End of the Road for Adobe Flash

At the end of 2020 Adobe Flash will no longer be supported and will no longer be available in most internet browsers. This change is likely to affect people in the e-Learning and online education industries, especially those who have been in the industry for some time and have courses of several years.

Over a long period of time, many online training courses have been published with Flash. Recently, publishing tools offered the option to publish courses in Flash, HTML5, or both.

Even if you've already taken action and started publishing your courses in HTML5, some of your courses may still contain Flash elements. These items are; It includes things like animations, transitions, or effects, as well as certain features like text boxes or rolling. When most people think of online training packages, the first thing that comes to mind is SCORM. However, SCORM is a standard and different from Flash. Your SCORM package may be published to Flash or may contain Flash elements.
Changes in the availability of Flash in Internet browsers will affect your courses that contain Flash elements or are published in Flash output type (typically the .swf file extension type).
From items that don't work (so students can miss out on valuable information or attended events) to any packs that don't install or play, it may be worth taking some time to understand what these changes mean for you.

Below we have listed some of the more frequently asked questions regarding pending changes. We avoided using technological terms so that you can understand it more easily.
This change will have a huge impact not only on e-Learning but on the internet as a whole.

Frequently asked Questions

What is Adobe Flash?
Adobe Flash is a multimedia software platform used for animation production, rich web applications, desktop applications, mobile applications, mobile games, and embedded web browser video players.
flash; Displays text, vector graphics, and raster graphics to present animations, video games, and applications. Allows audio and video streaming, plus; it can detect when mouse, keyboard, microphone and camera are attached.
Flash has been the platform of choice for creating SCORM packages, animated and interactive eLearning courses for the last 20 years due to its flexibility. Adobe has announced that it will no longer update or maintain Flash after December 2020.

What is SCORM?
SCORM, which stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model, is a set of technical standards for e-Learning software products.
SCORM tells programmers how to write their code to "interact well" with other eLearning software. In other words, SCORM is the de facto industry standard required for e-Learning interoperability. Specifically, SCORM manages how online learning content and Learning Management Systems (LMSs) communicate with each other.

SCORM is not about instructional design or any other pedagogical concern - it's a purely technical standard.
Also, your SCORM package may be published as a Flash output (ie your .zip file may contain files with the .swf extension) or may have Flash elements contained within it.

What will replace Flash?
Flash was primarily replaced by HTML5.
This is not unique to e-Learning, but encompasses a number of other creative tools, including videos and animations, used on the world wide web (the web as we know it, the internet).

What is HTML5?
The shortest answer to this would be the currently preferred global language for building a website.
If you're looking for a more detailed answer, keep reading.
HTML5 is a markup language used to structure and present content on the internet. It is the fifth and latest major version of HTML, recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Existing HTML specifications are known as the HTML Living Standard and are maintained by a consortium of major browser developers (Apple, Google, Mozilla and Microsoft) known as the Web Hypertext Implementation Technology Working Group (WHATWG).

Is HTML5 better than Flash?
The developer community will debate for a long time which is better and each have their own strengths in certain circumstances, but that's a vague topic. On December 31, 2020, Adobe (the maker of Flash) will stop supporting Flash. Most internet browsers have already discontinued Flash support. HTML5 is the current modern standard. Just as we have moved from records to digital tracks in the music industry, the whole world has switched to HTML5 for web pages, in our context e-Learning.
Why does this concern me?
Your e-Learning courses should be presented in the format most suitable for your students.
Just as you no longer offer your training packages on VHS tapes (at least we hope so), you should not present material in an old or outdated internet format. You should always keep up to date with the latest.
Just as sending a box of VHS tapes to a student will cause the student to scramble to find the appropriate equipment to play the tapes, continuing to offer e-Learning content in Flash format or with Flash elements will cause students to seek the digital equivalent of Flash.

So what should I do?
In short, you should remove Flash content from your e-Learning library. This process can take the form of republishing Flash-format courses or removing Flash elements from your HTML5-format courses.
If you can control your unpublished files (with the extension filename.cptx or filename.story), you should be able to easily open and republish files in the new format. If you can't control unpublished files, you may need to consider rebuilding courses from scratch.
My e-Learning course is SCORM based. Should I be worried about Flash? Probably. You should at least check it out.
SCORM and Flash (or HTML5) are two very different parts of your course. SCORM refers to the "framework" of the code, or how the course's code is put together, while Flash refers to the language the course is written in.

What if users of my courses have outdated computers and browsers?
If you know your student base has old computers and browsers that won't be updated, the change may not be so urgent. You can choose to publish your courses in both formats, but republishing with HTML5 is the best option as it will continue to work on old computers, as there may be those who are buying new computers or updating their browsers.

What can I do if my education still includes Flash after 2020?
You have several different options.
The first is to do nothing.
This will most likely result in a bad experience for your students as they may not be able to access your course, missing valuable information or interactions. You can ask students to download Flash players or other study media, but this can be time consuming or confusing for students with computer literacy deficiencies.
The second (and recommended) is to replace all Flash elements in your courses and republish your courses in HTML5.

Does this change only affect mobile devices?
No.
The latest changes, which took effect on 31 December, will affect most Internet-connected devices, including desktop computers, laptops, and mobile devices (phones and tablets).
Mobile devices, especially Apple devices, have not supported Adobe Flash files or elements for years, but during this time the developer (Adobe) has continued to support and improve the platform.
Internet browser providers continue to allow access to Flash through their browsers, but with Adobe's end of support now changing the way their browsers interact with Flash files (if they haven't already).