What are some tips for creating mobile-friendly courses with SCORM?

1 Choose the right authoring tool

When creating mobile-friendly courses with SCORM, the first step is to select an authoring tool that supports SCORM and mobile devices. There are many options available, but not all of them are compatible with SCORM or offer the same features and functionalities. Before making a decision, consider factors such as the SCORM version and specification you need to follow, the level of interactivity and multimedia you want to include in your course, the ease of use and learning curve of the tool, the cost and licensing of the tool, and the technical support and documentation of the tool. Popular authoring tools that support SCORM and mobile devices include Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Lectora Inspire, and iSpring Suite.

2 Optimize the design and layout

The next step to create mobile-friendly courses with SCORM is to optimize the design and layout of your course content, making it readable, usable, and engaging on different screen sizes and orientations. To do this, you should use a responsive design that adapts to the device and browser dimensions, as well as a grid system and breakpoints to organize and align your content elements. Additionally, relative units and percentages should be used instead of fixed pixels for fonts, images, and videos. Furthermore, the navigation and menus should be clear and consistent, with simple and intuitive interactions and gestures. You should also consider the contrast and color schemes that are suitable for mobile devices, as well as clear and concise text and headings. Finally, icons and images that are relevant and optimized for mobile devices should be used.

3 Test and debug

Testing and debugging your course content is a critical third step in creating mobile-friendly courses with SCORM; this helps to ensure that the content complies with standards and requirements. Possible issues include the content not loading or displaying correctly on some devices or browsers, not scaling or resizing properly, not responding to touch or swipe events, not communicating or reporting data to the LMS, and not complying with accessibility guidelines. To test and debug, you can use various tools and methods such as the preview/publish feature of your authoring tool, SCORM Cloud, browser developer tools/console, device emulator/simulator of your browser/authoring tool, and real devices/browsers that learners will use.

4 Use responsive SCORM players

The final step to create mobile-friendly courses with SCORM is to use responsive SCORM players, which are the software or applications that enable you to launch and view your SCORM packages on different platforms and systems. Responsive SCORM players can detect the device and browser type and adjust the layout and functionality accordingly, providing a fluid and flexible interface that can accommodate different screen sizes and orientations. Additionally, they can support various media formats and interactivities compatible with mobile devices, as well as ensuring the compatibility and interoperability of your SCORM packages with different LMSs and systems. Some examples of responsive SCORM players are SCORM Engine, Rustici Engine, and Adapt Learning.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?