SCORM stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model. This is a standard for web-based E-learning. It defines how the individual instruction elements are combined on a technical level and sets conditions for the software needed for using the content. Let’s discuss about LMS (Learning management system) and SCORM (Sharable content object reference model) in this article.

What is SCORM?

Reusability, the ability of software and hardware on different machines from different vendors to share data, and the ability to add new features to an existing program without disturbing any existing code has arrived in the area of e-learning. The Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) standard allows compliant e-learning content to be deployed on any Learning Management System (LMS) and accumulate with other SCORM-compliant.

What is LMS?

Interaction between the learner and the content & the learner and the instructor through internet based software which should deploys, manages, tracks and reports is known as LMS. LMS are web-based to facilitate "anytime, any place, any speed" access to learning content and administration.

Learning management systems perform student registration, track learner progress, record test scores, and indicate course completions, and finally allow instructor trainers to assess the performance of their students.

Overview of SCORM

A SCORM compliant learning system normally consists of four components

· Learning Management System (LMS) managing the user and tracking progress through the content.

· Assets – specific web media such as HTML files, images, or video

· Shareable Content Object (SCO) – collection of assets that form a learning activity. SCO's can be launched and tracked by the LMS.

· Content Aggregation – an overall library of related content and shareable content objects.

A simulation can be designated as a SCO. This has the following benefits:

· The simulation can be launched directly from the LMS.

· Detailed content information can be stored alongside the simulation and listed in the LMS "course catalog".

· The simulation can be one activity that is part of a larger sequence.

The SCORM 1.2 protocol will not help with the following:

· Allowing a user to be signed on automatically to a simulation that requires a password.

· Passing score or usage information to the LMS.

These restrictions are due to the API (Application Program Interface) used in SCORM (JavaScript) which excludes communication across multiple domains.

What is the use of an API?

Application Program Interface is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. A good API makes it easier to develop a program by providing all the building blocks. A programmer puts the blocks together. Most operating environments, such as MS-Windows, provide an API so that programmers can write applications consistent with the operating environment. Although APIs are designed for programmers, they are ultimately good for users because they guarantee that all programs using a common API will have similar interfaces. This makes it easier for users to learn new programs.

IMS & SCORM Developing Standards

Instructional Management Systems Project, an investment membership of academic, commercial and government organizations developing a set of specifications and prototype software for facilitating the growth and viability of distributed learning on the Internet.

The SCORM standard is developed by the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) consortium, but the individual components come from a variety of sources. One of the main contributors is the IMS (Instructional Management System) project, which has worked on standards development in several areas. The IMS Global Learning Consortium has developed a packaging specification for learning content that provides a useful blueprint to generic content organization in the form of a manifest included with the package. The manifest is used to inventory the content of the package, but also to describe it through metadata. The manifest may also be used to show how the content is organized. SCORM 1.2 content packaging is based on the IMS specification.

An IMS packaging manifest is an XML document that contains several parts:

· Metadata that describe the package.

· Organizations: Zero, one or more hierarchical maps that describe how the content is organized. Each item in such a map can reference a resource in the package. For SCORM content intended for delivery to an end user, the manifest must contain at least one organization.

· Resources, which specify actual chunks of content that can be used. More than one organization item can reference the same resource. A resource can also have its own metadata. A SCO is typically described by a resource.

· Sub-manifests (nested manifests), which describe a subset of the content in a package. A sub-manifest can have its own metadata, organizations and resources.

Wrapping up