How xAPI is going to bring "electricity" to learning !

How xAPI is going to bring “electricity” to

learning! Bill McDonald

Sabashiro Beach, LLCcmi5 Working Group Leader

Overview• What is xAPI? • Why is xAPI important to learning ?• What you can do with xAPI• Major components of xAPI• Status of xAPI

What is xAPI? • xAPI (“Experience API”) is a general purpose data

connectivity standard designed for tracking ANY kind of learning activity.• Web• Mobile/Wearable• Game Consoles• Classroom• Workplace environment• Individual and Group Activities

• In addition to “tracking” (recording), xAPI as can also provide data to learning activities.

What is xAPI? (2)• xAPI was developed as a key part the TLA (Training

& Learning Architecture) initiative• TLA was created by the ADL, an group that supports

US DoD. (The same people who created “SCORM”)• Facilitate, coordinate and lead the design of a new

model to support innovative learning experiences

What is xAPI? (3)• There 2 basic parts to the xAPI. • The Learning Activity and the Learning Record Store

(LRS)

ANY Learning Activity

LRSRecord data

Retrieve data

The xAPI model

The �͞API �͞part

What is xAPI? (4)• The LRS is like a database server. The “API” is how

the Learning Activity communicates with the LRS to read and write data.• This a “client/server” relationship. LRS is the

“server” and the Learning activity is the “client”.• The LRS server can also connect with other LRS

servers.

What is xAPI? (5)

Learning ActivityLRS

LRS Learning Activity

Learning Activity

Learning ActivityLRS

Learning Activity

Learning Activity

Reporting andAnalysis Tools

LRS to LRS communication

Why is xAPI important ?

So, why is xAPI important to learning ?

Why is xAPI important ? (2)

xAPI will provide “data service” all learning activities.

Imagine all the uses of electricity. This data service will be that flexible.

xAPI provides the means to put all learning on the same “grid” (only this grid provides data)

Image Credit: U.S. Department of Energy

Why is xAPI important ? (3)

• So why has this not been done before ? Well it has BUT, it is rather expensive. (It requires lots of custom, “one off” work)• Having a flexible, data connectivity standard to do

this will lower the cost. • More feature rich learning technology that you can

buy “off the shelf” will be one of the results of xAPI standardization.

Why is xAPI important ? (4)

• Imagine having detailed data on learner behavior for ALL learning experiences in a central location where you can do extensive analysis.• Standards really matter ! They can create big

change.

Major components of xAPI

• LRS – Learning Record Store. (The database server for all learning). The LRS listens and responds to API requests from the Learning activity.• The Learning Activity – can pretty much be anything

– a web page, mobile app, or an entire delivery system. The Learning activity communicates with the LRS by making API requests.• Authentication – How clients log into the LRS.• The API (Application Program Interface). The

commands, data structure, and transport used.

The “Geek Stuff”

And now for the “Geek Speak”….• xAPI is a RESTful (Representational State Transfer) web

service. (HTTPS)• xAPI uses JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) data

structures• xAPI allows for MIME binary attachments.• For authentication, xAPI can use either oAuth or HTTP

basic

And what does THAT mean ?• It’s “good” (flexible, robust, scalable, and efficient)• It works well most devices and operating systems

The different “APIs” in xAPI

Statement API – The “important part”. Where the learning activity records “statements”. Statements record what the learner did.

Document API’s – Support data for learning activities• State API – Where the learning activity can record and

retrieve its “state” (anything it needs to “remember” like bookmarks, etc.)

• Activity Profile API – Where the learning activity can record metadata about itself.

• Agent Profile API – Where the learning activity can store things related to the learner like “preferences”.

The xAPI Statement – “I did this”

• Statements record what the learner(s) did.• An xAPI statement has a very generalized

structure that can be extended for almost any type of learning domain.• xAPI statements are patterned after “activity

streams”. • Imagine the learning activity sending out

“tweets” on Twitter.

The xAPI Statement – lots of room here !

• xAPI Statements follow an “actor-verb-object” structure like an English sentence.• Actor = Learner(s)• Verb = Action Learner(s) performed• Object = thing that the action was performed on.

• Examples:• “John mastered fencing”• “Henry read the operations manual”

(Some of) what’s in a an xAPI Statement

Actor - Who the Statement is about, the learner (or group of learners). Represents the "I" in "I Did This".Verb - Action of the learner(s). Represents the "Did" in "I Did This".Object - Activity, Learner(s), or another Statement. Represents the "This" in "I Did This". Result - Result Object, further details (like score, etc.)Context - Context that gives the Statement more meaning. Attachments – MIME (“email type”) file attachments. (e.g. photo, video, PDF or anything else)

An Example xAPI Statement

{ "actor":{ "objectType": "Agent", "name":"Example Learner", "mbox":"mailto:[email protected]" }, "verb":{ "id":"http://adlnet.gov/expapi/verbs/attempted", "display":{ "en-US":"attempted" } }, "object":{ "id":"http://example.adlnet.gov/xapi/example/simpleCBT", "definition":{ "name":{ "en-US":"simple CBT course" }, "description":{ "en-US":"A fictitious example CBT course." } } }, "result":{ "score":{ "scaled":0.95 }, "success":true, "completion":true }}

xAPI Status

• xAPI version 1.0 was released in 2013. (Current version is 1.0.2 – minor errata)• Communities of Practice (CoP) have been formed to

create “xAPI profiles”. • This will define Verb vocabularies for specific use cases.

(and other things) • More on this in the next presentation !

Examples of xAPI products

• Examples of vendors who offer currently offer LRS solutions.• SaltBox (WaxLRS) • Rustici Software (WaterShed LRS) • Learning Locker (Open Source) http://learninglocker.net/

• Examples of Content Creation tools with xAPI support:• Trivantis Lectora• Articulate Storyline 2

Summary

• xAPI is a generalized data service for almost ANY type of learning (in any domain).• xAPI will provide the common “grid” that all

learning activities can connect to for centralized reporting.• xAPI uses a set of technologies that robust,

efficient, scalable, and flexible for today’s varied computing devices.