My organization is creating an assessment which needs to be stand alone -- that is, not included within an eLearning course (as a pre-assessment and/or post-assessment). The assessment will be accessible at any time to our learners and can be taken as many times as desired. The content for the assessment will come from an eLearning course which we will also be creating. The assessment will then prescribe the specific eLearning course content that the learner should view.

We also have specific reporting requirements for both the assessment as well as the eLearning course we are looking to track (e.g., if learner A took the assessment, then reviewed the course content and then attempted the assessment again, did his score improve?).

We have been advised that SCORM 2004 supports such an endeavor. Has anyone attempted a similar task with success and remained within SCORM compliance? If so, please share your experience.

What you are describing can be done and has been done using the SCORM standard. A good starting point for you would be to look into purchasing the Rustici SCORM driver:

http://www.rusticisoftware.com

It's basically the SCORM code in simple JavaScript functions that you can call directly to initiate a SCORM session, set a bookmark, track interactions (such as test items, etc.). Rustici Software can help you convert your existing eLearning template(s) into SCORM-compliant SCOs which will track any SCORM variables you specify.

Thank you. Great info!

Jeff P,

You'll probably need some kind of authoring tool to create your assessment too.

Element is right in that any SCORM standard will support your needs for a standalone assessment.

Do you have an LMS? Many of them have a built-in tool for creating assessments that will be automatically integrated for tracking purposes. If you don't have an LMS, it might make sense to buy licenses for a hosted one for this task. Your IT department might try to convince you that they can build a web database system, but if you're already thinking about SCORM, it is doubtful that this will meet your long-term needs, and there are reasonable hosted LMSs out there.

If I can help suggest a suitable LMS, please let me know.

Sheldon Murphy
Solid State Learning
E-Learning Consulting

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sheldon,

I would take the opposite approach and, if I were you, I'd ask myself "Why do I need SCORM"? and "Do I really want to use JavaScript to pass confidential information?

As far as LMS solutions I'd ask myself, "Do I really want to give my confidential employee data to a hosted LMS?" and "How will using a leased LMS fit into my organization's current & planned technology platforms?"

Christie Mason