Introduction
SCORM (opens in a new tab) (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is a set of technical standards for e-learning platforms. It provides the communication method and data models that allow e-learning content and platforms to work together. SCORM also defines how to package content into a transferable ZIP file, called a “Package Interchange Format”, to be uploaded in the platform.
Docebo is compatible with SCORM versions 1.2 and 2004 3rd Edition. Please note the following limitations for each version:
- SCORM 1.2. 4,096 characters (Articulate’s default is 256 characters) for the suspend_data CMI element.
- SCORM 2004 3rd Edition. 64,000 characters for the suspend_data CMI element. Sequencing is not supported by this version.
This article outlines best practices and how to manage SCORM content within the context of Docebo, but should not be used as an expert guide in SCORM content at large. Learn more about creating SCORM packages with Articulate Storyline (opens in a new tab), Articulate Rise 360 (opens in a new tab), and with Adobe Captivate (opens in a new tab).
Also, note that every platform has a standard set of core components that are used for SCORM objects. Some systems or SCORM compliance checkers (like SCORM Cloud) implement parts of the SCORM standard that could either be not implemented or implemented differently in Docebo.
Please note: You can upload SCORM content into e-learning, ILT (Instructor-Led Training) and VILT (Virtual Instructor-Led Training).
Preparing a SCORM package
This section provides you with some rules and suggestions on how to prepare a SCORM package, reducing the risk of problems during the upload and the playback. SCORM packages must be compressed zip files and must include everything you need to deliver the course.
- The platform does not accept SCORM packages including files with the following extensions: HTACCESS, PHPS, PHP5, PHP4, PH3, PHP, CGI, SH, SHTML, ASP, ASPX, JSP, PY, RB, PL. Remember to put the manifest file (opens in a new tab) (imsmanifest.xml) in the folder root level before zipping it.
- The SCORM package name and all file names inside the package must not contain any special characters.
- The maximum file size is 1024 MB.
- We strongly suggest not including more than 15000 files in your SCORM packages.
- The platform only accepts SCORM packages using HTTPS. If you upload a package referencing an HTTP address, the browser will prevent users from playing the content in the platform. If this happens, check the browser console for error messages, as the Docebo interface does not provide an error message in these cases.
- When uploading your SCORM package, make sure that, when users complete it, the SCORM package does not update the platform with the completion status multiple times.
- The platform supports multiple SCORM packages and multi SCO SCORM packages, but, when played, the Next button could not properly work. Should this happen, a page reload will help.
- Verify your package does not contain flash content. Open standards such as HTML5, WebGL, and WebAssembly serve as viable alternatives for Flash content (opens in a new tab).
Uploading SCORM content into a course
To upload SCORM content into a course, access the Navigation menu. Then, find the Content and delivery (folder icon), select the Courses item. On the main Courses page, select the course for which you would like to upload your SCORM content by clicking on its description, then move to the Training material tab.
Select the Add training material button, then select SCORM from the dropdown menu. On the following page, press the Upload file button to select the SCORM file from your device.
When uploading SCORM 2004 3rd Edition packages containing simple sequencing and linear navigation (opens in a new tab) into a course, you can select the option to convert the package sequencing into platform prerequisites, once the upload reaches 100%. This option is also available for SCORM packages without embedded sequencing and does not manage SCORM packages including complex sequencing. You can change these settings at any time when managing the training material’s settings and prerequisites. For more information about SCORM sequencing, refer to the SCORM.com website (opens in a new tab).
Select the view mode for each device on which the course will be played in the View mode area. Check the description under the available view modes for further information on the available options. Define whether your SCORM content is playable on the Mobile App.
Please note: If your SCORM package includes Iframes, your learners may experience problems while playing it if you set the View mode to Inline or Play in theater mode. We suggest you try playing the content in a new window or check your browser console before delivering the content to learners.
→ In particular, YouTube places a restriction that blocks its content from being played inside multiple nested iframes. Since some view modes add an additional iframe layer, YouTube videos within SCORM packages may not play in them. To resolve this issue, if your SCORM contains a YouTube video, always set the view mode to New window.
If your SCORM package includes tests, configure the Score calculation method by selecting whether the course score will be based on the last test taken by the user, or calculated as the sum or the average of the scores coming from all the tests in the package. Please note that:
- If your SCORM package includes a single test, then select the option: The score is the score value of the last executed test.
- If you want to exclude the score of your SCORM package from the calculation of the course score, make sure that it is not sending any score to the platform. Since the course score calculation takes into consideration all scores, including those set to 0 (zero), if your calculation method is either set to The sum of all scores taken by the user in the course or The average of all scores taken by the user in the course and the SCORM package sends a 0 (zero) score, then it will also be included in the calculation.
Please note! These settings can no longer be edited after the SCORM content is completed for the first time. Remember that for SCORM 2004 3rd Edition packages, scores are reported by the cmi.score.raw and not by the cmi.score.scaled.
Move now to the Additional Info tab. Select or upload a thumbnail for the training material, then give a short description of the content for your learners.
In this tab, you can also add tags to your training material to improve its searchability in your platform’s global search. If the auto-tagging feature is enabled in your platform, some tags may be automatically generated based on the content of your training material, as understood by your platform using artificial intelligence. Auto-tagging relies on the platform’s ability to extract text or generate a transcript. See the complete list of supported content types for text extraction and transcript generation. You can edit or remove tags at any time, with a limit of 15 tags per training material and of 32 characters per tag.
When finished, press Save changes. If the file format is correct, the SCORM content will be uploaded as new course training material, and a message will be displayed on the top left of the page. The SCORM package content is now course content and is ready to be played.
Uploading SCORM content into the Training materials page
Uploading a SCORM package to the Training materials page allows you to push its content into multiple courses, so learners only have to view the content one time in any of the courses in which the content is placed. When content from the Training materials page is pushed to one or more courses, the package is then share-tracked between all of the courses. This means that the learner can avoid playing the content several times in several courses.
Please note that when uploading SCORM packages including tests in the Training materials page, the Score calculation option selected when the first version of the package is uploaded cannot be changed when uploading new versions of the same SCORM package.
Updating SCORM content
Whenever you need to update your SCORM content by replacing it with a new version of the same package, remember that the new package must have the same SCORM version as the previous one. For example, if the original package you uploaded used SCORM 1.2 version, you cannot edit the package by uploading a SCORM 2004 3rd edition version.
If you update SCORM content directly in the Training materials page, the new version of the package will be immediately published and playable in the courses in which the content is placed. If you upload the learning content directly in a course, it may take from 30 minutes up to an hour before the updated version is playable in the course. Therefore, we strongly suggest you upload and edit SCORM packages in the Training materials page.
Please note: When updating SCORM content by changing its structure, any users who have interacted with or completed the content will be affected and may lose their progress. When a SCORM package undergoes structural changes, resetting the training material completion status is highly recommended so learners can restart it from scratch.
Playing SCORM content on mobile devices
If you are planning to play your SCORM content on mobile devices with the Go.Learn app, make sure that the package is created and exported with the latest version of the authoring tool you’re using in order to avoid display errors or glitches related to unpatched versions of the tool. In order to play smoothly in offline mode, packages must be completely encapsulated, meaning that they must not have any reference to external websites.
Remember to test your content both on IOS and on Android, and use different versions of the Operating Systems, to make sure that your content is properly displayed for all your learners. Please note that if your SCORM object includes Flash or Silverlight content, it may not be playable on mobile devices: we strongly suggest replacing SCORM objects including Flash and Silverlight content with HTML5 responsive content.
Please note that when SCORM content is not played in full-screen mode in your desktop platform accessed with the Safari browser, on iPad iOS 13.4.1 and iOS 13.5.1, the content tracking should not be kept properly.
Tracking the progress of SCORM content
The platform identifies SCORM content as completed when learners press the Close button (also named Exit or Submit). Failing to press this button may result in the learning progress not being sent from the SCORM package to the platform and the SCORM content not being marked as completed. For this reason, we strongly suggest including a completion screen in your SCORM packages to be displayed when the SCORM package confirms that tracking data has been transferred and to show the Close button on this screen.
If you unenroll a user from a course after he or she has completed the SCORM content in the course, the tracking for the user is not deleted. If you re-enroll the user into the course, you will be able to view the tracking again.
If you delete a SCORM package from the platform, the tracking of the content is also deleted and no longer retrievable.
In order for the system to keep track of the user's progress for a SCORM training material, make sure that cookies aren't blocked, and that the third-party cookies aren't blocked in the user browser settings (for Google Chrome: Settings Site settings Cookies and site data Block third-party cookies). If the cookies are blocked, even if the user takes the course, it will be shown as not started.
If you have uploaded multiple SCORM training materials in a single course, remember that the tracking is managed independently for every single training material. The tracking is not cumulated by training material type.
Notes on tracking the progress of SCORM content for SCORM 2004 3rd Edition
- According to the SCORM 2004 3rd Edition specifications, when the SCORM package returns normal, logout, time-out, or an empty string for the
cmi.exitparameter, the learner’s attempt to complete the SCORM package ends. When the learner re-opens the same SCORM package, they will have to start it again, from scratch. - In Docebo Learn instead, when the status of the training material is completed, independently from the
cmi.exitparameter value, its status will be kept as completed even if the learner attempts to complete the training material again. Nevertheless, every time the learner plays again the training material, its tracking is overwritten.