The calendar page is turning, the holidays are upon us and in the world of content distribution, that often means one thing: The scramble. You’re under pressure to get the right content to the right places, and often, that means juggling countless versions of the same course.
If this scenario feels familiar, read on. We’re discussing the magic of Content Controller’s custom launch data, a simple feature that saves you the gift of time and allows you to make your content distribution adaptive.
The content republishing nightmare
Imagine you have one training course, but your clients, partners or internal accounts all have slightly different needs. To meet these requirements, you find yourself facing a daunting checklist:
- Branding: One account needs their logo, another needs specific colors and a third just updated their entire corporate identity.
- Assessment: Account A requires 10 quiz questions with a passing score of 80%, while Account B only needs five questions with a passing score of 70%.
- Content segmentation: A partner needs the advanced video module included, but a general learner should only see the introduction.
The traditional answer to these challenges is to republish and redistribute a new SCORM package for every single version. This creates a mountain of redundant work, clogs your system with version control headaches and takes precious hours away from your already burdened, smaller team. It’s an inefficient, high-workload cycle, and it stands directly in the way of distributing timely content to your partners.
The simple fix: Custom launch data in Content Controller
This is where Content Controller’s custom launch data tool steps in to simplify everything. Instead of recreating and redistributing dozens of course files, you can manage the variations right from the platform. Our very own Stephen Kalnoske did a great explanation of how this works and can be set up.
Think of custom launch data as a simple set of instructions that Content Controller sends to the course when it is launched for a specific account. This data can include simple things, like text strings, full JSON objects or even base64 encoded images.
In practice, this means:
- You publish one single course package to Content Controller.
- You build a little logic into your course (using tools like Storyline or Captivate) that says, “If I receive custom_logo: acme.png, display the Acme logo.”
- In Content Controller, you assign that custom_logo value to the specific accounts that need it.
When a learner in the Acme account launches the course, Content Controller automatically includes the instruction, and the course adapts its branding and behavior. You don’t need to publish a new package for each account.
More than just easy distribution: The adaptive advantage
The power of custom launch data with Content Controller extends far beyond simplifying content distribution. It addresses some of the biggest secondary challenges facing the learning industry:
- Adaptive eLearning: Custom launch data enables simple adaptivity. It allows your single course to dynamically adjust elements, like the number of quiz questions, video segments, passing scores or branching paths based on the receiving account, ensuring learners always have the right content at the right time.
- Operational efficiency: In a world of high workloads and smaller teams, custom launch data is a major efficiency boost. Updating the passing score for 50 clients becomes a single field update in Content Controller, not 50 course republishes.
- Future proofing: No more scrambling to replace countless SCORM files. You adjust the data set, and the change is immediate and universal across all active Dispatches.
Give your team the gift of simplicity this season. Content Controller’s custom launch data turns content updates from a logistical nightmare into a simple adjustment, allowing your L&D team to focus on what matters: Delivering high-quality, impactful learning experiences.
Ready to simplify your content distribution?
If constant course republishing has you stressed out, or if you’re ready to explore how Content Controller can make your content distribution adaptive and efficient, we’re here to help. Make sure to take a look at Stephen’s resource on understanding how custom launch data works and how to set it up in Content Controller. Reach out to our team with your questions about Content Controller or any content distribution challenges you’re facing. We love talking shop, and we’d be happy to discuss how custom launch data could be your perfect solution.
