In January 1999, the US Department of Defense was tasked with defining a system whereby the new technology of internet learning and training could be tracked and accessed in both public and private sectors. The resulting system of standards and constraints is known as SCORM, and it is something that anyone involved in e-learning and online employee training is familiar with. But why is this format important to online learning?
At its heart, SCORM is a way of tracking learning progress through an online learning module and reporting that progress back to a central site or supervisor. So, firstly, SCORM is an automated way for supervisors to receive feedback on employee progress. SCORM makes it possible for supervisors to receive automatic notification when an employee has finished a set of e-learning modules or has made a certain score on an online learning assessment test. If e-training is an essential part of a new-hire process, then these types of automatic supervisor notifications are an invaluable tool in tracking learner progress.
Secondly, SCORM defines the learning experience by constraining user options to a specific set or path of learning objectives. If you give a new employee a book to read for training, there is no guarantee that they will read all of chapter 1 before moving on to chapter 2 — or that they will read chapter 2 at all. SCORM, tracks the learning process, making sure milestones are met in the right order before moving on. Of course, these milestones are customizable by the supervisor or e-training module author.
Lastly, SCORM tracks progress for the learner as well as the supervisor. For a multi-day or hour training, it is important for the learner to take breaks. Because SCORM tracks progress, the learning can be assured to come back to the same spot they left off from.
All in all, SCORM is a great way to track employee e-training programs and should be used whenever possible.