LCO Framework

LEARNING CONTENT ORGANIZATION FRAMEWORK (LCO  Framework)

How many content vendors is the ‘company’ managing? How many content development tools exist in the company? Which of the four SCORM standards are you building online content for? These are just a few of the many questions that large companies are beginning to ask as they look at creating efficiency in the management of content across the enterprise.

 Content Organization Framework

FirstPlus has developed a Framework for organizing content across the enterprise. The purpose of the Content Organization Framework is to outline a strategic business process that focuses on standardizing the development approach to, delivery of and availability for content in the ‘extended enterprise’. This is targeted to those organizations which have recently adopted new Learning Content Management System (LCMS) technologies (or are upgrading existing technologies). In this context, the ‘extended enterprise’ is any owner (regardless of name or business unit) of centralized learning technology infrastructure.

 Adoption or upgrade of an LCMS is an important distinction. Without having a centralized technology infrastructure, the ‘costs’ of not having standards and processes in place are not easily identified. Therefore, the work associated with developing a Content Organization Framework is not clearly justified. However, once a standard core technology is adopted, the benefits more easily rise to the surface.

 Planning, Organizing, and Managing content is an important issue. Most organizations only understand the magnitude of the problem after they begin to map the process of moving content from a myriad of older systems to a new learning technology infrastructure. It is at this point (or before) that it makes sense for an organization to step back and look across the sources and uses of content and make strategic decisions on how to plan for, organize, and manage all of the content they have responsibility for.

 Framework Components

The term ‘Framework’ was used deliberately. It is anticipated that organizations may only have the need for some components of the framework and should have the flexibility to drop (or add) components to this for their specific use. Once the organization determines which components of this framework to use, it will become their methodology for organizing content across the enterprise.

 The following are components that should be evaluated when developing the Content Organization Framework:

•      Conversion of Training Content

•      Delivery Methods

•      Content Development Tool Sets

•      Custom Content Standards

•      Infrastructure and System Requirements: Bandwidth, LCMS Backend, client requirements

•      Rapid Development Methods

•      Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Content: Standards, Publishers, SME Approval

•      Custom Content

•      WBT Content Integration

•      Evaluation Methods