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SCORM for Dummies

One of our faculty members taking on leadership of our learning objects action group is getting up to speed on learning about learning objects.... Donna sent this "Cliff Notes" version of SCORM:

This is an overview of the Sharable Courseware Object Reference Model.  It's hard to make technical standards understandable (much less interesting).  Nonetheless, here's the cliff notes version of what  you need to know about SCORM.

SCORM is a suite of technical standards that enable web-based learning systems to find, import, share, reuse, and export learning content in a standardized way.  (See ADL Background for how SCORM came to be.)  Note that SCORM is written primarily for vendors and toolmakers who build Learning Management Systems and learning content authoring tools so they know what they need to do to their products to conform with SCORM technically.  A "Designer's Guide" for implementing SCORM is in the works.  Stay tuned.

It is still mud to me. I am therefore below a Dummie as I still do not see the importance of all the effort for standards when there is no system that provides the services to connect all the "compliant" data:

Never mind the terminology for now, but assume in the SCORM world there is a set of services that launches learning content, keeps track of learner progress, figures out in what order (sequence) learning objects are to be delivered, and reports student mastery through a learning experience.