The Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) – A Critical Review


Oliver Bohl, Dr. Jörg Schellhase, Ruth Sengler, Prof. Dr. Udo Winand
University of Kassel


Abstract
Learning technology standards are increasingly gaining
in importance in the field of Web-based teaching. At
present, two standards dominating the market are taking
shape. These are the SCORM standard of the ADL
initiative and the AICC standard of the AICC
organization. Based on the AICC and LOM meta data
standards, the SCORM standard stands the chance to
become the standard dominating the market. A number of
restrictions are involved with the SCORM standard,
though. The article shows general deficiencies of the
SCORM standard that are critical concerning the market
value of SCOs, the process of producing WBTs on the
basis of different SCO providers, the maintenance of
SCOs and WBTs (consisting of several SCOs), and the
quality of WBTs based on SCOs of different providers.


1: Introduction

Over the past few years several initiatives developed,
at first in the USA, aiming at the standardization of
computer based teaching components. This article focuses
on the SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference
Model) standard of the ADL (Advanced Distributed
Learning, http://www.adlnet.org) initiative. Why are
standards like SCORM important for Web-based learning
environments and technologies? Considering the
increasing number of virtual learning environments, it is
obvious that the same contents are processed several times
for multimedia use because they cannot be discovered or
used straight away. This is where standardization efforts
start from.

2: Analysis of the SCORM

Fundamental objectives of the SCORM standard are
the easy portability of learning content from one Learning
Management System (LMS) to another as well as the
reusability of learning objects. The easy portability of
WBTs creates an additional benefit for vendors of
learning content and LMSs because the high costs for
portation are reduced. WBTs can exchange data with the
LMS via standardized interfaces. Above all, the metadata
model of the LOM standard integrated in the SCORM
supports the retrieval of learning objects in varying
constellations. SCORM denominates the smallest unit
which can be administered by an LMS as a Sharable
Content Object (SCO). A Sharable Content Object (SCO)
represents one or more assets which use the SCORM run-
time environment to communicate with different LMSs.
An SCO represents the lowest level of content granularity
which can be tracked by an LMS. An SCO should be
independent of learning context to be reusable in different
learning situations. Moreover, several SCOs can be
assembled to form learning or exercise units on a super
ordinate level. To make a potential reuse practicable,
SCOs should be small units. They can be the basis for
sharable content repositories which facilitate their
exchange. Only an LMS may launch an SCO, an SCO
must not launch other SCOs. [2]

2.1: Potentials of the SCORM

An important advantage of SCORM compliant WBTs
is that they are basically interoperable with all SCORM
compliant LMSs. In addition, they can exchange
important user data, metadata on SCOs, and a variety of
interaction data (e.g. choice of path, current position in the
SCO, comments and annotations, duration, scores) in a
standardized way with SCORM compliant LMSs. The
basic metadata of a SCORM compliant SCO are
transferred to the LMS in the form of files when the SCO
is delivered, so that many metadata do not have to be fed
to the LMS separately.
When using SCORM compliant SCOs, an LMS can
offer learners a learning account. Learner scores can be
managed course comprehensively in a standardized way
via this learning account. Furthermore, the learner can
take a look at a table of his or her learning status relating
to single SCOs at any time. SCO-specific comments a
lecturer has left for a certain learner can be displayed
when the SCO is started. The administration of the current
position in an individual SCO can be done by the LMS, so
that this information can be transferred when the SCO is
launched. Annotations transferred from the SCOs to the
LMS can be managed by the LMS and be presented to the
lecturer in a well-structured form. The data, which
according to SCORM can be transferred to the LMS,
facilitates a comfortable supervision of the learning
progress. The LMS could offer aggregated representations
of test results and an overview about SCOs that learners
have already been worked with. Learning histories of the
learners could be managed. Tracking data, transferred
Proceedings of the International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE’02)
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