First off, what is SCORM anyway?

Acronyms and terminology get thrown about in all industries and the world of online learning is no different. SCORM stands for Shareable Object Content Reference Model—which is a fancy way of saying there’s standard for how online learning content and LMS’s (Learning Management Systems) share information.

Course development software like Articulate Storyline, iSpring, Adobe Captivate, and others allow you to publish courses in SCORM format, so when you upload them to your LMS, you can do things like enrollments and tracking user progress. Additionally, features such as reporting on completion, grades, etc., also become available.

An LMS is great when you need to track those things, but you aren’t limited to only using your modules within your LMS. Here's a few other ways you should consider, to leverage your online training material and get more out of your investment dollar.

Option #1 - Publish to SCORM

This is the most common publishing method—the content is distributed, tracked, and measured through an LMS. Each LMS will have different requirements for the settings, so make sure you know what those are to get the results you're after.

• Initial Training: Need to deliver multiple modules, enroll and track new hires on learning plans and certifications? Publishing a SCORM course for your LMS will provide enrollment, progress, completion, and grade reporting to your managers so they can keep new hires on track.
• Marketing Content by Usage: Need to provide online training to your clients and bill them based on usage? Having a SCORM course accessed through groups on your LMS will provide the information you need to capture your revenue accurately.
• Annual Compliance Training: Need to roll-out and report on annual compliance training? With a SCORM course in your LMS, you'll be able to schedule enrollments, track completions, and get the reporting required for auditing purposes so you can protect your business.

Option #2 - Publish to Web

Publishing a Web version doesn’t give you the enrollment, user tracking, results, and other data that an LMS will, but it can be a powerful tool in your business.

• Performance Support: Need to provide the course as a performance supports for your team on the corporate intranet? Having a Web version of a course available to them may be just the thing!
• Public Access: Don’t want to have the overhead or bothersome task of setting up users in your LMS? You can accomplish this by making a Web version of your course available on your website.
• Marketing: Want to market your course to prospective clients? Use selected portions of your course to create a beautiful demo that's available for everyone to view on your website.

Option #3 - Publish to a CD or Video

Another solution is publishing to a CD or video. This allows you to save a course as a file on your local computer, which doesn't require an internet connection.

• Instructor-Led Training Sessions: Want to use your course for both initial training and for annual refresher training? Your instructor can use the ‘Published to CD’ version in the classroom and you can provide access to annual refresher training through the LMS.
• Client Demos: Want to ensure your demo doesn’t fall flat because of a bad internet connection? With a course demo that's been published to CD or video loaded up on your sales laptop you’ll be ready to close the deal.

Individual publishing options will vary depending on the software you're using for your project:

• Articulate 3
• Articulate 360
• Captivate
• iSpring

Explore your options and discover how you can leverage them to get more from your training dollar!

Need help with your online training program? Let our team of experts help make your dreams a reality! To get your project started, contact us today.