Getting a lesson into Moodle
Moodle imports e-learning content through its SCORM activity, which accepts a SCORM package as a single .zip file that must not be unzipped first. Mosra exports that package directly from a presentation, so a deck built in the browser becomes a tracked Moodle activity without being rebuilt in a separate authoring tool. For Moodle specifically, export SCORM 1.2 rather than SCORM 2004: Moodle core implements only part of the SCORM 2004 API and does not support its sequencing and navigation at all.
What Moodle does and does not support
| Support in Moodle core | |
|---|---|
| SCORM 1.2 | Full — the safe default |
| SCORM 2004 | Partial. API partly implemented; sequencing and navigation are not |
| AICC | Yes |
| xAPI | Not in core; needs a plugin and an LRS |
| cmi5 | Not in core; needs a plugin and an LRS |
| Grade passed to the gradebook | Yes, from the SCORM activity |
| Multiple attempts | Yes, configurable per activity |
The steps, start to finish
Nothing here needs an administrator, as long as you can edit a course. Moodle's SCORM activity is part of core, so unlike Canvas there is no plugin to have switched on first.
- In Mosra, open the deck and export a SCORM 1.2 package. You get a .zip.
- In Moodle, turn editing on in the course and choose Add an activity or resource.
- Pick SCORM package from the activity chooser.
- Give it a name, then drag the .zip into the package file area. Do not unzip it first — Moodle reads the archive.
- Expand Appearance and Attempts management to set how it opens and how many attempts are allowed.
- Save and display, then take it once yourself and check the grade lands in the gradebook.
Why SCORM 1.2 and not 2004, on Moodle
The general advice is to prefer SCORM 2004, because it separates pass/fail from completion and handles sequencing. On Moodle that advice does not hold. Moodle's own developer documentation states that SCORM 2004 is not completely supported in core: parts of the API are implemented, but sequencing and navigation are not.
For a single-SCO package — which is what a presentation exports as — this rarely bites, because there is no sequencing to do. But there is no upside either, and SCORM 1.2 is the path Moodle handles best. Pick 2004 only if something else in your setup requires it.
If you genuinely need certified SCORM 2004 behaviour in Moodle, that is a job for a third-party SCORM player plugin rather than for core.
Where the score ends up
Graded questions on your slides are scored inside the package and reported through the SCORM runtime, which Moodle records against the activity and passes to the course gradebook.
The Attempts management settings decide what a re-take means: whether the highest, average, first or last attempt counts. That is a Moodle decision rather than a package one, so it is set on the activity and not in the export.
The two things that usually go wrong
Almost every failed SCORM upload in Moodle is one of two things, and neither is subtle once you know to look.
- The .zip was unzipped, or re-zipped from a folder so that imsmanifest.xml sits one level down. Moodle needs the manifest at the root of the archive.
- The file is larger than the site's upload limit. That is a server setting (both Moodle's own limit and PHP's), so a large deck may need an administrator rather than a different export.
Questions
Which Moodle versions does this work with?
The SCORM activity has been part of Moodle core for many years and the import flow has been stable across recent releases. If your course has an "Add an activity or resource" button and SCORM package in the list, you are fine.
Do I need an administrator to do this?
Not normally. Any teacher who can edit a course can add a SCORM activity. You only need an administrator if the package exceeds the site's upload size limit, or if you want cmi5 or xAPI, which need a plugin.
Can I use xAPI or cmi5 with Moodle instead?
Yes, but not with core alone — both need a plugin and a Learning Record Store. If you are only trying to record completion and score, SCORM does that without any of it.
Will the questions on my slides be graded in Moodle?
Yes. They are scored inside the package and reported back through the SCORM runtime, and Moodle records that against the activity like any other SCORM course.
Can I update the lesson later without breaking learner records?
Re-export the package and upload the new .zip to the same activity rather than creating a new one. Replacing the file in place keeps the activity, its settings and its grade column; a new activity starts a new record.
Where Mosra fits
Mosra is a browser-based authoring tool that exports the package Moodle wants, so the lesson is only ever built once.
- SCORM 1.2 export — the version Moodle handles best — from the same deck as PPTX, PDF and video
- Graded questions on slides, scored in the package and reported to the Moodle gradebook
- SCORM 2004, xAPI and cmi5 exported from the same deck too, for a platform that wants them
- Free during the launch period, which is enough to test a real package against your own Moodle
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.