3403728 - SCORM 2004 Continue & Quit Wrapper Buttons automatically complete the content

With SCORM 2004 4th edition, when a user is pressing Continue or Quit as the buttons but not actually completing the content, the content object is being marked as completed and subsequently the item depending on settings.

Image/data in this KBA is from SAP internal systems, sample data, or demo systems. Any resemblance to real data is purely coincidental.

SAP SuccessFactors Learning

A change in 2H 2023 release was implemented to more strictly align with sequencing and navigation rules of SCORM 2004.

Note: SAP Support is not trained in content development thus cannot assist in modifying the imsmanifest file mentioned below.

This issue occurs due to specific configurations on the content file and not on the LMS.

SCORM 2004 provides the content developer the ability to have more control over how an LMS delivers the content by putting sequencing and navigation (S&N) rules in the imsmanifest.xml file that is at the root of the SCORM package which are added to the LMS during the package import.  The rules that can be added cover a variety of areas (e.g. how the learner show be allowed to move between scos in the LMS, should the LMS display navigation button with the content, etc.).  If the imsmanifest.xml file does not specify a specific S&N rule, the SCORM 2004 standard dictates that the LMS implement default values and behavior.

For SCORM 2004 by default, all content is to be assumed by an LMS to be non-communicating (does not send student progress, completion data, score values, etc. to the LMS API) and an LMS will automatically mark it complete when the user exits (hitting the LMS provided “Quit”, “Previous” or “Continue” buttons) if the SCO does not send a value for “cmi.success_status” during the content session.

By adding the follow sequencing rules into the imsmanifest.xml file for each SCO and setting the values to “true” (default value is “false”), this tells the LMS that the SCO will be determining the completion status and success status and will prevent the LMS from automatically granting credit. 

<organizations default="Sl_version36_ORG">

    <organization identifier="Sl_version36_ORG" adlseq:objectivesGlobalToSystem="false">

      <title>Sl_version36</title>

      <item identifier="Sl_version36_SCO" identifierref="__6hDxMvpbqEO_course_id_RES" isvisible="true">

        <title>Sl_version36</title>

                                      <imsss:sequencing>

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

                                                                </imsss:sequencing>    

                 </item>

      <imsss:sequencing>

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

      </imsss:sequencing>

    </organization>

  </organizations>

The following screenshot is an example of the sequencing rules in a course that has multiple SCO's:

There are two options to resolve the issue:

1. Work with a content developer to modify the content and re-import the content zip. Either modify the item's content package to the newly imported one or revise the item. If the revision process is not followed, make sure properly reassign to all users that were assigned previously.
2. If it's known that the imsmanifest.xml does not have completionSetByContent or objectiveSetByContent set to true, meaning that it's currently set to false or is missing, then go to Learning Administration > System Administration > Configuration > System Configuration > Edit LMS_ADMIN > Modify contentCommunicatesCompletion=true (setting was added in the 2H 2024 release) > Apply Changes.

Further information on how SCORM 2004 works and the above settings in the imsmanifest.xml can be accessed here.