ADL Initiative Finalizes Latest Addition to E-Learning Specifications; Key IMS Content Packaging Capability Expanded And Included In SCORM.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 2001

The Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Laboratory (ADL Co-Lab) in Alexandria, Virginia announced today the release of the latest version of its Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM), Version 1.2.

This release adds the ability to package instructional material and meta-data for import and export. These XML-based specifications provide a crucial link between learning content repositories and learning management systems. The new SCORM version incorporates the IMS Global Learning Consortium's Content Packaging Specification and expands it to include additional course structure capabilities.

The release marks the end of the test and evaluation period of the new specifications following the highly successful fourth "Plugfest" event held in June 2001.

ADL's SCORM is a collection of specifications adapted from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive suite of e-learning capabilities that enable interoperability, accessibility and reuse of web-based learning content.

First released in January 2000, the ADL Initiative continues to update and expand the scope of the specifications in cooperation with industry, government and academic participants. Further additions to SCORM are planned for early next year.

"This release heralds the global implementation of e-learning specifications and guidelines to provide learning content anywhere and anytime," according to Michael Parmentier, the Director of Readiness and Training Policy and Programs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. This seminal effort flows, he said, from "unprecedented cooperation between government, academia and the private sector, all working for a common solution to a common problem to increase the performance and capabilities of the workforce. The Department of Defense congratulates the participating members of the global learning community on their achievement."

"SCORM and the ADL Plugfests continue to be the primary focusing force for convergence and progress across the e-learning community," said Dr. Edward C. T. Walker, Chief Executive Officer, IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. "SCORM 1.2 makes IMS specifications that working groups produce `add up' to a robust standards-based infrastructure." Dr. Walker also said, "delivering such mobility to end-users, content authors, instructors, learners, system developers and maintainers is at the heart of the collaboration between ADL and IMS. The next steps include specifying the sequencing of content in courses and articulating the architecture framework underlying the SCORM."

"Release, implement, test, revise, and extend," said Dan Rehak, Technical Director, Learning Systems Architecture Lab, Carnegie Mellon University. "With the public release of SCORM 1.2, the ADL Initiative and the e-learning community have completed another cycle in the ongoing evolution and improvement of specifications and practices for developing the anytime-anywhere distributed e-learning environment. SCORM 1.2 incorporates several key extensions and improvements from the ongoing specifications and standards work that have been implemented in products and proven in interoperability tests. The core `books' of SCORM 1.2 provide the stable models needed for the community to go forward and produce interoperable content."

Robby Robson, Chairman of the IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee, said, "the ADL and numerous other organizations are part of a global community that is creating and standardizing the pieces needed to enable scalable online learning, education, and training. SCORM 1.2 is significant because it pulls together several efforts and will facilitate the dissemination and testing of a standard method for packaging on-line learning content, transporting it, unpacking it, delivering it, and retrieving results from it. This is big step along the way to even more exciting results. Congratulations, ADL!"

The SCORM specifications and related documents are available for download at www.adlnet.org. The ADL Initiative expects to make conformance-test software for SCORM Version 1.2 available for free download in early November 2001.

The ADL Technical Team is also collaborating with the IMS Global Learning Consortium's "Simple Sequencing" Work Group to develop more sophisticated capabilities for designing on-line learning experiences.

About ADL

The ADL Initiative is a collaborative effort between government, industry, and academia, to establish a common framework that permits the interoperability of learning tools and content on a global scale.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Labor, and the National Guard have established the ADL Co-Lab as a forum for cooperative research, development and assessment of new learning technology prototypes, guidelines, and specifications.

To learn more about, or to download, SCORM V 1.2, visit the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative Website http://www.adlnet.org.

About IMS Global Learning Consortium

The IMS Global Learning Consortium develops open technical specifications to support distributed learning. All specifications developed by IMS are available to the public without charge through the IMS web site. IMS is a non-profit organization supported by members of a worldwide consortium that currently includes more than 56 Contributing members and over 200 Developers Network subscribers.

The IMS in Europe foundation supports IMS activities among European members. Information about IMS specifications, on-going activities, and membership applications are available on the IMS website at http://www.imsglobal.org.

About IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC)

The mission of IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC) working groups is to develop technical standards, recommended practices, and guidelines for software components, tools, technologies and design methods that facilitate the development, deployment, maintenance, and interoperation of computer implementations of education and training components and systems.

Information about IEEE-LTSC standards, practices, and guidelines are available at the IEEE-LTSC website at http://ltsc.ieee.org.