Common Cartridge

Common Cartridge is an open e-learning standard that allows digital learning content — text, assessments, external tools, and multimedia resources — to be packaged in a single, interchangeable format compatible with different LMS platforms. It was developed in 2008 by the IMS Global Learning Consortium, now known as 1EdTech, with the goal of ensuring that training materials can move between platforms without needing to be adapted each time.

How Common Cartridge works

A Common Cartridge package is a compressed file (.zip) that contains all the elements a compatible LMS needs to import and run the content natively. Unlike SCORM, where content plays inside a “container” that communicates with the LMS in real time, Common Cartridge transforms each element of the package into native resources within the platform: a web page becomes an LMS page, a QTI test becomes a system quiz, and a forum becomes a collaborative activity.

The core component is the manifest file (imsmanifest.xml), which describes the entire package structure: the standard version, included resources, metadata, and relationships between elements. The LMS reads this manifest and distributes the content within its own environment.

There is also a variant called Thin Common Cartridge, which does not package content directly but instead includes only LTI links to resources hosted on external servers. This allows the content provider to update materials without the training manager having to reimport anything into the LMS.

What a Common Cartridge package can include

The standard defines six types of content that can form part of a CC package:

• Web content — HTML pages, images, videos, PDFs, and ePub files.
• QTI assessments — tests and question banks in IMS Question & Test Interoperability format, importable as native LMS activities.
• Discussion forums — predefined discussion topics for instructor-led courses.
• LTI tools — external applications connected via the Learning Tools Interoperability protocol, with secure user authorization.
• Resources with curriculum metadata — content tagged with competency standards, level, topic, and learning object type.
• Weblinks — links to external resources with associated metadata.

Each element can be packaged inside the file or referenced externally via LTI, providing flexibility to combine in-house and third-party content within the same package.

Common Cartridge vs SCORM vs xAPI: what are the differences?

These three standards coexist in the e-learning ecosystem and are not mutually exclusive. Each one solves a different problem, and the right choice depends on the content type, the platform, and the tracking objectives of the L&D team.

When it makes sense to use Common Cartridge in corporate training

For L&D teams and training managers in organizations, Common Cartridge is especially useful in three scenarios:

• Third-party content: when the organization acquires training materials from publishers, external vendors, or corporate universities that distribute in CC format. It allows integrating them into the corporate LMS without custom development.
• Frequently updated content: thanks to Thin Common Cartridge and LTI, the provider can modify materials on their own server and changes are automatically reflected in the LMS without reimporting the package. Ideal for constantly evolving training catalogs.
• Academic-corporate ecosystems: companies with training programs linked to universities or educational institutions using academic LMS platforms (Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard) will find in Common Cartridge a natural bridge for exchanging materials.

For training developed internally using corporate LMS platforms and standard authoring tools, SCORM remains the most compatible and practical option: broader authoring tool support, more granular tracking, and universal LMS compatibility.

Common Cartridge limitations worth knowing

Like any technical standard, Common Cartridge has important constraints that training teams should evaluate before adopting it:

• Limited compatibility with corporate LMS platforms: while academic LMS platforms such as Moodle or Canvas support it natively, not all enterprise LMS systems implement the standard fully, especially in its most recent versions (1.3 and 1.4).
• Fewer compatible authoring tools: the ecosystem of tools for creating CC packages is smaller than that for SCORM. Most corporate authoring tools prioritize SCORM or xAPI export.
• No real-time LMS communication: Common Cartridge has no runtime component of its own. Learner progress tracking depends entirely on how the LMS implements it, which can limit the granularity of available data.
• Migration from SCORM is complex: converting existing SCORM content to Common Cartridge is not straightforward, as SCORM does not support all CC content structures and may require rewriting parts of the course.

According to the official 1EdTech FAQ, Common Cartridge was not designed as a replacement for SCORM, but as a complement for interoperability scenarios between publishers and platforms that SCORM was not built to handle.