SCORM

What exactly is SCORM? SCORM, Shareable Content Object Reference Model, is a standard for Web-based e-learning course was developed to define the communication between client-side content and a runtime environment. As part of this article, the client-side content of the course would be started by a student and the runtime environment would be a learning management system. SCORM was released the latest version of SCORM v1.0 in 1999 to SCORM 2004 3rd Edition 2006. The purpose of this article is to look a little "more accurately the flow of communication between the LMS and a course is SCORM v2.1 compliant. The intent is to check any possible communication, but only main calls. We are in the context of a course SCORM SCORM consider that one way, designed and built to communicate with a learning management system with the SCORM standard.

First I want to define some terms that I use, and can listen via the SCORM courses:

• API (Application Programming Interface)

SCORM API defined. The term API is not unique to SCORM, but is a term known in application development. The SCORM API is documented a messages that are sent between the adjusted rate and the LMS. The message may require a response, so that the sender of the message is the guarantee that the message was received and will be treated accordingly.

• Posters

The poster is the master file for the SCORM course that contains references to all the other files that make up the entire contents of the course.

• Single SCO

Single SCO is the simplest and most common form of SCORM course. All the files that is the price, regardless of the number of lessons in progress, are packaged as a unit of SCO. When the course in the Learning Management System, which communicates with the SCO launched.

• Multiple SCO

A multiple SCO is where a group of files over SCO can be treated as an individual but also packed with other SCO naturally belong. For example, files that make up each lesson in a SCORM course can be arranged so that each lesson is one SCO by itself and all the current SCO will include.

Installed

For the course in the Learning Management System available, SCORM package must be installed on the system. The installation method is different from LMS LMS, but are usually in the following steps:

1. The manifest file will not be displayed and interpreted.

2. The course identified the manifesto in the Learning Management System created and the rate is with property values defined in the manifesto to be filled. These properties includes name, author, etc.

3. The lessons of the course will be created in the LMS and the properties of the class with the values defined in the manifest to be filled. Lesson property would include information like the location of the presentation file, the note, etc.

The learning management system should be a structure to an existing SCORM course so override that if the updates are made to the current course, is a plant with these amendments.

Communication Course

Initialization

When the course was within its runtime environment, are undertaken for our purposes, the LMS will recognize the existence of the API and try to make the initial communication with the learning management system. This is a handshake time to ensure that the communication has been established. The course has a responsibility to find the SCORM API in the browser session that the child's parents started. The API is usually split with the help of JavaScript. The API call that the price used to do this is the invitation LMSInitialize. If the learning management system receives the message API call from the course, the LMS to initialize and respond to the course that was set up the communication to be informed. An object model was created in memory and the properties are initialized to default values.

Intermediary Communication Course

Once the course has been started and initialized with the LMS, the interaction between the two is determined by the course. Wants to create LMSGetValue and LMSSetValue message or API calls to retrieve the data in the object model. Remember that the model object in memory has not been sent to the Learning Management System.

When the course has to write the data so that it is present in the database, send the message LMSCommit API. The LMSCommit will be a learning management system and the data entered in the LMS. The developer will determine when a course LMSCommit are required, and to the LMS when the event is triggered to be sent. This could be the end of each lesson, or it could be the end of the course.

The LMSCommit message is optional and requires no response from the learning management system.

Finalization

When the course is completed, it will be a message to the API LMSFinish LMS. This can be an event that LMSFinish in progress or may trigger the Unload event of your HTML page when the user closes the browser will be triggered. The LMSFinish tells the LMS that the user completed the course and any further communication between the two will be rejected. The LMSFinish also directs the Learning Management System for all data that was populated in the object model and store complete unloading of the course.

The fundamental difference between the LMSCommit and LMSFinish is a message that the API calls to avoid communication with the course.

This is a message LMSFinish binding and does not require a response from the LMS.

Learning Management System Considerations

If LMSFinish is obtained from the LMS, there are several scenarios that need to be taken into account. Some of them may result from errors during development, but they are scenarios that, in conjunction with a SCORM-compliant courses were experienced

1. The course is SCORM may indicate the student has a lesson, but the score went from SCO may be larger than the class of the note, which was installed by the poster.

2. The course is a state of SCORM lesson for the user and pass the guests of the class, but there has been no way that is defined for the doctrine.

3. It would be advantageous for the learning management system provides messaging API to register, so that a history of communication can be created in new or historical reasons for debugging. Should the following:

a. the type of storage, whether stored in a database or a file.

b. Is the registration on the whole time, or is there a switch to activate or deactivate the logging? (There is some overhead when logging is enabled, instead of the word.)

c. If the host file, there is a log file for each course, each user or a large log file SCORM?

d. The log data is deleted? When the recording is stored in the database, how often from the table? The data can be deleted or to be archived? If the registry to a file, the file size not to build until it is manually updated, or if registration of a trigger mechanism, which automatically creates a new file? (If the file size must not, it is not practical to open it in a text editor.)

Conclusions

SCORM proven experience in Web-based e-learning in the world and is the accepted standard in the industry. Well-known manufacturers should support the current SCORM LMS out of the box. SCORM 2004 version has much more control and sequencing in a granular level of SCORM v1.2, but these differences are significant enough to lead the user base to ensure that slower on the adoption of the SCORM Version 2004th