Compliance training often has different requirements, when compared to training programmes focused on skills-growth for a role, and personal development. This is why, we're outlining the process of how SCORM Course compliance training is now tracked on HowNow.
Note✨: The following terms will be used in this article, to make distinctions or give clear definitions:
SCORM creator - the person responsible for creating the actual SCORM file (the requirements for completion and the settings, both recorded by the SCORM Cloud).
Author - the User responsible for creating the content type - in this case SCORM Course - via the HowNow Studio (they will upload the file, ready to publish it).
SCORM Cloud - where all data from a SCORM Course, is held online. Whatever data and requirements were designed to be tracked/used in the SCORM file (by the SCORM creator), will be extracted by HowNow and presented on your Content and Assessment pages. Therefore, the HowNow workspace doesn't control/choose the data it is told to extract, other than what the SCORM creator has given.
SCORM Tracking Reminder
To understand the compliance context, we first need to revisit what SCORM data is retrieved. We can focus on four main data points:
Progress - how far along the User is, with learning and finishing the SCORM file. These include:
Not Started
In Progress
Completed
Assessment Status - provided after the User has completed the Assessment:
Pass
Fail
Unknown - no requirement given (the User is to neither pass, nor fail)
Score - the number achieved after completing the Assessment.
Time Spent - how long the User spent learning the content. The time between opening the SCORM file, to exiting it (as instructed within the file's window).
When the SCORM Course is attempted, the above data entries will be recorded and presented.
The Completion Date and Time Spent will be recorded and locked-in/frozen, upon a User's first time completing the SCORM file. This won't change again, regardless of how many times a User may re-attempt/open the file. It applies to both general SCORM Courses with and without a Renewal Cycle/Expiry Date.
Note✨: Be aware/reminded of the following...
Some SCORM creators may have included a reset option within their SCORM file settings, allowing them to wipe Users' progress. HowNow won't be tracking data for these types of files.
If a SCORM file is deleted from the SCORM Course, and a new file is uploaded in its place, Users' Completion Status and Date will remain, while the Assessment Score will be removed.
Renewal Cycle (Expiry Date)
With the date of completion locked-in, this eliminates data discrepancies, when reporting on compliance training.
For example:
SCORM Course: Design has a pass minimum of 85%.
User A completes SCORM Course: Design, with 85% exact.
User A won't be able to re-do the SCORM to increase their score to 95%.
If a User has achieved the bare minimum, this is still considered a pass, so is locked-in.
For a SCORM Course that has a Renewal Cycle (Expiry Date) set up, data will be retrieved for the Completion Date, and the Expiry Date will then be triggered to start. The completion date won't change, regardless of how many times a User may re-attempt the file, before the Expiry Date has reset.
Note✨: Two points to remember here are...
Assessment status data won't always be frozen, as it's dependent on the SCORM creator's requirements set to pass. If they've created the SCORM to be a pass/complete without needing to do the Assessment inside, then this will be reflected on HN.
Records of Renewal Cycles are shown on your workspace, via your SCORM Course's Progress column slide-out.
If a User completes a Course and an Expiry Date is set, then the Author changes the Renewal Cycle option to a later time, the original Expiry Date achieved by the User, will be updated to the new one. For example...
Renewal Cycle is set to 1 month
User completes it on 1 March
Their Expiry Date is 1 April
Author changes Renewal to 2 months
The User's new Expiry Date will update to 1 May
Update of an Assessment Status
For a SCORM Course with a completed file, and one of the three Assessment statuses, there are specific 'directions' a User can go, to update that status:
SCORM Course Progress | Assessment Status | Definition | User can only update their score from... |
Complete | Unknown | Assessment has no pass/fail requirements set by SCORM creator. | Unknown to Pass Unknown to Fail |
Complete | Fail | Assessment passing score has not been achieved | Fail to Pass |
Complete | Pass | Assessment passing score has been achieved | Not applicable once reached. |
The Completion Date remains locked-in. Unknown or Incomplete progress isn't.
Time Spent
As mentioned above, the time spent learning a SCORM Course is locked-in, once the User has completed the Course for the first time. This means no matter whether the User is deactivated-reactivated, or the SCORM Course editor's Completion Tracking is set to When one lesson is complete, the User will always remain with the same amount of Time Spent.
Note✨: Authors can only see how many retakes their Users have taken, by reviewing the data on the SCORM Cloud. This is not tracked by HowNow.
Assessments sub-page
When a Completion Date for a SCORM Course is set, it will appear within the Content page insights - as expected.
If a SCORM creator designs their file so that a User can complete an Assessment at any time, even after completion, then the following data will be shown, between each page/sub-page...
Content completed on 20 July
Completion Date on Content sub-page = 20 July
Assessment is later completed on 30 July
Completion Date on the Assessment Sub-page = 30 July
Note✨: Completion Dates set prior to the release of this feature (3 July), won't be affected by this update, as they already have triggers and other requirements set up for them by Authors, which could cause obstruction to learning, if changed.
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