How to add a SCORM course to Continu — and the in-progress upgrade gotcha that strands learners if you don't plan for it.
SCORM packages are the right path when the content has been authored in a dedicated eLearning tool (Articulate, Captivate, iSpring, Lectora, Adobe Animate) and you want to deliver the interactive learning experience with completion tracking. Continu acts as the SCORM Learning Management System — playing the course, tracking progress, and recording completion when the SCORM signals it.
For the strategic frame on SCORM — what it is, what versions Continu supports, when to use it vs alternatives — see A Guide to SCORM in Continu. For content type selection overall, see Content Strategy: Designing Learning Assets That Scale.
Critical: don't update a SCORM course while learners are in progress. Updating a SCORM that learners haven't completed can strand them — they may not be able to finish the updated course, and their existing progress can be lost or invalidated. If you need to update, wait for learners to complete or use a duplicate-and-replace pattern (upload as a new course, assign forward).
How to Add a SCORM Course
1. Open the Content area. From the left-hand navigation, click Create > Content.
2. Upload the SCORM package. Drag and drop the .zip file, or click Browse to select it. Wait for the upload to complete before moving on. SCORM packages can be large (50MB+), so the upload may take time.
3. Fill in SCORM details. Title, Author, Description. Add Banner and Cover images if relevant — see Banner and Cover Images: Photo Editor and Best Practices. Click Next.
4. Set Segmentation and Explore visibility. Decide who can see this SCORM. See Segmentation For Content.
5. Configure Content Settings. Standard ratings, certificates, and completion behavior. See Editing Content Settings.
Settings highlight: SCORM Player Configuration. SCORM packages have a unique setting that controls how the course displays. Choose between:
Open in Continu window — the SCORM plays inside the Continu page (default for most courses).
Pop out to a new browser window — opens the SCORM in a separate window with size you specify. Use this when the course doesn't fit well in the standard Continu window, or when the SCORM author designed it to fill the screen.
6. Click Next to preview.
7. Review and Publish. Step through one more time, then click Publish.
Considerations
Decide pop-out vs in-window before testing. SCORM packages designed at desktop resolution often look cramped in Continu's standard window. Test as a learner — if the course feels too small, switch to pop-out. Switching mid-course-life is harder than getting it right at publish.
Match SCORM version to authoring tool output. Continu supports SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 (Editions 1-4). When exporting from your authoring tool, choose SCORM 2004 if available — it's the most up-to-date version. See A Guide to SCORM in Continu for the version-specific reliability notes.
Test the completion signal before publishing to learners. SCORM's completion criteria are set by the SCORM author, not by Continu. Take the course as a test user end-to-end and confirm the completion event actually fires. If it doesn't, the SCORM may need to be re-exported with the right completion logic.
Plan for updates before going live. Because in-progress SCORM updates strand learners, build a cadence for when SCORM updates can happen — between cohorts, during quiet periods, or via the duplicate-and-replace pattern.
Configuration Pitfalls
Updating a SCORM Course With In-Progress Learners. The most common SCORM mistake. Updating the SCORM file in Continu while learners are mid-course can prevent them from completing — they get stuck on old state that doesn't match the new content. Always wait for completion or use a duplicate-and-replace pattern (publish the new version as a fresh SCORM and assign forward).
SCORM Doesn't Fit the Window. If the SCORM looks cramped or content is cut off in the standard Continu window, switch to pop-out and specify a larger window size. Don't ship it cramped — learners will miss content.
Completion Doesn't Fire Even Though the Course Played. SCORM's completion criteria are author-defined. If learners report completing but Continu shows them incomplete, the SCORM may not be firing the completion event correctly. Talk to the SCORM author or re-export with explicit completion logic. See the related troubleshooting in Learning Track shows incomplete after all content is complete.
Choosing SCORM Over a Native Continu Article. SCORM packages take longer to author, are harder to update, and depend on the original authoring tool. For content that's mostly text or simple media, an Article inside Continu is often a better tool — searchable, easier to update, no transcoding or compatibility concerns.
Pop-Out Window Blocked by Browser. Pop-out player configurations can be blocked by browser popup-blockers on first run. Note this in any learner-facing communications — learners may need to allow the popup once.
Where This Fits
You're here because you're uploading a SCORM package. For the deeper conceptual reference on SCORM behavior, supported versions, and limitations, see A Guide to SCORM in Continu. For the content-type comparison, see Content Strategy.
See Also
- Content Strategy: Designing Learning Assets That Scale — the strategic anchor.
- A Guide to SCORM in Continu — what SCORM is, versions, native vs third-party.
- Content Authoring: From Blank Page to Published Asset — the end-to-end authoring journey.
- Add an Article to Continu — native content alternative for text-heavy material.
- Add Video Content In Continu — for video content.
- Segmentation For Content — controlling SCORM visibility.
Upload, configure, choose in-window or pop-out, publish. Never update while learners are in progress — duplicate and replace instead.