The Development of a Sharable Content Object Reference Model SCORM Best Practices Guide for Instruct

1
The Development of a Sharable Content Object
Reference Model (SCORM) Best Practices Guide for
Instructional Designers

• In Partial Fulfillment
• Of the Requirements for the Degree
• Master of Science
• By Robert Nicholas
• May, 2006

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SCORM Overview

• Objective of SCORM is to provide a standard for
  creating reusable learning content within a
  common technical framework
• Conformance mandated for all distributed learning
  created by or for the DoD
• Aimed to meet the expanding education and
  training needs of government, academia, and
  industry. (Advanced Distributed Learning ADL,
  2004, p. 3)

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SCORM Goals

• Reusable Content is independent of learning
  context and can be used for many different
  learners or training situations and on any number
  of learning management systems, such as
  Blackboard, Web CT or Moodle.

• Interoperable Content functions in multiple
  configurations, and is not dependent on the tools
  that were used to create it. For example,
  courseware would be designed and developed to run
  in a HTML/Flash environment, which is common to
  most computers.

• Durable Content remains viable regardless of
  software system or platform, even if that
  platform is changed or upgraded.

• Adaptable Content can be tailored toward
  individual and organizational needs.

• Accessible - Content is located in some kind of
  repository where it can be accessed in order to
  meet requirements of training or education.

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Instructional Problem

• As SCORM is the de-facto standard for the design
  of distributed learning for the DoD and other
  government agencies (Jones, 2002), there is a
  need for a best practices guide for instructional
  designers.

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Instructional Design Model (ADDIE)

• Analysis
• Design
• Development
• Implementation
• Evaluation

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Instructional Design Model (ADDIE)
Analysis Design Development Implementation Eva
luation

• Initial analysis took place during round-table
  discussion at Distance Learning Coordination
  Committee 2006, Norfolk, VA.
• Secondary analysis in form of survey sent to
  group of DoD instructional designers, either
  employed directly by government or contracted by
  government.
• Results were clear that best practices
  instruction would be beneficial

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Instructional Design Model (ADDIE)

• Composed two learning objectives
• Terminal Objective 1 Learner will understand
  and appreciate SCORM as a technical standard
  designed to save time and financial resources
  (affective valuing).
• Terminal Objective 2 Learner will distinguish
  between good and poor SCORM best practices used
  to design computer based distributive learning
  courseware in order to effectively develop
  distributed learning around SCORM standard
  (cognitive analysis)
• Enabling Objective 1 Learner will differentiate
  between courseware which does and does not meet
  best practice guidelines in regards to context in
  which learning is presented (cognitive
  analysis).
• Enabling Objective 2 Learner will evaluate
  examples of courseware to see if they meet SCORM
  best practices (cognitive evaluation)
• Enabling Objective 3 Learner will demonstrate
  ways to put learning into contextual terms that
  will facilitate reusability (cognitive
  application).
• Created storyboards for lesson

Analysis Design Development Implementation Eva
luation

• Initial analysis took place during round-table
  discussion at Distance Learning Coordination
  Committee 2006, Norfolk, VA.
• Secondary analysis in form of survey sent to
  group of DoD instructional designers, either
  employed directly by government or contracted by
  government.
• Results were clear that best practices
  instruction would be beneficial

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Instructional Design Model (ADDIE)

• Composed two learning objectives
• Terminal Objective 1 Learner will understand
  and appreciate SCORM as a technical standard
  designed to save time and financial resources
  (affective valuing).
• Terminal Objective 2 Learner will distinguish
  between good and poor SCORM best practices used
  to design computer based distributive learning
  courseware in order to effectively develop
  distributed learning around SCORM standard
  (cognitive analysis)
• Enabling Objective 1 Learner will differentiate
  between courseware which does and does not meet
  best practice guidelines in regards to context in
  which learning is presented (cognitive
  analysis).
• Enabling Objective 2 Learner will evaluate
  examples of courseware to see if they meet SCORM
  best practices (cognitive evaluation)
• Enabling Objective 3 Learner will demonstrate
  ways to put learning into contextual terms that
  will facilitate reusability (cognitive
  application).
• Created storyboards for lesson

Analysis Design Development Implementation Eva
luation

• Developed block of multimedia instruction on
  SCORM best practices.
• Utilized combination of PowerPoint and
  Macromedia Flash interaction
• Had content checked by two subject matter
  experts, made appropriate changes based on their
  suggestions
• Often had difficulty using PowerPoint to deliver
  this type of instruction

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Instructional Design Model (ADDIE)
Analysis Design Development Implementation Eva
luation

• Implemented instruction
• 11 out of 16 individuals who took part in
  analysis survey participated in instruction
• Minor problem with version compatibility
• Participants were asked to fill out a
  post-instructional survey

• Developed block of multimedia instruction on
  SCORM best practices.
• Utilized combination of PowerPoint and
  Macromedia Flash interaction
• Had content checked by two subject matter
  experts, made appropriate changes based on their
  suggestions
• Often had difficulty using PowerPoint to deliver
  this type of instruction

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Instructional Design Model (ADDIE)
Analysis Design Development Implementation Eva
luation

• Formative Evaluation
• 81 of participants rated instruction as helpful
  or extremely helpful
• Realize that I could probably have made
  instruction more basic
• Summative Evaluation
• Overall, instruction seemed to meet learning
  objectives
• Knowledge of SCORM best practices and assigned
  value to SCORM as a standard showed improvement

• Implemented instruction
• 11 out of 16 individuals who took part in
  analysis survey participated in instruction
• Minor problem with version compatibility
• Participants were asked to fill out a
  post-instructional survey

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Since taking this instruction, how do you feel
your attitude toward implementing SCORM into your
instructional design has changed?
Selected pre-instructional and post-instructional
survey answers.
How would you rate your level of comfort in
designing a lesson around SCORM specifications?
How would you rate your familiarity with the
Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)
and its standards as it relates to your job?
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Conclusions

• SCORM is a beneficial standard that is growing in
  acceptance in popularity
• Designing around SCORM is not difficult
• Instructional designers would benefit from
  training in SCORM best practices

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References

• Advanced Distributed Learning (2004).Sharable
  Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) 2004 2nd
  Edition Overview Alexandria, VA Advanced
  Distributed Learning.
• Jones, E. (2002). Implications of SCORM and
  emerging e-learning standards on engineering
  education. Paper presented at 2002 ASEE
  Gulf-Southwest Annual Conference, Lafayette, LA.
  Retrieved March. 30, 2006, from Texas AM
  University-Corpus Christi Web site
  http//falcon.tamucc.edu/ejones/papers/ASEE02.pdf

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