Three Reasons Why cmi5 Is Better Than SCORM

Have you heard about cmi5, the next generation of SCORM? Ifnot, you might want to check out the background information in “Experience API, cmi5 and Future SCORM” in Learning Solutions Magazine.

So now you know that cmi5 is a new specification fromAdvanced Distributed Learning Initiative (ADL), and that cmi5 was co-developedby ADL and the Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee (AICC). Withthat in mind, let’s look at why you would want to use cmi5 instead of SCORM.

Reason one: Pop-up windows

If youhave ever used SCORM, you know about the pop-up windows. With SCORM, you get aleast two windows: One for the LMS and the other for the SCORM content. Usuallyyou get more than two because sometimes the SCORM content decides to have itsown “player” window.

If you are an LMS administrator, you know you have to watchout for SCORM’s arch enemy—the pop-up blocker! How many times have you answereda call from a student who says, “The content won’t open”? You dread going onthe hunt for all the possible pop-up blockers that may be installed on thestudent’s workstation. (Tip from the trenches: I’ve found as many as sevenpop-up blockers on a single machine.)

Even if you clear out all the pop-up blockers, you still getthe occasional student that hates pop-up windows … so they just close themimmediately, thereby breaking your SCORM module.

Finally, if you want to support mobile, pop-ups are a “no-no.”

Luckily, this was one of the first issues addressed in cmi5.Content can now launch in the same window as the LMS. The LMS disappears andthe content opens; simple as that. When the content is done, it disappears andthe LMS returns—right where you left off.

Reason two: Distributed content

Let’s face it, content modules are getting bigger andbigger. As bandwidth has increased, our will to compress and optimize ourcontent has diminished. You know you should, but … surely the bandwidth willhandle it, right?

The problem is, if you build a 200-Mbyte content module thatworks great for your local users, it may not work so well for your remotestudents. Enter content distribution networks, or CDNs. A CDN allows you topost your web content on several servers, around the country or even around theworld. Then, when your student links to the content, they connect to theclosest server. A student in Houston might download the content from aHouston-based server, while a student in Germany gets the content from a serverhoused in Germany.

Just one problem … this won’t work in SCORM. You see SCORMrequires that the content and the LMS reside in the same domain. Effectively,this means your content must reside on the same server as your LMS sodistributed content is not an option.

Fortunately, this is another problem that cmi5 has solved.Content can reside anywhere, even on a mobile device.

This same issue arises with content-as-a-service, or CaaS.If you buy content from an online provider, wouldn’t it be nice if the contentcould remain on the provider’s site? With SCORM you can only do that withcustom workarounds. With cmi5, the CAAS model just works, no workaroundsrequired.

Reason three: Store any data you want

There is no doubt that SCORM has a lot of data properties.And when you find something super awesome that you want to track about yourstudents’ performance … oh bummer, SCORM doesn’t store that.

To track your new super awesome data, you could use xAPI …but xAPI does not define an LMS launch scenario for your content. Happily, cmi5is based on xAPI. So by extension, cmi5 can store any data that is possible inxAPI. For example, you can:

• Store an audio recording of your studentresponding to a question
• Store a video of your student performing a task
• Store an essay written by your student

All this is possible with cmi5.

cmi5 status

As of this writing, cmi5 has been released as the“Sandstone” version. This is meant as a beta-period for developers to findissues in the spec. The initial “Granite” release of cmi5 should be out in thefirst quarter of 2016.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that SCORM has served us well for manyyears. Times have changed, however, and we need a new specification that workswith today’s technology and learning challenges. Welcome, cmi5.