Getting a lesson into Canvas
Canvas imports SCORM content through an LTI tool rather than natively, which is the single most important thing to know before planning around it: the SCORM option has to be enabled for the account by an administrator before any instructor can use it. Once it is on, a SCORM .zip is uploaded from a SCORM item in the course navigation and imported as a graded assignment, an ungraded assignment, or a page. Mosra exports that .zip directly from a presentation.
How Canvas handles SCORM
| In Canvas | |
|---|---|
| Native SCORM support | No — provided by an LTI tool |
| Who enables it | An administrator, at account level |
| Where you upload | The SCORM item in course navigation |
| Import options | Graded assignment, ungraded assignment, or page |
| Grade to the gradebook | Yes, when imported as a graded assignment |
| Canvas Commons | Cannot take a SCORM package directly |
| xAPI / cmi5 | Not through this tool |
First: check whether it is switched on
This is the step that wastes the most time, because nothing tells you it is missing — the option simply is not there. Canvas SCORM support comes from an LTI app that has to be enabled for the account, and that is an administrator action, not something an instructor can do.
Look in your course settings under Navigation. If there is a SCORM item to drag into the visible list, it is enabled. If there is no SCORM item at all, it is not, and the next step is a conversation with whoever administers your Canvas rather than a different export from Mosra.
The steps, once it is enabled
The flow is different in shape from Moodle's: you upload the package first, then choose what kind of Canvas object it becomes.
- In Mosra, export a SCORM package. You get a .zip.
- In Canvas, go to Settings → Navigation, move SCORM into the visible list, and save.
- Open SCORM from the course navigation and choose Upload.
- Select the .zip. Do not unzip it first.
- Choose the import type: graded assignment, ungraded assignment, or page. Pick graded if you want the score in the gradebook.
- Open the resulting assignment and check that Submission Type is External Tool, and consider ticking "Load This Tool In A New Tab" — a SCORM package in a narrow embedded frame is a poor experience on most decks.
What being an LTI actually costs you
Because SCORM is an add-on rather than a Canvas primitive, some things you would expect to work do not. Packages cannot be uploaded to Canvas Commons directly — the usual workaround is to export the whole course and import that into Commons with the package inside it.
It also means every package is set up individually. There is no bulk import, and copying a course carries the packages but not always cleanly, so it is worth verifying after a course copy rather than assuming.
Choosing the import type
The three options are not interchangeable, and picking the wrong one is the second most common source of confusion after the LTI not being enabled.
- Graded assignment — the score reaches the gradebook. This is what you want if the deck has graded questions.
- Ungraded assignment — appears in the assignment list and can be required for completion, but no grade column.
- Page — just content. Nothing is recorded, which makes it wrong for anything you need to report on.
Questions
Why can I not see a SCORM option in my Canvas course?
Almost certainly because the SCORM LTI is not enabled for your account. It is enabled at account level by an administrator; until then the option does not appear in course navigation at all. This is the most common reason people conclude Canvas cannot take SCORM.
Does the score reach the Canvas gradebook?
Yes, when the package is imported as a graded assignment. Imported as a page it is content only and nothing is recorded, which is worth checking if a grade column you expected never appeared.
Can I put a SCORM package in Canvas Commons?
Not directly. The usual route is to export the course containing the package and share that to Commons instead.
Should the package open in a new tab?
Usually yes. A presentation-shaped package in an embedded frame is cramped on most screens, and the assignment settings have a "Load This Tool In A New Tab" option for exactly this.
Does Canvas support xAPI or cmi5 this way?
No — this tool is for SCORM. xAPI and cmi5 need a Learning Record Store and a different integration path.
Where Mosra fits
Mosra exports the SCORM package Canvas expects, from the same deck you would have built anyway.
- SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 packages, exported from a browser-based authoring tool
- Graded questions on slides, scored in the package and reported to the Canvas gradebook
- The same deck exports to PPTX, PDF, HTML5 and video, so nothing is locked to one destination
- Free during the launch period — enough to test one package before asking an administrator to enable anything
The quickest way to settle this
Build one deck, export a package, and load it into your own LMS. An afternoon answers what a comparison table cannot.