And the ADL wonders why people find SCORM difficult…
I’ll let the URLs do the talking:
URL for the ADL’s “SCORM Documents” page:
http://www.adlnet.gov/Technologies/scorm/SCORMSDocuments/Forms/AllItems.aspx?View={4D6DFFDE-3CFC-4DD9-A21A-4B687728824A}
URL for the ADL’s SCORM 1.2 page:
http://www.adlnet.gov/Technologies/scorm/SCORMSDocuments/Forms/AllItems.aspx?RootFolder=%2fTechnologies%2fscorm%2fSCORMSDocuments%2fPrevious%20Versions%2fSCORM%201.2&FolderCTID=0×0120007F801FCD5325044C89D91240519482D7&View={4D6DFFDE-3CFC-4DD9-A21A-4B687728824A}
‘Nuff said.
(In fairness, this can also be construed as a critique of Microsoft SharePoint.)
What others are saying... (5 comments so far) You can follow all responses to this entry through this post's comments feed (RSS).
One thing that make me sad about SCORM 2.0 is that it’s SOAP based, so we won’t embrasse the RESTful movement, with meaningful URLs.
A few things…
a) I’m charged with defining and designing a new web presence for ADL, Philip. More on that in the coming weeks, but I’m definitely going to be seeking expertise from people who use the site, and since you care enough to blog…
Seriously, Philip, when I have something to draft, I/we would love your input.
b) Goulwen, I can tell you that we’re (ADL) looking at the future a lot more flexibly. I’m not 100% on this (I’ll find out for sure, though), but I believe the CMI Harmonization activity is looking more broadly than just SOAP.
As a newcommer to SCORM, the basic problem is the lack of useful documentation. I can find pages and pages of specifications. What I need are some simple examples. e.g. I have spent hours trying to work out how to use the scorm api to send the results of a test to the database. I can find lots of documents that list the api, but none that give an example of how to use them.
Your flash examples were a breath of fresh air. Many thanks.
Amen.
I tasked myself with learning the SCORM 1.2 specification, downloading all the documentation into a sturdy 3.5″ thick binder. The specification reads like a piece of legislation, full of precise language that needs re-reading 2-3 times to be understood. And, even when understood, the “muddiness” of the standard starts to emerge. I think this is evidenced also by the inconsistency with the way different LMS programs choose to interpret the standard.
I agree with and echo Peter’s thoughts that 1 or 2 real-world examples would be enormously helpful.
Aaron, I follow you on Twitter as well as following your blog, so I’m encouraged that you’re honcho-ing the endeavor ’cause I know you have chops. You have quite the task ahead. My two cents are to wrench the standard from the bureaucracy and language of Government speak, and translate to the private sector speak, which is where the meaningful adopters live. I think it’s clear that it is currently for only an initiated few to understand.
Otherwise, the standard has great potential and served the eLearning industry well in providing something.
Best,
Danny
For everyone who is new to SCORM and felt the same pain/anguish as those above, each version does provide content examples, etc. that you can take apart and see the actual code performing various functions.
Although sometimes harder to ferret out in some SOCRM versions than in others, the SCORM 2004 MCE and other flash/DHTML examples are particularly helpful for newcomers.
But, anyone who has had to suffer through reading the tomes that are the CAM and Seq./Nav. standards has most certainly lost some hair as well, but maybe not quite as much as Danny…grin.