Why Companies Should Require Vendors to Use SCORM Driver

Simply stated:

Companies should require vendors to develop elearning courses with SCORM Driver.

First, let me provide you a little bit of background information. Working at a large company, we use a wide variety of vendors who also have a variety of development methods for creating custom e-learning content courses. Previously, if we had a course that needed a minor update, we would need to contact the vendor and have them update it simply because it was cheaper for them to update their course than to take the time and hidden costs for one of us to update the course. In one instance, a vendor could not resolve an issue on a specific course designed for our executive and senior management causing visibility and credibiliy problems that we went to another vendor to remedy the course. The course was having issues around SCORM and Java Run-time Environment due to compatibility errors with our Enterprise LMS.

This was not the first time I was called in to assist and resolve. Thinking about the process and root cause, I began wondering if there was a way to bring some governance around this to expedite development, problem resolution, and trouble-shooting, reduce the learning curve, enable minor edits on our part, and enable simple SCORM updating/migration (from SCORM 1.2 to SCORM 2004 eventually to Tin Can API) without being charged here and there for these updates.

So I immediately went back to Scorm.com for testing. Then I determined to dig into SCORM Driver a bit more. After some research, personal testing on scorm.com, our enterprise LMS (SuccessFactors) and our internal LMS, I was able to create a justification and argument that would require all of our vendors to use SCORM Driver.

What is SCORM Driver?

Scorm.com notes:

Our SCORM Driver dresses your content up to meet the high standards of both SCORM and AICC. As a developer or content author, you can still create learning materials with the subject matter you need, using the technologies you prefer. The Driver quickly outfits that content in the latest SCORM 2004 fashions or any past fashion such as SCORM 1.1, SCORM 1.2, or AICC. It can even be extended to support proprietary standards.

Simply, SCORM Driver provides a mechanism that separates a course and its files from SCORM compliance files.

So what benefits are there to using SCORM Driver?

1. Single set of JavaScript function calls that support multiple standards. This is incredibly intelligent, and for us developers out there, this is awesome! No more trying to understand someone else’s uncommented code. SCORM Driver makes the proper method of communication based on the standard for you using meaningful function names like SetBookmark() or GetStudentName(). More examples here.
2. Collaborative Codebase. If you find something that needs to be updated, the developer is responsive and will update the codebase. So far though…nothing has needed to be added to date.
3. Debugging Tools/Logs. For complex courses using bluetooth technologies and cross-domain, etc., debugging is essential. Scorm.com makes this easy with SCORM Driver.
4. License. SCORM Driver license enables companies to use it (if they are not selling their online courses) for free for non-commercial use defined as “Commercial use is defined as the distribution of shareable content objects (SCOs) that use the SCORM Driver in exchange for compensation.”
5. Compatible. AICC, SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004 2nd-4th Editions, Tin Can API
6. Vendors. Using a standard like SCORM Driver leaves you open to use multiple vendors and even switching vendors without having to worry about this again. This will enable companies to focus more on content development rather than the “darker side of things,” and forces Vendors to produce better instructionally, sound learning objects. For vendors, using this standard allows you to have a solid codebase to work from improving inefficiencies, providing you with documentation to give to clients, and shortening the learning curve to bring on future developers. Simply, it’s a win-win for both the vendor and the company.

Note: Click links for more information on the SCORM Driver Integration Process, SCORM Driver QuickStart Guide, and the SCORM Driver Documentation (previously known as Extended Content API, RSECA).