MarineNet_Content_Development_Tech_Standards_3.0.pdf

USMC College of Distance Education and Training

Marine Corps University

MarineNet

Content Development Technical Standards

Version 3.0

15 November 2017 iii

ABSTRACT

This document defines the technical standards required for content developed for delivery on the

Marine Corps Distance Learning Network (MarineNet). The College of Distance Education and

Training (CDET) is committed to promoting reusability, durability, accessibility, interoperability, maintainability, and portability of distance learning content.

The technical standards outlined in this document represent a combination of specifications for the various systems and technologies implemented by the current version of MarineNet (MarineNet 5.0).

Requirements in this document reference the target deployment environments. Vendors developing content for hosting on MarineNet shall consult their Statements of Work (SOW) to determine the target deployment environments.

Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 1322.26 mandates that electronic courseware shall be developed in the compliance with the latest possible version of the Shareable Content Object

Reference Model (SCORM®). This document assumes that the reader has a thorough understanding of the applicable SCORM® guidelines.

The standards in this document are effective at the time it was written and may be updated to accommodate changes needed to allow content to effectively run on MarineNet. Developers should verify the accuracy and timeliness of this information prior to developing any content. Updates to this document will be made when necessary to update, modify and clarify the standards provided in this document. The latest version of this document is available from the MarineNet program manager.

iv

VERSION HISTORY

The following table provides a version history for this document. As the document continues to be updated, this table will reflect the changes made to this document.

Version

Significant Changes

Date

1.0

Provides standards for MarineNet courseware and test development

01/24/2008

1.1

Added guidance in Section 6.3.1

01/30/2008

1.2

Modified guidance, including guidance to resolve the premature course completion issue, non-streaming file size parameters, bandwidth limitations, and other technical issues

11/13/2008

1.3

Updated streaming and non-streaming file size parameters, and Microsoft® Windows Media Player guidance

07/07/2009

2.0

Revision of multimedia file format and size requirements; removal of Microsoft® Windows media streaming requirements; and addition of new sections regarding MarineNet Product Integration Testing, MarineNet Library and Library Objects, and MarineNet Completion Certificates

07/18/2012

3.0

Updated guidance regarding Adobe Flash and Flash based media development, usage of HTML-5 in development for MarineNet and SCORM properties. Revision of the MarineNet Functionality Review Checklist and MarineNet Integration Testing Checklist.

11/15/2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 About This Guide

1.2 Intended Audience

1.3 DCD Mission Statement

1.4 General Information

1.5 Content Access

1.5.1 MarineNet Garrison Environment

1.5.2 MarineNet Internet Environment

2. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES

2.1 Hardware Baseline

2.2 Operating System Baseline

2.3 Software Baseline

2.4 Additional Software of Plugins

2.5 Software Use in Content Development

2.6 Browsers

2.7 Server Communication

2.7.1 Server Variables in MarineNet Distributed Environment

2.7.2 Server Variables and Data Storage

2.7.3 Server-side and Client-side Web Cookies

2.7.4 Server-side Scripts or Technologies

2.8 Network Connectivity

3. MULTIMEDIA REQUIREMENTS

3.1 Acceptable Images

3.2 Image Format

3.3 Supported Audio and Video Formats

3.4 Acceptable Response Times

4. CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND PACKAGING

4.1 Courseware Reuse and Open Source

4.2 External Content Requirements

4.3 Courseware Size

4.4 Screen Display Resolution

4.5 Embedded Resources

4.6 Interactions with the LMS

4.6.1 Global Variables

4.6.2 Bookmark Functionality

4.6.3 Completion Configuration

4.6.4 MarineNet Certificates

4.7 Content Launch Window

4.7.1 HTML-5

4.7.2 Additional Windows while Launching Courseware

4.7.2.1 Courseware Launch Window Sizing

4.7.2.2 Content Launched in a Separate Window

4.7.2.3 Content Launched Within the Content Area

4.8 SCORM Engine

4.8.1 SCORM Manifest and Rollup Rules

4.8.2 MarineNet SCORM Engine Default Properties

4.8.3 SCORM Errors

4.8.4 Courseware Completion Issue

4.8.5 Correct IMSMANIFEST

4.8.6 Incorrect IMSMANIFEST

5. QUESTIONMARK® EOC EXAMS AND SURVEYS

6. SECTION 508 COMPLIANCE

APPENDIX A: COURSEWARE SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENT

APPENDIX B: MARINENET FUNCTIONALITY REVIEW CHECKLIST

APPENDIX C: MARINENET INTEGRATION TESTING CHECKLIST

APPENDIX D: MARINENET ACCEPTABLE FILE TYPES

APPENDIX E: LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

1. INTRODUCTION

The United States Marine Corps was founded in 1775, even before our nation was officially formed. This elite group of men and women live by a strict code of integrity and ethics, producing not just strong warriors but people of exceptional character. Today, approximately 180,000 Marines are stationed around the world at all times, ready to deploy quickly whenever and wherever needed.

The College of Distance Education and Training (CDET) is the organization within the Marine Corps

Education Command (EDCOM) with the mission to design, develop, deliver, evaluate, manage, and resource distance learning products and programs across the Marine Corps training and education continuum in order to increase operational readiness. CDET is a total force educational institution: it serves all U.S. military forces and DoD government agencies, as well as international military forces throughout the globe.

CDET programs and courses concentrate on the leadership, warfighting, and staff development skills of the nation's military, and feature the educational standards, learning areas, and learning objectives for enlisted and officer Professional Military Education (PME) as well as Joint Professional Military

Education (JPME) programs. These programs and courses are accessible globally through a variety of delivery systems. Distance learning capabilities are provided via the online learning management system, MarineNet that provides education to students wherever they are stationed.

1.1 About This Guide

This guide defines the technical standards required for content being developed for delivery on the Marine

Corps Distance Learning Network (MarineNet). The USMC Training and Education Command

(TECOM) College of Distance Education and Training (CDET) is committed to promoting reusability, durability, accessibility, interoperability, maintainability, and portability of distance learning content. The

MarineNet Learning Management System (LMS) is a web-based information system that delivers training to Marines, manages training information and provides training collaboration in both resident and nonresident training environments. MarineNet users can access training from anywhere they have access to a computer and the internet-office, home or learning resource centers (LRCs). Users can meet their distributed learning needs on a 24/7 basis. Courseware hosted by MarineNet is provided by many sources external to the organization. This courseware can range from relatively simple, single-lesson presentation formats to complicated interactive multimedia instruction (IMI) structured as courses that are part of a larger curriculum, with each course having multiple modules, lessons, exams, evaluations and surveys.

Each of these training objects must be developed, tested and validated to operate properly on the

MarineNet LMS. With the expanding use of the LMS, growing complexity of content and the Marine

Corps’ increased dependency on distributed learning, the Digital Content Department identified the need for a MarineNet Content Development Technical Standards (MNCDTS) guidelines and best practices document.

1.2 Intended Audience

Courseware developers (programmers) are the primary intended audience of the MNCDTS document.

This document is meant to be used as a reference guide for the courseware programmer. Many of the sections reference code and technical aspects that require background knowledge in content or courseware development from a distributed learning perspective. The document also refers to the Sharable Content

Object Reference Model (SCORM), JavaScript, and general web-based programming and design aspects.

While it targets experienced SCORM developers, it can also be used as a reference for instructional system designers, content or courseware testers, project or technical managers, and anyone planning to produce content for use on MarineNet.

1.3 DCD Mission Statement

The Digital Content Department (DCD) produces and manages distributed learning and performance support solutions for the USMC Total Force via military occupational specialty (MOS) skill progression training, pre-deployment training (PDT), entry-level training, and cross- functional training applicable across each training and readiness continuum in order to increase the operational readiness of the Marine

Corps.

1.4 General Information

MarineNet is a complex system that utilizes and incorporates the following components:

Centralized Learning Management System (LMS) which supports requirements generated by CDET and based on a Microsoft® .NET web services architecture

The Rustici SCORM engine, providing Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM®)

2004 3rd Edition courseware launching, delivery, and tracking

Integrated test and survey functionality provided by Questionmark® Perception

Interactive instructional content and static web-based information resources

Many technical and instructional issues must be considered when developing content for delivery on

MarineNet. The evolution of the SCORM® standards coupled with the rigid architecture provided by the

Marine Corps Enterprise Network (MCEN) amplifies the critical need for specific standards for content development, packaging, distribution, hosting, and progress tracking. Regulation and maintenance of the

MCEN is outside the CDET purview and our DLNOC is not always privy to technical changes that could affect the ability of end user's MCEN computers to view content correctly and communicate with

MarineNet.

Developers are assumed to have a thorough understanding of the underlying SCORM® development standards as well as general web technologies and accessibility issues governed by the Department of

Defense (DoD) and the United States Marine Corps (USMC). This document is not intended to replace guidance provided by other specification bodies. It is intended to clarify which specific requirements are relevant to MarineNet and must be strictly followed.

1.5 Content Access

1.5.1 MarineNet Garrison Environment

MarineNet garrison environment includes all users on military installations who are accessing content from a MCEN workstation (i.e., behind the USMC MCEN firewall). These firewalls typically block content containing JavaScript, Java and ActiveX typically employed to develop highly interactive multimedia courseware. To provide the most optimal learning engagement, the DLNOC performs robust evaluation and integration activities to ensure content is able to be integrated with LMS interfaces, content distribution, content hosting, client compatibility and network security controls.

1.5.2 MarineNet Internet Environment

Any content delivery request from a computer outside the MCEN is directed to the Internet Information

Services (IIS) servers hosted at the DLNOC. Content is delivered to the internet user from these IIS servers via the SCORM® engine. Courseware tracking information is sent back to DLNOC via the

SCORM® engine as well. Firewalls may or may not exist between a given internet user and the

MarineNet IIS servers. Any such firewalls are outside the control of the MarineNet system, thus their consideration is beyond the scope of USMC contracted courseware development.

2. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES

These technical specifications were developed to govern how content that is developed to be hosted on

MarineNet and the learning management systems communicate with each other. The primary benefit of these standards is interoperability.

2.1 Hardware Baseline

The minimum hardware requirements to ensure compatibility with MCEN platforms in workstations and at the LRCs are as follows:

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20GB (64-bit)

DirectX 9 graphics device with Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.0 or higher driver

2.2 Operating System Baseline

Per current operating system (OS) on MCEN assets, courseware must be compatible with Windows 10.

While this OS upgrade is not yet enterprise wide, it is recommended that the courseware be backwards compatible with Windows 7. Mainstream support of Windows 7 by Microsoft concluded January 2015, but extended support is scheduled to continue until January 2020. Appendix A lists the establishment and implementation of USMC FY17 client software.

2.3 Software Baseline

Content must be designed to perform at the very least on the Marine Corps Enterprise Network (MCEN) to include the most current hardware and software baseline. For the purposes of this technical specification, the MCEN computers will be used as the baseline for all development efforts. See

Appendix A for MCEN configuration specifications. For all new development, the developer is responsible for developing to the current baseline at the time of project start, contract or delivery order award. If circumstances preclude conformance to the software baseline, the government sponsor must request a waiver from CDET.

At a minimum, content submitted to MarineNet must function correctly on the baseline MCEN platform.

Using the incorrect baseline can have significant negative impacts when content is tested for integration with MarineNet and ultimately in delivery to the MarineNet user. Content that fails to comply with the requirements of the baseline development platform may generate one or more Technical Incident Reports

(TIRs) when the product is tested for integration with MarineNet and may not run as intended on MCEN systems. While testing courseware, areas of concern (AOC) may be identified. AOC are areas that did not fail the integration test but were identified as having the potential to cause non-TIR problems.

Users accessing MarineNet via personal computers and the internet increasingly operate varying configurations. Although the established baseline will not cover all possible configurations, the intent is to simplify development in order to reduce development costs and decrease the time to market for new content. Developers are encouraged to maximize cross-platform compatibility to the extent it can be done without compromising the baseline.

2.4 Additional Software of Plugins

No content shall require a user to accept or install ActiveX code, plugins, and/or proprietary players for multimedia or courseware. MCEN places many restrictions on a managed user‘s computer.

Users whose computers are managed by MCEN do not have the necessary permissions to accept or install software or plugins that require Microsoft® Windows registry changes.

2.5 Software Use in Content Development

If a software tool is used to develop content, it should be one typically employed by industry. MarineNet does not endorse any specific software but advises against using internally developed proprietary software

(i.e., programmer build) that is not publicly available. As part of the intake process, CDET recommends that developers provide the raw files of all content hosted by MarineNet.. In addition, the software must adhere to the following:

Must not require the use of plug-ins except the ones listed under the MCEN software baseline identified in Appendix A.

Must not generate underlying code that impairs or impedes course performance, delivery, or functionality in any MarineNet environment.

See Appendix D for MarineNet acceptable file types.

2.6 Browsers

Content developers must ensure that, at a minimum, content will be compatible and run as expected on the following:

MCEN workstation and browser baseline listed in Appendix A with compatibility “Off”

Non-MCEN workstation and browser listed in Appendix A with compatibility “Off”

During internal assessment, if sponsors have developed courseware that can also run on other browsers, they can request CDET to review and test content for compatibility as time and priorities permit. After our browser requirement has been met (see Appendix A), CDET could test submitted content in the following browsers:

Chrome on a non-MCEN MAC platform

Chrome on a non-MCEN Microsoft® Windows platform

Adhering to the MCEN software baseline ensures content will run in the MarineNet servers and behave as expected on the user’s access devices. If the developer does not build content for the browser and version listed in the MCEN baseline, the course may not perform as expected and/or errors may affect the user’s experience.

2.7 Server Communication

2.7.1 Server Variables in MarineNet Distributed Environment

The use of server variables in a distributed environment presents several potential problems. This section outlines some of the problems and restrictions for using server variables in the MarineNet distributed environment.

2.7.2 Server Variables and Data Storage

Server-side variables shall only be used to store data that is essential to identifying the user‘s session and progress within the course.

2.7.3 Server-side and Client-side Web Cookies

Content cannot use server-side or client-side Web cookies. MCEN prevents applications from storing cookies on a user‘s computer.

2.7.4 Server-side Scripts or Technologies

Aside from the approved technologies, MarineNet does not support additional server-side technologies.

Attempting to use such technologies will result in multiple errors; the courseware may not function properly and will be rejected during testing. Server-side technologies include, but are not limited to:

PHP, ASP, CGI, etc.

Any databases (SQL, coldfusion, access MDB, etc.)

Server side frameworks such as Ruby or Zend

2.8 Network Connectivity

An important aspect of user experience relies on how fast (or slow) content loads on the user’s devices.

The reliability and speed at which content is presented to the user’s screen depends in great part on the content payload (type and size of content) as well as the network bandwidth. For content loaded to

MarineNet, assume that an average user has a network bandwidth of 10 mbps download and 5 mbps upload. When developing and testing content, consider these speeds as the baseline for meeting content load time listed in Table 1 in section 3.4 below.

3. MULTIMEDIA REQUIREMENTS

This section describes absolute requirements for using multimedia files in MarineNet content. Digital products containing Adobe Flash media will no longer be accepted by CDET for hosting on the system.

Due to Adobe’s plan to remove full support of the Adobe Flash Media player in 2020, all content must be developed with open standard concepts. The following requirements apply to all multimedia file types:

3.1 Acceptable Images

All multimedia content must be optimized for web delivery, to include application of the following guidelines:

Apply anti-alias to all graphic text.

Use 72 dpi for static images unless the content is designed specifically for printing.

Multimedia and interactive element file sizes may not exceed 200 MB without a waiver from the CDET

Technical Director or the Digital Content Department Head. Within the published limit, file sizes should be kept to the minimum size possible without significantly compromising instructional integrity and flow. Historically, network security actions outside MarineNet control have proven more likely to complicate the delivery of large files.

Multimedia file names cannot use spaces or special characters. Underscores (_); however, are permitted.

3.2 Image Format

Choose an image that best suits the content displayed while also maximizing quality and minimizing file size such as graphic interchange Format (GIF), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPG), Portable

Network graphic (PNG), or scalable vector graphics (SVG).

3.3 Supported Audio and Video Formats

This section describes specific requirements for using audio and video files in MarineNet content. The following audio and video formats have been tested and perform reliably on MarineNet and MCEN:

Windows Media Audio (WMA)

Windows Media Video (WMV)

Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3 Audio (MP3)

If other file types are used in audio and video content development and do not perform as expected during sponsor review in the MarineNet stage environment, the courseware will be deemed unsupportable and will not be submitted for official MarineNet integration testing.

3.4 Acceptable Response Times

The table below lists the average and maximum response times for downloading and displaying/playing content. Maximum response times represent the upper-limit that a user shall wait to view the content. The maximum response time on MCEN assets is shown in figure 1 below for reference.

Type of media

Average response time in development (seconds)

Maximum response time in development (seconds)

Max response on MCEN platform during testing

Static Media

~2

~7

Audio

~5

~8

~8

Video

~6

~10

~10

HTML

~3

Table 1: Acceptable Response Times

4. CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND PACKAGING

This section specifies the absolute requirements for content development and packaging. As it is required by SCORM 2004 standards, content submitted to MarineNet must include all required SCORM 2004 files in the content package.

4.1 Courseware Reuse and Open Source

The reuse of code and use of open source programming is encouraged where appropriate when developing courseware. However, the reuse of code and use of open source code from another development may not impact the Government ownership of any or all source and compiled code delivered to the Government. Furthermore, the Government does not permit the use or reuse of code that includes restrictions, conditions, or other limitations on ownership, warranty, free distribution or licensing unless such limitations and conditions are explicitly defined and accepted in the Delivery Order or contract for the developed courseware. In such instances, if the conditions or terms of the courseware licensing and/or distribution cited in the delivery order or contract are violated or expire, the product will immediately be removed from MarineNet.

4.2 External Content Requirements

No content packaged for delivery on MarineNet may directly or indirectly rely, in run-time, on any other content or any other external source other than that contained within the content’s subdirectory.

All content will be self-contained within SCOs.

4.3 Courseware Size

Many rapid development tools and PowerPoint conversion tools used for courseware development will package an entire course as a single electronic file, which can easily and inadvertently exceed allowable file sizes and/or cause unacceptable courseware response times. In some cases, such courseware has completely failed to load. Developers using these tools should consider subdividing content into smaller modules or courses to ensure that the final product functions properly during MarineNet delivery. The recommended maximum total size of a course, to include associated references as applicable, hosted on

MarineNet is 750 MB.

4.4 Screen Display Resolution

All MarineNet content should be developed for standard 1024x768 video screen resolutions.

4.5 Embedded Resources

Many MarineNet courses offer additional resources to supplement the training/education or support subsequent job performance. Resource files accessible from within the courseware should be optimized to ensure courseware is within the size limits. Most of these documents are configured as PDF files that may be opened or saved to the learner desktop. Examples of such resources include but are not limited to:

USMC manual and publication excerpts

Diagrams

Charts

Maps

Study Aids

4.6 Interactions with the LMS

Critical data should be committed to the LMS at a frequency that balances performance with data integrity. Avoid “chatty” content that continuously communicates bookmarks, session state, or student response between the SCO and the LMS.

4.6.1 Global Variables

The use of global variables in the imsmanifest files is prohibited. To disable global objectives, add or modify the following line. In the <organization> tag set the:

adlseq:objectivesGlobalToSystem=”false”

This setting will ensure that variables used in this SCO will have local scope.

4.6.2 Bookmark Functionality

A user’s progress needs to be saved and the learning experience needs to coincide with the design strategy. Developers must provide CDET the bookmark strategy used in the courseware. The intent is to focus on the user and their learning experience when exiting and relaunching content.

4.6.3 Completion Configuration

All MarineNet-delivered courses must be configured to successfully communicate a status of

“completed” to the LMS and must clearly convey completion requirements to the learner. MarineNet learners expect to see a status of “completed” on their individual transcripts after finishing a course.

The value “completed” shall be used to indicate that the user has finished reviewing all the information within a SCO or objective and met any additional completion requirements specified by the courseware sponsor. All such completion requirements must be specifically identified and documented by the courseware sponsor prior to integration testing.

Note: If the course has an associated final assessment developed in Questionmark® Perception, the student will be unable to access the associated assessment until the course is shown as “completed” in the transcript entry. You must complete the courseware before assessment.

If an in-line evaluation is required for the learner to complete the course, the courseware must communicate success and completion statuses to the MarineNet LMS. The courseware should send a numeric score to MarineNet upon each assessment attempt.

4.6.4 MarineNet Certificates

For all tracked items, MarineNet can provide the student with an official certificate upon successful completion of any course or curriculum. The completed certificate (see figure 1) is viewed and printed from the student transcript of completed courses. MarineNet automatically populates certificates with the student name as displayed on the transcript and a unique identification code, offering greatly enhanced student authentication as compared to a typical completion certificate embedded within the e-learning product.

Figure 1: Sample MarineNet Certificate

If a completion certificate is required, developers are encouraged to refer students back to MarineNet rather than providing a certificate within the course. Display the following screen verbiage upon course completion.

Note: Return to your MarineNet transcript of completed courses to view and print the [insert course or curriculum name] completion certificate.

If an inline course certificate is necessary due to alternate distribution methods (e.g., via CD or DVD), developers should take all possible measures to enhance certificate security.

If content/training is intended to be offered offline, a standard MarineNet completion certificate will not be provided.

4.7 Content Launch Window

4.7.1 HTML-5

HTML-5 is the standard framework language for MarineNet courseware. Content not developed with

HTML-5 will require CDET staff to adjust launch settings to force the content into an additional browser window.

4.7.2 Additional Windows while Launching Courseware

The following are guidelines for older courseware that does not use HTML-5. In such cases, MarineNet will launch courseware in a separate window.

4.7.2.1 Courseware Launch Window Sizing

In order to maximize available screen space for content and instruction, the MarineNet LMS opens a new window to display all courseware. When a course is launched from MarineNet, the MarineNet courseware window will open. The courseware window contains a MarineNet-generated menu frame, a course-level navigation frame, and a course-content area (see figure 2).

Figure 2: MarineNet Courseware Window

MarineNet generated menu frame. Displays active course-level menu on the left side of the screen. The initial configuration of this menu is a closed state. The learner can display the Course Menu at will;

however, active course content launched within the content area while the Course Menu is open may not display properly (see figure 4).

Course-level navigation frame. Allows learner to return to MarineNet and is continually displayed at the top of the courseware screen.

Course content area displays active course content configured to launch in this area. The size of the course content frame is static; therefore, any course developed to display in this area should not exceed 1010 pixels by 630 pixels in size.

MarineNet can display content via two methods; within a separate window that opens on top of the

MarineNet Courseware Window (see Figure 3), which is the default, or within the MarineNet courseware content area (See figure 4). Regardless of the method used, for any multi-SCO course the MarineNet

Courseware Window will remain open and accessible to the learner.

4.7.2.2 Content Launched in a Separate Window

MarineNet will launch courseware in a separate window (see figure 3) to avoid conflict between the courseware and the SCORM Engine that may prevent successful communication. Courseware intended to launch in a separate window can be developed to 1010 pixels wide by 630 pixels high (including all

GUI elements).

Figure 3: Courseware Launched in Separate Window

4.7.2.3 Content Launched Within the Content Area

Courseware must be specifically configured to use the content area. Courses launched within the content area require only one open browser window and may be easier for the user to manage (see figures 4 & 5).

Developers who program for the content area should specify that configuration when submitting the courseware for MarineNet integration testing.

Courseware intended to launch in the content area must be developed to 1010 pixels wide by 630 pixels high (including all GUI elements).

Figure 4: Courseware launched in content area with Course Menu open

Figure 5: Courseware launched in content area with Course Menu closed

Courses with content developed to launch in the content area must also take care when using document.top, document.all, parent.XXX and any other similar relative object addressing within a SCO since they may also reference variables outside the scope of the content area.

Additionally, if the window.close() function is called from within the content area, the SCORM engine will inadvertently close and the user will be logged out of the course. A possible solution to this problem is for developers to have learners navigate to a static HTML page that simply instructs the learner to choose another selection from the course menu. This page should automatically appear after the Terminate API function has been called. This can be accomplished by adding window.location=“YOURHTMLPAGE" right after the terminate function, wherein “ YOURHTMLPAGE” is the full path name where the static

HTML page is located.

4.8 SCORM Engine

4.8.1 SCORM Manifest and Rollup Rules

If a user exits the course before the course is completed, the desired visual effect is an "in progress" status symbol (half-filled circle) displayed to the left of the course title within the LMS-generated

Course Menu. In order to achieve this visual indicator, specific roll-up rules must be included as part of the imsmanifest.xml file. These rules are not generated automatically by courseware development tools. Including them will ensure that an undesired red “X” does not appear next to the course title in the Course Menu indicating that the learner has not mastered the content and thus the learner transcript will not display the proper information if the course is exited prior to completion.

The three roll up rules for sequencing are:

<imsss:sequencing>

<imsss:controlMode choice="false" flow="true" />

<imsss:rollupRules>

<imsss:rollupRule childActivitySet="all">

<imsss:rollupConditions>

<imsss:rollupCondition condition="completed" />

</imsss:rollupConditions>

<imsss:rollupAction action="satisfied" />

</imsss:rollupRule>

<imsss:rollupRule childActivitySet="all">

<imsss:rollupConditions>

<imsss:rollupCondition condition="completed" />

</imsss:rollupConditions>

<imsss:rollupAction action="completed" />

</imsss:rollupRule>

<imsss:rollupRule childActivitySet="any">

<imsss:rollupConditions>

<imsss:rollupCondition condition="attempted" />

</imsss:rollupConditions>

<imsss:rollupAction action="incomplete" />

</imsss:rollupRule>

</imsss:rollupRules>

</imsss:sequencing>

4.8.2 MarineNet SCORM Engine Default Properties

The following images are the default setting for the MarineNet SCORM engine. Changes to these settings should be submitted to the project officer prior to the content being tested on MarineNet.

4.8.3 SCORM Errors

During courseware development, developers may encounter a variety of SCORM errors. This section lists some examples of common SCORM errors. The list is not comprehensive. See the ADL website at http://www.adlnet.org for detailed documentation on SCORM and relevant errors.

Common SCORM errors include

General Commit Failure

Store Data/Retrieve Data/Commit/Termination before initialization

Store Data/Retrieve Data/Commit/Termination After Termination

Undefined data model element

Already initialized

Content instance terminated

Data model element type mismatched

General exception

Courseware containing SCORM errors will not function properly inside the LMS. Courseware found to contain errors will be rejected.

http://www.adlnet.org/ http://www.adlnet.org/

4.8.4 Courseware Completion Issue

It has been noted during courseware testing that some courses have SCOs marked with a completion status of “Completed” and a success status of “Passed” either before they are completed, or sometimes without having viewed the content. These behaviors are in accordance with SCORM standards. By default, if a

SCO is accessed by the user and no completion or success status is sent to the LMS, then the SCO will be automatically completed/passed.

A solution to this issue is to have the developer program the course in such a way as to update the completion and success statuses. Due to the numerous methods available, it is impossible to capture every instance of how a developer could set the completed/passed statuses on the LMS; however, the two methods of avoiding the premature completion issues detailed below have been tested on the MarineNet server. Essentially, developers need to set the completion and success statuses. Follow the steps below to set completion and success statuses:

Step Action

1 Set the completion status to ―incomplete immediately upon entering a SCO for the first time, and communicate this status to the LMS.

2 Configure each SCO in the imsmanifest.xml file to require a completion and success status from the course, per the details below.

Any SCOs that are meant to complete based on a user‘s action (e.g., viewing all content, passing quizzes) must turn off this feature. This is done by setting properties of the <imsss:deliveryControls> in the imsmanifest.xml file for each SCO as seen in the following example:

Please note that the references to “LESSON1”, “RESOURCE LESSON1” and

“Lesson 1 – Interface” included in the example are placeholders and should be updated to reflect the proper course construct.

<item identifier=”LESSON1” identifierref=”RESOURCE_LESSON1”>

<title>Lesson 1 – Interface</title>

<imsss:sequencing>

<imsss:deliveryControls completionSetByContent=”true” objectiveSetByContent=”true” />

</imsss:sequencing>

</item>

Each SCO should contain the above code in the content organization section of the imsmanifest.xml file, within the SCO‘s <item> tag.

CompletionSetByContent=”true” specifies that the SCO will only update the completion status with statuses sent by the SCO‘s content.

ObjectiveSetByContent=”true” specifies that the SCO will only update the success status with statuses sent by the SCO‘s content. Below are correct and incorrect examples of the imsmanifest.xml file, with the appropriate areas highlighted for emphasis. Both examples are based on the

<organizations> section from the imsmanifest.xml file of the Combating Trafficking in Persons course, a course currently available on MarineNet.

4.8.5 Correct IMSMANIFEST

XML – The delivery controls are defined within each <item>.

<organizations default="ORG-4976">

<organization identifier="ORG-4976" structure="hierarchical">

<title>Combating Trafficking in Persons Leadership Training</title>

<item identifier="ITEM-B9FC" identifierref="RES-814D">

<title>Module 1: Review from General Awareness</title>

<imsss:sequencing>

<imsss:deliveryControls completionSetByContent=”true” objectiveSetByContent=”true” />

</imsss:sequencing>

</item>

<item identifier="ITEM-0A7F" identifierref="RES-FFAD">

<title>Module 2: Operating Procedures</title>

<imsss:sequencing>

<imsss:deliveryControls completionSetByContent=”true” objectiveSetByContent=”true” />

</imsss:sequencing>

</item>

<item identifier="ITEM-4AB5" identifierref="RES-F6F7" isvisible="true">

<title>Module 3: Stories from the Field</title>

<imsss:sequencing>

<imsss:deliveryControls completionSetByContent=‖ true‖ objectiveSetByContent=”true” />

</imsss:sequencing>

</item>

<item identifier="ITEM-DF79" identifierref="RES-3D86">

<title>Certificate of Completion</title>

<imsss:sequencing>

<imsss:deliveryControls completionSetByContent=‖ true‖ objectiveSetByContent=”true” />

</imsss:sequencing>

</item>

</organization>

</organizations>

4.8.6 Incorrect IMSMANIFEST

XML – The delivery controls is defined in the wrong place.

<organizations default="ORG-4976">

<organization identifier="ORG-4976" structure="hierarchical">

<title>Combating Trafficking in Persons Leadership Training</title>

<item identifier="ITEM-B9FC" identifierref="RES-814D">

<title>Module 1: Review from General Awareness</title>

</item>

<item identifier="ITEM-0A7F" identifierref="RES-FFAD">

<title>Module 2: Operating Procedures</title>

</item>

<item identifier="ITEM-4AB5" identifierref="RES-F6F7" isvisible="true">

<title>Module 3: Stories from the Field</title>

</item>

<item identifier="ITEM-DF79" identifierref="RES-3D86">

<title>Certificate of Completion</title>

</item>

<imsss:sequencing>

<imsss:deliveryControls completionSetByContent="true" objectiveSetByContent=”true” />

</imsss:sequencing>

</organization>

</organizations>

5. QUESTIONMARK® EOC EXAMS AND SURVEYS

MarineNet currently uses Questionmark® Perception (QMP) Server version 5.7 with Service Pack 1

(update is planned) to deliver all pre-tests, End-of-Course (EOC) exams, and surveys not incorporated within the courseware. QMP authoring software should be used to create all such EOC evaluations. The following overarching requirements and constraints apply:

By Government sponsor request to CDET Operations, Courseware development contractors may be allowed use of Questionmark® Live under the USMC license. Use and duration will be constrained to the specific USMC project.

Contractors are responsible for their own QMP training. CDET can be used as a resource to provide limited documentation for MarineNet-specific procedures only.

Each exam or survey must be exported and provided as a Qpack, a Questionmark® proprietary format that contains all of the assets within that exam or survey.

Due to specific MarineNet implementation for improved assessment security, developers may not make use of the introductory text option in an assessment. If an introduction is needed, developers must create a separate question block to present that information.

MarineNet uses the qxqMarineNet2 template for assessments and surveys and the qxqMarineNet_intro2 template for introduction blocks. Both aforementioned templates can be provided upon request by DCD.

The use of special fields to store question answers or outcomes is limited in the MarineNet instance of Questionmark®. Six of the 10 special fields (S1-S6) are reserved for communication from the

MarineNet LMS. Special fields S7-S10 are open for developer use. If multimedia files are included in questions or responses, developers must identify and include in the exported Qpack file all related source files. The following QMP question types are prohibited from use in any courseware developed for

MarineNet:

Essay

Spoken Response

File Upload

The use of text match, while technically supported, is discouraged due to the difficulty in anticipating and programming for common misspellings, etc.

6. SECTION 508 COMPLIANCE

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1996 requires all Federal agency electronic and information technology to be accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public.

Specific information on Section 508 may be found at http://www.section508.gov. The degree of compliance may vary based on content type per Section 508, Subpart A, 1194.3 (a). Developers shall consult their Government sponsor for specific compliance requirements. Government sponsors are responsible for verification that requirements have been met. MarineNet integration testing does not include specific evaluation for Section 508 compliance.

http://www.section508.gov/

APPENDIX A: COURSEWARE SOFTWARE

ENVIRONMENT

ESTABLISHMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF USMC FY17 CLIENT SOFTWARE

Originator: CMC C FOUR CP WASHINGTON DC//CP ESPM// DTG: 311921Z Aug 16 Precedence: R DAC: General

To:

COMMARCORSYSCOM ISI QUANTICO VA, MARFORCYBERCOM FT MEADE MD, CMC C

FOUR CIO WASHINGTON DC, CMC C FOUR CP WASHINGTON DC, More...

CC: CG I MEF G SIX, CG II MEF FWD G SIX, CG III MEF G SIX, COMMCICOM G SIX, More...

RAAUZYUW RUJIAAA0113 2441931-UUUU--RUJIAAA.

ZNR UUUUU ZDH ZUI RUEOMCH0409 2441931

R 311921Z AUG 16

FM CMC C FOUR CP WASHINGTON DC//CP ESPM//

TO RUJIAAA/COMMARCORSYSCOM ISI QUANTICO VA

RUJIAAA/MARFORCYBERCOM FT MEADE MD

RUJIAAA/CMC C FOUR CIO WASHINGTON DC

RUJIAAA/CMC C FOUR CP WASHINGTON DC

RUJIAAA/CMC C FOUR CR WASHINGTON DC

RUJIAAA/CMC C FOUR CS WASHINGTON DC

RUJIAAA/CMC C FOUR CY WASHINGTON DC

RUJIAAA/CMC C FOUR WASHINGTON DC

RUJDAAA/CG I MEF

RUJIAAA/CG II MEF

RUJDAAA/CG III MEF

RUJIAAA/COMMCICOM

RUJIAAA/COMMARFORSOC

RUJIAAA/CG MCIEAST MCB CAMLEJ

RUJDAAA/CG MCIPAC

RUJDAAA/CG MCIWEST MCB CAMPEN

RUJIAAA/MCINCR MCBQ G SIX

INFO RUJDAAA/CG I MEF G SIX

RUJIAAA/CG II MEF FWD G SIX

RUJDAAA/CG III MEF G SIX

RUJIAAA/COMMCICOM G SIX

RUJIAAA/COMMARFORCOM G SIX

RUJIAAA/COMMARFOREUR

RUJDAAA/COMMARFORJ

RUJDAAA/COMMARFORPAC

RUJIAAA/COMMARFORRES

RUJIAAA/COMMARFORRES G SIX

RUJIAAA/COMMARFORSOC G SIX

RUJIAAA/CGMCIEAST MCB CAMLEJ G SIX

RUJDAAA/CG MCIPAC G SIX

RUJDAAA/CGMCIWEST MCB G SIX

RUJDAAA/CO MCB G SIX KANEOHE BAY HI RUJDAAA/COMMARFORPAC G

SIX

BT

UNCLAS

SUBJ/ESTABLISHMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF USMC FY17 CLIENT

SOFTWARE BASELINE AND SPECIALTY SOFTWARE LIST REF/A/MEMO/DON

CIO/YMD:20021018// REF/B/DOC/CMC/YMD:20100105//

REF/C/MCO/DMCS/YMD:20121003// REF/D/MSG/HQMC C4/YMD:20060623//

REF/E/MEMO/DON CIO/YMD:20120222// REF/F/GENADMIN R 291719Z SEP 14

REF/G/MARADMIN 375-11/DMCS/YMD:20110706// REF/H/MSG/TRANSMSG 016-

13/HQMC C4/YMD:20130621// REF/I/MARADMIN 304-

15/HQMC C4/YMD:20140811// NARR/REF (A) IS THE DON APPLICATION

AND DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DADMS) CHARTER, WHICH DESIGNATES

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY (DON) APPLICATION AND DATABASE MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM (DADMS) AS THE AUTHORITATIVE DATASOURCE FOR APPLICATIONS AND

SOFTWARE USED THROUGHOUT THE DON. REF (B) IS MCO 5400.52,

WHICH ASSIGNS DIRECTOR C4 THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE (DON)

DEPUTY CIO FOR THE MARINE CORPS (DDCIO (MC)). REF (C) ESTABLISHES USMC

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT (PFM) ROLES AND

RESPONSIBILITIES. REF (D) IS MARADMIN 287/06, DOD IT PORTFOLIO REPOSITORY

(DITPR)-DON USMC ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND PROCESSES. REF (E) IS DON CIO

DIRECTIVE ANNOUNCING MANDATORY USE OF (DON) ENTERPRISE LICENSE

AGREEMENTS (ELA) BY ALL DON ORGANIZATIONS AND PROGRAMS TO ACHIEVE

MAXIMUM COST SAVINGS. REF (F) ESTABLISHED THE CORE AND SPECIALTY

SOFTWARE LIST FOR FY16. REF (G) OUTLINES THE IT PROCUREMENT REQUEST

AND APPROVAL PROCESS. REF (H) PROVIDED INITIAL GUIDANCE ON LICENSE

TRANSFER FROM HP UNDER CLIN 23 OF THE NMCI/COSC CONTRACT WHEN THE

MARINE CORPS TRANSITIONED IN FY13 TO THE GOVERNMENT

OWN/GOVERNMENT OPERATED MODEL. REF (I) OUTLINES THE APPROVED

OPERATING SYSTEMS ON THE MCEN AND PROVIDES THE WAY FORWARD ON

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT.//

POC/TREVOR DANIEL/CIV/UNIT: HQMC C4CP/NAME: WASHINGTON DC /TEL: 571-

256-9082/EMAIL: TREVOR.DANIEL(AT)USMC.MIL

POC/HANK COSTA/CIV/UNIT: HQMC C4CP/NAME: WASHINGTON DC /TEL: 571-

256-9081/EMAIL: HENRY.COSTA(AT)USMC.MIL//

GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. THIS MESSAGE ESTABLISHES THE CLIENT SOFTWARE

BASELINE AND SPECIALTY SOFTWARE LIST FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017. THE MARINE

CORPS CLIENT SOFTWARE BASELINE AND SPECIALTY SOFTWARE LIST IS A

COORDINATED EFFORT BETWEEN HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS

COMMAND, CONTROL, COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPUTERS (C4) DEPARTMENT,

MARINE CORPS SYSTEMS COMMAND (MCSC), AND MARINE CORPS FORCES CYBER

COMMAND (MARFORCYBER). THIS MESSAGE SUPERSEDES REF F.

2. PURPOSE. TO PROVIDE AWARENESS TO END-USERS, PROGRAM MANAGERS (PMS),

FUNCTIONAL AREA MANAGERS (FAMS), AND COMMANDERS, ON THE CORE AND

ENTERPRISE SERVICES SPECIALTY SOFTWARE LISTS FOR FY17,

IN ACCORDANCE WITH REFS (A) THROUGH (I).

3. THE INTENT OF THIS ANNUAL MESSAGE IS TO CONTINUE TO RATIONALIZE THE

USMC SOFTWARE PORTFOLIO, CAPTURE EFFICIENCIES THROUGH THE USE OF

ENTERPRISE LICENSE AGREEMENTS (ELAS) (WHERE APPLICABLE), AND REDUCE

GOVERNMENT OFF THE SHELF SOFTWARE (GOTS), IN ACCORDANCE WITH REFS

(D) AND (F), AS WELL AS PROVIDE

AN OUTLINE FOR ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE LICENSE AND ASSET MANAGEMENT. THE

SOFTWARE CONTAINED IN THESE LISTS IS EITHER PART OF THE

MARINE CORPS ENTERPRISE DESKTOP STANDARDIZATION (MCEDS) IMAGE OR HAS

BEEN RATIONALIZED AND APPROVED AS AN ENTERPRISE WIDE SOLUTION FOR

ACHIEVING A PARTICULAR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CAPABILITY. THE CLIENT

SOFTWARE BASELINE AND SPECIALTY SOFTWARE LIST CONSISTS OF JOINT SERVICE,

DEPARTMENT OF NAVY, AND MARINE CORPS ENTERPRISE-WIDE APPLICATIONS

THAT ARE REGISTERED IN DADMS AND MANAGED BY THE FAM(S), IN ACCORDANCE

WITH REF (C).

4. THE FOLLOWING APPLICATIONS ARE CORE CLIENT APPLICATIONS. ALL

NEW COMPUTERS OR REIMAGED MACHINES ADDED TO THE USMC ENTERPRISE MUST

HAVE THE APPROVED CORE SOFTWARE BASELINE PRESCRIBED BY THE MCEDS IMAGE

BELOW.

FY17 CORE SOFTWARE BASELINE:

90 METER SMART CARD MANAGER V1.2.X (SIPR MACHINES ONLY)

ACTIVIDENTITY ACTIVCLIENT V7.0.X (NIPR MACHINES ONLY) ADOBE

READER DC V15.10.X

ADOBE SHOCKWAVE PLAYER 12.2.X ATHOC

DESKTOP NOTIFIER 6.2.X

AXWAY TUMBLEWEED DESKTOP VALIDATOR 4.12 SP3 CITRIX

RECEIVER 4.4.X

MCAFEE AGENT WIN CLIENT 5.0.X MCAFEE

ACCM 3.0.X

MCAFEE DATA LOSS PREVENTION (DLP) ENDPOINT 9.4.X MCAFEE

HOST INTRUSTION PROTECTION 8.X

MCAFEE POLICY AUDITOR 6.2.X

MCAFEE VIRUSSCAN ENTERPRISE CLIENT V8.8.X

MICRO FOCUS REFLECTIONS 16.0.X

MICROSOFT EDGE

MICROSOFT .NET 3.5.X FRAMEWORK

MICROSOFT .NET 4.6 FRAMEWORK

MICROSOFT BITLOCKER MICROSOFT

DIRECTX 11.X

MICROSOFT ENHANCED MITGATION EXPERIENCE TOOLKIT (EMET) V5.X

MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER 11

MICROSOFT NETBANNER 2.3.X

MICROSOFT OFFICE PROFESSIONAL PLUS 2013

MICROSOFT SILVERLIGHT 5.1.X MICROSOFT

SMIME FOR OWA 14.X

MICROSOFT SYSTEM CENTER CONFIGURATION MANAGER (SCCM) CLIENT 2012

MICROSOFT VISUAL C++ 2005 REDISTRIBUTABLE X86 AND X64 8.0

MICROSOFT VISUAL C++ 2008 REDISTRIBUTABLE X86 AND X64 9.0 MICROSOFT

VISUAL C++ 2010 REDISTRIBUTABLE X86 AND X64 10.0 MICROSOFT VISUAL C++

2012 REDISTRIBUTABLE X86 AND X64 11.0 MICROSOFT VISUAL C++ 2013

REDISTRIBUTABLE X86 AND X64 12.0 MICROSOFT WINDOWS 10 ENTERPRISE

ORACLE JAVA RUNTIME ENVIRONMENT 8.0.X PULSE

SECURE VERSION IS 8.1.5.X QUESTIONMARK SECURE

BROWSER 5.3.0.4 TRIDENT SYSTEMS TRANSVERSE

1.8.X

SOFTWARE LISTED AS CORE SOFTWARE IS PART OF THE MCEDS IMAGE AND IS

UPDATED FREQUENTLY. AS SUCH, VERSIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. CURRENT

APPROVED VERSIONS WILL BE PUSHED VIA PATCH UPDATES OR MANUAL INSTALL.

THE LATEST APPROVED VERSIONS FOR USE IN THE MARINE CORPS CAN BE FOUND

IN DADMS, OR BY CONTACTING THE ENTERPRISE SERVICES FAM. THE ABOVE LISTED

SOFTWARE REPRESENTS THE MARINE CORPS' WAY-AHEAD IN THE

IMPLEMENTATION OF DOD CIO GUIDANCE TO MOVE TO WINDOWS 10 AS THE

APPROVED OPERATING SYSTEM

ON THE MCEN. MARINE CORPS PROGRAMS OF RECORD UNABLE TO MAKE THE MOVE

TO WINDOWS 10 PRIOR TO 31 JANUARY 2017 MUST OBTAIN A WAIVER SIGNED BY

DIRECTOR C4 TO CONTINUE USE OF LEGACY OPERATING SYSTEMS. WAIVERS

BEYOND 31 JANUARY 2018 WILL REQUIRE APPROVAL FROM NOT ONLY DIRECTOR, C4

BUT ALSO DOD CIO.

5. THE CLIENT SOFTWARE BASELINE AND SPECIALTY SOFTWARE LIST (WHICH

INCLUDES FORMER CLIN 23 ITEMS UNDER NMCI/COSC) IDENTIFIES SELECTIVE

APPLICATIONS THAT ARE USED ENTERPRISE WIDE, HAVE LIMITED USERS, AND

SATISFY UNIQUE CAPABILITIES. THE LIST OF SPECIALTY SOFTWARE IDENTIFIED

BELOW SUPPORTS ENTERPRISE SERVICES.

FY17 APPROVED SPECIALTY SOFTWARE:

ADOBE ACROBAT PRO

ADOBE CREATIVE SUITE STD

ADOBE DREAMWEAVER

ADOBE FRAMEMAKER ADOBE

ILLUSTRATOR ADOBE

INDESIGN

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ADOBE

PREMIERE PRO

ATTACHMATE REFLECTION X 14.1 SP2

AUTODESK AUTOCAD LT

AUTODESK AUTOCAD

APPLIGENT REDAX

MICROSOFT PROJECT PROFESSIONAL

MICROSOFT PROJECT STANDARD

MICROSOFT VISIO

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF SOFTWARE THAT SUPPORTS ENTERPRISE SERVICES OR

ANOTHER FUNCTIONAL AREA, USERS SHOULD COORDINATE THROUGH DADMS

AND WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE FAM(S). CORE AND SPECIALTY SOFTWARE

(EXCLUDING USER-BASED MICROSOFT CALS ONLY) MUST BE INSTALLED TO A

DEVICE, RATHER THAN ASSIGNED TO A USER IN ORDER TO REMAIN IN

COMPLIANCE WITH STRICT LICENSING GUIDELINES SET FORTH BY THE VENDOR

AND AGREED TO BY THE MARINE CORPS. FOR THE PURPOSES OF IT SERVICE

MANAGEMENT, APPLICATION

LICENSES AND ASSET MANAGEMENT WILL BE MANAGED BY THE MARINE CORPS

INSTANCE OF BMC REMEDY.

TOTAL OWNERSHIP (COST OF LICENSE, MAINTENANCE AND RENEWAL) OF THESE

SPECIALTY APPLICATIONS SHALL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE USING COMMAND.

CURRENT LICENSES THAT WERE PURCHASED UNDER COSC, AND MANAGED BY

PRODUCT MANAGERS (PDM), MARINE CORPS NETWORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE

SERVICES(MCNIS), HAVE TRANSFERED OWNERSHIP AND MAY REMAIN ON EXISTING

ASSETS PROVIDED FUNDING IS IDENTIFIED

ACROSS THE FYDP FOR THE…