E-learning Standards

As an instructor or content expert you may want to know why e-learning standards are important and why you should care whether the content that you create is standards-compliant.
E-learning standards and the issues surrounding them can be complex. But in general, the primary goal is to make course content and learning tools compatible among various e-learning delivery systems. The advantage is that you can create “portable” content that can be used in any e-learning delivery system without the need to modify the content. If the content and the e-learning delivery system both comply with the same standard, then the learning system will interpret and deliver your standards-compliant content.

SCORM

SoftChalk supports the SCORM standard. SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is a set of technical specifications developed to support the creation of interoperable, accessible and reusable web-based learning content. The SCORM standards are a work-in-progress, with development led by the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative (ADL), working in cooperation with a number of government, industry and academic organizations.
SoftChalk packages your lesson in either a standard zip format or in SCORM format. If you package your lesson using the SCORM format, you can re-use your content in any learning management system that supports SCORM (with no need to revise the content). Additionally, the SCORM standards allow your content to work automatically with specific components of the course management system (for example the gradebook), and to track whether a student has completed the lesson.
In the future, as the SCORM standard is further developed, additional integrations between a SCORM conformant lesson and Learning Management Systems will become available.
Different Learning Management Systems may support different versions of SCORM and may not fully implement the SCORM standards. Check with your Learning Management System provider for more information about compatibility with SCORM.

Common Cartridge (IMS Global)

• Greater choice of content: Enables collections of learning resources of various types and sources.
• Reduces vendor/platform lock-in: Establishes course cartridge native formats endorsed by educational publishers and supports a wide variety of established content formats, eliminating platform lock-in.
• Greater assessment options: Explicitly supports the most widely used standards for exchanging assessment items.
• Increases flexibility, sharing and reuse: Fits within the educational context of enabling instructors to assemble lesson plans of various resources and publish those as reusable and changeable packages that are easy to create, share, and improve.

Learning Tools Interoperability (IMS Global)

• LTI allows remote tools and content to be integrated into an LMS