Choose between SCORM 1.2 and xAPI for course tracking

Steps

1. Identify the tracking requirements: if you need only completion status and a single final score within an LMS-delivered course, SCORM 1.2 is broadly supported and sufficient; if you need granular interaction data, offline tracking, mobile tracking, or cross-system data aggregation, xAPI is required.
2. Assess the LMS environment: confirm whether the target LMS supports xAPI (Tin Can) and whether an LRS is available or can be provisioned; SCORM 1.2 is supported by virtually all LMS platforms while xAPI support varies.
3. For SCORM 1.2, package course content with a conformant imsmanifest.xml and use the SCORM 1.2 JavaScript API calls (LMSInitialize, LMSSetValue, LMSGetValue, LMSCommit, LMSFinish) against the window.API object injected by the LMS.
4. For xAPI, configure the content with the LRS endpoint URL, authentication credentials, and an actor identifier at launch time (often delivered via launch URL parameters or cmi5 launch data); use a client-side xAPI library to construct and send statements.
5. If your LMS supports both, consider cmi5 as an xAPI profile that provides structured launch, session management, and move-on criteria — it fills the lifecycle management gap that raw xAPI leaves undefined.
6. Document your decision rationale including LMS support matrix, authoring tool output formats, and analytics requirements; changing tracking standards after deployment requires re-authoring and re-publishing all content.