Best practices for LMS multiple modules with a shell

[Steve Christie]

I'm used to making an LMS course as one Captivate project. Say it has 5 lessons, I would link to them from a main menu. It's easy to make each lesson accessible after the previous one is done.

I'm now working on a 12 hour course, and the ISD said she usually sees this done as a multi-module project with a shell. So I think I would make a main menu as the shell, then link to each project separately.

The modules have checkpoints, but no quizzes. There is a final exam, but it will be built in Homework, and linked to by the LMS when the modules are all viewed. I just need to make sure each module is viewed one-by-one in order with the final exam at the end. I'm a bit worried about how I will get the modules to be accessible after the previous one is viewed, but maybe the LMS can take care of this, right?

Any recommedations on how to approach this? I'm thinking the multi-sco packager is not the best option, plus I want to have control of how the main screen looks.

[RodWard]

Whether or not you can use the Multi-SCO packager is really more dependent on whether your LMS support multi-SCO SCORM packages (where all modules are 'bundled' together in a single zip file with an imsmanifest.xml file that tells the LMS about all the component modules and which order to list them in).  If it does not, then you your LMS only supports upload of individual single SCO SCORM packages that are then set up as a "learning pathway" or some similar name.

Either way, the SCORM standard does not support linking from one SCO to another.  Usually the LMS creates the menu of links that allows the learner to select which module they view.  So your idea of using Captivate to create your own menu of links might not work with your SCORM-compliant LMS.