It is common that you may need to use a SCORM package developed by a 3rd party (a vendor, a designer no longer available for questions, etc.). It is important to set the Activity Completion settings correctly. These instructions will show you how to determine the best settings for accurate completion tracking.
Moodle Reports Attempts and Track Details
You may be able to determine the status that is being sent to Moodle by uploading the SCORM package to a SCORM Activity in Moodle and then attempting it with a test user. After completing the activity as your test user, log back in to the appropriate account with editing privileges, and then navigate to the SCORM Activity > Reports > and then click on the test user's attempt (number link). Evaluate the Track Details looking for keywords such as "Pass" or "Complete." A more thorough test can be conducted using SCORM Cloud as described below.
Checking the SCORM Logs on SCORM Cloud
If you do not have a way to check the export settings for the SCORM package, you will need to determine if the SCORM 1.2 package is reporting Passed or Completion logs. You can use SCORM Cloud to check the logs (“The Trial” free account can be used for this task).
To check the logs, follow the below steps:
Log in to SCORM Cloud
Click Library
Click Add Content
Click Import a SCORM, AICC, xAPI or cmi5 package
Use Browse to locate the file and press Import Course
Click Launch and take the SCORM content like a student would
Close the SCORM when finished with the content to return to the Course Sandbox page
Click on the Session link under the heading “Debug Logs”
Press CTRL or Command “F” on keyboard to turn on “Find on Page”
Search for “Passed”
If an entry in the logs says something like (‘cmi.core.lesson_status’ , ‘passed’), you should used the Activity Completion Setting of Passed
Search for “Completed”
If an entry in the logs says something like (‘cmi.core.lesson_status’ , ‘completed’), you should use the Activity Completion setting of Completed
Test Before Going Live
It is highly recommended that you test any SCORM packages used in your courses with a demo student account (not using ‘Log in as’, but actually logging into the course as a student) and complete the SCORM package with the settings you desire. You do not need to use both Passed and Completed completion settings - using both settings can cause confusion and may result in students not completing the SCORM as intended. Checking the logs using SCORM Cloud can help you understand what type of data is being reported (completed or passed).
What if we want to edit the SCORM export settings?
The issue often is whether or not you can identify what authoring platform was used to create the SCORM. It is difficult to recommend alternative settings when the editable version of the SCORM file is no longer available as some SCORM authoring tools do not allow you to import SCORM files for future editing.
Every SCORM authoring tool has a different design interface and different export settings, but SCORM packages the content in a similar format from tool to tool. The imsmanifest.xml file, tincan.xml file, or meta file within the SCORM zip file that can be opened in Wordpad (or another similar tool) and reviewed to occasionally determine the authoring program used by the 3rd party. If you extract the zip file and open the imsmanifest.xml file or tincan.xml file, you may find the SCORM authoring tool in the following locations:
Imsmanifest.xml - in the <organization identifier>
meta - in the <application name>
tincan.xml - in the <activity id>
Example of Articulate Rise Organization Identifier in an imsmanifest.xml
Example of Articulate Rise Activity ID in a tincan.xml
Example of Articulate Storyline Activity ID in a tincan.xml
If you are able to identify the authoring tool, you can research the different export options available for the tool. You may be able to ask the 3rd party content developer for an export with certain reporting requirements that better align with your desired Moodle completion settings.