Can I use a SCORM file without an LMS?

Yes. A SCORM course needs a player that launches it and records what it reports, but that doesn't have to be an LMS. Ethica plays single-SCO SCORM 1.2 and 2004 courses and sends them to employees by email, with no logins.

Why won't the SCORM zip open when I double-click it?

The zip is a package of web files plus a manifest. It is meant to be uploaded to a platform that unpacks it, launches it in a browser and saves the learner's progress.

Will the course's quiz score be recorded?

If the course sends a score, Ethica records it with the pass or fail result and includes both in the CSV export.

What Is SCORM? A Plain-English Guide for HR Teams

SCORM is the technical standard that makes compliance training content portable. Instead of being locked into one vendor's format, a SCORM package works inside any platform that supports the standard — including Ethica.

The one-sentence version

SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is a set of technical specifications that define how e-learning content and delivery platforms communicate with each other.

In practical terms: if your training content is packaged as SCORM, you can upload it to any compatible platform and the course can report back whether employees completed it and, if the course sends them, their score and time spent, without any custom development.

Someone sent you a SCORM file and you don't have an LMS

You don't need one. Double-clicking the zip won't play the course, because a SCORM course expects a player that launches it and records what it reports. A learning management system (LMS) is one kind of player, but not the only one.

In Ethica, it works like this:

Upload the zip as a training requirement. Ethica reads the manifest and checks it can launch the course.
Preview it in the same player your employees will use.
Assign it. Each employee gets an email with a private link and opens the course in their browser, with no account or password.
Progress saves as they go, so they can close it and pick up where they left off.
Completion is recorded when the course reports it as completed or passed, along with the score and result if the course sends them. Reminders stop, and the record is ready to export.

Ethica plays SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 courses packaged as a single SCO, which is what Storyline, Rise, Captivate and iSpring usually produce. It doesn't run multi-SCO sequencing. Watch how to upload your own course, or read how to test a SCORM package first.

Where SCORM came from

SCORM was developed in the late 1990s by the U.S. Department of Defense's Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) initiative. The military needed a way to create training content once and run it across many different systems. The standard they produced became the most widely adopted format in corporate training worldwide.

What a SCORM package actually is

A SCORM package is a ZIP file. Inside that ZIP, you'll find:

imsmanifest.xml — the "table of contents" that tells the delivery platform what's in the package and how to launch it
HTML, JavaScript, and CSS files — the actual course content, which runs in a web browser
Media assets — images, audio, video used in the course

Your employees never see the ZIP file. The delivery platform (like Ethica) extracts it, serves the HTML content in a browser, and handles communication between the course and the platform.

How SCORM tracks learner progress

SCORM packages communicate with the delivery platform using a standardized data model. When an employee completes a module or answers a quiz question, the course sends data back to the platform using fields like:

cmi.completion_status — whether the learner completed the course
cmi.score.raw — their score on a quiz
cmi.session_time — how long they spent in the course
cmi.suspend_data — a bookmark so they can resume where they left off

This is what allows compliance platforms to show you a completion report — the course itself is reporting back as the employee works through it.

SCORM versions: 1.2 and 2004

There are two versions of SCORM you'll commonly encounter: SCORM 1.2 (released in 2001) and SCORM 2004 (released in 2004, with several editions). Understanding the difference matters when you export your course from an authoring tool.

The short version: SCORM 2004 is recommended for modern training. It offers more detailed tracking, higher data limits (crucial for longer courses), and handles completion paths cleanly. SCORM 1.2 remains widely supported but is an older format. See our detailed comparison: SCORM 1.2 vs SCORM 2004.

What you need to deliver SCORM training

Two things:

An authoring tool to create and export the SCORM package — Articulate Storyline, Articulate Rise, iSpring, and Adobe Captivate are among the most widely used
A delivery platform to host the package and send it to your team — traditional options are LMS platforms like Cornerstone or Workday Learning; lighter-weight options like Ethica deliver training directly to employees via email

Is SCORM right for your organization?

SCORM is a good fit if:

You already have training content built in an authoring tool
Your training vendor provides SCORM packages
You need to track completion and quiz scores

You may not need SCORM if:

Your requirement is a policy read-and-acknowledge (a PDF + digital sign-off is simpler)
You're sharing static documents or videos without interactive quizzes

Ethica handles SCORM courses, policy sign-offs and courses hosted on other websites, so you can pick the right format for each requirement. How to choose between a sign-off and a course.