Using SCORM

This page really needs improving. Please see the page comments for suggestions of what to include, then remove this template when you're done.

Introduction

Like a Moodle course, each SCORM package will vary with the modules used in its construction by the teacher and by the SCORM activity settings established by the teacher.

Responsive Display and Troubleshooting

Due to Moodle's use of iframes, some SCORM packages may not display well on smaller screens, resulting in horizontal scrollbars or cut-off content. The best way to prevent this is by using a SCORM package that was designed with responsiveness in mind. However, if you have an older package, here are some settings and best practices that can help:

1. Check the Moodle SCORM Display Settings: Before doing anything else, experiment with the display settings in the SCORM activity's "Appearance" section.

Display package: If you have scrolling issues, try setting this to new window. This will launch the content in a separate, full-screen browser window. Be aware that this can sometimes be blocked by pop-up blockers, and can be disorienting for some users.

Window settings: If using the "New window" option, you can set the window's dimensions. For better responsiveness, try leaving these blank so the new window will use the entire screen.

Stage size: Moodle allows you to set the width and height of the SCORM display. To allow the content to scale, set the width to a percentage (e.g., `100%`) rather than a fixed pixel value (e.g., `800`).

2. Evaluate the SCORM Package's Source: If the display settings don't fix the issue, the problem is almost certainly with the SCORM package itself.

Modern Authoring Tools: Use modern e-learning authoring tools (like the latest versions of Articulate Storyline, Captivate, or H5P) that are designed to publish responsive content.

Test your package: Before uploading to Moodle, test your SCORM file in a different environment like SCORM Cloud. This can help you determine if the responsiveness problem is with your SCORM file or with your Moodle configuration.

3. Moodle Mobile App: The Moodle Mobile app has its own SCORM player that is often better at handling responsiveness. If you have the Moodle Mobile app enabled on your site, instruct students to use it for a potentially better user experience on their mobile devices. The app can even play some SCORM packages offline, which is a major advantage.

4. Some Data Looks Unreadable: If you view a detailed report and see a long string of garbled text (for example, in the "tracked details" section), do not be alarmed. This is likely because the SCORM package was created with an authoring tool that stores some information in a special, compressed field for its own use. The good news is that this does not affect your ability to get the most important data. The SCORM standard still requires that critical information, such as the final score and completion status, be sent to Moodle in a readable format. What you can do:

Don't worry about the unreadable data; the core report will still be accurate.

If you need a more detailed breakdown, contact the person who created the SCORM package or the vendor of the authoring tool they used. They may be able to provide you with a key to decipher the information.

Features of student view

As a student, when you open a SCORM activity in Moodle, you'll see a launch page that provides an overview of the content. This is your hub for starting a new attempt, reviewing past progress, and understanding your score.

1. Starting or Resuming the Activity

To begin the course, you will click a button, often labeled *Enter* or *Launch*. This will open the SCORM content either within a window on the Moodle page or in a new browser tab.

2. Understanding Your Score and Attempts

On the main SCORM activity page, Moodle displays a summary of your performance, including:

Your Last Score: This shows the grade you achieved on your most recent attempt.
Number of Attempts: You can see how many times you have completed the activity.
Status: This indicates whether you have completed the activity or not.

3. Preview and Review Modes

Depending on the activity configuration, you may see two different modes for engaging with the content:

Preview Mode: This mode allows you to explore the content without your progress or score being recorded. Use this if you want to familiarize yourself with the material before taking a graded attempt.
Review Mode: After you have completed an attempt, the "Review" button becomes available. This lets you go back through the activity to see what you answered, including correct and incorrect answers, without affecting your grade.

SCORM reports

As a teacher, you can use the SCORM activity's Reports tab to track and analyze your students' engagement and performance. These reports are powerful tools that can help you understand how your learners are interacting with the content and where they might need support. To access these reports, navigate to your SCORM activity and click the Reports tab. There are four types of report: Basic, graph, interactions and objectives.

Note on Permissions: By default, users with the roles of manager, teacher, and non-editing teacher are listed in SCORM reports. To prevent them from being listed, you must edit their roles in Site administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles and unset the mod/scorm:savetrack capability.

Basic report

This is the primary report that gives you a quick overview of every student's attempt on the SCORM activity.

What it shows: A table that lists each student and a summary of their attempts, including their final score and completion status. If you have allowed for multiple attempts, you will see a separate entry for each one.
Actionable Insights: Use this report for quick administrative tasks like checking who has completed the activity, reviewing final scores, or deleting specific attempts if needed.
Downloading Data: You can download the entire table in standard formats like ODS, Excel, or text (CSV) for further analysis or record-keeping.
Detailed View: For a more granular view, click the number in the "Attempts" column for any user. This will take you to a detailed page that shows exactly what was recorded by the SCORM package during that specific attempt.

Note that the tracked details depend heavily upon what the SCORM object itself is programmed to report. Many SCORM packages created with authoring suites use the suspend_data field to record important information, instead of the traditional SCORM values. This makes deciphering the recorded data extremely difficult.

Graph report

The Graph Report provides a quick, visual representation of student performance across the entire class.

What it shows: A bar graph that plots the number of students who achieved a specific percentage or score.
Actionable Insights: Use this report to get an immediate sense of how the class as a whole is performing. It can quickly help you identify if most students are succeeding, if there is a wide range of scores, or if a significant number of students are struggling.

SCORM interactions report

This is one of the most valuable reports for a teacher. It allows you to see how students responded to questions within the SCORM package.

What it shows: A table that lists each question from the SCORM package, showing the correct answer alongside the responses provided by each student.
Actionable Insights: Use this report to gain diagnostic insight into student learning. You can identify:
Common misconceptions: If many students are answering a question incorrectly, it may indicate a poorly worded question or a topic that needs more instruction.
Specific student challenges: You can see exactly what a student answered to a specific question, which is invaluable for one-on-one feedback and tutoring.
Downloading Data: Like the Basic Report, the Interactions Report can be downloaded in ODS, Excel, or text (CSV) format.

Objectives report

The Objectives Report is a specialized report for SCORM packages that have specific learning objectives defined.

What it shows: It displays the status (e.g., "completed," "incomplete," "passed") and the raw score for each objective recorded by the SCORM package.
Actionable Insights: This report is crucial for verifying that students have met the specific learning goals of the SCORM activity. If your course requires learners to achieve several defined objectives, this report provides a clear way to track their progress.

Documentation