Forum .LRN Q&A: Re: SCORM runtime environment and IMS Simple Sequencing

Ernie,

thanks for the detailed description. Now I see that it's probably
the terminology which confuses a lot.

In terms of run-time environments, there's a quite a difference between
IMS and SCORM. First, IMS doesn't provide one 😊

Runtime in the more narrow sense - ok. But one may think of it as just
a DELIVERY entity that acts "at run time"

IMS doesn't have (as far as I know) specifications on content delivery.

http://www.imsglobal.org/simplesequencing/ssv1p0/imsss_infov1p0.html#1647943
says that delivery mechanisms are not specified, but nevertheless there
is a framework of concepts specified, and I think as soon as LORS
specifies and tracks a few values, like one for "every selection within
the hierarchical web content tree is always allowed" and "value for
success on return from activity, defaulted to success if content was
visited" (I didn't yet look into the specs to identify the proper variable
names but I'm sure they exist) then we had what IMS expects.

I still don't get rid of the impression that Scorm DOES have a slightly
different focus (more client - server division of labor than just on the
browser-to-webserver basis, more sophisticated production tools
necessary), so I don't think we can say, IMS leaves the delivery
up to the competitor standard.

Hi Matthias,

Thanks once again for your quick reply.

>In terms of run-time environments, there's a quite a difference between
>IMS and SCORM. First, IMS doesn't provide one 😊

Runtime in the more narrow sense - ok. But one may think of is just
a DELIVERY entity that acts "at run time"

Yes, after reading yout comments on IMS SS, I think you are absolutely right.

I think I was understanding delivery as "delivery environment".

But you are absolutely right in the sense that IMS SS does specify sequences and conditions for this sequences to ocurr within a delivery environment.

I still don't get rid of the impression that Scorm DOES have a slightly
different focus (more client - server division of labor than just on the
browser-to-webserver basis, more sophisticated production tools
necessary),

Yes, that's correct. In addition, you might want to take into account why SCORM wants to have such environment for delivering content and it has to do (I believe) with the fact that want to make sure their content runs in "every SCORM runtime environment" regardless whether the medium (a cellphone, or any type of browser as long as it has an applet that acts as underlying communicator between the browser functions (usually on javascript) and the back end server.

so I don't think we can say, IMS leaves the delivery
up to the competitor standard.

Yes, that is true. However, it is kind of difficult to me to put them both at the same level. SCORM uses IMS SS now (in version 1.3), so it is entirely based on IMS SS for the conditions of delivery of content.

However as you quoted before, IMS doesn't specify the underlying delivery mechanisms (which SCORM took from AICC)

Thanks,

Ernie