Reach 360: A Quick and Easy Way to Deliver Training
Do you need a way to train contractors, partners, franchises, or other learners who can’t access your LMS? Or maybe your LMS doesn’t work well on mobile devices, and the people you need to train don’t have access to computers.Whatever the reason for needing another way to reach learners, Reach 360 can help. What is Reach 360, you ask? It’s our fast, flexible, frictionless LMS that allows you to: Publish and share your Storyline 360, Rise 360, or third-party training with learners in minutes. Track and analyze learner activity with easy-to-read, exportable reports. Manage variable training needs with flexible pricing based on the number of active learners. Watch this video to learn more: Want to dig even deeper? Check out these articles: How to Share & Track E-Learning with Reach 360 4 Times to Share Your Course with Reach 360 4 Reasons Your Learners Will Love Taking Training Hosted on Reach 360 7 Ways to Enroll Learners in Online Training with Reach 360 If you’re already an Articulate 360 subscriber and want to try Reach 360 for yourself, ask your account admin to activate it for you. And if you’re new to both Articulate 360 and Reach 360 and are looking for an easy way to create and deliver training, start a free trial.An Introduction to xAPI
When you’re getting started with e-learning, getting to know some of the basic terminology can be confusing, particularly the arena of e-learning standards. Standards are critical to understand, but they sure aren’t sexy. E-learning uses standards such as SCORM andxAPIto ensure that different kinds of online learning content can be tracked and reported to a learning management platform. SCORM was designed to make sure that online learning courses could pass basic info, such as score and completion status to a learning management system (LMS).xAPI was developed on the same basic concept but takes it a step further. To help folks get comfortable with e-learning standards, we wrote this handy introduction to SCORM, and pretty quickly we heard requests to do an explainer on xAPI. At E-Learning Heroes, your wish is our command! Here’s what you need to know. What is xAPI? xAPI is an application programming interface (hence API) that allows different types of learning activities to be tracked in a central location. Let’s first define “application programming interface.” An API is a protocol that lets different software programs communicate and share information with each other. For example, when you set up Twitter to automatically update your Facebook account each time you post a tweet, Twitter is sending info to Facebook via its API. While SCORM is specifically a set of standards that allows e-learning courses and LMSs to communicate, xAPI is an API that allows other software to track many different types of learning activities. xAPI still allows you to use uniform standards for e-learning to communicate information from e-learning courses to LMSs. But it also enables you to store different types of learning experiences in what’s called a learning record store (LRS). This broader definition of e-learning standards makes room for innovation in what kinds of learning activities can be tracked. For example, an LMS could employ xAPI to create a browser extension that allows learners to track what articles, videos, or other content they’ve consumed through their browser. That means you can report learning that occurs outside of the LMS back to the LMS. Cool, right? How Do ArticulateApps Work with xAPI? So I bet you’re wondering, how do I know if I can or should publish to xAPI? You can publish toxAPI if your LMS supports it. And if your LMS supports xAPI, we do recommend publishing to that standard. We generally find that course authors get the best results by publishing to the most current standard supported by their LMS. If you’re creating e-learning with Articulate authoring apps, it’s a cinch to create xAPI–compliant content. Learn more here: Implementing xAPI to Support Articulate Content Publishing Storyline 360 Content for xAPI More Resources Dying to learn more about the xAPI? The xAPI website has tons of great resources. We’d recommend getting started with these: What Is xAPI? What Does xAPI Let You Do?A Quick Introduction to LMS and LRS Standards
There are a few common reasons why folx go looking for information on Learning Management System (LMS) or Learning Record Store (LRS) standards. If you’re one of them, maybe you’re doing your due diligence to make sure your course will work with a specific LMS or LRS. Or maybe you’ve come across some cryptic references to e-learning standards (cmi5 is what exactly?) and want an easy-to-understand explanation. No matter what brought you here, you’re in the right place. This article is all about giving you the plainspoken lowdown on LMS/LRS standards and why they’re important. Along the way we’ll unpack a few acronyms (specifically, AICC, SCORM, xAPI, and cmi5) and give you a little history lesson, too. Ready? Let’s get to it! What are LMS/LRS standards and why do we need them? Organizations use LMSs and LRSs mainly to track learner data like course completions and quiz scores. As you can imagine, there are lots of different ways to share data between digital systems. Without an agreed-upon process, your course could end up sharing data in a way that your LMS or LRS can’t understand. This is where LMS/LRS standards come in. Each standard (AICC, SCORM, xAPI, cmi5) is essentially a shared language for communicating with an LMS or LRS. Having standards ensures that, no matter the authoring app or LMS/LRS you’re using, information can be shared without any fuss or complicated coding. If you’re using an LMS that’s integrated with your authoring app—like Reach 360 is with Storyline 360 and Rise 360—you don’t have to worry about these standards because your course files and LMS all work together automatically. And if you have an Articulate 360 subscription, don’t forget that it now includes the Reach 360 Starter plan, so you can use it to share training with up to 300 learners a year at no additional cost! However, if you’re using an LMS/LRS that isn't integrated with your authoring app, you need to know which standard to publish to. In the world of e-learning, there are four common standards: AICC, SCORM, xAPI, and cmi5. Let’s take a closer look at each one. AICC The oldest e-learning standard, AICC (which stands for Aviation Industry Computer-based Training Committee), was created in 1988 to ensure that aviation training could be designed, delivered, and evaluated across various computer-based training platforms. Eventually, the specs in the AICC standard became popular outside the aviation industry. The AICC dissolved in 2014 due to declining membership and the rise of other e-learning standards. Although the AICC standard is no longer evolving, it’s still fairly common for authoring apps and hosting platforms to be AICC-compliant. Many organizations have useful legacy training content that was originally published as AICC, so they look for LMS platforms that allow them to host that content and authoring apps that allow them to maintain that content. Before the AICC dissolved, the committee started working on a new standard called cmi5, which I’ll highlight in just a bit. SCORM SCORM, which stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model, was released in 2001. Despite its age, it’s still an industry standard that defines how to package course content so that LMSs can recognize it and extract information about learner activity. The SCORM standard in all its iterations has proven to be a catalyst for broad adoption of e-learning. However, as we saw with AICC, standards need to continuously evolve to meet the ever-changing landscape of modern technology—like cloud computing and mobile devices. While SCORM specifies how courses and LMSs should communicate, it does so in ways that are a bit out of date. Another common complaint about SCORM is that it only tracks a limited amount of information about learner activity—like completion, scoring, and quiz interactions. If authors want to track more detailed information about the learner experience—like which links learners clicked or if they tend to get stuck in a specific part of the course—they can’t. Ultimately, these limitations gave rise to the creation of xAPI. Learn more: A Quick Introduction to SCORM xAPI When xAPI came out in 2013, it was billed by many as a replacement for SCORM. Unlike SCORM, which only tracks how learners interact with courses on an LMS, xAPI tracks a broader array of learning activities and experiences across a wide variety of platforms—from mobile apps, video games, and Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality training simulators to enterprise systems like talent management and help desk applications—using an LRS. In theory, this allows e-learning pros to track almost anything, anywhere, opening up tons of possibilities for gathering and analyzing more meaningful and performance-oriented data. However, in practice it can be complicated to implement, since you have to manually define everything you want to track and how. Not to mention that very few systems outside of the Learning and Development (L&D) industry have adopted this standard or are even aware of it, so the tracking possibilities aren’t quite as extensive as you might think. Learn more: An Introduction to xAPI cmi5 Although cmi5 sounds like the name of a Star Wars droid or a top-secret espionage organization, it’s far less exotic. Cmi5 is the most recent e-learning standard, released by ADL after the AICC dissolved. To create cmi5, they basically took xAPI and added rules specific to e-learning content to make it easier for course authors to set up. In short, like xAPI, cmi5 tracks and records learning experiences wherever and whenever they happen—course creators just don’t have to do as much mental gymnastics to get it to work. For this reason, many e-learning pros tout it as the preferred option for tracking, calling it the best of both worlds. More Learning Does all of this sound like an L&D version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? If AICC is out of date, SCORM is too constrained, and xAPI lacks definition, does that mean the cmi5 standard is just right? In case your head is spinning, here’s a table that recaps the basic use cases for each of the four standards: Standard LMS or LRS? Use Case AICC LMS Legacy e-learning courses with basic tracking needs like completion, scoring, and quiz interactions. SCORM LMS E-learning courses that don’t require tracking beyond completion, scoring, and quiz interactions. xAPI LMS and LRS Learning experiences that extend beyond e-learning courses and require highly detailed, customized tracking—via an LRS. Note that xAPI was designed to record general experiences, with a light focus on e-learning content. cmi5 LMS Learning experiences that extend beyond e-learning courses and require highly detailed, customized tracking—via an LMS. Note that cmi5 includes special functions specifically tailored to e-learning content. I don’t know about you, but I take comfort in knowing that our industry has a rich history of evolving standards. For almost thirty years, L&D folks have been working hard to create and iterate standards that give practitioners the tools they need to help their orgs keep pace with today’s learners. Want to learn more about the hosting platforms that use these standards? Here are a few resources to check out: All About Learning Management Systems (LMSs) An Introduction to LRSsHow To Share & Track E-Learning With Reach 360
If you’re looking for a faster and easier way to share your e-learning courses with learners, look no further! With Reach 360—our frictionless LMS—you can share your online training courses with a wider audience in minutes, no matter which apps you’ve created them with. Let’s look at how easy it is to deliver content to learners and analyze the impact of your training using Reach 360. 1. Activate Reach 360 If you have an Articulate 360 subscription but haven’t tried Reach 360, start by asking your account admin to activate it for you. If you already have access, you can skip this step. 2. Submit Courses for Admin Approval As a course author, once you’ve finished building your course and want to share it with learners, you’ll submit it to Reach 360. To submit a course created in an Articulate app—Storyline 360 or Rise 360—open the project, select Publish, and choose Reach 360. Storyline 360 Rise 360 Choose the completion parameters and other settings—such as enabling a course completion certificate for learners to download. Storyline 360 Rise 360 Once you’re done making your selections, click Submit to complete the submission process. If you have admin access, you can review and publish it in Reach 360. If you don’t, your Articulate 360 Teams admin will take care of that. Either way, the native integration makes publishing courses easy and stress-free. If you have a course that wasn’t created in Articulate 360 apps—such as purchased content or legacy courses built with other platforms—no problem! Your admin can easily import third-party training into Reach 360 by following these easy steps. 3. Enroll Learners After the admin publishes the course, they can enroll learners individually, using groups, importing a CSV file, or by creating a sign-up link for individuals or for groups so learners can enroll themselves. Once a learner is enrolled, they’ll receive an email notification. If they’re logged into Reach 360, they can access the course via the link in their email or from the Learn dashboard wherever and whenever they need it. Email Learn Dashboard 4. Track Learner Activity Once learners start taking the course, admins can review and analyze their activity to see the impact of the training. They can view reports at the learner, group, and content level. And for even deeper analytics or to share the information with others, admins can easily export Reach 360 data. Wrap-Up Reach 360 makes it faster and easier to deliver e-learning courses to more learners and effortlessly track and analyze the impact of your training. Want to learn more about Reach 360? Check out these articles: Announcing Reach 360: A Quick & Easy Way to Deliver Training 4 Times to Share Your Course with Reach 360 4 Reasons Your Learners Will Love Taking Training Hosted on Reach 360 7 Ways to Enroll Learners in Online Training with Reach 360 Looking for an easy way to create and deliver training, but Reach 360 isn’t activated on your Articulate 360 subscription? Reach out to your admin and ask them to turn it on. And if you don’t have Articulate 360 or Reach 360, start a free 30-day trial. And remember to subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest product updates, e-learning examples, and expert advice sent directly to your inbox.A Quick Introduction to SCORM
SCORM is one of those e-learning terms you probably hear all the time. But you may not know that it’s an acronym for the Sharable Content Object Reference Model—and yep, that’s a mouthful! Here’s what you need to know about it. SCORM is a standard for making sure e-learning courses and learning management systems (LMSs) can communicate with each other. It includes a set of technical specifications that ensure e-learning courses can report information to an LMS, relaying whether the learner completed the course, how they did on a quiz, and so on. Basically, if authoring software can export content that’s SCORM-compatible, you’ll be able to use it in a SCORM-compatible LMS. Originally sponsored by the Department of Defense to make sure different e-learning courses created by various developers would work on all their LMS platforms, SCORM quickly became the software standard for the whole industry. But it’s not the only one out there. AICC and TinCan (also known as xAPI) are other standards widely used in the e-learning industry. Creating SCORM-Compatible Content with Articulate Software If you use Articulate authoring tools, it’s simple to publish courses to conform with the SCORM standard. You can find those details here: Storyline 360 User Guide Tips Storyline 3 User Guide Tips Rise 360 FAQs Studio 360 User Guide Tips And we’ve got tons more resources on working with LMSs to help you master this terminology: Find more details on making sure your Articulate courses will work with your LMS in this guide. See how you can troubleshoot LMS issues with SCORM Cloud. And find out even more about LMSs in this detailed series. If your current LMS is clunky, hard to use, or difficult for learners to access, then check out Reach 360 from Articulate. This fast, flexible, frictionless LMS simplifies every part of getting great training out to the people who need it. And because you can publish your courses to it directly from Rise 360 and Storyline 360, it takes no extra work at all to ensure your course and Reach 360 communicate with each other perfectly.
