Selecting the Right Option for Launching Labs

Explore your options for launching labs

Whether you are working with Skillable TMS, SCORM Packaged Labs, LTI 1.3, API Integrations, or Custom Connectors, this document will guide you through the key features and advantages of each approach. Our aim is to help you make informed decisions about which lab launch option best aligns with your objectives and ensures a seamless learning experience for your users.

Let us begin this exploration of the diverse options Skillable provides for launching labs. By the end of this document, you will be on your way to make informed decisions, enabling you to drive your integration success in the world of hands-on learning.

Best Practices for Choosing a Launch Method

The successful launch of labs is paramount for an effective educational experience. For this reason, Skillable provides a spectrum of versatile options for launching labs. As a decision-maker overseeing learning solutions, here are some best practices to ensure a seamless integration of Skillable's lab launching capabilities:

1. Understand Your Requirements: Begin by thoroughly understanding your organization's unique needs and objectives for hands-on learning. Consider factors such as the scale of your program, technical resources available, and the level of customization required.

2. Evaluate Integration Options: Skillable offers various integration methods, including TMS, SCORM Packaged Labs, LTI 1.3, API Integrations, and Custom Connectors. Evaluate each option based on your technical capabilities, desired level of customization, and existing learning infrastructure. This article will provide clear guidance for each of these options.

3. Prioritize Security and Compliance: Regardless of the integration method chosen, prioritize data security and compliance with regulations. Skillable places a strong emphasis on data protection, and your integration should align with these principles.

4. Engage Technical Resources: For options requiring technical expertise, engage your IT or development team early in the process. Ensure they have the necessary information and resources to implement the chosen integration method effectively.

5. Continuous Evaluation and Improvement: Regularly evaluate the performance of the chosen integration method. Collect feedback from users, instructors, and administrators to identify areas for improvement. Stay informed about updates from Skillable and adapt your integration accordingly.

Skillable TMS

The Skillable Training Management System (TMS) is our integrated Learning Management System (LMS) platform used to deliver labs to your learners. You can manage learners and instructors, schedule classes and assign self-paced training. You can check lab instances to see your learners’ progress, instructors can virtually view and interact with learners by monitoring their labs as they work on them. Have learners and instructors launch all the course content, labs, courseware, and your virtual meeting from a single web page. You can add multiple choice assessments, surveys for students, instructors or organizations and you have many options for automatically triggered notifications. You can also validate and recognize your learners’ Achievements with certificates and Badges.

Our TMS is ideal for customers who do not have the time or resources to manage their own or a third-party LMS but need a central management application for all their learning resources for a single unified learning experience. The TMS, as a native solution, offers robust customer support and regular updates from Skillable.

SCORM Packaged Labs

The Sharable Content Object Reference Mode, or SCORM, packages standards for delivering eLearning in a seamless fashion and is supported in virtually all of the most popular Learning Management Systems. Skillable has taken advantage of this ubiquitous standard by providing the ability to automatically generate a SCORM package that can be embedded in a Skillable TMS Course as an Activity or added to most LMS, LXP, or other applications that support the SCORM standard to launch labs without the need for any complicated configurations or custom code.

SCORM packages work very well for focused customers looking for a no-code solution and want to be launching labs in the least amount of time possible. Having access to an LMS, like the Skillable TMS, an LXP, or another SCORM compliant application is required. However, obtaining SCORM packages is as simple as selecting a link to download the lab module and adding the module to your application.

LTI 1.3 Integrations

Launching hands-on labs using Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) 1.3 integration presents a wealth of benefits for organizations seeking a streamlined and efficient approach to online learning. LTI 1.3 simplifies the process of lab launch, ensuring a seamless experience for both administrators and learners from a LTI 1.3 compliant LMS, LXP, or other application. LTI 1.3's Single Sign-On (SSO) capability eliminates the hassle of managing multiple login credentials, resulting in a smoother, more user-friendly experience when launching hands-on labs.

Moreover, LTI 1.3 integration prioritizes security and data privacy. Skillable takes data protection seriously, and this method ensures that sensitive training data remains safeguarded. Compliance requirements are met, and administrators can trust that their learners' information is handled with care. The scalability of LTI 1.3 is also a key advantage, making it suitable for organizations of varying sizes. Whether you're managing a small-scale training initiative or a large enterprise-level program, this integration method can adapt to your evolving needs.

Overall, LTI 1.3 offers an efficient, secure, and scalable solution for launching hands-on labs, aligning well with your integration expertise and ensuring a superior learning environment. This solution works well for customers who use a LTI 1.3 compliant LMS, LXP or other application and have the technical resources available to set up and configure their integration.

API Integrations

Application Programming Interface (API) integration offers a dynamic and versatile approach to launching labs that is a game-changer for organizations aiming to deliver hands-on learning experiences. API integration has the potential to create a seamless and highly customized learning environment. This method empowers your integration product team to tailor the lab launch experience precisely to your organization's unique requirements. Furthermore, API integration often provides the greatest degree of flexibility and interoperability regardless of whether your LMS, LXP or other applications support other integration methods.

One of the key advantages of API integration is its adaptability. Whether you're managing a complex training program or a simple learning initiative, APIs can be tailored to suit your needs. Moreover, API integrations offer real-time data exchange, enabling immediate feedback and learner progress tracking. This rich data flow not only empowers administrators to make data-driven decisions but can also enhance the overall learning experience. API integration is most often utilized to connect seamlessly with other systems, creating a unified and cohesive learning ecosystem. Your organization can integrate labs with content libraries, assessment tools, and performance management systems, streamlining training processes and data management.

In addition, API integration prioritizes data security, ensuring that sensitive training data is protected. This is particularly important for organizations in regulated industries or those with strict compliance requirements. As you explore the benefits of launching labs with API integration, you'll find that the flexibility, adaptability, and data-driven insights offered by this approach align well with your organization, empowering you to deliver a comprehensive and customized learning experience that meets your organization's unique needs.

Customers with available technical resources may find the security, flexibility, and adaptability, among other benefits, highly appealing when developing an API integration to launch labs.

Custom Connectors

When it comes to launching labs, organizations seeking a truly bespoke learning experience turn to the development of custom connectors. As a learning professional with expertise in integration solutions, you recognize the power of customization in creating a learning environment that perfectly aligns with your organization's unique goals and requirements. Custom connectors offer a wealth of benefits, enabling you to craft lab launch experiences that fit your unique situation.

The primary advantage of custom connectors is their adaptability. These solutions can be meticulously tailored to meet the specific needs of your organization's hands-on labs. This customization ensures that the lab launch process seamlessly integrates with your existing systems and aligns with your user experience objectives. Moreover, we will work with your integration team, exercising full control over the development and maintenance of your connector, allowing for agile adjustments as your organization's needs evolve.

Security and data protection are paramount, and custom connectors can be designed with a laser focus on safeguarding sensitive training data. Compliance requirements are met, ensuring that your learners' information is treated with the utmost care. As you explore the benefits of launching labs with these customized solutions, you'll find that their adaptability, control, and data-driven capabilities align seamlessly with your organization, enabling you to craft a tailored and secure learning experience that perfectly matches your needs and goals.

Those customers who do not have technical resources available to develop a unique LTI or API integration but do have the desire to create a tightly coupled custom solution may select the development of a Custom Connector to build the specific integration to meet their lab launch needs.