LMS and Content Conversion Tools for Multiple Standards

LMS and Content Conversion Tools for Multiple Standards Mike Rustici Software, LLC www. scorm. com info@scorm. com +1 -866 -49 -SCORM Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Who We Are • • • Software development company Founded by veterans of the e-learning industry Unique blend of both content and LMS development experience Exclusively focused on SCORM and other learning standards Active members of the ADL community Successfully worked with dozens of clients Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Our Services • • • LMS Implementation Content Conversion Tool Development Training Consulting Dispute Resolution / Mediation Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Our Philosophy for Conversion • • • Abstract complexities Consolidate standards support using a single code base Constantly improve Bend, but don’t break to accommodate varying interpretations Provide extensibility to accommodate outliers Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Philosophy – Abstract Complexities • Clients should not have to learn intricate details of standards • We have a proprietary method for interacting with SCORM and other learning standards that empowers the content author / LMS developer by abstracting the complexities of learning standards Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Philosophy – Abstract Complexities • Work in concepts familiar to learning developers • Give a basic overview and provide a black box to integrate with • Provide source code, best practice examples and training Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Philosophy – Consolidate Standards Support Using a Single Code Base • Program against real world concepts that can easily be translated to standards • Use terms and concepts familiar to e-learning developers • Data models are close enough to enable translation Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Philosophy – Constantly Improve • Create solutions that go beyond the standards in an effort to overcome our clients’ problems • Integrate solutions to common problems back into common code base • Leverage experience from all of our clients • Tools have been proven to be highly reliable and have been certified in multiple applications Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Philosophy – Bend, But Don’t Break to Accommodate Varying Interpretations • The standards are an excellent base from which to bring together content and learning management systems. They do not, however, solve every problem • Every vendor implements pieces of the standards differently • Standards cannot address every situation • Don’t bicker, solve the problem • Resolving compatibility issues is important. Products include significant logging and debugging capabilities Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Philosophy – Provide Extensibility to Accommodate Outliers • Standards are great, but companies still need to differentiate themselves • Integration through high-level learning concepts, allows easy support for new or proprietary standards Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Rustici Software’s Products • We offer two products that embody these philosophies • Content – SCORM Driver (formerly RSECA) • LMS – SCORM Engine (formerly SCORM Content Player or SCP) • Benefits of using these products include: • Faster time to market • Higher quality end product • Easier upgrades Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Driver • Rapidly convert existing content • After performing a single conversion, content will conform to SCORM 1. 1, SCORM 1. 2, SCORM 2004 and AICC simultaneously • Easy to integrate using intuitive Java. Script functions • No knowledge of the underlying standards needed Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Driver – Abstract Complexities • SCORM Driver interface is simple Java. Script functions • Complexities are handled internally • Developer only needs to focus on functionality, not implementation • Function Examples – “Get. Bookmark”, “Set. Score”, “Set. Passed”, “Set. Reached. End”, “Get. Student. Name” Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Driver – Abstract Complexities Start / Finish functions Time Tracking State Functions Start () Finish () Suspend () Time. Out () Unload () Set. Reached. End () Concede. Control() Get. Previously. Accumulated. Time () Get. Session. Accumulated. Time () Set. Session. Time (int. Milliseconds) Pause. Time. Tracking () Resume. Time. Tracking () Get. Max. Time. Allowed () Display. Message. On. Timeout () Exit. On. Timeout () Get. Status () Set. Passed () Set. Failed () Reset. Status () Get. Entry. Mode () Get. Lesson. Mode () Get. Taking. For. Credit () Testing Storing and Retrieving General Data Get. Student. ID () Get. Student. Name () Set. Bookmark (str. Bookmark) Get. Bookmark () Set. Data. Chunk (str. Data) Get. Data. Chunk () Get. Launch. Data () Write. Comment (str. Comment) Get. Comments () Get. LMSComments () Get. Passing. Score () Set. Score (int. Score, int. Max. Score, int. Min. Score) Get. Score () Record. Multiple. Choice. Interaction (str. ID, str. Response, bln. Correct, str. Correct. Response) Objectives Set. Objective. Status (str. Objective. ID, Lesson_Status) Get. Objective. Status (str. Objective. ID) Set. Objective. Score (str. Objective. ID, int. Score, int. Max. Score, int. Min. Score) Get. Objective. Score (str. Objective. ID) Preferences Utilities Is. Loaded () Write. To. Debug (str. Info) Show. Debug. Window () Get. Last. Error. Desc () Commit. Data () Set. Audio. Preference (Play. Preference, int. Percent. Of. Max. Volume) Get. Audio. Play. Preference () Get. Audio. Volume. Preference () Set. Language. Preference (str. Language) Get. Language. Preference () Set. Speed. Preference (int. Percent. Of. Max) Get. Speed. Preference () Set. Text. Preference (int. Preference) Get. Text. Preference () Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Driver – Consolidate Standards Support Using a Single Code Base • Support multiple standards after performing a single conversion Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Driver – Constantly Improve • Integrate support for new interpretations into the common code base • Monitor community and actual practice for misinterpretations • Customers leverage the experience of a much wider community dramatically improving compatibility Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Driver – Bend, But Don’t Break to Accommodate Varying Interpretations • Make every effort possible to accommodate varying interpretations and implementations • Some examples • • • Interaction Result Formatting Concede Control Forced Commits Exit types – default to “suspend”, avoid “logout” Flexibility in parsing AICC messages Magic Time Interval • Robust debugging and logging functionality Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Driver – Provide Extensibility to Accommodate Outliers • Our flexible architecture allows new or proprietary standards to be integrated on demand Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Driver – Case Study: Red. Hawk (www. ethicscoach. com) Red. Hawk offers complete, one-stop ethics and compliance programs. They deliver code of conduct development, both online and instructor-led courses, Board of Director resources, consulting and a full spectrum of coaching and training materials delivered via poster, newsletter, and internet streaming technology. Their clients include Sony, Merck, Sara Lee, Halliburton and Kellogg. • In response to customer demand for SCORM conformance, Red. Hawk used the SCORM Driver to quickly convert their existing library. • As sales increased, Red. Hawk experienced a greater demand for AICC conformance and used a SCORM Driver extension to achieve AICC conformance with no additional coding. • One of Red. Hawk’s clients uses a proprietary LMS which requires custom integration. Rustici Software developed a new SCORM Driver extension to accommodate the client without requiring any changes to Red. Hawk’s content. Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Driver – Case Study: Articulate (www. articulateglobal. com) With customers in more than 40 countries, Articulate® is the world leader in rapid elearning and communications. Articulate is dedicated to providing powerful, intuitive technologies that enable organizations to train and communicate rapidly, widely and effectively with everyone involved in success. That's what Articulate is all about -- putting the power of advanced technology for knowledge transfer in the hands of everyone with the knowledge and need to communicate. Their goal is to ensure that you can train, motivate, inform and persuade today the • Articulate Presenter and Quizmaker are industry leading tools for rapid e-learning development • Articulate’s products already output SCORM and AICC conformant content, however they wanted to ensure that their products were the absolute best of breed • Articulate integrated the SCORM Driver into its products to unify its standards code and to ensure the broadest possible compatibility for the thousands of users of its products people who will move your company forward. Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Rustici Software’s SCORM Engine • Rapidly converting existing LMS’s • Essentially a plug-in component for LMS products • LMS will be able to deliver SCORM 1. 1, SCORM 1. 2, SCORM 2004 and AICC content • Easy to integrate using a discrete set of integration points Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Abstract Complexities • The SCORM Engine is “LMS-agnostic” • A well defined set of integration points based on common learning terms facilitates integration • Some integration points include • “Course” association • “Assignment” association • Progress rollup Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Consolidate Standards Support Using a Single Code Base • Some integration work and code is required • This integration is completely separated from core player logic to facilitate updates • The existing LMS only interacts with a well-defined API • Completely skin-able to seamlessly blend with existing products Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Constantly Improve • Includes solutions to many common problems • Multi-lingual / multi-cultural capabilities • Two solutions to the cross domain scripting problem: • Document. domain manipulation • Run-time service on the content server • Other features: • • Completely client-side sequencing engine Non-blocking tunable server communications Robust sequencing look-ahead algorithms Intelligent blocked state error messages • Several deployment configurations • Optimized support for major databases • Many, many more features Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Bend, But Don’t Break to Accommodate Varying Interpretations • Many common compatibility issues already solved • Debugging features include: • • API call logs Sequencing function trace logs Detailed pseudo-code trace logs Imperfect manifest warnings Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Bend, But Don’t Break to Accommodate Varying Interpretations • Numerous course-level configuration settings to deal with less than perfect content and to optimize content delivery • • Window sizing Delivery method – frameset vs. new window Control availability Rudimentary (as opposed to “simple”) sequencing for 1. 2 Parameters can be set through proprietary metadata extensions When possible, settings are based on emerging standards Gracefully handles slightly imperfect manifests Allows for the importation of individual objects to facilitate LCMS behavior Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Bend, But Don’t Break to Accommodate Varying Interpretations Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Provide Extensibility to Accommodate Outliers • Extensibility is harder to quantify • Able to support a very wide variety of LMS features, requirements and implementation styles • Everything that is not core functionality is implemented in the integration layer • Integration layer methods all accept custom configuration information allowing their implementation to be based on whichever factors the LMS developers deem necessary. Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Case Study : Health. Stream • Enhanced their HLC LMS to support SCORM 1. 2 • • Healthstream (www. healthstream. com) Health. Stream, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSTM), based in Nashville, TN, is the leading provider of e-learning solutions to the healthcare industry. Healthcare organizations use Health. Stream's e-learning solutions to improve learning, increase compliance, and enhance organizational effectiveness for nurses, technicians, staff workers, physicians, and all clinical and non-clinical healthcare employees throughout the enterprise. Pharmaceutical and medical device companies use Health. Stream's e-learning solutions to launch educational programs and reach healthcare professionals. Content providers use Health. Stream's elearning solutions to expand the reach of their programs worldwide. • About to release update to support 2004 • • LMS certified by ADL auditor remarked it was their smoothest certification ever Passed certification on first attempt. LMS supports over 1. 1 million users and 40, 000 daily course completions Simple conversion using SCORM Engine updates provided by Rustici Software Many return engagements to convert content libraries • Converted more than 650 courses in under 2 months for Tenet Hospitals after their failed efforts at supporting SCORM Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Case Study : Health. Stream • Health. Stream takes full advantage of the power of the SCORM Engine • Cross domain solutions allow for highly efficient content delivery over the Akamai network • Custom configuration information allows the HLC to scale horizontally across multiple web farms database servers in geographically dispersed data centers • Custom configuration allows the HLC to provide annotations on internally produced SCORM content Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Case Study: United States Marine Corps • • Recognized the value of a solution pre-built by an experienced vendor Had to overcome numerous challenges: • • United States Marine Corps The Marine Corps College of Continuing Education (CCE) provides a variety of Distance Education and Training opportunities for all Marines. Their online learning management system, Marine. Net, provides both military and civilian education to all Marines wherever they are stationed, while their worldwide seminar program supports the Officer Professional Military Education (PME) distance education programs (DEP). • • • Worldwide content delivery network Provide disconnected access to Marines on the battle field Content from numerous vendors Limited bandwidth over satellite connections Adhere to DODI 1322. xx SCORM Engine met all of the demanding requirements out of the box Provided the most cost-effective solution with the least risk So impressed with the product that another license was procured for the entire Department of the Navy Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Case Study: SDA Studio • • SDA Studio (www. sdakft. hu) SDA Studio is based in Budapest, Hungry. With over 70% of the market share, their Neptun. NET platform is the leading LMS in that country. • Market demand in Eastern Europe demanded SCORM conformance Working remotely across time-zones, languages and cultures we fully integrated the SCORM Engine in a matter of a couple weeks Fully internationalized the SCORM Engine to work in Hungry and another cultures Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

SCORM Engine – Case Study: SDA Studio Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com

Questions? Mike Rustici Software, LLC www. scorm. com info@scorm. com +1 -866 -49 -SCORM Learning. Standards. Systems. www. scorm. com