If you find your course is not running on your LMS, you can test that it is SCORM 1.2 compliant by uploading it to the test area at scorm.com. If all is well, it will play on that server and you will know that it is constructed correctly. If your course doesnot play on the scorm server, it will be debugged and you will receive a report.
I thought I could download one of the sample LCMS courses - like Computer_Basics - from this site, zip the contents of the course folder, upload it to scorm.com and see it play. It didn't work - lots of href errors. If someone else can manage to successfully run an LCDS course to compliance on the scorm server - I would sure like to know how you did it. Because I, like many others, just cant get my finished product to play - and, yes, I have scoured this site and read the help files carefully. And consulted my web designers, IT folks and the LMS providers. According to scorm.com, the courses I create are not scorm 1.2 compliant. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two Days Later: I uploaded the Microsoft Certification sample course to scorm.com to see if it conformed to scorm 1.2. The resulting warning was:
Logs & Parser Warnings Parser Warnings [9] The file referenced by the href attribute could not be found. href = default.html#0002_course_overview (Resource 'RESOURCE_0') The file referenced by the href attribute could not be found. href = default.html#0004_navigation_overview (Resource 'RESOURCE_1') The file referenced by the href attribute could not be found. href = default.html#0009_getting_your_certification (Resource 'RESOURCE_6') The file referenced by the href attribute could not be found. href = default.html#0016_introduction (Resource 'RESOURCE_12') The file referenced by the href attribute could not be found. href = default.html#0022_introduction (Resource 'RESOURCE_18') The file referenced by the href attribute could not be found. href = default.html#0041_introduction (Resource 'RESOURCE_57') The file referenced by the href attribute could not be found. href = default.html#0048_learn_more (Resource 'RESOURCE_64') The file referenced by the href attribute could not be found. href = default.html#0050_learn_more (Resource 'RESOURCE_65') The file referenced by the href attribute could not be found. href = platform/platformManifest.xml (Resource 'DEPENDENCY_RESOURCE')
So it seems the resources/pages exist but there is a problem with the navigation to them. Someone else on the Forums suggested that the # after .html was the problem and I suspect they are right. Until this is fixed, the program is certainly not fully SCORM compliant - maybe partially compliant. Courses do not run on too many LMSs by the look of the responses in these forums
Hmm! I tried uploading a course I had written using version 2.3 to Scorm Test Track and got 9 Parser warnings and when I launched my course only the navigation structure played - no content visible. The conclusion being that LCDS is not SCORM compliant and this makes it virtually useless as a serious tool for L&D professionals. If people want a stand alone e-learning tool they would be better off using any of the ebook generation software - most of which is more pleasing to the eye and often with more functionality than LCDS!
Technical issues aside, in my 30 years' experience in developing and delivering high-end education material to major corporations, I have to say that the LCDS package is not a professional tool - more suited to the classroom teacher than training professionals. Even if you incorporate lots of multi-media, the look and feel of the package is very boring. The rigid structure? This package was developed by people who clearly had no industry experience in designing training course material.
Conclusion: Free can be expensive if you have to rewrite lots of Java subroutines just to have a workable course structure and then spend valuable time sorting out technical issues like loading the package onto a server.
Microsoft says one is free to sell any courses developed using LCDS - good luck with that!
