This manual consolidates every document you need as an MSWorx Learning instructor into one place. It covers course planning, adult-learning design, video production, assessment standards, platform capabilities, all three development pathways, submission and review, and a complete glossary. Each part builds on the last: read it through once before you begin building, then return to specific sections as your work demands.

1.1Welcome

You are building a course for the MSWorx Learning Course Catalog. Your training will be used by frontline workers, case managers, volunteers, and supervisors who serve people in crisis every day. The people who take your course are not looking for credentials to hang on a wall — they are looking for skills they can carry into the next room, the next phone call, the next encounter where someone needs them to know what they are doing.

1.2The MSWorx Standard

Every course in the MSWorx catalog meets six non-negotiable standards. These are not suggestions — they are the structural commitments that make an MSWorx certificate mean something. Your course must meet all six.

1.3Three Production Paths

MSWorx offers three paths for getting your course built, depending on your capacity and preference. All three produce the same result: a course that meets MSWorx catalog standards. The production path you choose does not affect how your course is listed. Full details for each path are in Part 9.

Before you write a single script or record a single video, get clarity on four things: what problem your course solves, who it solves it for, what the learner will be able to do when they finish, and how it fits into the broader MSWorx catalog.

2.1Choosing Your Topic

Your course topic should sit at the intersection of three things:

1. Your direct practice experience. What have you done in the field that gives you authority to teach this?
2. A gap in the current MSWorx catalog. What is missing that the nonprofit frontline needs?
3. Demand from the people doing the work. Are frontline workers, supervisors, or organizations asking for this training?

If your topic does not sit at the intersection of all three, it is not ready for the catalog. Strong expertise without demand produces a course nobody takes. High demand without direct experience produces a course that does not earn trust.

2.2Defining Your Audience

Every course serves a specific audience. Not "nonprofit professionals." Not "anyone in human services." A specific role or set of roles with specific needs.

Be precise. A course for "case managers working in homelessness services" is different from one for "shelter volunteers." The language they use, the situations they encounter, and the authority they carry are all different. Your course needs to know who is sitting in the seat.

Your outcome-first course description — the 3–5 sentence catalog description — should lead with what the learner will be able to do, not a list of topics covered.

2.3Writing Learning Objectives

Learning objectives are the contract between you and the learner. They state what the learner will be able to do after completing your course — not what the course covers.

Examples:

• By the end of this lesson, the learner will be able to identify three indicators of housing instability during a client intake conversation.
• By the end of this course, the learner will be able to conduct a diversion conversation using motivational interviewing techniques with a household facing eviction.
• By the end of this module, the learner will be able to complete a mandatory reporting form for their state within the required timeline.

Avoid vague objectives. "The learner will understand trauma-informed care" is not measurable. "The learner will be able to apply three trauma-informed communication techniques during a shelter intake encounter" is. The review tool flags vague verbs like "understand" or "know."

The people who take MSWorx courses are adults with demanding jobs, limited time, and low tolerance for training that wastes either. Many work in crisis-driven environments where they cannot afford content that does not apply to what they will face tomorrow. These principles are not optional background reading — they are embedded in the MSWorx quality standard, and courses that violate them will not pass review.

3.1Core Principles

Immediate Applicability. Adults learn what they can use. Every lesson must answer: what will I do differently because of what I learned here? End every lesson with one concrete, immediately applicable takeaway; use scenarios drawn from the actual work, not academic hypotheticals; and provide downloadable tools, templates, checklists, or reference cards the learner can use in the field.

Respect What They Already Know. Your learners are not blank slates — many have years of experience and hard-won knowledge. Open lessons by naming what experienced learners likely already know; frame new content as adding tools to an existing toolkit, not replacing what they do; and use real service-context case studies so the content feels familiar.

Reduce Cognitive Load. Learners are often taking training between shifts in emotionally demanding environments. Keep video segments to 8–12 minutes, one concept per segment, no exceptions. Use a clear, predictable lesson structure (What is this? Why does it matter? What do I do? What if something goes wrong?). Write at an 8th–10th grade reading level — no jargon without definition, no acronyms without explanation. Use high-contrast visuals, clean layouts, and large text; minimize animation and clutter.

Multiple Senses, Multiple Formats. Present key concepts visually (video/slides), verbally (narration), and in text (companion materials) simultaneously. All video must include closed captions. Provide downloadable transcripts of all video segments. Offer printable companion materials for learners who prefer physical references.

Active, Not Passive. The learner's job is not to watch your videos — it is to demonstrate they can do something they could not do before. Your course must include assessment points that require active engagement, not just a play button and a completion checkbox.

3.2Content Maintenance Commitment

When you publish a course in the MSWorx catalog, you commit to keeping it current. Annual review: every course undergoes a formal review once per year for accuracy, regulatory alignment, and instructional effectiveness. Triggered updates: when something changes in the field — a new regulation, a policy shift, emerging data — you update your course outside the annual cycle. If you cannot maintain a course, notify MSWorx so the listing can be paused or retired. Stale content harms learners.

Every MSWorx course follows a consistent structural framework. Learners should never have to figure out how a course works — the structure tells them where they are, what is expected, and what comes next.

4.1Course Components

Module counts and resource minimums scale with the course tier — see the Course Tiers reference in the review tool. A downloadable workbook is required at the Masterclass tier.

4.2Lesson Structure

Each lesson should follow this four-part structure. The order matters — it builds understanding progressively and keeps the learner oriented.

1. Video segment(s) — the core instructional delivery. Pre-recorded, 8–12 minutes per segment, one concept per segment.
2. Written lesson text — a standalone written companion loaded directly into the platform. This is not a transcript; it covers the same material in a format learners can read, reference, and search.
3. Assessment point — at least one embedded assessment per lesson, where the learner proves they understood the material before advancing.
4. Downloadable resource — a practical tool, template, or reference the learner can take with them. Not every lesson requires one, but every course should include at least one.

4.3Deliverables Per Lesson

When you submit your completed course, MSWorx needs the following for each lesson:

An MSWorx certificate means the learner demonstrated competency — not that they clicked through slides. You choose from the approved assessment types below based on what your content demands. Not every course needs every type, but every course needs enough assessment to make the certificate credible.

5.1Approved Assessment Types

5.2Minimum Assessment Requirements

Every MSWorx course must include, at minimum:

• At least one assessment point per lesson (knowledge check, quiz, or scenario).
• At least one course-level quiz with a defined passing threshold (75% minimum; governance/compliance content often sets 80%+).
• At least one applied element (assignment, reflection, or scenario-based exercise) per course.

You are free to exceed these minimums — the more the learner demonstrates, the more the certificate is worth. Masterclass courses require an applied capstone in addition to the full battery.

Video is the primary instructional delivery method on the MSWorx platform. How your videos look, sound, and feel shapes whether learners trust the content and stay engaged. Your videos do not all need to look the same, but they should feel consistent within the course — choose a primary style and use it throughout.

6.1Video Style Options

6.2Presenter Decisions & AI Disclosure

If your course includes any on-camera or voiced segments, decide how you will appear — or not appear.

6.3Video Technical Specifications

All videos submitted for the catalog must meet these specifications, regardless of who produces them.

6.4Course Delivery Format: SCORM 1.2

All catalog courses are delivered through SkyPrep as SCORM 1.2-compliant packages. SCORM lets courses communicate with the LMS — tracking completed modules, recording quiz scores, and reporting completion. For self-producing instructors, the package must:

• Use SCORM 1.2 (not 2004).
• Be a ZIP containing imsmanifest.xml and all assets.
• Communicate lesson completion (cmi.core.lesson_status).
• Report scores (cmi.core.score.raw).
• Launch in a browser without extra plugins.
• Stay under 500 MB per package (split by module if larger).
• Be tested in a SCORM 1.2-compliant environment (such as SCORM Cloud) before submission.

6.5Slide Design Specifications

• Slides must be 16:9 (widescreen).
• Clean, readable fonts. Sans-serif preferred (Arial, Calibri, Open Sans). Minimum 24pt body text, 32pt titles.
• High contrast between text and background; dark text on light background preferred.
• One concept per slide. If a slide has more than 6 lines of text, split it.
• Use images, diagrams, and visuals to reinforce concepts, not to decorate — every visual should serve a purpose. Each meaningful image needs alt text / a caption for accessibility.
• Do not use stock photos of smiling people in offices. Use images that reflect the actual settings where your learners work.
• MSWorx provides a branded slide template if you are on the MSWorx Produces or Collaborative path.

MSWorx Learning runs on SkyPrep, an enterprise learning management system. This part covers what SkyPrep can hold and how it works, regardless of which development pathway you choose. If MSWorx is building your course, this knowledge helps you give better instructions.

8.1Content Types SkyPrep Accepts

8.2Course Structure in SkyPrep

A course in SkyPrep is a container. Content is created or uploaded separately, then added to the course in sequence.

8.3Assessments on the Platform

Assessments are built as standalone modules and added to courses. On Option 1 you can embed assessment logic in your SCORM package; on Options 2 and 3 MSWorx builds assessments in SkyPrep from your questions and settings.

8.4Knowledge Checks

Knowledge checks are embedded questions that fire at a specific point inside a content module — triggered by a page number, slide number, or timestamp — testing comprehension in the moment, before the learner finishes the module. Important: knowledge checks do not work in full-screen mode; learners must be in standard view. If you are on Option 1, account for this when designing your SCORM experience.

8.5Checklists

Checklists track observable performance and are graded by an instructor or admin — not completed by the learner. Learners can see the task list as a guide but cannot mark their own completion.

8.6Course Settings

MSWorx configures these when building your course; document any preferences in your Course Flow Document.

8.7Tracking Learner Progress

From your course's Learners tab you can monitor progress and download reports as spreadsheets: course completion status (started / in progress / completed), module-level progress, assessment scores per attempt (including average), time in course, ILT attendance, and checklist grades. Your reporting access is scoped to your own courses — you cannot see other instructors' courses or other client spaces.

This part is the complete technical guide for each of the three production paths. Navigate to the path you selected in your Production Path Worksheet.

9.1Option 1 — You Build It (Self-Build)

You create your content in any authoring tool, then submit finished files to MSWorx for upload into SkyPrep. You control design, pacing, and the learner experience; MSWorx handles platform configuration. Best for instructors comfortable in tools like Articulate Rise/Storyline, iSpring, Adobe Captivate, Camtasia, or PowerPoint. If you are starting from scratch, Articulate Rise is the fastest path to a professional SCORM package; iSpring is fastest if your content already lives in PowerPoint.

Accepted formats: SCORM .zip (primary — interactivity, branching, quizzes, completion logic), MP4 video, PDF, PowerPoint, Word.

SCORM technical specs: SkyPrep supports SCORM 1.2 (recommended default) and 2004. The package is a .zip with imsmanifest.xml at the root (not in a subfolder — misplaced manifests fail on upload). Name the .zip with your course name, no spaces (e.g. leadership_foundations_v1.zip). Set completion logic (on view, on quiz pass, or on submit) and resume behavior (Prompt to Resume — recommended; Always Resume; or Never Resume) in your authoring tool before export. If the same package appears in more than one course, tell MSWorx whether to apply Global scoping (default — completion shared across courses) or Per-Course Progress (independent per course).

Video file specs: MP4 (H.264 recommended), 1080p preferred (720p acceptable), 24 or 30 fps, stereo 44.1 or 48 kHz, with a .vtt or .srt caption file where possible.

File naming: no spaces (use underscores), lowercase only, include a short course-name identifier and a content-type label, end with a version number (_v1), no special characters. Example: leadership_foundations_intro_video_v1.mp4.

Course Flow Document (required, even for self-build): tells MSWorx how to configure the course — name and description; module sequence; for each module the file name, content type, and completion requirement; assessment settings (passing grade, attempts, show answers); whether to enforce module order; whether to enable the Discussion Board; Resource Center materials; deadlines; and any learner-facing instructions.

Option 1 submission checklist: accepted formats only; SCORM manifest at root with completion logic set and tested; resume behavior set intentionally; MP4 with captions where possible; filenames follow the convention; Course Flow Document complete; you have reviewed your content as a learner in preview; third-party assets cleared under your Instructor Agreement; files in one clearly labeled folder; submission method confirmed with your MSWorx contact. Turnaround from submission to live course is 5 business days.

9.2Option 2 — You Submit Materials, MSWorx Builds It

You provide the raw materials and a detailed Course Flow Document; MSWorx assembles, configures, and loads your course; you review and approve before launch. Best for instructors with strong subject-matter expertise who are not comfortable with authoring tools. Available at no charge for basic builds included in your Instructor Agreement; significant instructional design or extensive revision may incur a scope-based fee, confirmed before any billable work.

You submit two things: (1) all content files — videos, slides, PDFs, documents, assessment questions, images, with no placeholders; and (2) a complete Course Flow Document. Name files clearly (course name, content type, version). Include caption files where you have them. Write assessment questions out in full with correct answers marked, and write out per-question feedback if you want it — MSWorx will not write feedback on your behalf. MSWorx acknowledges receipt within 3 business days.

Course Flow Document template — sections: A) Course overview & settings (name, description, audience, completion time, certificate, deadline, enforce module order, discussion board, resource center); B) Module sequence (number, title, file name(s), content type, notes); C) Assessment questions (text / type / options with correct marked / optional feedback); D) Assessment settings (passing grade, max attempts, hours between attempts, shuffle, show grade, show answers, show feedback, lock during attempt); E) Checklist tasks with grading format; F) ILT / webinar sessions (name, type, date/time, time zone, link, expected attendance, attendance key, whether all sessions or just one are required).

9.3Option 3 — Full Course Production

Full production: someone else does the instructional design, content development, visual production, and platform build. You own what gets made. Two choices, both ending in a finished course uploaded to SkyPrep:

• MSWorx Full Production Service — MSWorx's team takes your materials and expertise and builds a complete, platform-ready course. Fee based on scope. Includes intake and scoping, instructional design, content development, visual production, assessment development, platform build, and one round of revisions (additional revisions may incur fees).
• Independent Course Designer — you hire an external designer directly; MSWorx maintains a referral list but is not a party and does not endorse any designer. Once produced, you submit the course to MSWorx for upload following the Option 1 process.

Content ownership: you own the finished course. MSWorx retains no ongoing rights after delivery, except what is required to host and operate the course on SkyPrep under your Instructor Agreement. If hiring an independent designer, confirm in your contract who owns the finished and source files, what happens to source files after delivery, whether the designer may reuse the content, and the revision/warranty terms — and give them this manual and the Option 1 specs so they build to SkyPrep requirements.

MSWorx provides the following templates to support your course development. Request these from MSWorx when you begin production.

11.1What You Submit

When your course is complete, you submit the full package to MSWorx. MSWorx reviews it as a unit — content accuracy, instructional quality, technical specifications, assessment rigor, and catalog consistency. Your submission package includes:

• All completed worksheets from this manual (Course Planning, Assessment Plan, Video Production Decisions, Production Path Selection).
• Course outline (MSWorx template).
• Video scripts for every lesson (MSWorx template).
• Finished video files for every segment (MP4, 1080p minimum, H.264) — or raw recordings if MSWorx is producing.
• SCORM 1.2 package (self-producing instructors only) — tested in a SCORM-compliant environment before submission.
• Closed caption files for every video (SRT or VTT).
• Written lesson text for every lesson (formatted for SkyPrep).
• Slide decks for every lesson (MSWorx template or meeting specs).
• All assessment content with answer keys, rubrics, and passing criteria.
• All downloadable resources in final, print-ready format (PDF preferred).
• Downloadable transcripts for every video segment.

11.2The Review Process

11.3Common Reasons for Revision

The most common reasons a course is returned. None are deal-breakers — they are fixable:

• Video segments exceed 15 minutes. → 6.3
• Closed captions missing or inaccurate. → 6.3
• Learning objectives vague or unmeasurable. → 2.3
• Assessments do not align with stated objectives. → Part 5
• Content reads as theoretical rather than practice-based. → 3.1
• No applied element anywhere in the course. → 5.2
• Written lesson text is just a transcript, not a standalone written lesson. → 4.2
• Audio quality issues (echo, noise, inconsistent volume). → 6.3
• Slides text-heavy or hard to read. → 6.5
• SCORM package fails to track completion or report scores (self-producing instructors). → 6.4

This part is a companion to the rest of the manual — it does not replace it. Everything in Parts 1–11 applies to your course. What this supplement adds is guidance specific to leadership and organizational-development content. The main guide is written for the frontline; your course serves a different audience with different pressures, learning contexts, and measures of success.

Use this supplement for courses in board governance, executive leadership and strategic planning, fund development and grant management, financial management and nonprofit accounting, program design and evaluation, organizational capacity building and change management, volunteer management, supervisor development, nonprofit compliance and risk, organization-level DEI strategy, and communications and stakeholder engagement — or any course serving organizational leaders, managers, or decision-makers rather than frontline service-delivery staff.

12.1Understanding Your Leadership Audience

Your learners may include executive directors and CEOs, program directors and managers, board members, development directors and fundraisers, supervisors and team leads, and volunteer coordinators — each carrying different pressures.

These learners are time-compressed, already expert, making decisions with incomplete information, accountable to multiple stakeholders, and often isolated. The stakes are different, not lower: an ED who cannot read a financial statement can bankrupt an organization serving 500 families; a board chair who misunderstands fiduciary duty can expose the agency to liability.

12.2Adult Learning Principles for Leadership Content

The five principles in Part 3 all apply, adapted for a leadership audience:

Immediate applicability — the decision on their desk. Connect every lesson to a decision the learner is already facing, not a hypothetical. A governance course addresses how to evaluate the ED; a financial course walks through the actual budget-to-actuals and cash-flow projections a leader receives; a supervisor course tackles the conversation they have been avoiding.

Respect what they know — and challenge it. Acknowledge their experience without deferring to it; surface common mistakes as sector-wide patterns, not personal failings; use case studies complex enough to require new thinking, with no clean answer.

Cognitive load — frameworks over firehoses. The 8–12 minute segment rule still applies; leadership content risks being cognitively heavy. Give repeatable decision frameworks, avoid comprehensive surveys, and build in reflection points where the learner applies the framework to their own organization.

Active engagement — analysis over recall. Lean on case-study analysis, applied assignments for their own organization, decision exercises with no single right answer, and reflections that evaluate their organization against the standards taught. Keep knowledge checks for the factual/regulatory layer; use analysis-based assessment for the judgment layer on top.

12.3Topic-Specific Guidance

Additional planning context for the leadership topic areas most likely to enter the catalog.

Board Governance. Serves volunteer leaders with professional expertise but limited understanding of how a nonprofit board functions legally, financially, and operationally. The gap is exposure, not intelligence. Cover: fiduciary duties (care, loyalty, obedience) in plain language, with real consequences for failure; the difference between governance and management — the single most common source of board dysfunction; financial oversight (how to read a nonprofit financial statement, what to ask, what red flags look like); executive director evaluation (a meaningful process versus the annual ritual most organizations perform); and board composition, recruitment, and the courage to address members who are not contributing.

Fund Development & Grant Management. Tends to be either aspirational or mechanical; your course should bridge strategy and execution. Cover: revenue diversification (why single-funding-source organizations are structurally fragile); the grant lifecycle (prospect research through application, award, compliance, and reporting); grant budgeting that reflects the real cost of the work, including indirect costs funders resist; donor stewardship as an ongoing relationship, not the annual ask; and the ethical dimensions when organizational need and funder priorities conflict.

Financial Management. Many leaders carry financial responsibility without ever being taught to read a statement or manage a budget. Meet them where they are, not where an MBA program would start. Cover: the three financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, cash flow) in nonprofit terms; budget development and management (building to reality, monitoring variance, mid-year adjustments); cash flow management — more nonprofits die of cash flow than revenue problems; audit preparation and financial controls (what triggers findings); and financial communication to boards, funders, and staff in ways that inform decisions.

Supervisor Development. The sector promotes its best frontline workers into supervision with no preparation for the transition. Cover: the identity shift from doer to leader; performance management in mission-driven environments — accountability without weaponizing it; difficult conversations (underperformance, burnout, conflict, boundary violations, with frameworks); supporting staff wellbeing (recognizing secondary trauma and burnout before resignation); and managing up — advocating for the team when resources are scarce.

Volunteer Management. Managing volunteers is not managing staff with less paperwork — they chose to be here, can leave anytime, may have more experience than you, and answer to no formal authority. Cover: recruitment that matches the role to the person, not a body to a slot; onboarding that treats volunteers like they matter; supervision and feedback for unpaid workers when you cannot write anyone up; retention — what makes volunteers stay (it is not pizza parties) and what drives them away; and liability and risk management when volunteers act on the organization's behalf.

12.4Video Style for Leadership Content

All six styles and their technical specs from Part 6 apply without modification. These tend to work best for leadership content:

Use with care: animation/motion graphics can feel lightweight if overused (use it to clarify complexity, not to substitute for authority); documentary/interview style adds significant production complexity (the MSWorx Produces or Collaborative path is recommended).

12.5Assessment Examples for Leadership Courses

The case study as a leadership assessment tool. Case studies compress the complexity of organizational decision-making into a scenario the learner can analyze without real-world consequences. An effective one includes: a realistic organizational context (size, sector, funding, staffing) matching the audience; a problem with competing priorities and no clean answer; enough detail to support analysis but not so much that the learner drowns; a clear deliverable (memo, action plan, decision matrix, talking points, budget revision); and a rubric that evaluates the quality of reasoning, not just the conclusion — two learners can reach different recommendations and both score well if their analysis is sound.

12.6What Applies from the Main Guide Without Modification

Key terms used throughout this manual. If a term you need is not here, contact your MSWorx point of contact before assuming how a feature behaves.

Articulate Rise 360

Web-based e-learning authoring tool producing responsive, modern course content without advanced technical skills. Outputs SCORM packages for upload to SkyPrep. Part of the Articulate 360 suite.

Articulate Storyline 360

Advanced authoring tool supporting highly interactive content, custom branching logic, and software simulations. Steeper learning curve than Rise. Outputs SCORM.

Assessment

A standalone quiz or test added to a course as a module. Created in the SkyPrep assessment builder. Supports multiple question types, passing grades, attempt limits, and configurable feedback. Auto-graded except short-answer questions.

Assessment Attempt

A single instance of a learner taking an assessment. Settings control how many attempts are allowed and how long learners must wait between them.

Attendance Key

A code learners enter to confirm attendance at an ILT or virtual webinar session. Entering it marks the session complete. For webinars it also serves as the session password.

Authoring Tool

Software used to build e-learning content outside SkyPrep — e.g. Articulate Rise/Storyline, iSpring, Adobe Captivate, Camtasia. Most export to SCORM for upload to an LMS.

Branching Form

A Studio Docs content block that presents learners with different questions or paths based on previous responses. Used for scenario-based and adaptive assessments.

Caption File

A text file synchronized with a video that displays spoken content as on-screen text. Supports accessibility. Common formats: .vtt (Web Video Text Tracks) and .srt (SubRip). Include one with every MP4 where possible.

Chapter

The top-level organizational unit inside a Studio Doc. Each chapter contains one or more sections. Equivalent to a module or lesson within a built-in content document.

Checklist

A performance-evaluation tool added as a module. Tasks are defined and graded by an instructor or admin — learners cannot mark their own completion. Supports Yes/No, 1–5 scale, and custom point values.

Completion Status

The system record of whether a learner has met the requirements to be marked as having finished a course or module. For SCORM, determined by the authoring tool and read by SkyPrep as "completed" or "passed."

Content Builder

See Studio Docs.

Course

The primary unit of learning in SkyPrep — a container holding materials, assessments, checklists, and ILT sessions in a defined sequence. Can exist independently or inside a Learning Path.

Course Active

A setting controlling whether the course is visible to enrolled learners. Activated by an MSWorx admin — instructors do not activate their own courses.

Course Flow Document

A structured document submitted to MSWorx describing how a course should be organized and configured in SkyPrep. Required for Option 1 and Option 2. Must include module sequence, file names, assessment settings, completion requirements, and learner-facing instructions.

Course Manager

A SkyPrep user role with access to manage and report on specific assigned courses — can view progress, edit progress records, and unenroll users, but cannot access courses outside their assignment.

Course Module

Any single piece of content inside a course — a material, assessment, checklist, or ILT session. "Module" and "course element" are used interchangeably.

Development Pathway

The three-option framework MSWorx uses: (1) instructor builds and submits files; (2) instructor submits materials and MSWorx builds; (3) full production by MSWorx or an independent designer.

Discussion Board

A course-level message board enabled through settings, visible to all enrolled learners and admins. Not a private messaging tool.

Enforce Module Order

A setting requiring learners to complete modules sequentially before advancing.

Enrollment

Assigning a learner access to a course or Learning Path. Managed by MSWorx admins or client administrators — not instructors.

File Naming Convention

The standardized format for files submitted to MSWorx: lowercase, underscores instead of spaces, a short course-name identifier, a content-type label, and a version number. No spaces, special characters, or slashes.

Global SCORM Scoping

A setting where progress and completion for a package are shared across all courses containing it — completing it in one course marks it complete in others. The default.

ILT (Instructor-Led Training)

A live session (in-person or virtual) added as a module, with scheduled time slots; attendance tracked via an Attendance Key. Also called a webinar. Multiple slots can be added; a learner only needs to attend one for credit.

imsmanifest.xml

The index file required at the root of every SCORM package. Documents all content and tells SkyPrep how to launch and run it. Must be at the root of the .zip — misplaced or missing manifests cause uploads to fail.

Independent Course Designer

An external professional hired directly by an instructor to handle development and production. Distinct from the MSWorx production service. MSWorx maintains a referral list but does not endorse designers.

Instructional Design

The discipline of structuring learning content to be effective, logical, and learner-centered — defining objectives, sequencing for retention, designing valid assessments. Part of the MSWorx Full Production service.

iSpring Suite

An authoring tool that works as a PowerPoint add-in, converting presentations into SCORM packages. Well-suited to instructors whose content already lives in PowerPoint. Outputs SCORM 1.2 and 2004.

Knowledge Check

A question embedded inside a content module — not a standalone assessment — triggered at a specific page, slide, or time point. Tests comprehension in the moment. Does not work in full-screen mode.

Learner

Any user enrolled in a course — typically employees, contractors, or clients of an external organization. Learners interact with content but cannot modify course structure or grade their own checklists.

Learning Path

A sequenced bundle of courses forming a program or certification track. Configured by MSWorx admins. Your courses may be included within one.

Learning Path Partition

A visual label dividing a Learning Path into named sections or phases. Does not affect completion logic — an organizational marker.

Material

Any file or content item uploaded to SkyPrep and added to a course — videos, PDFs, PowerPoints, audio, Word documents, SCORM packages, and Studio Docs.

Passing Grade

The minimum percentage a learner must achieve to pass an assessment. Set in General Settings. Can be 0 for ungraded surveys. MSWorx standard is 75%.

Per-Course-Progress SCORM Scoping

A setting where a package's progress is isolated to a single course — completion in one does not affect the same package in another. Use when the package serves different contexts.

Production Intake

The initial scoping conversation between an instructor and MSWorx at the start of an Option 3 engagement — goals, audience, materials, complexity, timeline, and fees. A written quote follows; no work begins before scope is agreed in writing.

Production Scope

The defined boundaries of an Option 3 build — number of modules, length, interactivity, assessment items, revision rounds, and timeline. Scope determines fee; later changes may affect cost.

Resource Center

A repository of supplemental reference materials and articles that can appear on the course overview and after completion.

Resume Behavior

A SCORM setting controlling what happens when a learner reopens a package: Prompt to Resume (learner chooses), Always Resume (last position), or Never Resume (restart). Configured in the authoring tool before export.

SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model)

An industry standard for packaging e-learning so it can be hosted and tracked in an LMS. SkyPrep supports 1.2 and 2004; packages are .zip files with imsmanifest.xml at the root.

SCORM 1.2

An older but widely supported version of the SCORM standard. Compatible with SkyPrep. Recommended default when unsure which version to use.

SCORM 2004

A more recent SCORM version offering more precise completion and scoring communication with the LMS. Also compatible with SkyPrep.

Section

A page or screen within a chapter in a Studio Doc. Sections hold content blocks — text, images, questions, video, and more.

Short Answer Question

An assessment question type requiring a typed response. Not auto-graded — requires manual review and scoring by an instructor or admin.

Source Files

The editable project files produced by an authoring tool (e.g. a Storyline .story file, a Rise export, an iSpring project). Distinct from the exported SCORM package; needed for future editing.

Studio Docs

SkyPrep's built-in content authoring tool. Creates multi-chapter, multi-section documents directly in the platform — text, media, assessments, branching forms, scenarios, and feedback blocks. Exportable as SCORM 1.2 or PDF.

Subtask

A step within a checklist task, used to break a task into observable actions so the full process — not just the outcome — is evaluated.

Suspend Data

SCORM terminology for the compressed progress information saved when a learner exits a package mid-way, used to return them to their last position. Governed by the resume behavior setting.

Time Slot

A scheduled session within an ILT module. A single ILT can have multiple slots; a learner must attend at least one for credit. If attendance at multiple sessions is required, separate ILT modules must be created.

Training Elements

The area in SkyPrep where all content assets are stored before being added to courses — materials, assessments, and checklists.

Webinar

Used interchangeably with ILT when the session is delivered virtually. Integrates with GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, and Zoom. The Attendance Key doubles as the session password.

All platform questions go to MSWorx — not directly to SkyPrep.

Email: instructor@msworxlearning.com  ·  Platform: msworxlearning.com
Your point of contact: Michele S. Williams · Michele@msworxlearning.com

MSWorx Learning · Instructor Manual · Michele S. Williams, LLC · msworxlearning.com
Confidential — for licensed MSWorx instructors only. This reference mirrors the requirements checked by the Course Review & Readiness tool; every flagged item links to its section here.