid, but when this loading from the LCMS is happening, are the files copied on the LMS from the LCMS, does it read it directly on LCMS? If a SCO contains a server-side function that writes to an XML file additional data during a session. Would this data still be there on the next lauched, or it would be a new copy of the original files from the LMS?

2009/11/20 Philip Hutchison <plate...@gmail.com>

[Philip Hutchison]

LETSI didn't give up on SCORM 2.0... the ADL was basically forced to retain it due to legal issues with the IMS. Long story.  LETSI continues to work on next-generation web-based learning technologies, and the ADL will continue to maintain and possibly enhance SCORM.

RE: CMS vs LCMS, an LCMS is basically an LMS with a content management system built-in.  You can also use your own CMS with an LMS, though the level of integration will vary.

RE: loading from CMS/LCMS, it depends your system and how you build your courses. I imagine the most common scenario is the base files of the course living in the LMS (which is required by SCORM), and the various media elements such as movies and images being loaded from the CMS into the course at run-time as needed.  The course itself should always be on the LMS, especially because of cross-domain scripting/security issues.

[eestes1]

It should be clarified that you can define an asset or sco in the
manifest and have the href target an external fully resolved url
address, such as a url string that launches a video streaming from a
separate server. It is not contained in the zip but the manifest is
aware of the url location so it can launch the asset/sco from any
other LMS.

> On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 9:23 AM, Marc Mantha <mentalment...@gmail.com>wrote:> I'm trying to find out if SCORM 2.0 will allow the use of server-side

> > technologies.
> > Also, in your opinion, if a course was developped in ASP, doesn't need
> > to be shared or redistributed on other servers, uses SCORM for
> > tracking purposes and passes the ADL conformance test suite, would you
> > consider it as a SCORM-compliant course? I would say it is...
>
> > --
>
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> > "eLearning Technology and Development" group.
> > To post to this group, send email to
> > elearning-technolo...@googlegroups.com.
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to

> > elearning-technology-and...@googlegroups.com<elearning -technology-and-development%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>
> > .

[Ryan Meyer]

Hi Philip,

Re: LETSI and SCORM 2.0, are you or anyone else on this list involved in the communities that are defining those standards? I'd like to take a more active role in that (or at least be more aggressively passive in keeping up with the latest discussions!)

Thanks,

Ryan

[Philip Hutchison]

I'm a member of LETSI, but to be honest I haven't been very involved so far. You can join LETSI and add your 2 cents anytime: https://letsi.org/

The ADL is handling SCORM, and they're a government-sponsored organization. Not sure if they're taking input from the public, but you can see what they're up to on their site: http://www.adlnet.gov

[John Smith]

Thanks for the replies all, its been pretty helpful.

2009/11/22 Philip Hutchison <plate...@gmail.com>

[dragos]

in my opinion the concept of reusability is available but missing in
practice.
in terms of presenting information is a big problem.

if I have a SCO with font 20 and red background and another in flash.
so when i put together that i create a Babylon course.
maybe XML file solve the problem.

also, in my opinion is possible to use server side technology to
create SCORM content. but not in actual standard.

sequencing is still hard, but the most imported feature in SCORM 2004.
How many people use that?

So i ask, why i make a course scorm conformance if i don't use
sequencing?

On Nov 20 2009, 8:11 pm, Philip Hutchison <platelu...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 9:23 AM, Marc Mantha <mentalment...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
> > I'm trying to find out if SCORM 2.0 will allow the use of server-side
> > technologies.
> > Also, in your opinion, if a course was developped in ASP, doesn't need
> > to be shared or redistributed on other servers, uses SCORM for
> > tracking purposes and passes the ADL conformance test suite, would you
> > consider it as a SCORM-compliant course? I would say it is...
>
> > --
>
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> > "eLearning Technology and Development" group.
> > To post to this group, send email to
> > elearning-technolo...@googlegroups.com.
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to

> > elearning-technology-and...@googlegroups.com<elearning-technology-and-development%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>