What are SCORM, AICC, and xAPI (Tin Can)?

These are e-learning standards — rules that let a course built in one tool run inside any compatible LMS and report results back. They matter because they protect you from lock-in.

• SCORM — the most common standard. A SCORM package is a zipped course you can upload to almost any LMS, which then tracks completion and score. If you ever switch systems, SCORM courses move with you.
• AICC — an older standard, largely replaced by SCORM, but still seen in aviation and legacy enterprise content.
• xAPI (Tin Can) — the modern successor to SCORM. It tracks richer activity ("watched video", "attended workshop") and works beyond the browser, including offline and mobile.

When buying an LMS, confirm it imports SCORM and xAPI. That keeps your existing course library usable and makes future migration far easier.