What is SCORM?
SCORM, which stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model, is a set of technical standards for eLearning software products. It tells programmers how to write their code so that it can “play well” with other eLearning software. It is the de facto industry standard for eLearning interoperability. Specifically, it governs how online learning content and Learning Management Systems (LMSs) communicate with each other. It does not speak to instructional design or any other pedagogical concern — it is purely a technical standard.
Let’s take DVDs for example. When you buy a new movie on DVD you don’t need to check to see if it works with your brand of DVD player. A regular DVD will play on a Toshiba the same as it will on a Panasonic. That’s because DVD movies are produced using a set of standards. Without these standards a studio releasing a new movie on DVD would have a big problem. They would need to make differently formatted DVDs for each brand of DVD player. This is how online learning used to be before SCORM existed.
The SCORM standard makes sure that all eLearning content and LMSs can work with each other, just like the DVD standard makes sure that all DVDs will play in all DVD players. If an LMS is SCORM conformant, it can play any content that is SCORM conformant, and any SCORM conformant content can play in any SCORM conformant LMS.
Why should I use SCORM?
For some, SCORM can feel like just another technical checkbox. But for most organizations, it’s a tool that enables effective, efficient online training. At its core, it allows content authors to distribute their content to a variety of Learning Management Systems (LMS) with the smallest headache possible, and lets an LMS handle content from a variety of sources without extra rework.
There are technically five versions of SCORM: SCORM 1.1, SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004 2nd Edition, SCORM 2004 3rd Edition, and SCORM 2004 4th Edition. Which version you should use really depends on what you need from your content, or what type of content your customers already have that your LMS needs to support.
SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 3rd Edition are the most widely used versions. For more detail on the versions of SCORM, including the various flavors of SCORM 2004, visit the eLearning Standards Roadmap.
It is composed of three sub-specifications. Content Packaging specifies how content should be packaged and described. Run-Time specifies how content should be launched, how data communicates with the LMS, and includes the spec for the data model of that communication. Lastly, Sequencing specifies how a learner can navigate between parts of a course (SCOs).
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