Creating SCORM and IMS Content Package for LMS import

Before trying to create a content package, you should be familiar with creating an eLML lesson, validating and transforming it.

Using eLML lessons with a Learning Management System (LMS)

A very convenient way of using eLML lessons is to integrate them into an open source or commercial Learning Management SystemLMS: A Learning Management System (or LMS) is a software package, usually on a large scale (that scale is decreasing rapidly), that enables the management and delivery of learning content and resources to students. Most LMS systems are web-based to facilitate "anytime, anywhere" access to learning content and administration. Some famous open source LMS are OLAT and Moodle, famous commercial LMS are WebCT and Blackboard. like OLAT or WebCT. This is done using the IMS Content PackageIMS: The IMS Global Learning Consortium (usually known as IMS) is a non-profit standards organization concerned with establishing interoperability for learning systems and learning content and the enterprise integration of these capabilities. Their mission is to "support the adoption and use of learning technology worldwide". Some famous IMS standards are the CP (Content Package) standard used to import/export of content, the "Learning Resource Meta-data Specification" (LOM) or the QTI standard for question and test interoperability. or SCORMSCORM: The Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a standard for web-based e-learning. It defines how the individual instruction elements are combined at a technical level and sets conditions for the software needed for using the content. SCORM is distributed by the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative, a US organization under the Department of Defense (DoD). standard. A content package is basically a ZIP archive with all your XHTML files, images, flashes etc. and with a XML file called imsmanifest.xml at the root level. The imsmanifest.xml contains both the metadata about the lesson (according to the IMS Metadata standard) and references to the different files. To generate a content package of your lessons please follow these steps:

1. Be sure that your lesson is valid and that the transformation of standalone XHTML pages works.
2. Set the "pagebreak_level" parameter to either 'unit' or 'lo' to generate multiple output pages.
3. Set the "use_navigation" parameter to 'no' since you want the LMS to generate your navigation and not have it included into the XHTML files.
4. Set the "manifest_type" parameter to either 'ims' or 'scorm' depending on the type of content package you want to create.
5. Use a simple layout like the "plain" layout since the LMS will be responsible for the layout. If you transform your lesson using the elml.xsl file directly, the plain layout is used by default.
6. Go into the eLML project folder and use the command: "zip -r lessonname.zip ."
   (This step can be done on OS X by using the context menu and choose "Create archive of ...". On Windows there are similar shortcuts to create ZIP archives.)
7. Upload this ZIP file into your LMS and it will be recognized as a content package.

Please note that in point 6 it is important that you do the zipping within your project folder and not outside of it. This way it is guaranteed that the imsmanifest.xml file is at the root level of the ZIP archive. Else it would be under yourpoject/imsmanifest.xml in the ZIP archive and would not recognized by the LMS.

Screenshot of the same GITTA lesson integrated into OLAT (using IMS Content Package)