The Quiet Revolution in Learning Design: Why cmi5 Is the Road Forward

marleegeiger
Jun 20
3 min read

SCORM is fading. xAPI is rising. And cmi5 is the bridge every Learning Experience Designer needs to understand right now.

Originally posted on Substack

A minimalist digital illustration in warm orange line art on a beige background, featuring the term “cmi5” at the center above a browser window icon with a play button. Radiating outward are icons representing diverse learning formats: a mobile phone, VR headset, digital tablet, book, learner avatars, and conversation bubbles—symbolizing how cmi5 enables learning across devices and environments beyond the traditional LMS.

There’s a quiet shift happening right under the surface of corporate learning. It’s not loud, and it doesn’t have a splashy marketing campaign. It hums below the headlines about AI or VR. It’s subtler, but just as transformative.

It’s called cmi5, and if you’re an LxD professional, it might be time to stop ignoring it. cmi5 is poised to change the way we design, deliver, and measure learning.

Not next year. Now.

The End of the Browser Window

For decades, digital learning lived inside the gated community of the LMS. Learners logged into an LMS, clicked a button, and an SCORM package popped open inside a browser. Progress was reported, but shallowly; scores were captured, and innovation largely stayed in the shadows.

That model worked. Until it didn't.

Today, learning happens everywhere. It happens in apps, in the field, during conversations… like I said, everywhere. SCORM, for all its reliability, was never built for this sprawling reality.

But cmi5 is.

It takes the LMS structure we all know and love and stitches in the power of xAPI, which can track learning anywhere it happens.

Under cmi5, an e-learning module can live outside the LMS, maybe even outside the browser. It can happen in a mobile app, VR simulation, or a game played offline and synced later. It can still be “assigned”, “completed”, and “tracked” without a pop-up window in sight.

Why This Matters to LxD Professionals

For us, LxD designers, the arrival of cmi5 isn’t just a technical tweak, but an invitation to imagine differently.

With cmi5, our designs no longer have to pretend the world stops within the browser. You can create:

Simulations that track decision-making in real time.
On-the-job learning activities that report performance without a web session.
Mobile-first learning that works offline and syncs progress when reconnected.

We can do it all while still giving your organization what it demands. Structure, assignability, compliance, and reporting.

In short, cmi5 gives you permission and the tools to design learning ecosystems, not just learning modules.

A Future Built on Data

cmi5 transforms how we see learners.

Because it rides on xAPI, cmi5 content generates rich, detailed learning records. Not just “Completed Course X”, but “Explored Scenario 3 multiple times before choosing a path”.

This shift means we can:

Personalize follow-up learning based on actual behavior.
Spot where learners struggle inside complex activities.
Map learning to real-world performance, not just test scores.

If you’ve ever dreamed of a learning strategy that could be truly adaptive, cmi5 makes the path possible. It meets learners where they are, based on what they actually do.

The Catch (For Now)

Of course, the world doesn't pivot overnight.

Not every LMS fully supports cmi5 yet. Some authoring tools are better at it than others. Your IT team probably doesn’t even know the acronym exists. Many people still default to SCORM.

But adoption is accelerating. Tools like Articulate 360, dominKnow, and Rustici Software all offer cmi5 support. Government agencies are heavily investing in cmi5. And smart LxD teams? They’re quietly building cmi5 pilots alongside their SCORM legacy libraries.

Waiting until “everyone uses it” means missing the chance to lead.

This Isn’t Optional Anymore

In the end, cmi5 isn't just about better technology. It's about better learning design.

It lets us:

Build experiences across devices, locations, and modalities.
Collect richer data on real learner behavior.
Future-proof our work against the creeping obsolescence of SCORM.

Ignoring cmi5 today is a bit like insisting learners should look up information in an encyclopedia. The world now has Google!! Let’s utilize it.

It’s still early days. The path isn't always smooth. But the map is clear.

For Learning Experience Designers who believe learning should meet people where they are, cmi5 isn't just an option.

It’s the road forward.

Next in the series: Inside cmi5: How It Works (and Why It Matters to Your Learners)