We develop a lot of training content for clients using Articulate Storyline 360 and Articulate Rise 360. Both of these tools output to a zip package. If you want to record learners’ progress when taking training, you need to combine that content package with a learning management system (LMS). In this article, we explore how to add a SCORM package in Moodle.
The LMS “is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, or learning and development programs” (Wikipedia). In short, the LMS hosts the content so that your learners can view it and have their progress/grades tracked. One of the most popular LMSs available is Moodle. It’s open-source, easy to implement, and feature-rich. Many of our clients use Moodle and we’re asked about it all the time.
But this article isn’t about implementing an LMS. We want to specifically address how you get a SCORM package into Moodle. Before going further, you should already have a good understanding of how Moodle works, how to build a course in Moodle, and the administration settings your organization uses. If you don’t know or aren’t sure, you may want to start with Moodle Academy.
Publishing Your Course Content
So you’ve developed a course in Articulate Rise or Storyline and you’re ready for learners to experience it. What’s next? You’ll need to publish it to a zip file. This article doesn’t cover those steps in detail but at a high-level you’ll need to choose the following settings for the package to work in Moodle:
- Publish for LMS
- SCORM 1.2
- Set your progress/completion tracking (e.g., viewing a percentage of the course or based on a quiz score)
- Set reporting to “Complete/Incomplete”. Regardless of whether there’s a quiz in your course, always set it to “Complete/Incomplete” for reporting purposes. This works best in Moodle.
Do you want to learn more about these settings or about SCORM? Check out Rustici Software’s SCORM information. They’re the “keepers” of SCORM and are the ultimate experts.
Test Your SCORM Zip
Once you have your SCORM zip file it’s important that you test this using an independent testing platform. This is to ensure that the zip package has published correctly and will track completions as you expect. We recommend using SCORM Cloud. Also from Rustici Software, SCORM Cloud is a lightweight, free platform that conforms to all SCORM requirements. It’s the perfect place to upload your course and test the content.
We recommend the following testing:
- Start the course but don’t complete – did the course report “incomplete” back to SCORM Cloud?
- Reset the course and take it again but “fail” it – did the course report “incomplete” and the correct fail score back?
- Reset the course and take it a third time but “pass” – did the course report “complete” and the correct score back?
If you successfully complete the testing and everything reports to SCORM Cloud as it should, you know that the zip file is a working SCORM package. It’s time to take it into Moodle.
Load the SCORM to a Course in Moodle
So you’ve published the content from Rise or Storyline with the recommended settings. You’ve also tested the resulting SCORM Zip with SCORM Cloud. Everything looks good. It’s time to set it up in your course in Moodle. Again, we’re not covering detailed steps in this article but I do want to share the most common settings.
One way to load the SCORM package is by turning editing on in your course in Moodle and then dragging & dropping the SCORM zip onto the course page. However, I don’t recommend using this method. This uses the default settings for SCORM activities which may not be correct. Instead, use the activity chooser to add a SCORM activity. From there, you can upload the zip package and choose the correct settings.
To help, I’ve created a screenshot of the most popular SCORM settings. These are what work for the majority of our clients. You’ll find that screenshot here.
Final Testing
After loading the SCORM activity you need to do more testing in Moodle. I recommend having a test account or two. Enrol your test student accounts into the new course and complete the same testing as on SCORM Cloud (close without completing, failing, and passing). Each time, check the Moodle SCORM reports to ensure the attempt recorded correctly.
What’s Next?
After you’ve completed testing, it’s time to launch your course! We always recommend launching new courses in a pilot first with a few pre-selected end users. Gather their feedback, check the reports to make sure everything works, and implement any changes before doing a full roll-out.
Do you need help with publishing a course, implementing an LMS, or other eLearning-related tasks? We can help! We specialize in all training from analysis to implementation. Reach out to chat with one of our experts!
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