SCORM 1.2

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Definition

SCORM 1.2 is a so-called profile that defines a Web-based learning "Content Aggregation Model" and "Run-Time Environment" for learning objects

See also:

  • Learning object for a conceptual overview
  • SCORM for an overview of ADL's Sharable Content Object Reference Models (SCORM)
  • Standard for an overview of various learning objects-related standards

It used to be difficult to find mostly SCORM-conformant LMSs besides the [1] list of SCORM certified products. Many open source system claim to be SCORM conformant, but DSchneider is not sure of this. I don't have time or even the will to test these systems, but I noticed that some choked on simple examples found on the web ...

Overview

A SCORM compliant system must adopt the following specifications (which in turn adopt other specifications and standards):

  • The Run-Time Environment (RTE) specifies how content should behave once it has been launched by the LMS. Includes: API, API Instance, Launch, Session methods, Data Transfer Methods, Support Methods, Temporal Model, Run-Time Data Model.
  • The Content Aggregation Model (CAM) how content can be packaged so that it can be imported into an LMS. CAM deals with assembling, labeling and packaging of learning content, i.e. includes specifications like IMS Content Packaging and IMS Simple Sequencing.

The Run-Time Environment

The API

According to Rustici (2004), a SCORM conformant LMS is required to implement an API, i.e. a ECMAScript object named "API" accessible through the DOM and that implements eight JavaScript functions.

Functions for execution state
LMSInitialize()
LMSFinish()
Functions for data transfer
LMSGetValue()
LMSSetValue()
LMSCommit()
Functions for error handling
LMSGetLastError()
LMSGetErrorString()
LMSGetDiagnostic()

'All' communication between the content and the LMS is handled by this adapter.

For minimal SCORM conformance, the only thing that a piece of content needs to do is call LMSInitialize() when it starts and then call LMSFinish() when it exits.

The CMI Data Model

SCORM adopts the "cmi" data model from AICC. It consists of data model elements which the content can read from and write to using this interface. Here is an example from Rustici (2004):

cmi.core.lesson_location is the data element that describes the user's location in the content.

When the content begins (after it has called LMSInitialize();), it may want to make this call to find out where the user left off and return him to that point: 

strLastLocation = objAPI.LMSGetValue("cmi.core.lesson_location");

The Data Model describes several kinds of data. The following table lists some of these data types plus associated JavaScript objects and some possible system messages displayed to the user.

  • Mode (cmi.core.lesson_mode), e.g. 'normal', 'review', 'browse'.
  • Status (cmi.core.lesson_status and cmi.objectives.n.status), e.g 'completed', 'failed', 'passed', 'incomplete', 'browsed', 'not attempted'.
  • Exit (cmi.core.exit), e.g. 'time-out', 'suspend', 'logout'
  • Credit (cmi.core.credit), e.g. 'credit', 'no-credit'
  • Entry (cmi.core.entry), e.g. 'resume', 'ab-initio'
  • Interaction (cmi.interactions.n.type), e.g. 'choice', 'true-false', 'fill-in', 'matching', "performance", "likert", "sequencing", "numeric"
  • Result (cmi.interactions.n.result), e.g. 'wrong','unanticipated', 'neutral', X.X (CMIDecimal)
  • Time Limit Action (cmi.student_data.time_limit_action) 'exit,no message', 'exit,message', 'continue,message', 'continue,no message'

Here are a few more data types, this time with a short explanation of the purpose ):

cmi.core.student_id Unique alpha-numeric code / identifier that refers to a single user of the LMS system.
cmi.core.lesson_location This corresponds to the SCO exit point passed to the LMS system the last time the student experienced the SCO. This provides one mechanism to let the student return to a SCO at the same place he left it earlier. In other words, this element can identify the student's exit point and that exit point can be used by the SCO as an entry point the next time the student runs the SCO.
cmi.core.score.raw Indication of the performance of the student during his last attempt on the SCO. This score may be determined and calculated in any manner that makes sense to the SCO designer.
cmi.interactions.n.type Indication of which category of interaction is recorded. The type of interaction determines how the interaction response should be interpreted, e.g. "true-false", "choice", "fill-in", etc.

Please read the 40 pages of definitions in the The SCORM Run-Time Environment manual for real information. The examples above are here to give a feeling of CMI Data Model's expressive power.

The Content Aggregation Model and Structure

Acknowledgment: This section is mostly a summary of the The SCORM 1.2 Content Aggregation Model Manual.

Overview

The CAM model includes three standards:

  • IMS Content Packaging (CP) with 'extensions', in particular the item element in the organization section.
  • IEEE Learning Object Metadata Standard)
  • Sharable Content Objects (SCOs). These are special kinds of resources used in an IMS content package (CP). The structure of the resource part of the CP is exactly the same as in a "simple" IMS content pack. However SCO's do communicate with the LMS, while an 'asset is a simple content that is just "played".

It is important to understand that The IMS Content Packaging allows for communities to use their own namespaced elements throughout the XML manifest. This may lead to a lot of confusion. E.g. if a vendor claims to export contents to IMS Content Package or even some more focused component like IMS Learning Design, it does not mean that these contents then can be played by a minimal IMS CP compatible LMS. It will just happily ignore items that it can't understand. In turn, it also is allow to extend the SCORM extensions (but with the same caveat).

SCORM Content Aggregation with Assets and SCO, picture taken from a SCORM manual, reproduced without special permission.

According to the The SCORM Content Aggregation Model manual, “The purpose of content structure is to provide the content developer with the means to author collections of learning resources into a cohesive unit of instruction, apply structure and associate specific behaviors that can be uniformly reproduced across LMS environments. The content structure can be considered the map used to sequence/navigate through the learning resources defined in the content package. The content structure contains not only the structure of the learning resources, but also all behaviors to be applied to the learning experience.”

SCORM Content Packs

SCORM extends the simple IMS Content Pack default organization inclusion not only with SCOs, but also with a subset of additional vocabulary to define learning sequences and that are derived from the Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee (AICC) Computer Managed Instruction.

Roughly, a SCORM Manifest looks like this: 

<manifest identifier=Manifest" version="1.1"
  xmlns="http://www.imsproject.org/xsd/imscp_rootv1p1p2"
  xmlns:adlcp="http://www.adlnet.org/xsd/adl_cp_rootv1p1"
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.imsproject.org/xsd/imscp_rootv1p1p2
                  imscp_rootv1p1p2.xsd
                  http://www.imsproject.org/xsd/imsmd_rootv1p2
                  ims_md_rootv1p1.xsd
                  http://www.adlnet.org/xsd/adl_cp_rootv1p1
                  adl_cp_rootv1p1.xsd">

 <metadata>
   <schema>ADL SCORM</schema>
   <schemaversion>1.2</schemaversion>
   <imsmd:lom>
      <imsmd:general>
         <imsmd:title>
             <imsmd:langstring xml:lang="en-US">Example Manifest</imsmd:langstring>
         </imsmd:title>
      </imsmd:general>
  </imsmd:lom>
 </metadata>

 <organizations default="TOC1">
    <organization identifier="TOC1" structure="hierarchical">
       <title>default</title>
       <item identifier="ITEM1" identifierref="RESOURCE1" isvisible="true">
          <title>Lesson 1</title>
             <item identifier="ITEM2" identifierref="RESOURCE2" isvisible="true">
             <title>Introduction 1</title>
          </item>
       <item identifier="ITEM3" identifierref="RESOURCE3" isvisible="true">
            <title>Content 1</title>
         </item>
         <item identifier="ITEM4" identifierref="RESOURCE4" isvisible="true">
            <title>Summary 1</title>
         </item>
      </item>
    <item identifier="ITEM5" identifierref="RESOURCE5" isvisible="false">
  ....
  </organization>
 </organizations>

 <resources>
    <resource identifier="RESOURCE1"
       <file href="lesson1.htm"/>
    </resource>
    <resource identifier="RESOURCE2"
       <file href="intro1.htm"/>
    </resource>
 ...
 </resources>

</manifest>

The resource element and asset vs. SCO resource types

The resource element can contain the following components: 

<metadata>
<file>
<dependency>  (this is a SCORM extension of IMS CP)

SCORM defines a special attribute to distinguish between SCOs and assets as shown in the following examples:

A SCO resource: 

<resource identifier="R_A2" type="webcontent" adlcp:scormtype='sco'href="sco1.html">
 <file href="sco1.html"/>
 </resource>

An asset resource: 

<resource identifier="R_A5" type="webcontent" adlcp:scormtype='asset' href="pics\distress_sigs_add.jpg">
 <file href="pics\distress_sigs_add.jpg"/>
</resource>

Sequencing and navigation

Acknowledgment: This section is mostly a summary of the The SCORM 1.2 Content Aggregation Model Manual.

Sequencing and navigation behavior refers to the rules that an LMS must follow in order to present a specific learning experience. These rules encoded in the organization section of Content Packaging. The main difference with the default IMS Content Pack lies in the definition of the item element. An item is a pedagogical sequence or sub-sequence.

Items

Formally speaking, an <item> element describes a node within the organization structure. These item elements also can be nested.

IMS Content Packaging elements overview

An item' can contain the following elements: 

<title>
<item>
<metadata>

A minimal item must look like this: 

<item identifier="ITEM3">
  <title>Content 1</title>
</item>

More typically, an item refers to a resource using the identifierref attribute. The resource is either a simple asset or a SCO. 

<item identifier="ITEM3" identifierref="RESOURCE3" isvisible="true">
  <title>Content 1</title>
</item>
SCORM extensions

SCORM defines the following AICC/CMI inspired extensions for the item element: 

<adlcp:prerequisites>
<adlcp:maxtimeallowed>
<adlcp:timelimitaction>
<adlcp:datafromlms>
<adlcp:masteryscore>

Prerequisite scripting within the prerequisites element

This element defines what other parts of the learning content must have been completed before starting the <item>. This allows an LMS to compute multiple paths through the learning content.

An item can contain SCORM extensions that define operators of a prerequisite scripting language called aicc_script. These are based on the AICC CMI001 Guidelines for Interoperability.

An example: The following means that in order to access item I3, the learner must pass items I1 and I2. 

<item identifier='I0'>
  <item identifier='I1' identifierref='R_I1'>
  <item identifier='I2' identifierref='R_I2'>
  <item identifier='I3' identifierref='R_I3'>
     <adlcp:prerequisites type='aicc_script'> I1&I2</adlcp:prerequisites>
  </item>
</item>
Operators

(see page 2-109 of the manual)

Time elements

The following elements can define time allowed for a sequence (item) and what happens if the student doesn't respect this. The item element must be of SCO type ! 

<adlcp:maxtimeallowed>
<adlcp:timelimitaction>

The following piece of code states that the learner has 30 minutes for an item identified as "ITEM3". 

<item identifier="ITEM3" identifierref="RESOURCE3" isvisible="true">
  <title>Content 1</title>
  <adlcp:maxtimeallowed>00:30:00</adlcp:maxtimeallowed>
</item>

The following piece defines that the LMS must terminate the sequence without message. 

<item identifier="ITEM3" identifierref="RESOURCE3" isvisible="true">
  <title>Content 1</title>
  <adlcp:timelimitaction>exit,no message</adlcp:timelimitaction>
</item>

Mastery score with the adlcp:masteryscore element

This element establishes the passing score for the item. This mastery score should be a value between 0 and 100.

Example: 

<item identifier="ITEM3" identifierref="RESOURCE3" isvisible="true">
  <title>Content 1</title>
  <adlcp:masteryscore>90</adlcp:masteryscore>
</item>

References

  • AICC/CMI CMI001 Guidelines for Interoperability Version 3.4. October 23, 2000. Includes: AICC Course Structure Format, AICC CMI Data Model. PDF. Available at: http://www.aicc.org/. (try the the download index for all publications)
  • Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL), The SCORM Content Aggregation Model, Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)® Version 1.2. Available at: http://www.adlnet.gov/ (you must find the zip file for the whole documentation suite somewhere).
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