The TopClass Blog

We’ve all heard it at least 100 times, that in eLearning ‘content is king’, and the truth of the matter is that the statement is true!  Almost all organizations including corporations, associations, etc. worry that their educational content is relevant and engaging for their learners.  If it isn’t relevant and engaging learners won’t use it, and the investment of time and resources has been wasted.  It's as plain as that.  As a result of this concern, many organizations are using eLearning content creation tools such as Lectora, Articulate, Captivate, Camtasia and many more.  All of these tools have the capabilities to create very engaging course content.  However, even with excellent content there needs to be way to get it to your learners… enter the LMS.  Learning Management Systems give you the ability to deliver courses and eLearning content to your learners.  Sounds simple enough, but does your LMS support the eLearning content standards of these common tools?

With over 600 LMS vendors in the market how do you choose the one that is right for your organization?  Because there are so many vendors out there each tries to fulfill a niche that they think isn’t being addressed by other vendors.  Most of the vendors are fairly light on capabilities only offering the most basic of services.  Often these LMS systems skimp on industry standards and cater to the niche they believe they are fulfilling.  The main reason for this is, that to develop an LMS to industry standards can be expensive.  Now if your organization wants to deploy engaging eLearning content using one or many of the tools described above you will need to make sure that the vendors you are considering for an LMS

What are the eLearning Content Standards?

Given all of the above in mind how can you be sure that the vendors you are looking at will work for you… at least in the area of course content delivery?  The answer is fairly straight forward, but you would be surprised to know that it sometimes gets overlooked in the decision process.  Always make sure that the LMS supports both SCORM and AICC standards for eLearning content.  The most commonly used SCORM standard is 1.2 and the AICC standard is ARG 010.  In addition to these two there is a newer eLearning content standard that is starting to be deployed and that is known as Experience API, xAPI, or Tin Can. It is believed that Experience API will become the new gold standard for eLearning content delivery in the near future.  If you are planning to offer online course delivery these eLearning content standards should be the first items you should consider when making your LMS selection.

Another thing to consider is that if you are using any of these tools now to create content and you wish to change your LMS in future, your new LMS must be able to support the common eLearning content standards, or you will not be able to migrate your educational content into your new system. Confirming that your LMS supports these standards ensures that your time and resources have been invested wisely in creating engaging content and selecting the best learning management system to deliver it to your learners.

If content is king, and it is, getting it to your learners is crucial.  Make sure you don’t overlook the importance of support for eLearning content standards when selecting course creation tools and a Learning Management System.

If you would like to see how SCORM, AICC or ExperienceAPI compliant content can be effectively delivered through a Learning Management System for your association or extended enterprise, request a demo of TopClass LMS today.