eLearning & LMS glossary

SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is the most widely used technical standard for packaging eLearning content so it runs and reports completion and score consistently across compliant LMS platforms. SCORM 1.2 offers the widest compatibility with simple pass/fail and score tracking; SCORM 2004 adds sequencing and navigation rules for multi-module courses. See our SCORM vs xAPI guide for how to choose.

xAPI, also called the Experience API or Tin Can API, is a newer eLearning standard that tracks learning activity as actor-verb-object statements sent to a Learning Record Store. It captures experiences beyond a single LMS course, including simulations, mobile learning, and on-the-job activities that SCORM can't track.

cmi5 is a profile of xAPI designed to standardize how xAPI content launches from an LMS and reports back to it, combining xAPI's flexible tracking with SCORM-like consistency for launch and completion reporting.

An LRS is a server that stores and can retrieve learning experience data recorded as xAPI statements, similar to how an LMS stores SCORM completion data, but built for xAPI's more flexible record format and for tracking activity that happens outside a traditional course.

An LMS is software, such as Docebo, Cornerstone, LearnWorlds, or Moodle, used to host, deliver, assign, and track completion of eLearning courses for a defined group of learners, typically employees, members, or customers. See our LMS implementation & migration service.

An LXP is typically a more learner-driven system than a traditional LMS, emphasizing content discovery, recommendations, and informal learning over structured, assignment-based course delivery. The terms overlap significantly in vendor marketing, so the actual feature set matters more than the label.

A branching scenario is an interactive eLearning format where a learner's choices lead to different paths and outcomes, used to practice decision-making in a realistic, consequence-based simulation of a real situation.

Microlearning is short, focused learning content, usually just a few minutes, targeting a single objective. It's commonly used for reinforcement or just-in-time performance support rather than comprehensive topic coverage.

Instructional design is the practice of structuring learning content around measurable objectives, informed by how people actually learn, including assessment design, scenario-based learning, and managing cognitive load so learners retain what matters.

An AMS, such as iMIS or Nimble AMS, is software associations use to manage memberships, dues, and event registration. Some include a basic learning module, but many associations connect their AMS to a separate, purpose-built LMS for full course delivery and CE credit tracking. See our AMS-LMS integration guide.

A CEU is a standard unit of credit, historically defined as 10 contact hours of participation in an accredited continuing education program, used by associations and licensing boards to track a professional's ongoing education requirements toward license or certification renewal.

IACET, the International Accreditation for Continuing Education and Training, maintains the ANSI/IACET standard, the most widely recognized accreditation standard in the US for organizations authorized to issue CEUs.

It's the accredited standard defining requirements for designing, delivering, and documenting quality continuing education and training programs, including measurable learning outcomes, valid assessment, and audit-ready record-keeping. See our CEU academy course development guide.

SSO (single sign-on) lets a user log into multiple systems, such as an AMS and an LMS, with one login. SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is one common protocol used to implement SSO and identity federation between systems; OAuth2 and OIDC are other common approaches.

A DPA is a legal contract governing how a vendor may process personal data on a client's behalf. It's typically required before any user records move between systems, particularly for data covered by regulations like GDPR. See our Trust & Security page.

An MSA is an overarching contract that sets the general terms of an ongoing vendor relationship, under which individual projects are then scoped with separate, project-specific statements of work (SOWs).

SOC 2 is an auditing framework, based on the AICPA's Trust Services Criteria, that evaluates a service organization's controls around security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, or privacy. A SOC 2 Type II report evaluates those controls operating over a period of time, rather than at a single point in time. See our SOC 2 training guide.

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the standard used to make digital content, including eLearning courses, accessible to people with disabilities, covering areas like screen reader compatibility, color contrast, and keyboard navigation.

White-label eLearning development is course or LMS development work delivered by a third-party vendor but branded and presented as the client's own, common for agencies that need more delivery capacity than they can or want to hire in-house. See our white-label eLearning development service.