Anyone with SCORM issues with Saba 5.4?

Dec 03, 2012

My team recently discovered an issue with the way Storyline's SCORM code works in our Saba LMS (5.4).  My understanding is that Saba follows SCORM exactly and that the issue is likely with Storyline (?).

The problem occurs if I have a course that uses a post-assessment with a minimum score required to pass. There are 2 issues:

1.If a user exits the course before even answering a post-assessment question, the course sends the LMS a score of 0 (instead of "incomplete," as I'm told it's supposed to).

2. If a user FAILS the post-assessment, the correct score is sent, but it still marks the content 'complete' in the user history--as in they completed the course, but were not successful. Reviewing this will show they didn't pass the course, but it should remain 'InProgress'/Unsuccessful in this case.

Both of these issues cause the course to be moved out of the user's 'In Progress' training to their learning history, so they think they finished the course, even though they did not successfully complete the post-assessment.

We found a workaround within the LMS to only mark the content module complete if the score is met, but the end result is still that the code seems to be incorrectly A) sending a score of 0 when the post-assessment has not even been attempted, and B) telling the LMS the course has been completed even if the user didn't pass.

Has anyone experienced this or can shed some light on this issue for me?

Thanks!

34 Replies
Gerry Wasiluk

If you are using SCORM 1.2, follow the attachment below.

As for SCORM 2004, depending on your version of Saba 5.4, SCORM 2004 may not be recommended.  We were on Saba 5.4. SP2 and Saba told us, when pressed, to not use SCORM 2004 with SP2.  Can't remember if they said SP3 or SP4 was better.

I'm currently investigating an issue with SCORM 2004 3rd Edition and Saba 5.5 SP2.  It's kinda ugly.  When it comes to SCORM, Saba does a few things differently than most LMS's.

Help?

Chris Perez

Just read through that doc, Gerry. Wow...apparently you guys know about this "problem" haha!

That solution concerns me, as it requires the developer to edit the imsmanifest every time the course is published (assuming it's going right to the LMS). With multiple developers on my team, that may be asking for trouble if it ever got missed.

But due to the unexpected problem this caused, we found a workaround at the LMS level that you are wlecome to share with anyone that asks.

When creating the offering:

1. Go to the Policies tab.

2. Under Completion Policy, click the radio button 'Override delivery mode level completion policy.'

3. Within the Auto-completion or manual completion sub-section, select the radio button titled 'Offering is marked complete automatically when all learning assignments are marked complete OR if there are no more content attempts available.'

That change did not require any editing within the output files from Storyline to accomplish the same task.

Gerry Wasiluk

Chris Perez said:

I am told by my internal team that Saba follows SCORM standards exactly.


Hey, you made my day with that one.    Saba sometimes has a way of looking at standards and "extending them" to meet their needs.

I managed a Saba LMS for years and was also learning content specialist.  All I can say is most times they (Saba) are spot on; however, every so often with something they program you have to wonder what were they thinking.  Like one coding team wasn't talking to their other coding teams.

Gerry Wasiluk

Chris Perez said:

Just read through that doc, Gerry. Wow...apparently you guys know about this "problem" haha!

That solution concerns me, as it requires the developer to edit the imsmanifest every time the course is published (assuming it's going right to the LMS). With multiple developers on my team, that may be asking for trouble if it ever got missed.

But due to the unexpected problem this caused, we found a workaround at the LMS level that you are wlecome to share with anyone that asks.

When creating the offering:

1. Go to the Policies tab.

2. Under Completion Policy, click the radio button 'Override delivery mode level completion policy.'

3. Within the Auto-completion or manual completion sub-section, select the radio button titled 'Offering is marked complete automatically when all learning assignments are marked complete OR if there are no more content attempts available.'

That change did not require any editing within the output files from Storyline to accomplish the same task.

Cool trick.  We never tried that.  Thanks for sharing.    Wonder if it might work for my 5.5 issue.
Gerry Wasiluk

Hey, Chris!

Quick FYI.  Just tried what your IT folks recommended with a Storyline course in SCORM 1.2 on my clients Saba 5.5 SP1 system.  It worked great. 

However, it did not work at all for a Storyline course SCORM 2004.  Drats :(  Was hoping it might solve my issue as the client wants to use SCORM 2004.

Not liking some of the changes Saba made with SCORM 2004 with Saba 5.5.

Gerry Wasiluk

Chris Perez said:

Glad to hear the 1.2 solution worked! We only use 1.2 so no experience with 2004, but that's a bummer. Would be nice to find a single solution to fix it all.

You can always try to convert those 2004 folks!

I forgot to mention.  I also did apply the Saba fix for SCORM 1.2 from Articulate.

As for switching from SCORM 2004, part of the impetus for that is from me because of this.  Like having the "buffer" of a larger data size for suspend data.

The client also wants to standardize on SCORM 2004 3rd Edition since they have two LMS's, one for internal learning (SAP) and one for external learning (Saba).  The internal LMS only supports SCORM 2004.  Be good to have only one standard to publish for with both LMS's, especially for developers who have to work with both.

Roger Corpas

Gerry Wasiluk said:

If you are using SCORM 1.2, follow the attachment below.

As for SCORM 2004, depending on your version of Saba 5.4, SCORM 2004 may not be recommended.  We were on Saba 5.4. SP2 and Saba told us, when pressed, to not use SCORM 2004 with SP2.  Can't remember if they said SP3 or SP4 was better.

I'm currently investigating an issue with SCORM 2004 3rd Edition and Saba 5.5 SP2.  It's kinda ugly.  When it comes to SCORM, Saba does a few things differently than most LMS's.

Help?


Hello Gerry,

I was not really able to view the document you posted. Any chance you could let me know how to do it?

Thank you

Roger

David Ellison

Looks like I am having same/similar issue with course created in Storyline for a client using Saba 5.5.

However, in parallel, my client got the following response from Saba (see below) and I am wondering which adjustments would be best to make (altering Storyline files or adjusting Saba configuration) and if these changes will deal with issues 2) and 5) cited below by Saba: setting the status to "incomplete" on start up and setting the score to blank rather than zero on start up.

Note we are using SCORM 1.2, have set to pass/incomplete and are using quiz/results page to pass course.

Thanks in advance for thoughts/advice.

...........

I have checked the Improving Our Decision Effectiveness content found that if the learner doesn't succesfully complete, it is not setting "incomplete" status, it has to change it to "Incomplete" as soon as the content is launched, only when learner scores more than mastery score 70, it should change it to completed. If the status is "incomplete", then the content stays in the enrollment as it won't move to transcript as Unsuccessful.

Find below the Saba LMS Behaviour during content communication for both scoring and non-scoring contents

1. Saba LMS set lesson status as "not attempted" when the content launched 2. Content's repsonsiblity to update the lesson status appropriately. The content has to change the lesson status to "Incomplete" as soon as the content is launched 3. For non-scoring content, content has to set the lesson status as "Completed" before exiting the content 4. If the content doesn't set or change the lesson status from "not attempted" to any then Saba LMS will mark the lesson status as Completed 5. For scoring content, both lesson status and learners actual score has to be sent to Saba LMS before exiting the course. The score has to be set to blank when the course is launched and it should not set score to '0'.

Gerry Wasiluk

Hi, David!  Did you try the fixes I outlined in the attached document ahead? you may also be getting bit by Saba "Is scoring" function.

For SCORM 1.2, among other things, it's important that you update one of the update files with a version more "friendly" for Saba.

http://www.articulate.com/support/kb_article.php?product=st1&id=hd0cc4e9mgvm

Peter Anderson

Welcome to the community, Felicia!

Felicia Brown said:

Thank you Gerry and Chris for all of the GREAT information and help that you are providing to everyone!  SABA can be such a pain and having a community to bounce ideas off of or to obtain assistance from is absolutely necessary.  Just wanted to say thanks!

+1 for Gerry and Chris

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