Standards in e-Learning: Why do we need them?

Standards are an integral part in everyday life. We take things for granted like the stop lights, clocks (analog and digital), electrical plugs that fit into sockets (with in country/continent), light bulbs, Railroad tracks, Internet, etc. According to International Organization for Standardization (ISO), standards are “documented agreements containing technical specifications or other precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines, or definitions of characteristics, to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose.” There are two types of standards: a de jure Standard and a de facto Standard. De jure standards are those ratified by recognized international standards bodies such as the ISO and IEEE. De facto standards are those used by the vast majority of the market, but which aren’t necessarily open or based on any de jure standards. For example, Adobe Photoshop is considered the de facto standard for image editing, because it was chosen by the people who use it.

Simply put, de jure and de facto are used instead of "in principle" and "in practice," respectively. Typically, the process of standardization starts with a problem, followed by efforts to resolve such problems, then passing through a number of stages resulting into specifications. Ultimately, these specifications lead to the publishing of an accredited standard. A specification can be defined as a documented description. Some “specs” become a standard, which means they have received the stamp of accreditation by an authorizing body like IEEE, ISO.

SCORM, which stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model, is one such standard for e-Learning. SCORM came out of Advanced Distributed Learning, an initiative which was formed as a developer and implementer of learning technologies across the Department of Defense. It is a collection of standards and specifications adapted from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive suite of e-learning capabilities that enable interoperability, accessibility and reusability of Web-based learning content. ADL’s vision is to “provide access to the highest quality education, training and performance aiding tailored to individual needs, delivered cost effectively, anytime and anywhere.”

Some of the issues we had before SCORM in e-Learning were:
· We couldn’t move a course from one Learning Management System to another.
· We couldn’t reuse content pieces across different Learning Management Systems.
· We couldn’t sequence reusable content for branching, remediation and other tailored
learning strategies.
· We couldn’t create searchable learning object libraries or media repositories across
different LMS environments.


SCORM addresses these issues and fulfils ADL’s vision by fostering creation of reusable learning content as “instructional objects” within a common technical framework. It describes that technical framework by providing a harmonized set of guidelines, specifications and standards and uses web as its primary medium of instruction. SCORM is built on the proven work of prominent organizations. It provides a reference model to accelerate standards development and is the first step to the path to defining a true learning architecture.

· Do you need to control learner access to courseware, track learner progress, or monitor
the effectiveness of your e-learning content?
· Do you want to be able to control the learner’s path through the content in some way?
· Do you plan to develop content in house and also purchase content from one or more
third-party content vendors?
· Do you plan to use the content for multiple new audiences in the future?
· Do you plan to reuse parts of the content in future courses?
· Are you planning to redistribute or sell the content to another organization?

If your answer to one or more of the above questions is “yes,” then you need standards such as SCORM.

We will know we are successful when these standards become transparent, the “e” is no longer needed in e-Learning and e-government and when sharing and reusing of become common place.