Episode #37 is an interview with Steve Pena, Senior Instructional Designer at SyberWorks. In this edition, Steve discusses his latest article, ““Distributor-Modeled” Training.”
David Boggs, CEO of SyberWorks, states, “In this episode, Theresa Humphrys, Director of Organizational Development and Learning and Janet Sharpe, Project Manager for Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), discuss their use of the SyberWorks Learning Management System to train and certify hospital employees."
By Steve Pena, Instructional Designer and Implementation Consultant for SyberWorks, Inc.
Can your distribution partners access your training-services infrastructure, to quickly train their employees about your products, while also building a university-like organization to deliver and track training of their (and your) end customers? In a distributor-oriented organization, your LMS should be able to support many levels of such “Distributor-Modeled” training… and deliver benefits to you, your distributors, and your customers.
At the simplest level, your distributors would be able to send people to your LMS training site, and have them registered as customers of each distributor (as shown in Figure 1). This would allow you to generate reports about courses delivered, classroom scheduling, and training results for each distributor’s customers over the past month, quarter, and year. It will also allow you to create more complex training solutions for heavy users of your training services, while being able to identify distributors who might benefit from special training promotions.
Figure 1: Distributors push their customers to your LMS.
The next logical step would be to give distributors themselves restricted administrative access to your LMS (Figure 2). In the simplest implementation of this model, the distributors would be able to:
Modify training accounts for their own customers.
Assign online training.
Enroll customers in your LMS' scheduled classes.
And on a more advanced level, distributors could:
Assign Training Certificate Competencies and their related learning events to their customers.
Create and run their own onsite training sessions.
Figure 2: Distributors have restricted administrative access to your LMS:
This model will improve your relationship with distributors, enable you to provide them with more services, and reduce the training-administration overhead for your company. Some of the advanced services it also enables are:
Linking a class with a specific distributor, so that only that company can enroll its customers in the class.
Customizing training catalogs, with a reduced set of courses/classes and/or individualized course/class pricing for specific distributors.
Offering these catalogs with either a prepaid training-account that end customers can tap, or a standard e-Commerce “customer pays” set up.
Allowing distributors to order training for their customers.
Creating special reports to track the training and certifications of distributors’ customers.
Setting up customized user-interface paths for distributor-administrators, to control their access to specific LMS functions.
This model also allows you to create a “Super Administrator” role for more advanced distributors, which allows them to perform such functions as:
Creating classes.
Entering class results.
Creating user accounts.
And finally, to extend this Distributor Model to an advanced level, think about branding separate campuses for each distributor (Figure 3). This allows you to create completely separate, distributor-branded training sites for each distributor within your LMS, while still permitting you to do complete rollups of all their training information and results.
Figure 3: An advanced distributor-branded implementation
Among this model’s advantages are that it allows distributors to:
Keep their corporate branding throughout all customer training materials.
Create one-to-many levels of structured reporting, allowing each distributor to produce hierarchical training reports for its own operation.
Receive a single point of contact in your company, with Registrar rights and privileges, to help distributors maintain their training operations.
So if they fit into your operation, these three levels of Distributor-Modeled training can improve your relationships with your distributors and provide them with much better levels of service, support, and training functionality. These models can also both save you money (through reduced administrative costs) and increase revenues (through branded training campuses).
About the Author:
Steve Pena is a Senior Instructional Designer and Implementation Consultant at SyberWorks, Inc., Waltham, Mass.
About SyberWorks
SyberWorks, Inc. is a leader in providing Learning Management Systems and custom e-Learning Solutions for Fortune 1000 corporations, higher education, and other organizations. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, the company serves the multi-billion-dollar e-Learning market. Since 1995, SyberWorks has developed and delivered unique and economical solutions for creating, managing, measuring, and improving e-Learning programs at companies and organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and other countries.
David Boggs, CEO of SyberWorks, states, “In this episode, Stuart Campbell, Director of Software Engineering at SyberWorks discusses his recent article, ‘SCORM and the Learning Management System.’ In the article, Stuart diagrams the communication flows between a SCORM course and a Learning Management System."
The SyberWorks and Veracord webinar series focuses on compliance and validation issues associated with companies in the life sciences, medical device, pharmaceutical, and other regulated industries. SyberWorks is partnering with Veracord to deliver regulatory and compliance information and expertise. Veracord-and its 21 CFR Consulting division-offer compliance consulting services nationwide, specializing in validation, IT compliance, clinical, medical, and regulatory affairs.
The first installment in the webinar series, "GAMP5 and the Alignment to International Guidelines," was held on September 15, 2009 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET.
The next webinar in the series, "21 CFR Part 11 and Its Application in a Compliant Environment," will be held on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. ET. To sign up for this webinar, click here.
By Stuart Campbell, Director of Software Engineering, SyberWorks, Inc.
What actually is SCORM? SCORM, Shareable Content Object Reference Model, is a standard for web-based e-learning that has been developed to define communication between client-side content and a runtime environment. In the context of this article, the client-side content would be the course launched by a student and the runtime environment would be a Learning Management System. The SCORM standard has undergone several version releases from SCORM v1.0 in 1999 to the SCORM 2004 3rd Edition in 2006. The purpose of this article is to look in a little more detail at the communication flow between the LMS and a course that is SCORM v2.1 compliant. The intention is not to review every possible communication but just the main calls. We will look at SCORM in the context of a SCORM course, i.e. a course that has been developed and built to communicate with a Learning Management System using the SCORM standard.
First of all, let me define a few terms that I will use and that you may hear in reference to SCORM courses:
API (Application Programming Interface)
The SCORM standard has a defined API. The term API is not unique to SCORM but is a well known term in application development. The SCORM API is a documented set of messages that are sent between the course and the LMS. The message may require a response so that the sender of the message is guaranteed that the message has been received and processed appropriately.
Manifest
The manifest is the master file for the SCORM course that contains references to all other files that make up the complete content of the course.
Single SCO
A single SCO is the most basic and most common form of a SCORM course. All files that make up the course, regardless of the number of lessons in the course, are packaged as one SCO unit. When the course is launched within the Learning Management System, it communicates with the SCO.
Multiple SCO
A multiple SCO is where a group of files within the course can be treated as an individual SCO but packaged together with other SCOs to comprise one course. For example, the files that comprise each lesson of a SCORM course can be grouped together so that each lesson is a SCO in its own right and all the SCOs will comprise the one course.
Course Installation
For the course to be available in the Learning Management System, the SCORM package needs to be installed on the system. The method of installation will vary from LMS to LMS but will typically go through the following steps:
The manifest file will be located and interpreted.
The course identified in the manifest will be created in the Learning Management System and the course properties will be populated with the values defined in the manifest. These properties may include course name, creator, etc.
The lessons of the course will be created in the LMS and the lesson properties will be populated with the values defined in the manifest. Lesson properties would include information such as the path to the lesson file, passing grade, etc.
The Learning Management System should provide a facility to overwrite an already existing SCORM course so that if updates are made to the existing course, an installation will deploy those changes.
Course Communication
Initialization
When the course is launched within its run time environment, which for our purposes is the LMS, it will detect the existence of the API and attempt to make initial communication with the Learning Management System. This is a one-time handshake to ensure that communication has been established. The SCORM course is responsible for locating the API in the child browser session that it has launched in from the parent. The API is typically deployed using JavaScript. The API call that the course uses to do this is the LMSInitialize call. When the Learning Management System receives this API message call from the course, the LMS will initialize and respond to inform the course that communication has been established. An object model has been created in memory and the properties have been initialized to default values.
Intermediary Course Communication
Once the course has been launched and initialized with the LMS, the interaction between the two is determined by the course. It will use LMSGetValue and LMSSetValue API message calls to retrieve or populate data in the object model. Bear in mind that the object model exists in memory and has not been sent to the Learning Management System.
When the course needs to write the data so it exists in the database, it will send the API message LMSCommit. The LMSCommit will be received by the Learning Management System and the data stored to the LMS. The course developer will determine when an LMSCommit is required and it will be sent to the LMS when the event is activated. This could be at the end of each lesson or it could be at the end of the course.
The LMSCommit is an optional message and does not require a response from the Learning Management System.
Finalization
When the course is completed, it will send an LMSFinish API message to the LMS. This may be triggered by an event in the course that activates the LMSFinish or it may be on the Unload event of the HTML page when the user closes the browser. The LMSFinish indicates to the LMS that the user has ended the course and any further communication between the two will be rejected. The LMSFinish also initiates the Learning Management System to store any data that has been populated in the object model and complete the unloading of the course.
The key difference between the LMSCommit and LMSFinish API message calls is that the latter will prevent further communication with the course.
The LMSFinish is a mandatory message and does not require a response from the LMS.
Learning Management System Considerations
When the LMSFinish is received by the LMS, there are several scenarios that may need to be taken into account. Some of these may be the product of errors in course development but are scenarios that have been experienced in interfacing with a SCORM compliant course:
The SCORM course may indicate the student has failed a lesson but the score passed from the SCO may be greater than the lesson passing grade that was installed from the manifest.
The SCORM course may indicate a lesson status for the user and pass the score of the lesson but there has been no passing grade defined for the lesson.
It would be advantageous for the Learning Management System to provide API message logging so that a communication history may be recreated for debugging or historical purposes. Consideration should be given to the following:
Method of storage, whether it is stored in a database or out to a file.
Is logging on all the time or is there a switch to turn logging on or off? (There will be some overhead when logging is switched on, as opposed to being off.)
If logging is to file, is there a log file for each course, each user, or one large SCORM log file?
How is log data purged? When logging is stored in the database, how often is the table purged? Can the data be deleted or does it need to be archived? If logging is to a file, does the file build in size until it is manually renewed or does the logging mechanism have a trigger that automatically generates a new file? (If the file is left to grow too big, it becomes very impractical to open it in a text editor.)
Conclusions
SCORM has a proven track record in the web based e-learning world and is the accepted standard in the industry. Reputable LMS vendors should support your SCORM course out of the box. The SCORM 2004 version has added much more control and sequencing at a more granular level than SCORM v1.2 however those differences are significant enough to cause the user base to be slower in adopting the SCORM 2004 version.
About the Author:
Stuart Campbell is Director of Software Development for SyberWorks, Inc. (http://www.syberworks.com), a privately-held supplier of e-Learning software and training. A native of the United Kingdom, he had previously served as a Principle Software Engineer, Senior Consultant, Senior Software Engineer, and Development Specialist for companies such as Brooks Automation Inc., Digital Equipment, and Honeywell Control Systems. His areas of expertise include Visual Studio.NET, C#, VB.NET, VB6, VBScript, XML, COBOL, WindowsXP, Windows2000, WindowsNT, VAX/VMS, UNIX, Oracle, SQLServer, Oracle Rdb, Oracle DBMS, and Agile Modeling Methodology.
The SyberWorks Learning Management System/Learning Content Management System
SyberWorks Training Center (STC) is a Web-based Learning Management System (LMS)/Learning Content Management System (LCMS) that provides complete solutions for managing and tracking all types of training at your organization — from e-Learning courses to traditional classroom training and self-paced study programs. The STC includes extensive testing and assessment tools, reporting, management, communication and collaboration tools, and quality control capabilities — all in one integrated database application that is highly scalable to precisely meet your organization’s needs. The SyberWorks Training Center LMS/LCMS can be purchased as an enterprise license or hosted application.
About SyberWorks, Inc.
SyberWorks, Inc. is a leader in the custom e-Learning Solutions and Learning Management System/Learning Content Management System (LMS/LCMS) industries for Fortune 1000 corporations, law enforcement, healthcare, and other industries. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, the company serves the multi-billion-dollar e-Learning market. Since 1995, SyberWorks has developed and delivered unique and economical solutions to create, manage, measure, and improve e-Learning programs at companies and organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and around the world.
David Boggs, CEO of SyberWorks, states, “This podcast examines Liberty Dialysis’s use of the SyberWorks Learning Management System (LMS) to provide staff education and training to employees throughout their nationwide network of dialysis clinics and facilities. Paula Suyama, Learning Center Manager for Liberty Dialysis, discusses their CMS, CDC and OSHA regulatory training requirements and various staff education initiatives for RNs, dialysis technicians, dietitians, social workers, biomedical technicians and other personnel."
SyberWorks, Inc., a leader in
custom e-Learning Solutions and the Learning Management System (LMS) industry,
today announces the next episode in their LMS e-Learning Implementation Podcast
Series: “Interview with Chirstophe Boehm
of Hoerbiger, Inc.”
Mary Kay Lofurno, Marketing Director of SyberWorks, states,
“This podcast looks at Hoerbiger’s use of the SyberWorks Learning Management
System (LMS) to provide employee training for their manufacturing organization.
Christophe Boehm, KT Academy Manager for
Hoerbiger, Inc, discusses their training goals such as performance management,
cost savings and others.
Lofurno continues, “He also describes their use of the
SyberWorks Competency Management Module to manage training plans and job role
competencies.” Dave Boggs, CEO of
SyberWorks hosts this episode.
HOERBIGER (www.hoerbiger.com) is
active throughout the world as a leading player in the fields of compression
technology, automation technology and drive technology. 6,400 employees have
achieved sales of around 1 billion Euros. The focal points of its business
activities include key components and services for compressors, gas-powered
engines, and turbomachinery, hydraulic systems and piezo technology for
vehicles and machine tools, as well as components and systems for shift and
clutch operations in vehicle drive trains of all kinds. Through innovations in
attractive technological niche markets, the HOERBIGER Group sets standards and
creates high-quality unique selling propositions with long-term benefit for the
customer.
About The SyberWorks
LMS e-Learning Implementation Podcast Series
The SyberWorks LMS e-Learning Implementation Podcast Series looks
at actual Learning Management System (LMS) implementations and e-Learning
program rollouts. Developed for busy training and e-Learning professionals, the
series explores how corporations, governments, and non-profit organizations are
using online training to improve performance, instruct employees, increase
customer acquisition and retention, and more!
About SyberWorks
SyberWorks, Inc. (http://www.syberworks.com) is a leader in the
custom e-Learning Solutions and Learning Management System industries for Fortune
1000 corporations, higher education, and other organizations. Located in
Waltham
,
Massachusetts
,
the company serves the multi-billion-dollar e-Learning market.Since 1995, SyberWorks has developed and
delivered unique and economical solutions to create, manage, measure, and
improve e-Learning programs at companies and organizations in the
SyberWorks e-Learning Podcast Series
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