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Special shoutout to Andrew Contreras (Senior Premium Support Advisor) for his aid in compiling this guide. Andrew also hosted a session with Daniel Sowter (Customer Success Manager - Enterprise) called “Tips for Successful Course Design & Tracking: SCORM, AICC, xAPI, Video, etc.” at Docebo Inspire 2023. This session will be available with the on-demand pass.

 

If you’re an LMS admin, you’ve heard the term “SCORM” before–probably so many times you’re tired of hearing it. But what is a SCORM?

 

SCORM stands for “Sharable Content Object Reference Model”, and describes a set of technical standards for eLearning content that include packaging and data exchanges. A SCORM file is a piece of learning content created to these specifications.

 

When training materials meet the standards of the SCORM format, they can be uploaded directly to platforms that accept SCORMs–including Docebo Learn! Because of this, SCORMs are an essential part of many online learning programs.

 

This means if you are having trouble with SCORM performance, it can be a huge blocker for a learning experience. We want to help share how to avoid these obstacles by publishing SCORM content that plays seamlessly and gets your learners the information they need, when they need it.

 

Guide Table of Contents


 

Exporting your SCORM (in Articulate Rise360)

When it comes to exporting your SCORM, the settings will determine key behavior that will affect the learning experience.

 

Docebo’s Education Team uses Articulate Rise360 to publish SCORM content in the Docebo University platform. Below are some of the key settings selected prior to exporting content into the SCORM format.

While you may use different SCORM authoring software, a look into these settings can give you a better idea of how to set up a SCORM export to interact with Learn LMS.

 

Knowledge Check / Quiz Settings

  • Passing Score: 80%
  • Require Passing Score to Continue: Yes
  • Quiz Retries: Unlimited 
  • Include in Lesson Count: On
  • Continue Button Style: Standard Next Lesson

 

Other Publish Settings

  • LMS: SCORM 1.2
  • Tracking: Track using course completion - 100%
  • Reporting: Passed/Incomplete
  • Exit Course Link: Off
  • Hide Cover Page: Off
  • Reset Learner Progress: Off

 

 

Standardizing access across all users

Docebo offers a variety of ways users can access the platform, allowing users to take advantage of course material. The following tips are important to practice in order to ensure a smooth experience for learners:


How to ensure standardization

Various methods can be used to help users understand the preferred standards for accessing course content. Here are some options:

  • A Course Description widget outlining System Requirements to your users
     
  • An acknowledgment using an HTML Training Material at the start of a Course
     
  • A video-based course to cover user requirements
     
  • A dedicated landing or banner using Page Widgets 
    • i.e. custom HTML widget with images and/or links

 

Course Description Example

Please note when trying to access course content:

 

Supported Browsers (latest version) - 

  • Microsoft Edge
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Google Chrome (preferred)
  • Safari

** For the most optimal experience on  tablets or smartphones, download our approved Go.Learn app or inquire about our Branded Mobile App **

 

Supported Operating System -

  • iOS 12.4 (or higher)
  • Android 9.0 (or higher)


More detailed information: https://help.docebo.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021001819-Docebo-Learn-System-Requirements

 

 

Diagnosing problems

Despite our best efforts, errors are an unavoidable part of online learning. At some point, a SCORM you authored will probably do something unexpected. There are some steps you can take to begin troubleshooting the problem:

  • Replicate: Access the SCORM and see if the behavior is the same for you as a Superadmin. If that doesn’t replicate the issue…
     
  • Simulate the user environment: Impersonate a user level learner via User Management.
     
  • Test and confirm where the problem may be coming from:
    • Browser - type, extensions, version, incognito 
    • Device - mobile or laptop
    • Network Settings - HAR file
    • 3rd party tests, like Scorm Cloud 
    • Activating SCORM Debugging 

 

What is a HAR file? A HAR (HTTP Archive)...

  • Logs all network requests and responses made by a web browser 
  • Helps with debugging 
  • Is vital for SAAS Support investigations

 

Information captured in a HAR includes:

  • HTTP Requests
  • HTTP Responses
  • Timing Information
  • Cookies
  • Cache data
  • Page Load intel
    ​​​​

For more information, please visit Docebo Community’s guide on creating a HAR file or Docebo University’s course on resolving platform problems.

 

 

Additional Troubleshooting Tips

In addition to the above guidelines, you can also try the following:

  • Turn off pop-ups
     
  • Enable JavaScript
     
  • Enable third-party cookies
     
  • Verify that the published version is compatible with Learn LMS
     
  • Review your authoring tool’s website/community for specific troubleshooting tips, i.e. Articulate Rise360’s discussion board.

 

QA Checklist

  • Did the learner complete all actions and requirements of the course?
     
  • Double-check course completion settings in the original file from the authoring tool.
     
  • Superadmin joining a call with the affected user to witness the issue live to obtain steps to replicate
     
  • What does the course report say for the user? Review for this learner, but also see if there are other learner’s experiencing same issue
     
  • Was the course tested using HTML before being added to the LMS?
     
  • Was the course tested in Scorm Cloud? This can be a great way to isolate issues from an LMS.


 

Whew, that’s a lot of stuff to check! But if you are attentive to how your SCORM is exported and are aware of how to diagnose a problem, you can save a lot of time down the line for you and your users.

 

Do you have your own SCORM exporting and/or troubleshooting tips? Comment below!

Question, is there are reason as to why the setting must be 1.2 for the SCORM pack? Does it only have to be set at 1.2? Thanks!


Hey @archoll72!

Rise360 offers several options for exporting as SCORM for LMS. 
Version 1.2 happens to be the default and first listed option. It’s also within Docebo’s requirement / standards for importing SCORM content.

When going to Publish, under the section titled “LMS”:

 

Docebo’s KB mentions the SCORM versions the platform accepts (1.2 and 2004, 3rd Edition). 
The main differences noted that 1) 2004 3rd Edition allows for more CMI data, 2) although at the cost of sequencing.

Hope these insights help!


Hi everyone,
Concerning the CMI Data Limit. Did I understand correctly that the CMI Data Limit refers to the "cmi.suspend_data" entry (like the one below)? In a Rise Scorm file, the data is compressed. Do the 1,609 characters of the following entry correspond to 1,609 characters of data volume? How would I know that the limit has been exceeded?

{"v":2,"d":123,34,112,114,111,103,114,101,115,115,34,58,256,108,263,115,111,110,265,267,34,49,266,256,99,266,49,44,257,281,48,48,283,105,278,34,48,290,280,58,282,34,289,275,292,275,294,49,125,304,283,277,301,281,288,290,300,279,281,304,125,283,50,293,309,297,311,319,295,315,283,51,323,296,298,256,312,34,302,316,276,328,325,34,52,328,310,299,337,305,34,53,341,321,343,308,324,345,54,348,330,291,344,335,55,355,322,351,303,345,56,361,350,313,324,306,337,317,372,34,327,363,335,340,377,345,57,367,331,358,306,332,302,342,384,380,335,49,307,369,329,362,395,338,49,318,363,389,357,391,306,376,395,403,387,314,345,49,379,408,349,390,398,412,347,402,416,404,398,371,377,373,426,375,374,414,333,314,283,420,424,34,354,405,276,438,415,356,410,352,392,360,421,443,358,345,407,432,295,283,112,285,287,422,444,396,368,453,364,392,383,423,463,338,401,442,397,468,451,466,460,338,431,388,459,385,346,374,441,463,409,481,447,471,462,334,365,475,374,394,468,427,418,335,382,448,472,491,392,460,486,439,393,494,470,485,480,507,452,479,449,507,478,320,516,436,495,334,497,473,477,348,456,295,286,506,489,417,525,425,532,467,503,524,515,502,411,335,514,519,541,445,283,518,454,512,498,434,493,428,522,542,283,484,523,34,488,511,520,534,34,366,501,490,557,34,500,536,476,412,505,551,565,508,568,533,538,276,510,540,569,547,276,544,550,564,582,413,554,552,276,435,563,546,303,535,578,559,545,586,464,345,597,479,528,49,530,577,585,581,570,556,590,599,469,594,565,589,461,615,587,549,624,537,570,608,604,625,464,558,621,582,562,614,629,370,336,428,584,433,429,428,627,335,631,587,567,573,450,345,528,51,51,304],"cpv":"3vUCNYmj"} 


Question: When onboarding to Docebo during 2022/2023, we were informed the best practice with Rise publishing settings was to turn on the EXIT COURSE link to reduce completion or bookmarking issues. The best practices here indicate to have this link off. Has the reliability with tracking (bookmarking and completions) improved when learners click the default Docebo Close button?

Thank you!


Hey @anodom!

It’s a great question, one I was really struggling to find a good analogy. So, I’ll be the first to admit that a little ChatGPT can be great for a creativity boost! 🤓

Navigating the world of SCORM courses in Docebo, especially when they're built with Articulate Rise, feels a bit like making sure everyone at a dinner party is speaking the same language. Imagine you've got two doors for your guests to leave through, each with a slightly different way of saying goodbye.

One door is the "EXIT COURSE" button you've put up in your course, and the other is Docebo's own "Close" button, part of the room's decor.

Here's how to make sure everyone leaves the party smoothly, their experiences neatly logged in your guestbook (aka Docebo):

The Two Doors: Testing Which Works Best

Think about trying both doors yourself. Send some guests (test learners) out through the Rise-created "EXIT COURSE" door, and others through Docebo's own. Watch closely (analyze those logs!) to see which door makes sure their departure is noted down just right in your guestbook. It's a bit like making sure everyone's goodbye is heard and remembered.

The Magnifying Glass: Using Docebo's Tools

Docebo gives you a magnifying glass (the SCORM debugging tool) to look closer at how each goodbye is noted. This tool helps you see if there’s a difference in how each door communicates with your guestbook. Use it to check that everyone’s departure is recorded accurately, no matter which door they use.

Clear Party Instructions: Guiding Your Guests

Once you know which door works best, make sure to let your guests know. If the "EXIT COURSE" door is the way to go, a little sign (clear instructions in your course) can help guide them. If both doors work just as well, reassure them that they can leave through whichever door they prefer, and their goodbye will still be remembered.

A Helpful Host: Docebo Support

If you notice the guestbook isn't quite catching everyone's goodbye correctly, don't hesitate to ask for help. Reach out to Docebo's Support team with your observations (detailed info and logs) to get help ensuring every goodbye is noted just as it should be. Including the package as a file attachment on first submission can also help to fast-track any troubleshooting review by Docebo’s team.

Keeping Up-to-Date: Staying Informed

Just like how you might update your decor or the layout of your house, Docebo and Articulate Rise will update too over time. Keep an eye on any changes they announce, as it might affect which door works best for your future parties.

In the end, ensuring your SCORM courses work well in Docebo is all about making sure every learner's journey through your course is remembered accurately, no matter how they choose to say goodbye. By being attentive, using the tools at your disposal, and guiding your learners clearly, you'll make sure everyone leaves the party smoothly, with their learning journey perfectly noted in your LMS guestbook.

Minor note - to my recollection, (going back at least 12 months) I cannot recall any SCORM engine/launcher changes that would impact the logic in how we manage the SCORM standard and launch SCOs’. It’s the same as it ever was, with some lite touches when we refactored the Player view from Catalog/Learning Plan down to Training Material level. No changes to the SCORM engine then, just redirects to the next Training Material after playing finished (SCORM has fully committed to the LMS).

Hope it helps!!!


Hi everyone,
Concerning the CMI Data Limit. Did I understand correctly that the CMI Data Limit refers to the "cmi.suspend_data" entry (like the one below)? In a Rise Scorm file, the data is compressed. Do the 1,609 characters of the following entry correspond to 1,609 characters of data volume? How would I know that the limit has been exceeded?

{"v":2,"d":123,34,112,114,111,103,114,101,115,115,34,58,256,108,263,115,111,110,265,267,34,49,266,256,99,266,49,44,257,281,48,48,283,105,278,34,48,290,280,58,282,34,289,275,292,275,294,49,125,304,283,277,301,281,288,290,300,279,281,304,125,283,50,293,309,297,311,319,295,315,283,51,323,296,298,256,312,34,302,316,276,328,325,34,52,328,310,299,337,305,34,53,341,321,343,308,324,345,54,348,330,291,344,335,55,355,322,351,303,345,56,361,350,313,324,306,337,317,372,34,327,363,335,340,377,345,57,367,331,358,306,332,302,342,384,380,335,49,307,369,329,362,395,338,49,318,363,389,357,391,306,376,395,403,387,314,345,49,379,408,349,390,398,412,347,402,416,404,398,371,377,373,426,375,374,414,333,314,283,420,424,34,354,405,276,438,415,356,410,352,392,360,421,443,358,345,407,432,295,283,112,285,287,422,444,396,368,453,364,392,383,423,463,338,401,442,397,468,451,466,460,338,431,388,459,385,346,374,441,463,409,481,447,471,462,334,365,475,374,394,468,427,418,335,382,448,472,491,392,460,486,439,393,494,470,485,480,507,452,479,449,507,478,320,516,436,495,334,497,473,477,348,456,295,286,506,489,417,525,425,532,467,503,524,515,502,411,335,514,519,541,445,283,518,454,512,498,434,493,428,522,542,283,484,523,34,488,511,520,534,34,366,501,490,557,34,500,536,476,412,505,551,565,508,568,533,538,276,510,540,569,547,276,544,550,564,582,413,554,552,276,435,563,546,303,535,578,559,545,586,464,345,597,479,528,49,530,577,585,581,570,556,590,599,469,594,565,589,461,615,587,549,624,537,570,608,604,625,464,558,621,582,562,614,629,370,336,428,584,433,429,428,627,335,631,587,567,573,450,345,528,51,51,304],"cpv":"3vUCNYmj"} 

 

Hey there, thanks for being patient while I reviewed your question. The CMI limit the KBA refers to is on the “suspend_data” CMI element:

That said, if you are using SCORM 1.2 then the CMI suspend_data element can only grow as large as 4096 characters. Upgrading to SCORM 2004, 3rd Ed., you can expect muuuch more capacity at a 64,000 character max. Depending on how active a package is will determine whether you need to upgrade in version to ensure that bookmarking and data transmission from SCORM to Docebo Learn continues without issue.


[...]

 

Hey there, thanks for being patient while I reviewed your question. The CMI limit the KBA refers to is on the “suspend_data” CMI element:

That said, if you are using SCORM 1.2 then the CMI suspend_data element can only grow as large as 4096 characters. Upgrading to SCORM 2004, 3rd Ed., you can expect muuuch more capacity at a 64,000 character max. Depending on how active a package is will determine whether you need to upgrade in version to ensure that bookmarking and data transmission from SCORM to Docebo Learn continues without issue.

 

Hi John, thanks for your answer. So my example from above would count 1,609 characters. Right?


[...]

 

Hey there, thanks for being patient while I reviewed your question. The CMI limit the KBA refers to is on the “suspend_data” CMI element:

That said, if you are using SCORM 1.2 then the CMI suspend_data element can only grow as large as 4096 characters. Upgrading to SCORM 2004, 3rd Ed., you can expect muuuch more capacity at a 64,000 character max. Depending on how active a package is will determine whether you need to upgrade in version to ensure that bookmarking and data transmission from SCORM to Docebo Learn continues without issue.

 

Hi John, thanks for your answer. So my example from above would count 1,609 characters. Right?

 

You’re welcome! I would say in your example, assuming you are looking at “suspend_data” then that is exactly the data we would have in Docebo’s CMI tables for it. So the count is what it is. To validate if there is a difference between what you showed and what the system’s records are, you could check at the course level reporting all the way down at the training material level for a specific individual to visualize the CMI data.


Yes, it is the “suspend_data” and I took it exactly from the place that you described. Thank you very much! :)


Yes, it is the “suspend_data” and I took it exactly from the place that you described. Thank you very much! :)

You’re most welcome! In the end, that data is expanded on runtime then compress when the final bookmark is sent to the LMS. It’s more so the package can handle large amounts of data within the limits of each standard. Sooo, unless we know the compression algo that Rise has used we may never know what’s within the “code”.


Hi everyone - purely an anecdotal FYI because I aint that technical - my understanding about the Exit Course choice as a completion criteria is that it sounds really good...because you can use a single command to trigger a completion. But it comes with a type of technical cost. In the past, we would turn both choices on in our Articulate courses (yes Articulate 360 can trigger a completion on a single trigger) to later find that Docebo was not effectively recording Question Answer level data to our quizzes - which was desired.

I believe the Exit Course was essentially a CMI command that just shorts out the course - essentially a “completion signal” - no frills - just completed. And the course would attempt to transmit all CMI interactions in a single “dump” (sorry for the anecdote). Which has always come across as gibberish.

If I remember it accurately? This Exit Course option had its genesis come about towards the tail end of flash being deprecated in browsers and early on within the early life cycle of Rise development. It forced companies like Articulate to take action they were finding that their courses were not going to completion. After folks were kicking and screaming about this with both LMS platforms and authoring platforms, they - Articulate - figured out this one simple “out”. 

So you may want these single triggers for completion “on” - but don’t count on getting deeper interaction data.


Hi everyone - purely an anecdotal FYI because I aint that technical - my understanding about the Exit Course choice as a completion criteria is that it sounds really good...because you can use a single command to trigger a completion. But it comes with a type of technical cost. In the past, we would turn both choices on in our Articulate courses (yes Articulate 360 can trigger a completion on a single trigger) to later find that Docebo was not effectively recording Question Answer level data to our quizzes - which was desired.

I believe the Exit Course was essentially a CMI command that just shorts out the course - essentially a “completion signal” - no frills - just completed. And the course would attempt to transmit all CMI interactions in a single “dump” (sorry for the anecdote). Which has always come across as gibberish.

If I remember it accurately? This Exit Course option had its genesis come about towards the tail end of flash being deprecated in browsers and early on within the early life cycle of Rise development. It forced companies like Articulate to take action they were finding that their courses were not going to completion. After folks were kicking and screaming about this with both LMS platforms and authoring platforms, they - Articulate - figured out this one simple “out”. 

So you may want these single triggers for completion “on” - but don’t count on getting deeper interaction data.

That’s a very interesting FYI because we couldn’t figure out yet why a few of our learners have completed scorm learning materials but the answers to the quiz haven’t been tracked. 😮
So, for these cases it would be better to use the ‘normal’ close button?


Hi everyone - purely an anecdotal FYI because I aint that technical - my understanding about the Exit Course choice as a completion criteria is that it sounds really good...because you can use a single command to trigger a completion. But it comes with a type of technical cost. In the past, we would turn both choices on in our Articulate courses (yes Articulate 360 can trigger a completion on a single trigger) to later find that Docebo was not effectively recording Question Answer level data to our quizzes - which was desired.

I believe the Exit Course was essentially a CMI command that just shorts out the course - essentially a “completion signal” - no frills - just completed. And the course would attempt to transmit all CMI interactions in a single “dump” (sorry for the anecdote). Which has always come across as gibberish.

If I remember it accurately? This Exit Course option had its genesis come about towards the tail end of flash being deprecated in browsers and early on within the early life cycle of Rise development. It forced companies like Articulate to take action they were finding that their courses were not going to completion. After folks were kicking and screaming about this with both LMS platforms and authoring platforms, they - Articulate - figured out this one simple “out”. 

So you may want these single triggers for completion “on” - but don’t count on getting deeper interaction data.

That’s a very interesting FYI because we couldn’t figure out yet why a few of our learners have completed scorm learning materials but the answers to the quiz haven’t been tracked. 😮
So, for these cases it would be better to use the ‘normal’ close button?

@janina.zielecki - it adds to the story. There are other reasons that a quiz may not have been tracked...we find that unexpected ending of sessions and mobile devices that keep disconnecting have always been part of the mix. 


@janina.zielecki - a final note - I would say if you are trying to isolate whats going on? What I found works is to limit your completion criteria down to a single approach and you should be in a better position.

This article comes from @John and a discussion at Inspire 2023. There was another article where a long time poster @KMallette and @Ian and I go a little deeper into our own findings.

 

 

 


@dklinger thank you very much! That’s very interesting, too! Let’s see what I can find there! 😃🔎


Has anyone had the issue where a video within a SCORM doesn’t allow the user to move (the Next Lesson button is disabled? The only option they have is to replay the video… Thanks!

~BK


Has anyone had the issue where a video within a SCORM doesn’t allow the user to move (the Next Lesson button is disabled? The only option they have is to replay the video… Thanks!

~BK

@Bkatzman - I have not seen this exact issue of recent but I would say if it’s still occurring that it would be best to open a line with our Support team so we can have a look. Even though we’re talking about packaged behavior within the SCORM, it still could be worthwhile to have our team investigate the playback experience. 

The only option they have is to replay the video

This makes me wonder how you have it setup at the Course level for the player view and what options you’ve selected. Again, this type of issue could be reviewed in a Chat/Support ticket thread with our team. I would encourage it if you’re still experiencing playback problems with the course.


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