Linking to Presentations from Presentations

Hi! 

Why not just do this as multiple SCOs or can't your system support those?

A couple of resources that may help:  http://daveperso.mediaenglishonline.com/2010/03/25/use-ssp-to-track-multiple-quizzes-and-courses/

http://daveperso.mediaenglishonline.com/2010/09/15/grouping-presentations-with-a-menu-the-easy-way/

What is an "SCO"?

A SCO = Sharable Content Object - a single SCORM object or, usually, a module.

For more:  http://www.eduworks.com/index.php/Publications/Learning-Object-Tutorial/SCORM-Concepts.html

By SCORM rules you can't link from one SCORM file to another. There are some systems (SumTotal) that have API (Application Programming Interfaces) that will allow limited intersco navigation. Most LMS won't support this based on the way SCORM works. SCORM opens a session, does some stuff, then closes the session. There isn't a way to to all of that and cycle to another session (again, in most LMSs).

If you don't need to track these as separate completions you might try collapsing them all into a single module. That gets unruly, but you don't have other options for maintaining a flow (one to the next) in the user experience. Most of the time you have to close one, then launch another from the LMS course menu.

Same is true for AICC in many LMS's.

Like multiple SCOs or AU (for AICC) as a convenience for busy learners in huge courses.  Divide things up into smaller digestible chunks.

I agree. Smaller is the "lesser of evils".

I look at my own attention the same way I did of my classroom students and online students. I imagine nested timers. The first attention timer is the event session tolerance timer. This outside timer starts running the second you engage them in the event session. This timer runs between 15 and 20 minutes (longer if the activity is more compelling, shorter if the activity induces suicidal tendencies) at the expiration of the timer... your learner is done. *ding*

A break can reset the timer. But I find you get diminishing returns if breaks are your only reset.

There is another smaller timer that is the immediate attention. This timer runs for about 15 seconds. A significant event can reset this timer. When this timer runs out without a reset, your learner is done until you reset the timer again. An interaction is an event. An attention getter is an event. A lightbulb going on is an event. A question could be an event. A surprise is definitely an event.

I use these heuristics when delivering content pretty much anywhere. In the classroom we "mini-break" to transition to another mode of discussion, group activity, or subject -- changing gears after a maximum of 15 minutes of one flavor of delivery / demonstration / practice / assessment. The exception is during a test that could take more time. I rely on success events resetting the inner attention timer (and volition to complete the exercise) to drive these activities. It's not mechanical, there are other considerations. But it helps to recognize rambling rabbitholes and prevent premature attention ejection.

I have zero science to base my "timer theory" on. But I think it's a decent and respectful rule of thumb that applies in many situations 

Back to the original subject -- In our experience, once users understand the affordance and process, they aren't bothered by having to close the lesson and return to the lesson list. There's a bonus, in my opinion -- a little bit of satisfaction seeing things get checked off. It's small, but it is there So breaking up the SCO's to small pieces and requiring them to return to the lesson menu in the LMS isn't as bad as you might think (it's not fluid, but people aren't as bugged by it as you might think)

Thanks all. This SCORM thing is new to me. In the past all I had to do was hand the finished module off to the campus computer center. If it didn't work they told me and I fixed it. If it worked I never heard a word about it again.

In addition our computer center treats people they consider outsiders like potential saboteurs and is very tight with feedback and development assistance or cooperation. At the moment it appears that they are so freaked out by the fact that an "outside department" (that's us) has been "hired" to do 20 or so Articulate Presentations (that execute inside their LMS) that they are scrambling to purchase Articulate, the intention apparently being to convince people that they should be doing this work, not us.

So... that is why I am such a naif about SCORM and why I REALLY appreciate all this insightful advice.

Thanks, JP

I have been working on this a bit and now find I have a question about something Steve Flowers said...

"Back to the original subject -- In our experience, once users understand the affordance and process, they aren't bothered by having to close the lesson and return to the lesson list. There's a bonus, in my opinion -- a little bit of satisfaction seeing things get checked off. It's small, but it is there

So breaking up the SCO's to small pieces and requiring them to return to the lesson menu in the LMS isn't as bad as you might think (it's not fluid, but people aren't as bugged by it as you might think)."

I have no theoretical objection to breaking up the training and having the students go back to a menu to move to the next section, but it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to control flow. Students must not be able to jump forward in the lesson plan. That is they must not be able to view Lesson 2 until they have completed Lesson 1 and passed the Lesson 1 Quiz. Can't see Lesson 6 until they've done Lesson 5, etc. They certainly may review lessons they have already completed, but they must not be able to jump forward.

It looks to me as if sending them to a menu page as you suggest will give them unrestricted access to all modules. Is that so or is there something I could do to prevent them doing so?

Controlling traffic flow would be much easier inside a single Articulate Presentation, so I am trying out Simple SCORM Packager. Although I must say for someone with as little SCORM experience as I have, the instructions are amazingly opaque. They provide no conceptual framework of what is being changed or done when you make entries. They do not even define the words being used.

Many LMSs will allow you to enforce order of lesson (SCO) completion within a course. Nearly all of the LMS products I have experience with provide affordances for enforcing order and locking forward access / flow. Might want to check to see if your LMS provides this feature.

Hey, Steve! 

Not sure that is as widespread.  We use Saba and content sequencing--in a multi-module course--is only available with SCORM 2004, which I believe first introduced enforcible content flow (not sure which version of SCORM 2004 since they are so many flavors).  Don't believe AICC ever addressed this.

Then, many LMS's do not support all the versions of SCORM 2004.  For example, we are not supposed to do anything in SCORM 2004, 4th Edition with our version of Saba.

It also pays to see what flavors of AICC and SCORM one's LMS supports and then if there are any "gotchas" with that.  Some implementations of a standard could partially be incomplete.  So I'd never assume anything . . .   

Now if the content is in single courses, some LMS's also support the concept of prerequisities, where you can only take Course B when Course A has been completed.  An ugly approach in some ways, but another option for some.

For us this isn't a function of SCORM. Our LMS doesn't support SCORM 2004, the LMS allows admin to configure lesson level flow logic (must complete in order, must complete all but last before accessing the last, etc..) Pretty simple functions but handy for situations like Jeff's. I've got some limited experience with the administration interface of SumTotal and Plateau. These seemed to support some administrative flow controls as well (though Plateau didn't seem to want to support even the simplest affordances like window launch size configuration). 

It's a handy feature for instances where you want to resequence and enforce order of completion for older courses. We bought our LMS for $7500. Unlimited users and handy launch and track features (but no deep analytics or competency mapping). Mostly happy with it.

Will be moving to an expensive, inflexible, corporate style behemoth soon I fear, so it should be fun to see all the stuff that won't work in the new system Ah the things we take for granted:)

We will probably be leaving Saba soon to another corporate behemoth ourselves.  Our HR senior management wants an integrated HR suite so we are moving from best of breed to SAP for everything HR-related.

Can't wait to see how certifications and e-learning in process gets migrated from Saba to SAP.   As one of the IT folks said recently, she may be ordering "kevlar underwear" for client "happiness" with the changes.