2. Using the SCORM runtime

The purpose of the SCORM run-time is to allow communication between a learning object (referred to in SCORM terminology as a Shareable Content Object) and a Learning Management System. This communication may comprise:

-Assignment parameters
-Student details (name etc.)
-Student preference data
-Bookmarking data
-Performance data.

Assignment parameters (set by the teacher) and student details are passed from the LMS to the SCO; preference and bookmarking data are initially set in the SCO but may be passed to the LMS to enable persistence; while performance data is passed from the SCO to the LMS and is generally not retrieved again. In this tutorial, we will aim only to pass performance data back to the LMS.

SCORM is designed to work in a browser. An alternative and older mechanism (see www.aicc.org) is available for content which does not run in a browser.
An html page containing SCORM content should assume that it will be opened by another html page, called an adapter, which belongs to the LMS. Your content page may be opened as a separate window (figure 5), or in a frame (figure 6) of the adapter page. In each case, the adapter page contains an object called API and the first job of the content page should be to locate the API object.

For this tutorial, there are essentially three things that need to be done by the html page which has generated automatically by Macromedia Flash as tutorial1.htm:

-Locate the API object in an opener or parent window an initialise it.
-Respond to the fscommand calls embedded in the flash animation.
-Close down correctly when the animation finishes, passing final marks and status information back to the LMS.

These three functions need to be performed using JavaScript embedded in the html page which has been generated automatically by Macromedia Flash. To avoid retyping and allow easier upgrades, it will be more convenient to put the main functions in a central JavaScript file, which we will call alms_sco.js. Comments are highlighted in red. If you do not want use SCORM but are not interested in understanding it, then you download the file and use it as-is.

View alms_sco.js file here.

Having created the scorm support file, we only have to make minimum changes to the html. Below is the html which has been generated automatically by Macromedia Flash. Additions are shown in red.

View tutorial1.htm file here.

Continue to page 3.