Forum Discussion
web publishing and bookmarking
We have a homegrown LMS and are beginning to use Xyleme to host our content. We are running into issues with bookmarking in this setup. Here is an example of what we are doing. We have five Storyline files that make up one course. Each of these Storyline files have Javascript on the last page for the purpose of letting Xyleme know when each module has been completed. We are publishing each of the five Storyline files for web use and then upload the published web files into Xyleme Create. From there, we use Xyleme Create to combine the five Storyline files into one web course and publish that web course out as SCORM 1.2 to Xyleme Syndicate. From there, the web course is shared to external client LMSs and also used within our homegrown LMS.
The issues that we are seeing is all around the bookmarking. If the course either gets reset or reassigned, the whole course will start at the beginning. However, once the learner starts the Storyline module, they get the resume/restart. If the learner resumes and the last visited page was the final page on the Storyline course, they get marked complete without ever having to re-take the content.
We are also seeing issues with shared computers and browsers. If learner A completes three Storyline modules out of the five within the web course and then learner B starts their assigned web course on the same computer and browser, learner B gets prompted to resume/restart on the three Storyline modules that were completed by learner A and can skip those modules without viewing the content.
From the research I've done, the Storyline bookmarking is being stored as a value within the browser cache. This bookmarking does not carry over into another browser or computer. The bookmarking also does not distinguish between users. I've been in contact with Xyleme, who has advised that this is a Storyline issue, and I've opened a ticket with Articulate who has advised that I ask here.
So here are my questions
- Is there anyone else who is using Storyline and the Xyleme Create LCMS to create and distribute web courses?
- Is there a way to setup the Storyline files to append a user ID or unique ID to the value within the browser cache to make it unique for each user?
- Is there a way to setup the bookmarking that after 90 days the bookmarking in no longer valid?
The issue that we have is that our content is often used for compliance purposes and we recommend that it be assigned yearly. Our content also is taken by learners who are likely to be using just one computer for training. These factors cause us concern that the bookmarking may become a larger issue as more of our learners consume content through Xyleme.
- SamHillSuper Hero
Hi RachelDavis-7dd it sounds like your courses are currently using cookies to track. These, as you are finding, are localised to a computer, and not associated with a login on the LMS. If you want to use SCORM 1.2 tracking, and ensure that the tracking data is being sent to the Xyleme LMS, then you will need to publish the content as SCORM 1.2 for the LMS and select the required tracking/completion from the publish settings.
What I can tell you, is that it is very uncomment for Storyline to have an issue with tracking on an LMS. I've deployed to many LMS (SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004) and there are generally not any issues. The only issues you might find occasionally is SCORM 2004 and changes needed to the manifest document.
As an LMS provider, the default stance can be to point the finger at the content.
What I would recommend is:
- Ensure the content is published as SCORM 1.2
- Ensure the content is imported in Xyleme LMS as a SCORM 1.2 package
- Confirm that the content is accessed through a unique login/password for each user (this is required to associate the data with an individual user on the LMS).
- Enable SCORM debugging window in your Storyline files
- Locate the file named scormdriver.js
- Edit the following (line:99)
FROM
var SHOW_DEBUG_ON_LAUNCH = false;
TO
var SHOW_DEBUG_ON_LAUNCH = true;
Enabling the SCORM debugging window will launch a pop-up window and will show all of the SCORM communications taking place between the content and the LMS. The most important being, finding the API and running the LMSIinitialize("") method successfully.
Here's what it looks like when it successfully finds the API:
Wed Nov 27 2024 09:57:03 GMT+1100 (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) - SCORM_GrabAPI, returning Wed Nov 27 2024 09:57:03 GMT+1100 (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) - Calling LMSInit
And the kind of message you will see when it fails to find the API:
Wed Nov 27 2024 09:59:01 GMT+1100 (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) - Unable to acquire SCORM API: Wed Nov 27 2024 09:59:01 GMT+1100 (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) - SCORM_objAPI=object Wed Nov 27 2024 09:59:01 GMT+1100 (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) - In InitializeExecuted, blnSuccess=false, strErrorMessage=Error - unable to acquire LMS API, content may not play properly and results may not be recorded. Please contact technical support. Wed Nov 27 2024 09:59:01 GMT+1100 (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) - ERROR - LMS Initialize Failed Wed Nov 27 2024 09:59:01 GMT+1100 (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) - In DisplayError, strMessage=Error - unable to acquire LMS API, content may not play properly and results may not be recorded. Please contact technical support.
- RachelDavis-7ddCommunity Member
Thanks SamHill for the response. I do agree, publishing as SCORM 1.2 or SCORM 2004 would solve our bookmarking issues. However, due to our current eLearning course delivery ecosystem, that is not an option. Our LMS is built internally and depends on the Xyleme LCMS to deliver content packaged as one file. This is why we are needing to use Xyleme to combine our Storyline modules into one course. At this point, what I need is a way to setup Storyline such that the bookmarking within the web publishing works as well as the bookmarking within SCORM. I realize that this is not a usual ask and may not even be possible but I've committed to doing the research.
- SamHillSuper Hero
I'm afraid there are not any simple solutions. You would need to contact your CMS provider. You need to store user tracking data in a database so that it can be persisted between sessions. This is what SCORM provides. Without SCORM, you do not have interoperability and would require a custom solution to be developed for your content.