SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is an e-learning standard that was created in the early 2000s, primarily for large institutional environments like universities, government agencies, and corporate LMS (Learning Management Systems) platforms.
Its main goal was to allow course content to be packaged and transferred between different learning management systems in a very controlled, standardized way.
While SCORM was useful in its time, it comes with several limitations that make it a poor fit for modern, creator-driven and small-business platforms:
It’s very old and rigid – SCORM was designed before modern web APIs, mobile learning, real-time analytics, and flexible integrations existed. Extending it beyond its original use cases is difficult.
Limited data flexibility – SCORM focuses on a narrow set of tracking data (completion, pass/fail, time spent) and makes it hard to capture richer insights or custom events.
Packaging and hosting constraints – SCORM requires content to be wrapped in specific ZIP packages and run inside an LMS runtime, which limits portability and modern delivery options.
Vendor lock-in – Many SCORM workflows tie you closely to specific LMS vendors or tooling ecosystems.
For our platform, we intentionally chose open, modern standards instead.
We use JSON and CSV for data export and interoperability because they are:
Widely supported across modern tools, analytics platforms, CRMs, and custom systems
Human-readable and transparent, so you actually own and understand your data
Flexible and future-proof, allowing us (and you) to evolve without being constrained by a legacy specificationEasy to integrate with reporting, automation, and third-party services
This approach gives creators and businesses more control, better portability, and far fewer technical constraints than SCORM—without sacrificing access to meaningful learner data.
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