SCORM and Tin Can Have a Great Impact on Your Business – Here’s How

In the past, the process of learning was tied to the classroom. Thanks to the rapid expansion of the Internet, we have an opportunity to learn anything we want in just a few clicks. Databases of condensed knowledge became quite popular and larger companies figured out that there should be a system in place which will integrate data and make it easier for users to find and learn what interests them.

There are two standards for launching, publishing, and maintaining a learning management system –  SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) and Tin Can (Experience API or xAPI).

While SCORM, which hasn’t improved much since 2009, is limited due to the fact that it can only track course-oriented texts, modules that are completed, and the test scores in the end, the new standard, Tin Can, released in 2013, is way more advanced. It allows people designing the eLearning course to integrate as many relevant experiences as they see fit in order to enhance the learning experience overall.

Learning management systems are already being used in the business world. SCORM and Tin Can are a rather potent IT achievement, especially when presented as an enterprise software solution. Let’s see if SCORM and Tin Can API can make an impact in your organization.

A New Company Culture

Learning and advancing further is something everyone in the world of business is striving towards. Are you looking for an environment where people are making progress and learning, while all the useful data is stored on a system and compiled into valuable data? Are you in need of a place where anyone can access that data at any given time and use it to learn, improve and check if he/she really knows all the steps concerning a procedure they are about to do while in the workplace? That’s what SCORM and Tin Can are all about.
This system, an LMS, has a direct impact on various business aspects:

• Organizational performance;
• Employee satisfaction;
• Cutting down expenses by shortening onboarding and training programs (but, we will talk about that later on).

One thing is for sure. “Tin Can offers great potential for the convergence of working and learning, and offers an opportunity for the learning function to demonstrate a more direct and measurable impact on the organization’s success than ever before.” – as Donald Kirkpatrick states in his book “Evaluating Training Programs”.

One of the features of the Tin Can standard is that it doesn’t require an internet connection to stay active. That means that it can keep gathering user information, which can be uploaded later, when an Internet connection is available. This feature is what makes Tin Can a mobile ready solution for all businesses that want to make eLearning possible on-the-go.

Onboarding

While SCORM is able to track and record limited types of data, such as test scores and modules that are completed as the course progresses, the Tin Can compliant LMS can track and record almost anything that you want it to. One of the greatest advantages is Tin Can’s ability to communicate with other software solutions you have in your establishment. When it comes to onboarding, there is one interaction specifically that brings it to another level, and that’s knowledge database interaction.

Furthermore, the LMS can be setup to interact with the organizational knowledge base so as not to only use information from it, but also to write entries when those are approved by users with authority. When new employees come to work, the LMS can be used to check how successful LMS based training really is.

If the success rate is satisfying. Managers can leave a trainee with an LMS training program and they can, at all times, check all entries. This is possible through Tin Can’s feature to store data by categorizing it with timestamps, separating verbs, nouns and objects. This way, a manager can access an LMS generated report and intervene if the subject is stuck or making a critical error.
What makes the Tin Can compliant LMS excellent is that every time someone makes an entry, that entry becomes part of database that can further be used as learning material. This is why organizations with updated LMSs provide an impressive learning curve for new employees, thus getting that much-needed competitive edge.

Consistency Across All Departments and Branches

A learning management system is a very powerful tool when it comes to distributing knowledge across departments, even to geographically distant locations. Communicating a consistent message to all employees and providing a unified training experience for all trainees is very important in the consumer-centered era that emphasizes user experience.
Available on all devices, the Tin Can compliant LMS is definitely the best knowledge distribution solution. On top of that, this system provides freedom to subjects who are learning in terms of flexibility when it comes to when they’ll sit down and learn. No matter how busy these people are, they will have the opportunity to continue where they left off at any time and anywhere.

Deep Level Integration

What would be possible if there was a system that integrates enterprise resource planning systems, knowledge bases, project management systems, performance, and talent management, and is able to track and generate reports on tasks, all work relevant data, attendance, success rates, and test scores? Yeah, however incredible it may sound, SCORM & Tin Can are just that.

Compliance Regulations

Many companies have to careful when it comes to being up to date with compliance regulations. As those are prone to change, sometimes even on a daily basis, it is really time consuming to stay tuned and updated by using legacy systems.

Businesses that have opted for an LMS solution just have to add new compliance standards to their eLearning training courses, which requires very little time. This way, your business will save money both by shortening the time needed for compliance regulations to get updated, and by avoiding serious penalties if an inspection finds any irregularities.

Keep in mind that these are just some of the reasons why there are more and more companies that decide to use LMSs. Also, there is one more important thing. LMS vendors offer various versions that are very different, because some of them have the features others don’t. This is why you should always check if everything your business needs is covered by the LMS you are trying to get for your organization.

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