| Michael Leboeuf, a world renowned business | | | | smoothly with their LMS in order to ensure that |
| author and consultant, said that "a satisfied | | | | their course content functions correctly. There |
| customer is the best business strategy of all." | | | | are many authoring tools on the market, but one |
| How does one arrive at happy LMS customers? | | | | important consideration is that they meet SCORM |
| And how do LMS and courseware users as well | | | | standards. |
| as courseware developers decide on an LMS, and | | | | What exactly is SCORM? Ignore the intimidating |
| become happy customers? Luckily, there are | | | | name that may bring to mind a mix of unpleasant |
| standards to help guide the way, including SCORM. | | | | weather and feelings of contempt. |
| The LMS industry strides alongside globalization, still | | | | In 1999, an initiative was started in an attempt to |
| new, expanding, and full of potential and promise. | | | | facilitate the standardization of learning |
| Competitors include smaller LMS product vendors, | | | | management systems. The Advanced Distributed |
| enterprise resource planning vendors, consulting | | | | Learning initiative, sponsored by the U.S. |
| firms, and training outsourcing firms. | | | | Department of Defense, created a set of |
| But according to the ASTD and the eLearning | | | | specifications called SCORM: the Shareable |
| Guild, LMS buyers widely report dissatisfaction | | | | Content Object Reference Model. |
| with LMS products. Poll respondents noted | | | | Though SCORM 1.1 was the first production |
| problems including high prices and lack of IT | | | | version, SCORM 1.2 was the first widely used and |
| support, integration, and customization. | | | | is still supported by most LMSs today, along with |
| The many shortcomings that the LMS industry | | | | SCORM 2004. |
| needs to overcome make the way for | | | | In summary, SCORM makes life easier for |
| opportunities for smaller product vendors to | | | | everyone involved in the LMS industry--buyers, |
| tackle those problems and compete in the rapidly | | | | providers, users. Say you've finally completed the |
| growing market. An LMS is a big and complicated | | | | process of gathering your instructional materials |
| tool, and requires a great deal of attention to | | | | and you want to upload them to an LMS. A |
| both design accessibility and functionality. | | | | SCORM publisher tool will make the process of |
| Typically it goes like this: courseware developers | | | | uploading simple and fast. Many LMSs allow you to |
| use an authoring tool to create course content. | | | | upload SCORM modules from your desktop with |
| Then the course is hosted on an LMS. Users need | | | | just one click. |
| to choose an authoring tool that integrates | | | | |