Can learners do a course offline with no internet? (Self-hosted SCORM)

Yes — this is one of the most useful and least known things about Coursebox. A Self-hosted SCORM export is a complete, standalone copy of your course. Once it is on a device or a local server, it runs entirely in the learner's browser with no connection back to Coursebox and no internet required. That makes it a practical way to deliver training on remote sites, ships, mine sites, farms, factory floors, field operations, and inside secure or air-gapped networks.

Plan availability: Self-hosted SCORM export is available on Pro and above. Creator includes Dynamic (Standard) SCORM only, and the Free plan does not include SCORM export.

Why it works offline

Dynamic SCORM is a small wrapper — it calls back to Coursebox at runtime to load your content, so it needs a live internet connection. Self-hosted SCORM is the opposite: when you unzip the package you get the whole course sitting there as ordinary web files.

A typical self-hosted package contains:

index.html — the page that launches the course
imsmanifest.xml and the SCORM schema files (.xsd) — so any SCORM-compliant LMS can read it
course.js and player.js — the course content and the Coursebox player, bundled locally
course.css, player.css, export-styles.css and a fonts folder — your branding and typography, included so nothing is pulled from the web
media, slides and assets folders — your uploaded images, video, audio and slide decks

Because the text, media, styling and player are all inside the folder, the browser has everything it needs locally. There is no call to coursebox.ai when a learner opens it.

Three ways to deliver it offline

1. An LMS on a local network (best option)

Upload the ZIP to an LMS that runs on your own server or intranet — for example a Moodle install on a site server or an offline LMS appliance. Learners connect to the local network rather than the internet, the course plays from your server, and SCORM completion and scores are still recorded normally by that LMS. This is the option to choose when you need evidence of completion.

2. A laptop, USB stick or local folder

Copy the unzipped folder onto the device and open index.html in a browser. The course plays with no internet at all — useful for a trainer running an induction in a shed, a vehicle or a remote camp.

Two things to know with this method. First, there is no LMS listening, so nothing is tracked — SCORM reports completion to a host LMS, and without one there is nowhere for the result to go. Record completion another way (a sign-off sheet, or re-enter results when the learner is back online). Second, some browsers restrict what a page opened directly from a file path can load. If the course looks blank or unstyled, serve the folder from a simple local web server instead of double-clicking the file — most IT teams can set this up in minutes.

3. Locked-down corporate networks

"Offline" is not always about having no internet. Plenty of enterprise networks have internet but block outbound calls to external domains. Because a self-hosted package never calls out, it is also the fix when a Dynamic SCORM course shows a blank screen because a firewall, proxy or CDN rule has blocked the driver file. See SCORM blank screen in enterprise LMS.

Where this is genuinely useful

Remote and field work — mine sites, farms, construction, forestry, marine and offshore, where mobile coverage is patchy or absent
Travelling assessors and trainers — run the same induction on a laptop at every site, regardless of connectivity
Manufacturing and warehousing — shop-floor terminals that are deliberately kept off the public internet
Secure and air-gapped environments — defence, government, health and utilities, where content must be hosted internally
Low-bandwidth regions and NGO/humanitarian training — distribute once by USB or local server instead of streaming to every learner
Business continuity — a self-hosted export keeps working if your course is unpublished or your account is paused, so it doubles as a backup of your training

What still needs a connection

Anything powered by live AI or by a Coursebox server cannot work in a standalone package. These features are not available in a self-hosted export:

Listen mode (text-to-speech)
Short answer questions in quizzes
Assignment submissions
Discussions
AI tutor
Uploaded (third-party) SCORM content embedded inside your course

Two more things to check before you rely on a package offline:

Embedded external media. Video or audio embedded from YouTube, Vimeo or another website is streamed from that site, so it will not play without internet. If offline playback matters, upload the video file into the course instead of embedding a link, so it is bundled into the media folder.
External links. Any link out to a website, form or survey will not open offline.

Updates are not automatic. A self-hosted package is a snapshot. If you edit the course in Coursebox afterwards, the offline copies keep showing the old version until you export a fresh package and redistribute it. Build a simple re-export step into your review cycle, and consider putting a version or date on the cover page so trainers can tell which copy they are running.

How to export it

Publish your course (Self-hosted SCORM must be exported from a published course).
Open the course in the Course Editor and click Share (top right).
Click SCORM to expand the SCORM export menu.
Select Export to Self-hosted SCORM.
Review the Self-hosted SCORM Limitations dialog, then click Continue to download the ZIP.

Unlike Dynamic SCORM — which is often only around 10 KB because it is just a wrapper — a self-hosted ZIP is much larger, because all your content and media are inside it. That is expected.

Tips for building an offline-friendly course

Use multiple-choice, true/false and drag-and-drop style questions rather than short answer, so the quiz still grades itself.
Upload video and audio directly instead of embedding from external sites.
Replace anything that relies on the AI tutor with written guidance or a job aid in the course.
If completion evidence is required, host the package in a local LMS rather than running it from a USB stick.
Test it properly: unzip the package, disconnect the device from the internet, and click through the whole course before you distribute it.

What is the difference between Dynamic SCORM and Self-hosted SCORM?

Share & Export a Course

Can I embed Coursebox courses in another LMS using LTI or SCORM?