The Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee (AICC) was an international association of technology-based training professionals that existed from 1988 to 2014. The AICC developed guidelines for
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...
industry in the development, delivery, and evaluation of
CBT,
WBT, and related training technologies.
AICC specifications were usually designed to be general purpose (not necessarily Aviation Specific) so that learning technology vendors can spread their costs across multiple markets and thus provide products (needed by the Aviation Industry) at a lower cost. This strategy resulted in AICC specifications having broad acceptance and relevance to non-aviation and aviation users alike.
History
The AICC was formed in 1988 by Aircraft manufacturers (
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
,
Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...
, and
McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it produ ...
) to address Airline concerns about non-standard computing (cost) issues arising from the proliferation of new multimedia training materials emerging at that time.
In 1989, the AICC published computing platform recommendations for
CBT, training media. A PC-platform was established as the primary delivery platform for
CBT media.
In 1992, the AICC produced a digital audio interoperability specification for DOS based platforms. This specification allowed multiple CBT vendors to use a single audio card. AICC audio drivers were produced for Elan, SoundBlaster(tm), WICAT, and other audio cards. A large number of older legacy
CBT applications still use this specification today.
In 1993, the AICC produced what is widely regarded as the first runtime interoperability specification for
Learning Management System
A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, materials or learning and development programs. The learni ...
s (LMS) a.k.a.
CMI Systems. This AICC specification (CMI001 - AICC/CMI Guidelines For Interoperability) was originally designed for CD-ROM/
LAN (local file-based) operation and was updated in January 1998 to add a web-based interface called HACP (
HTTP
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application layer protocol in the Internet protocol suite model for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web, ...
-based AICC/CMI Protocol). In September 1999, the CMI001 specification was updated to add a
JavaScript
JavaScript (), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. As of 2022, 98% of Website, websites use JavaScript on the Client (computing), client side ...
API
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...
runtime interface. The runtime environment data model and
API
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...
used in the
SCORM
Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based electronic educational technology (also called e-learning). It defines communications between client side content and a host system (ca ...
specification is a derivative of this work.
Current
The AICC HACP standard for CMI is widely used by
Learning Management System
A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, materials or learning and development programs. The learni ...
s and other systems to call content and assessments. Although it is pre-
XML
Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data. It defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable ...
, it is very robust and unambiguous and many consider it to be more secure and reliable than alternatives such as
SCORM
Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based electronic educational technology (also called e-learning). It defines communications between client side content and a host system (ca ...
, especially for content or assessments hosted on web servers not collocated with the calling system (e.g. Cross Domain Communication).
An emerging standard is the AICC
PENS
A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity whi ...
standard, which lets content creating tools send a manifest to an LMS easily. (See CMI010 - Package Exchange Notification Services). The September 2006 AICC meeting included a Plugfest where vendors demonstrated PENS interoperability.
In November 2010, the AICC announced that it would begin work on a replacement of its existing CMI specification. This effort was later given the name "CMI-5". A SOAP-Based specification for CMI-5 was drafted in May 2012 but was never formally released.
In October 2012, the AICC announced that it had adopted the Experience API (xAPI) specification (a.k.a. "Tin Can") for its CMI-5 effort starting a significant re-design that is currently in progress.
The AICC coordinated its efforts with other learning technology specifications organizations engaged in similar work such as IMS Global,
OKI
Oki or Ōki may refer to:
Places
*Oki District, Shimane, a district in Shimane Prefecture, Japan
*Oki Islands, an archipelago in the Sea of Japan
*Oki Province, a former province of Japan
*Ōki, Fukuoka, a town in southern Japan
*Oki Airport, the ...
,
ADLIEEE/LTSC LETSI The International Federation for Learning, Education, and Training Systems Interoperability (LETSI) is an international nonprofit organization focused on enabling technical interoperability for computer-based learning, education, and training syst ...
, an
ISO/SC36.
In December 2014, the AICC formally announced that it had dissolved citing declining participation.
The AICC transferred the CMI-5 effort and its document archive to the ADL.
Se
AICC Document Archive - Hosted by ADL
cmi5 Status
cmi5 is still currently under development and is now administered by the ADL. (See external Links below for project status)
cmi5 Working Draft Github Repository
External links
ADL WebsiteAICC Document Archive - Hosted by ADL
Aviation safety
Distance education institutions
Educational technology academic and professional associations
Technical communication
Virtual learning environments