The E-Learning Principles and Practices course I’m taking through BSU has reached a half-way point. The lack of posts to this blog have largely been due to the main topic covered over the past two weeks which is the world of SCORM.
I made mention of SCORM in a previous post but didn’t get into too much detail about it. SCORM is a very detailed subject when it comes to E-learning, but here’s my attempt to define it based on what I learned these past couple weeks and put it into its proper context.
SCORM is the Sharable Content Object Reference Model. It is a set of standards and specification for web-based E-learning. It’s actually the product of the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative (ADL) founded in 1997 by the The United States Department of Defense (DoD) and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
The ADL Initiative’s overall vision is to provide access to high-quality learning that can be tailored to individual needs and delivered cost-effectively anytime, anywhere. To accomplish these goals, SCORM was created to foster the creation of reusable learning content as “instructional objects” within a common framework.
The high-level requirements of the SCORM, often referred to as their “-ilities”, highlight the importance of this model in standardization of online learning:
- Accessibility – the ability to locate and access instructional components from one remote location and deliver them to many locations.
- Adaptability – the ability to tailor instruction to individual and organizational needs.
- Affordability – the ability to increase efficiency and productivity by reducing the time and costs to deliver instruction.
- Durability – the ability to withstand technology changes without costly redesign, reconfiguration or recoding.
- Interoperability – the ability to take instructional components developed in one location with one set of tools or platform and use them in another location with a different set of tools or platform.
- Reusability – the flexibility to incorporate instructional components in multiple applications and contexts.
As an instructional designer, I feel the ability to create E-learning under a set of guidelines such as the SCORM keeps the content relevant, easy to update and transferrable. Some people may see the SCORM as restrictive, but the beauty of such standards is that even though the technology to deliver E-learning may change, the standards by which it is designed and developed remain unchanged. ADL’s commitment to standards and regularly updating them helps with accessibility and interoperability.
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