I’ve had a number of people ask me why I haven’t extended my SCORM helpers (the JavaScript-based SCORM API wrapper and the two ActionScript classes) to completely remove the need to know any of the “cmi” calls. I have three reasons: SCORM is not that simple, the functionality between SCORM versions is significantly different, and extending the helpers that far means writing a complete (non-standardized) replacement syntax for SCORM.
A recent post in the e-learning development forum reminded me that I forgot to post some unpublished Captivate variables I dug up a while back.
The SCORM API wrapper (v1.1.7) has been updated to automatically set the initial course status and the exit status.
The point of my SCORM API wrapper is to make working with SCORM easier. These two new functions are intended to ensure you follow best practices with your SCORM code while reducing the amount of tedious code you will need to write for your course.
Ok, I just had to write a quick blurb about this one: in about 3.5 years of using SCORM in my own course code, I had never used cmi.core.exit (SCORM 1.2) or cmi.exit (SCORM 2004). Seems incredibly daft of me now that I’ve taken a few minutes to review the documentation.
Learn how to add SCORM code to a plain HTML file. This example uses SCORM 1.2 syntax, but can be converted to SCORM 2004 without much effort.
Here’s a quick tutorial for adding basic SCORM functionality to an existing Flash file. This tutorial aims to demonstrate just how easy it can be to add SCORM functionality to an existing Flash movie.
Please note that this tutorial uses ActionScript 3 and SCORM 1.2, but the same principles apply for ActionScript 2 and SCORM 2004.
A summary of updates regarding the pipwerks JavaScript SCORM wrapper.
When I designed the LegacyCaptivateLoader, I was focused on giving the ActionScript 3 SWF the ability to control the ActionScript 2-based Captivate SWF; I hadn’t given much thought to how the situation affects Captivate SWFs using one of the workarounds I just described. Can the embedded SWFs still work? Will JavaScript calls from Captivate still work with ActionScript 3’s ExternalInterface system? The short answer is yes, but it may take some tweaking on your part.
A few months ago I wrote about the dilemma of trying to load Captivate SWFs into an ActionScript 3-based parent SWF.
Dilemma solved!
I present to you the ActionScript 3 class LegacyCaptivateLoader. This class utilizes ExternalInterface and a proxy SWF to facilitate sending commands to and querying data from an ActionScript 2-based Captivate SWF.
For those who are willing to give it a shot, I present to you a simple HTML and JavaScript template for inductive learning-style questions (ungraded, customized feedback for each answer selected).
