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How to Convert SCORM into Opus Content Using an AI Assistant

Learn how to turn an existing SCORM export, like Articulate Rise or Storyline, into native Opus Courses and Modules using an AI assistant connected via MCP.

Written by Ben Brunken

Already have training built in another tool? Bring it into your Opus program without rebuilding it from scratch.

An AI assistant connected to Opus can convert an existing SCORM export, like an Articulate Rise or Storyline package, into native Opus Courses and Modules. Your team gets a mobile-first experience, and Admins can edit, translate, and report on the content directly in Opus.

Need to keep the original package exactly as it was certified? You can also host it externally and link to it from Opus instead of converting it.

💡 Which should I choose? Convert when you want editable, translatable, mobile-friendly Opus content with full reporting. Host the original when you must preserve a certified file, or when the course depends on branching or heavy interactivity that wouldn't survive the rebuild.

Table of Contents:

❓ Before you start, you'll need:

  • The exported SCORM package as a .zip file. Any export works as a starting point — what matters is how complex the original course is, not which SCORM version it's in.

  • An AI assistant that supports custom connectors, like Claude or ChatGPT, and can read a file from your computer.

  • Opus connected to that assistant via MCP, with write access approved. See Getting Started: Opus MCP.

  • Admin or Manager access in Opus. Content created this way is always left as a draft, so nobody's assistant can publish or assign on its own.

How the conversion works

Once connected, your assistant can unpack a SCORM package and rebuild it as native Opus content. In practice, that means:

  1. It identifies what authoring tool built the package, how it's structured, and what's on each screen.

  2. It maps each screen and interaction to the closest native Opus equivalent.

  3. It builds the content in Opus, usually as a set of short Courses grouped into a Module.

  4. You review the draft, then publish and assign it yourself.

Step 1: Export the package from your authoring tool

Export the course as you normally would for an LMS, and save the .zip file somewhere your assistant can access, like your desktop.

Step 2: Connect Opus to your assistant

If you haven't already, add Opus as a connector in your assistant and sign in to approve the connection. There's nothing to set up on the Opus side. It all happens in the assistant. See Getting Started: Opus MCP for the exact steps.

Step 3: Ask for the conversion

Point your assistant to the file and name the courseware format in your first message. That's what tells it to load the right conversion process. SCORM, Articulate Rise, Storyline, and iSpring all work. "Rise" on its own isn't enough.

🎯 A good opening prompt: "I want to convert this SCORM zip file into native Opus content. Start by understanding what authoring tool it was built in and how the package is structured, then map it to an Opus Course and Module structure. Don't write anything into Opus until I approve the plan."

Your assistant should show you a screen-by-screen map before it writes anything. If it starts building right away, stop it and ask for the plan first.

Useful follow-ups:

  • "Create a clear plan for your build first that I can approve."

  • "Which questions can you recreate natively, and which ones can't you?"

  • "List the media in the package and tell me what you can bring across and what I'll need to add myself."

  • "What did the original use to mark someone complete, and what will the Opus version use?"

Step 4: Review the draft

A conversion gets you most of the way there, but you'll still want a manual cleanup pass before assigning it to your team. These are the things that most often need attention:

  • Interactivity flattens. Tabs, accordions, process lists, flashcards, and labeled-graphic interactions usually become sequential screens: often an overview screen plus one screen per panel. The content is preserved, but the original interaction isn't.

  • Verify every quiz answer key. Correct answers come from the package's stored flags, and they don't always match what learners actually saw in the original. Spot-check before publishing.

  • Some question types need a manual rebuild. Multiple choice and true/false typically convert well. Image choice, matching, ordering, and spoken-response questions are common rebuild candidates.

  • Media can need re-linking. Images, PDFs, and videos that are truly inside the zip come across. Anything embedded from elsewhere, like a YouTube or Vimeo video, won't have a file to import, so you'll need the original source.

  • Watch structure and length. Section-divider screens sometimes need cleanup, and long desktop-style lessons often work better split into several short Courses grouped into one Module.

Step 5: Publish and assign

When the draft looks the way you want it, publish it and set access by Role and Location, just like any other Opus content.

💡 Need a hand? For help converting a package or deciding between converting and hosting, reach out to your CSM or support@opus.so.

FAQ

Will my interactions and quizzes carry over?

Questions do, with the exception of a few types you'll need to rebuild by hand. Always check the answer keys before publishing. Interactive elements like tabs and accordions flatten into regular Course screens. The content is preserved, but the original interactivity isn't.

What happens to my videos?

If the video file is inside the package, it comes across. If the original embedded a video from YouTube or a similar service, there's no file to bring across, so you'll need to add it again from the original source. Keep your original video sources handy.

Will my completion and scoring rules transfer exactly?

No. SCORM's completion and passing rules don't come across as-is. That's a deliberate design choice you make during review and editing in Opus.

Do I still need the original SCORM file after converting?

Yes. The Opus version is a rebuild, not a copy, and Opus doesn't keep the original file for you. Hold onto your own copy of the package.

Should I convert my SCORM or keep it hosted?

Convert non-compliance content when you want editing, translation, a mobile-friendly format, and full reporting in Opus. Keep the original hosted when the course needs to stay exactly as certified, or when it depends on branching or interactivity that wouldn't survive the rebuild.

Can the assistant publish or assign the new content itself?

No. Everything it creates is left as a draft. Publishing and assigning are always done by a person.

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