Assets and aggregations

To take the analogy one step further, most books actually have multiple levels of organization. Most are composed of chapters which, although a part of the whole book, could also stand alone or become part of another book. The book is like a SCORM course structure, and the chapters are like content aggregations made up of assets and SCOs (text, images, topics). Even the book as a whole could be part of a larger set of books. Each of these levels, at root, is a collection of assets (text, images, media), or aggregations of assets (topics, chapters, books).

Considering the example of a textbook can provide insight into the functions of SCORM Content Packaging. A textbook or set of books draws materials together, provides organization, is easily stored, transported, and used in different contexts. It even contains it’s own meta-data — think title page, publisher and copyright information, even the table of contents.