Summary

Discover five essential features to look for in SCORM authoring tools. This article provides tips for choosing tools that facilitate seamless content creation and management.

When it comes to delivering a smooth learning experience, one of the most essential aspects is designing engaging and interactive content. SCORM, or Sharable Content Object Reference Model is one of the key players in this space. It provides a definite set of standards for creating and delivering eLearning content. 

In this post, we will take a look at the advantages of SCORM and outline the key features you need to look for in a SCORM authoring tool for content creation.

Table of Contents:

What is a SCORM Authoring Tool?

SCORM is a set of technical standards that allows e-learning content to be easily shared and reused across different learning management systems (LMSs).

Put simply, SCORM defines a common language and structure for e-learning content, which allows it to be easily moved between different SCORM-compliant systems.

A SCORM authoring tool is a software application used to create e-learning content that conforms to the SCORM standard.

These tools enable instructional designers and content developers to create interactive and engaging online courses, modules, quizzes, and assessments.

Benefits of Using a SCORM Authoring Tool For Content Creation

Using a SCORM authoring tool offers numerous benefits for e-learning content creators.

  • It streamlines the process of content creation, allowing for the development of interactive and engaging courses without the need for extensive programming knowledge.
  • These tools come equipped with templates, multimedia integration, and assessment features, enabling users to produce high-quality content efficiently.
  • SCORM authoring tools ensure compatibility across various Learning Management Systems (LMS), guaranteeing seamless deployment and tracking of learners’ progress.

Overall, using a SCORM authoring tool enhances productivity, improves course quality, and facilitates effective management of online learning experiences.

Also Read: AI in the Classroom: How Assessment Generators Help Teachers Craft Better Tests in 2024!

Top 5 Features to Look for in a SCORM Authoring Tool

If you are looking for an eLearning authoring tool for seamless content creation, here are some of the key features to look for:

1. User-friendly Interface

The SCORM authoring tool that you pick must be easy to use and flexible enough to design effective training content with a good workflow.

This is especially helpful when you are designing a vast course material since it helps you save a lot of time and energy. A user-friendly interface allows content creators to design course material in a short time.

A few other things to consider include:

  • Adequate capacity to incorporate all the features and elements you require
  • The tool should enable the display of effective online training courses across devices and operating systems.
  • Make sure that the authoring tool offers generalized monitoring, automated reports, and individual participant assessment modules.
  • The SCORM authoring tool you select should let you integrate your new online training course with existing eLearning authoring tools. 

2. Multimedia Support

One of the easiest ways to engage your learners is by using various training tools in your online courses.

Therefore, another important feature to look for in a SCORM system is that it should support the usage of multimedia elements such as images, audio, and video to enhance the overall learning experience.

  • When choosing the tool, make sure that your authoring tool provider includes these elements in your courses, and also makes it easy to upload or insert multimedia pieces in your online courses. 
  • The tool should make it easy to drag and drop your learning content, add text, images, links, or videos, and customize the design.

3. Assessment and Evaluation Features 

To ensure your learners are retaining information from your online courses, it’s crucial to track their progress and gather feedback. This helps improve future training sessions.

The best way to address this need is with solid assessment features such as short quizzes, surveys, and open-ended questions. These methods help you assess how much a student has retained and plan out steps to reach their learning goals.

A good SCORM software partnership such as Dictera for content creation and assessment generation can help you create these interactive features. Along with this, they also provide analytics and analysis through these assessments to help you determine the overall success of your course. 

4. Easy Collaboration 

E-learning content development involves several people who may be living in different geographical locations. This makes it essential to work with a tool that allows for easy collaboration among the participants spread across different places.

It’s essential to pick a SCORM authoring tool that can provide standardized course content. It should enable collaboration among learners, designers, experts, and reviewers, facilitating shared feedback.

Some of the things you need to consider here when picking a SCORM authoring tool include:

  • Ensure the tool allows for creating courses in multiple languages easily.
  • Look for options enabling collaborative content creation and control settings.
  • Evaluate features for sharing resources like links and email integrations to enhance collaboration.

5. Accessibility and Responsiveness

Yet another SCORM element to look for in an authoring tool is how the tool ensures the accessibility and responsiveness of your e-learning content.

  • Accessibility here means that your content can be easily accessed and used by people with different abilities and preferences, such as visual learners or learners with physical, auditory, or cognitive impairments. 
  • Likewise, responsiveness here means that your content is easily adaptable to different devices and screen sizes, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, or smartphones.

You should look for tools with AI-powered features including keyboard navigation, text-to-speech, transcripts, captions, font size, alt text, and color contrast. 

Also Read: How Dictera’s AI-Powered Features Are Helping Educators Create Better Assessments?

Conclusion

SCORM authoring tools are specialized tools that allow educators and content creators to leverage the complete potential of SCORM. These tools serve as key elements in unlocking the full potential of SCORM compliance, thus ensuring a streamlined and effective integration of its standards into the creation, development, and delivery of eLearning materials.

Whether you prefer the user-friendly approach of a SCORM authoring tool or the responsiveness of design, the final pick should make your course creation process smoother.

If you’re looking to adopt a SCORM eLearning authoring tool at your organization or training tools for employees, consider Dictera by Hurix Digital. It is a robust yet user-friendly tool for educators, instructors, and content creators to design and develop content and assessments easily.

To know more about Dictera, connect with us now.