SCORM explained: The real-world guide to eLearning compatibility

What it is, how it works, and whether it’s the missing link in your learning ecosystem.

If you're here, chances are you’re building a course, halfway through a platform switch, or staring at a folder of Storyline files wondering what the heck “SCORM-compliant” really means.

Maybe your LMS keeps asking for a ZIP file. Or maybe someone on your team keeps throwing around “xAPI” like it’s a magic wand.

Sound familiar?

Then welcome. This is the plain-speak guide you actually need—whether you’re brand new to digital learning or just never had SCORM properly explained. We’ll cover:

• What SCORM is (and what the acronym really stands for)
• How it works with LMSs (yep, we’ll explain what that means too)
• What SCORM can and can’t do (including why it might not work to its full capacity in learning platforms like Kajabi or Thinkific)
• How it compares to xAPI (and why they’re not enemies)
• Real-world dos, don’ts, and “dear God, please don’t do this” moments

Let’s make SCORM make sense—so you can stop Googling, start building, and get on with designing something impactful.

What is SCORM, really?

SCORM stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model. It’s not a new punk band or a secret government agency. It’s a technical standard created by the US Department of Defense in the early 2000s to solve a big problem: making learning content interoperable across platforms.

In human-speak? It’s like the USB of digital learning. You create your course once, wrap it up in a neat little SCORM package (a ZIP file), and plug it into any SCORM-friendly Learning Management System (LMS). It just works.

Inside that package? Your content (slides, quizzes, videos) plus a kind of instruction manual called a manifest file that tells the LMS how to launch and track it.

So the LMS sees the package, says “Ah yes, I know how to read this,” and makes it available to learners.

Simple. Kind of.

What is an LMS?

Quick sidebar—because we throw around “LMS” like everyone knows what it means.

An LMS (Learning Management System) is software that delivers, tracks, and manages your training or courses. Think Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard, TalentLMS, or Docebo. Even Thinkific or Kajabi call themselves LMSs, though more on that in a minute.

The LMS is where your learners log in, click “start course,” and (ideally) learn something useful. It’s also where you track completions, run reports, and satisfy compliance audits.

SCORM and LMSs are best friends. SCORM speaks the language the LMS understands—and vice versa.

How SCORM works: the quick version

Here’s what happens under the hood when you launch a SCORM course:

Content packaging

You publish your course (say, from Rise, Storyline or Captivate) as a SCORM file—a .zip containing your media, quizzes, and a manifest. It’s the course + the instructions.

Side note:

More on Articulate Rise here...

Launch

The LMS unpacks that file, adds the course to its dashboard, and when the learner hits “start,” it launches the first SCO (Sharable Content Object). Think of SCOs as mini-lessons inside the course.

Tracking

While the learner navigates, the course pings the LMS: “They’ve finished the video.” “They scored 85% on the quiz.” “They’re halfway through Module 2.” These little pings—called API calls in the SCORM universe—are how the LMS keeps tabs on everything from time spent to whether someone actually finished the final slide.

Completion

When the learner clicks “Exit” or finishes the last screen, the course sends a final message: “All done!” The LMS logs it. You see it in the reports.

It’s a handshake system—simple, reliable, and frankly, kind of elegant when it works well.

What SCORM tracks (and what it doesn’t)

SCORM can track:

✅ Completion status
✅ Pass/fail status
✅ Score
✅ Time spent
✅ Resume/bookmarking
✅ Quiz data (if you’re using SCORM 2004)

SCORM can’t track:

❌ Engagement
❌ Learning outside the course
❌ Offline access
❌ Social learning or mobile app usage

If you’re running an LMS-based course with a quiz? SCORM’s your best friend. If you’re tracking real-world learning, not so much.

SCORM 1.2 vs SCORM 2004

Here’s the honest breakdown:

SCORM 1.2 is simpler and more widely supported. SCORM 2004 is more powerful—but can be finicky. Use what your LMS supports and what your course needs.

Enter xAPI: the cool younger cousin

xAPI (aka Tin Can API) is not SCORM 2.0—it’s a new standard.

Where SCORM tracks learning in an LMS, xAPI tracks learning anywhere. Webinars, simulations, apps, even coaching sessions.

It logs learning as “statements” like:

• “Jane watched the onboarding video.”
• “Alex completed field training.”
• “Sam scored 92% on Module 3.”

All of this goes to an LRS (Learning Record Store)—kind of like a super-smart learning database.

You don’t need an LMS. You don’t even need a browser. xAPI is modern, mobile-friendly, and great for tracking everything SCORM can’t.

Not all platforms love SCORM

SCORM is supported by most traditional LMSs:

• Moodle
• Canvas
• Blackboard
• TalentLMS
• LearnUpon
• iSpring Learn

But not by:

❌ Kajabi

❌ Thinkific (unless you’re on Thinkific Plus)

❌ Teachable

If your platform doesn’t support SCORM, you might still see your content by embedding it, but you’ll lose all the tracking. It’s like watching Netflix with no remote—looks great, but you can’t control or measure anything.

Can I just embed SCORM content?

Technically? Yes.

Practically? Avoid it.

If you embed a SCORM course as HTML5 or via iframe:

• Learners can interact with it.
• But no tracking happens.
• Your LMS won’t know what they did.

You’re using SCORM like a glorified slideshow. If you want data, you need a SCORM-compatible system.

That said, platforms like Kajabi or Thinkific often offer their own built-in interactive elements—like quizzes, surveys, or assessments—that can serve the same instructional purpose as a SCORM module. The difference? These are native, out-of-the-box tools, and they’re already tracked by the platform itself. So while they don’t use SCORM under the hood, they still let you see who completed what, how they scored, and even trigger automations based on learner actions. It’s just a different ecosystem—with its own rules.

Should you still use SCORM?

Yes, if:

• You’re using a proper LMS
• You need completions, scores, time
• You’re building compliance or certification-based courses

Not ideal if:

• You’re using Kajabi, Thinkific (basic), or Teachable
• You want to track learning beyond a course
• You’re building mobile or offline content
  
  

Final thoughts

SCORM is solid. It’s not flashy, but it works. It’s not built for the future of learning—but it still holds up if you use it for what it does best.

Want to go bigger? Add xAPI into your stack. Mix and match. But if you just need your LMS to track who did the course and what they scored, SCORM is still your guy.

Have questions about how to make it all work in your setup? We’re just a message away.

References

Rustici Software – SCORM Explained: One-Minute Overview
https://scorm.com/scorm-explained/one-minute-scorm-overview/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=natural_search

Rustici Software – Technical SCORM: Content Packaging
https://scorm.com/scorm-explained/technical-scorm/content-packaging/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=natural_search

Rustici Software – Technical SCORM: Run-Time
https://scorm.com/scorm-explained/technical-scorm/run-time/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=natural_search

Rustici Software – Technical SCORM: Sequencing
https://scorm.com/scorm-explained/technical-scorm/sequencing/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=natural_search

Elucidat – What is SCORM?
https://www.elucidat.com/blog/what-is-scorm/

Skilljar – What is SCORM?
https://www.skilljar.com/blog/what-is-scorm

eLearn Australia – What is SCORM?
https://www.elearnaustralia.com.au/what-is-scorm.htm

iSpring Blog – What Is SCORM? Complete Guide for 2025
https://www.ispringsolutions.com/blog/scorm

LearnUpon Blog – What is SCORM? A Simple Guide
https://www.learnupon.com/blog/what-is-scorm

TechTarget – What is an LMS?
https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/learning-management-system-LMS

xAPI.com (Rustici) – SCORM vs xAPI
https://xapi.com/scorm-vs-xapi/

LearnWorlds – xAPI vs SCORM: How to Choose
https://www.learnworlds.com/xapi-vs-scorm/

Thinkific Support – Using Multimedia Lessons
https://support.thinkific.com/hc/en-us/articles/360030465793-Using-Multimedia-Lessons

Thinkific Support – Student Progress Tracking
https://support.thinkific.com/hc/en-us/articles/360030714874-Student-Progress-Tracking

Kajabi Support – Create an Assessment https://help.kajabi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037489994-Create-an-Assessment

Kajabi Support – Understanding Lesson Progress
https://help.kajabi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043198674-Understanding-Lesson-Progress

Reddit / r/elearning – SCORM vs H5P discussion
https://www.reddit.com/r/elearning/

ADL Initiative – Official SCORM and cmi5 Standards
https://www.adlnet.gov/

SCORM.com – General Resource Hub
https://scorm.com/