September 13, 2007
Extending SCORM RTE to include games and simulations
The Academic ADL Co-Lab had the opportunity to virtually host a session on the proposed SCORM Runtime Extension that is in early prototype development yesterday. What makes this extension particularly interesting is that it represents a first attempt at allowing SCORM to break out of its browser-based constraints via a web services layer.
The recorded Breeze session is available online and it is worth watching because it is a simple but powerful demonstration of how this proposed extension would work. A learner could take a course using a typical SCO format and, through a new asset type called an LSF, be directed to a different server to queue up for a simulation or game using any game technology. A web services layer then sends the results of the game activity back to the LMS and allows remediation using SCOs (if the learner is not successful in meeting objectives) through current SCORM sequencing rules. In the presentation an excellent point is made that this games and simulation component is designed to cover a particular class of simulations and not to serve all game and learning possibilities.
This framework, a white paper, and the code, is currently open for public comment, debate, and additional non-military use cases at this URL (free registration required): http://adlcommunity.net/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=116
I saw a demonstration two weeks ago at Implementation Fest of the web services layer doing significantly more than just games and simulations by tying together new system components to the "traditional" LCMS which was very impressive. Several companies, working independently on specific applications, were able to tie them together within just a few weeks to create a very powerful prototype system for human capital management.
For those of use working in more of an educational environment (rather than a training environment), this particular example still represents a fairly "closed loop" learning system. However, we had a brainstorming session here at the Co-Lab yesterday about how the web services framework could allow a more "open loop" educational system to emerge.
Posted by Rovy at September 13, 2007 10:33 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://WWW.situativity.org/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/265