Does Your LMS Really Need a Built-In SCORM Authoring Tool?
We love an all-in-one software as much as the next person, but do you really need your content management system to be able to create SCORM content?
SCORM content is a crucial part of designing and delivering effective learning and development, so it’s unsurprising that many organizations want a learning management system (LMS) with built-in content authoring tools.
We’ll dive into SCORM authoring tools and what key features you should consider when choosing a tool for your L&D initiatives.
What is a SCORM authoring tool?
A SCORM authoring tool is software designed to help instructional designers, L&D professionals, and HR teams create digital learning content that complies with SCORM standards.
SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is the recognized framework for creating easily shareable e-learning content that can be used across various learning management systems (LMSs) or performance learning management systems (PLMSs).
Does your LMS need its own authoring tool?
The short answer: No, your LMS doesn’t need to have its own authoring tool. The long answer: It really depends on what you’re doing and your goals for your LMS.
Even if you need authoring tool features, it doesn’t necessarily have to be part of your learning management system. LMS platforms are designed primarily to deliver, manage, and track learning content, whereas authoring tools are concerned with content creation. Both systems have their own distinct functions, meaning they can work hand-in-hand.
Plus, most LMSs and PLMSs are already SCORM-compliant, so they can import and track SCORM-based content created in third-party authoring tools. As long as your learning management software supports SCORM, it can host externally created SCORM content without needing to have its own authoring tool.
In the case of a PLMS like Acorn, SCORM authoring isn’t a focus for development because we focus on curating and assigning relevant content to learners. This isn’t to say that you can’t create your own training content using a separate SCORM authoring tool, but a PLMS’s primary concern is making existing learning findable and relevant to drive performance improvement, rather than adding to the overwhelming amount of content that’s already out there.
Plus, LMSs don’t need to reinvent the SCORM wheel—SCORM authoring is already a well-covered market that LMSs aren’t going to improve on.
How to choose the right eLearning authoring tool
If you’re not getting an LMS with a built-in SCORM authoring tool, you’ll probably want a separate tool that can integrate with your LMS. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here, because, like a learning management system, the best software will be what meets your business’s specific needs.
In general, there are a few key factors you’ll want to keep in mind depending on what your learners need.
- Compatibility
- Visual output
- Ease of use
- Features and functionality
- Automation.
Compatibility
Whatever SCORM authoring tool you choose needs to be compatible with your LMS (duh). Yes, we said that LMSs usually have SCORM compatibility, but you need to choose an authoring system that can export the particular SCORM formats supported by your LMS (or at the very least, a tool that exports the right formats for your needs).
There are three different SCORM formats—or five, if we’re diving into various versions. Only three of those formats are still deployed today, with SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 (specifically, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions) being the most commonly used.
If you’re after broader compatibility, you’ll probably want to use a tool that supports SCORM 1.2. Just remember that may come at the expense of the more advanced customization and capabilities of SCORM 2004, though. If you need more robust sequencing and branching scenarios, then you may want to use SCORM 2004. The good news is you may not need to sacrifice here, as many authoring tools support more than one SCORM version anyway.
Don’t forget that your authoring tool needs to be compatible with whatever browsers or operating systems you and your team use. It’s a bit hard to use web-based tools to create courses if said tool doesn’t work on your browser. And if you’re looking for a desktop app, you need to make sure you operating system supports it.
Visual output
Why would visual output matter so much when there are so many other aspects of e-learning course design that play a role in learning uptake and retention?
Allow us to paint a picture. Quite a few companies report a low LMS adoption rate. Some of that is because learning isn’t relevant to the learners themselves. The rest of it is that “bad”-looking learning is a turn-off to learners. No one feels engaged with a bad learning experience, and a lot of corporate e-learning is visually dated, hard to navigate, and just generally looks boring. The ability to customize content goes a long way to improve the look, feel, and experience. It’s just a small step towards improving learner engagement.
Let’s say you don’t care as much about customizing all the visuals, or you just don’t have the time or budget to sink into it. That’s fine, because there are plenty of content authoring tools out there that provide pre-existing modules and templates that are easy-to-use, streamlined, and visually interesting. They may be limited in what you can control with designs outside of themed templates and cover pages, but they can still create engaging content, albeit without all the bells-and-whistles.
Ease of use
Ultimately, you’re the one who’s going to be using the authoring tool to create content, so you need to be able to do it. Ideally, you want something that matches your team’s skill level, because more complex SCORM authoring tools will have a steep learning curve and require more complex training to fully understand its features and uses.
Or maybe you don’t have as much time to spend on learning the tool because you need it as soon as possible. If that’s the case, you may want to choose easier-to-use SCORM authoring software, and sacrifice on other key features. For example, tools like Articulate Rise and Easygenerator may be more appropriate for beginner-level teams because they have a user-friendly and intuitive interface, while Evolve has a steeper learning curve to get started.
Features and functionality
We’re going to go out on a limb and assume you want to make engaging content for your learners. In that case, you’ll want an authoring tool with interactivity features—the only question is what interactive elements are essential features for you. Not all SCORM tools have the same capabilities or features available.
If you’re creating interactive learning content like quizzes, different tools will have different customization options for questions that can be asked and their relevant answers. If you want to show users some kind of video or audio as part of the assessment, your authoring tool needs to have multimedia support. And you may also want to have support for mobile learners or offline learning.
Having template features or an ability to save and copy content is useful too. It’ll save you a lot of time instead of having to rebuild the same base course from the ground up every single time, especially if it’s taking away from time that could be spent on more complex L&D tasks.
Automation
This all brings us to automation. We’re always talking about automation because without it, you might as well still be using spreadsheets to track L&D programs.
Let’s say you want learners to have a clear learning pathway to follow. You might set up sequencing to direct learners to a desirable outcome or trigger certain actions depending on what learners do. For example:
- Introduction Module: Must be completed first to trigger further action.
- Core Capabilities Module: Contains three lessons, and learners can choose which one to complete first, but all must be completed.
- Assessment: Learners must take the final assessment, but the availability of the assessment only triggers if all three lessons from the Core Capabilities Module have been completed.
- Remediation Path: If learners fail the assessment, they are directed to specific lessons based on their weak areas.
Just remember that sequencing is at its most advanced in SCORM 2004 formats, but SCORM 1.2 is more widespread. The more advanced your sequencing is, the more personalized learning can become.
Key takeaways
To answer if your LMS needs a built-in SCORM authoring tool: No. It can definitely be nice to have, but ultimately your learning management system is for managing learning content. Most LMSs have SCORM compatibility anyway, so you can use a separate SCORM creator to build interactive content that can be hosted on your LMS.
The biggest things to keep in mind when you’re selecting a tool are compatibility and crucial features. SCORM 1.2-compatible formats can be used more widely, but that comes at the expense of more advanced sequencing features.