“Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative”. – Oscar Wilde (ThinkExist.com, 2007b)
Standards anchor practice. If you are in the process of building an online program amidst shifting sands they can be the foundation you need. Consistency in and of itself is dull and predictable—and that may accurately describe some of the education and training programs available in classrooms and online—but contrary to Mr. Wilde from consistency creativity can be fostered. Standards do not need to be anchors that hold; rather they can be the base for consistency, predictability, and from which to build new and creative learning approaches. Understanding standards is one thing; applying them is another. The question remains, which standards apply, and how can you use them to build, not stifle, engaging learning?
Until recently standards conflicted with each other, with debate about which protocol, or set of protocols, should become a standard for development and/or delivery of content and which governing body should set those standards. The IMS Global Learning Consortium is emerging as a superset of all of the differing standards, and SCORM, based on the AICC and the IMS specifications, is emerging as the leading standard for e-learning content. However, SCORM compliance is a moving target, as specifications are set for multiple contingencies and circumstances. A far more practical subset of the complex SCORM standards and specifications are the CanCore regulations, which are intended to simplify and provide a minimum baseline for end-users and institutions to reference.
Finally, for the end-user and educator, simple and general standards statements are often used to both reflect and guide practice. For example, the Masie Center (www.masie.com) has described seven simple standards by which to support the development and sustainability of e-learning investment. Masie standards for e-learning are:
- interoperability of content between multiple systems,
- re-usability of content and code,
- manageability of content and systems,
- accessibility of content materials to learners,
- durability of investment,
- scalability of learning,
- affordability.
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The Masie Center core standards can be used as founding principles for any e-learning program. The CanCore guidelines, based on the IMS and IEEE LOM standards and specifications (www.cancore.ca/guidelines/drd/), can be used to situate your selection of standards within the context of your overall goals and outcomes for your program.
