SCORM vs xAPI vs cmi5: which e-learning standard to use

SCORM is the long-standing standard for e-learning content that an LMS launches in a browser and tracks. xAPI is a flexible way to record any learning experience as simple statements sent to a record store. cmi5 is a set of rules that lets an LMS launch and track xAPI content, much as it does with SCORM. If your authoring tool exports SCORM and your learners study inside an LMS, SCORM is usually enough. Choose xAPI when you need to track learning outside an LMS, and cmi5 when you want LMS-launched content built on xAPI. This guide explains each in plain language, compares them, and lists what to test before you rely on any of them.

A note on interest: Cloudgramam sells an LMS that supports all three, so we have a stake in this topic. We cite the standards bodies' own documents, and we say plainly where our own support has limits.

What is SCORM?

SCORM stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model. It is a set of technical specifications created by ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning) so that e-learning content built in one tool can run in any compatible LMS. The unit of content is called a SCO, a sharable content object. See ADL's SCORM page and scorm.com's SCORM Explained.

• SCORM 1.2 (2001): the first widely adopted version. It has no sequencing and navigation specification, so most SCORM 1.2 content is built as a single SCO.
• SCORM 2004: added sequencing and navigation, which let content authors define how a learner moves between SCOs. ADL's latest release is SCORM 2004 4th Edition, from 2009.
• Compatibility: SCORM 2004 is not backwards compatible with SCORM 1.2, so an LMS needs support for each version you use.

SCORM content runs in a browser window launched by the LMS and reports things like completion, score and time back to it. It is supported almost everywhere, which is its main strength.

What is xAPI?

xAPI, the Experience API, is a specification for describing and exchanging records of learning experiences. The official xAPI specification describes a Statement as a data structure that gives evidence of an experience or event. Each statement has an actor (the "I" in "I did this"), a verb (the "did") and an object (the "this"), and can add a result and a context.

Statements are stored in a Learning Record Store (LRS), which the specification defines as a server that receives, stores and provides access to learning records. Because a statement can describe any activity, xAPI can record reading a book, taking an online course or going on a field trip, and not only lessons delivered through an LMS.

What is cmi5?

The cmi5 specification describes cmi5 as a profile for using xAPI with traditional learning management systems. xAPI is deliberately general, so cmi5 adds extra rules for one use case: a learner launching content from an LMS. Those rules cover launch, authentication, session management, reporting and course structure. The specification says cmi5 aims to be a better alternative to AICC and SCORM, whose data models it describes as too complicated, with many optional elements that went unused.

In cmi5 the launchable piece of content is an Assignable Unit, or AU. The course says when an AU counts as done through a move-on rule, such as Completed, Passed, CompletedAndPassed, CompletedOrPassed or NotApplicable.

How do SCORM, xAPI and cmi5 compare?

• What they track. SCORM: a course launched from an LMS. xAPI: any learning experience, inside or outside an LMS. cmi5: a course launched from an LMS, recorded as xAPI statements.
• Where records go. SCORM: back to the LMS through the browser. xAPI: to a Learning Record Store. cmi5: to the LMS's record store as xAPI statements.
• Launch rules. SCORM defines how the LMS launches content. Plain xAPI does not define launch. cmi5 does, using xAPI.
• Structure. SCORM 1.2 is mostly one SCO per course, SCORM 2004 adds sequencing, and cmi5 groups content into AUs with move-on rules.
• Support. SCORM is supported almost everywhere. xAPI and cmi5 are newer, and support varies by LMS and authoring tool, so test your own combination.

Which standard should you use?

• Your authoring tool exports SCORM and learners study in an LMS: use SCORM 1.2 or 2004. It is the safest choice for compatibility.
• You need sequencing between parts of a course: use SCORM 2004, and confirm which of its sequencing rules your LMS actually applies.
• You want to record learning outside an LMS, such as simulations, mobile apps or on-the-job tasks: use xAPI with a Learning Record Store.
• You want modern, LMS-launched content on xAPI: use cmi5, if both your authoring tool and your LMS support it.
• You are choosing an LMS: check which of these it supports before you buy, because some platforms limit them to higher plans. We compare three popular hosted platforms in TalentLMS, Teachable and Thinkific alternatives compared.

What should you test before relying on a package?

1. Upload a real export from your own authoring tool, not a sample file.
2. Check that completion and pass or fail are recorded when a learner finishes.
3. Close the window mid-lesson and confirm the learner can resume where they stopped.
4. For multi-part SCORM, check that each part is tracked and that any required order is enforced.
5. For cmi5, check that the move-on rule you set marks the course satisfied at the right moment.
6. Confirm what the LMS stores: scores, attempts, time and statements.

What does Cloudgramam LMS support?

• SCORM 1.2 and 2004: upload the authoring tool's .zip to a SCORM lesson. Progress, bookmarks, score and completion are saved and resumed. Packages with several SCOs work too, each tracked separately, and the lesson completes when every SCO is completed or passed. A course that sets its sequencing to linear is enforced in that order. Other SCORM 2004 sequencing rules are ignored.
• xAPI (Tin Can): a built-in record store accepts statements and activity state, and a completed or passed statement for the package's activity finishes the lesson.
• cmi5: the full launch handshake, with several assignable units supported, and a lesson completes when the move-on rule is met.

Limits to know about. Our SCORM support is built against the specifications and has not been through ADL certification. We have tested xAPI and cmi5 with hand-made and simulated packages and not yet with real authoring tools' output, so test your own export before you promise it to a customer. During setup we run your packages with you. Read more on the Cloudgramam LMS page, and see our self-hosted LMS guide and SaaS vs self-hosted LMS comparison for the wider choice.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between SCORM and xAPI?

SCORM tracks content that an LMS launches in a browser and reports results back to the LMS. xAPI records learning experiences as statements in a Learning Record Store, and those experiences do not have to happen inside an LMS.

Is cmi5 a replacement for SCORM?

It was designed as a better alternative to SCORM and AICC, built on xAPI. In practice SCORM is still far more widely supported, so most organisations use both depending on their tools.

Does xAPI need a Learning Record Store?

Yes. xAPI statements are sent to a Learning Record Store, which receives, stores and provides access to them. Many LMSs include one, and standalone ones exist.

Should I use SCORM 1.2 or SCORM 2004?

Use whichever your authoring tool and LMS both support. SCORM 1.2 is the most widely supported. SCORM 2004 adds sequencing and navigation, but it is not backwards compatible with 1.2, and LMSs vary in how fully they apply its sequencing rules.

Can one LMS support SCORM, xAPI and cmi5?

Yes, many do, though depth of support differs. Ask which versions and features are supported, and test a real export from your authoring tool.

Do I need to pay extra for these standards?

It depends on the platform. Some hosted platforms include SCORM on every plan and others place it on a top plan, so check the pricing page. Cloudgramam LMS includes all three in the licence.

Not sure which standard your content needs? Book a demo of Cloudgramam LMS and bring a sample package, and we will test it with you.