The Experience

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 ...

(xAPI) is an

e-learning Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it often refer ...

software specification that records and tracks various types of learning experiences for learning systems. Learning experiences are recorded in a

Learning Record Store A Learning Record Store (LRS) is a data store system that serves as a repository for learning records collected from connected systems where learning activities are conducted. It is an essential component in the process flow for using the Experienc ...

(LRS), which can exist within traditional

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 lear ...

s (LMSs) or on their own.

Summary

The Experience API (Tin Can API) is meant to succeed

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 ...

, the Sharable Content Object Reference Model, which is a standard for packaging e-learning content. The new Experience API allows trainers to deploy several new capabilities that were not supported with SCORM at the time, such as: *Recording learning from non-browser activities, such as games and simulations. *Platform transition; e.g. start e-learning on a mobile device, finish it on a computer *Team-based e-learning *Tracking learning plans and goals The Experience API spec is open source. xAPI uses a Restful web service that with

JavaScript Object Notation JSON (JavaScript Object Notation, pronounced ; also ) is an open standard file format and data interchange format that uses human-readable text to store and transmit data objects consisting of attribute–value pairs and arrays (or other ...

(JSON) for its data format. The web service allows software clients to read and write experiential data in the form of “statement” objects. In their simplest form, statements are in the form of “I did this”, or more generally “actor verb object”. More complex statement forms can be used. There is also a built-in query API to help filter recorded statements, and a state API that allows for a sort of “scratch space” for consuming applications.

History

In 2008, it was determined that the interoperability standards were too limited for SCORM.

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 ...

appears to request community ideas, as a result of this SCORM 2.0 comes out. In 2011

Advanced Distributed Learning The Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative is a US government program that conducts research and development on distributed learning and coordinates related efforts broadly across public and private organizations. ADL reports to the Defense ...

(ADL), the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national sec ...

-sponsored stewards of SCORM, recognized the need for a newer and more capable software specification than the original SCORM specification, which was then more than ten years old. To address the need, ADL issued a

Broad Agency Announcement The Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is a technique for United States government agencies to solicit proposals from outside groups for certain research and development. The agency will then select proposals to fund as contracts or grants. BAAs are ...

(BAA) asking for assistance in improving SCORM, and the BAA was awarded to Rustici Software, a Nashville-based software company experienced with SCORM. Rustici Software conducted interviews with the e-learning community to determine where to make improvements, and then developed the research version of the Experience API specification. This process was called Project Tin Can. The moniker "Tin Can API" was derived from Project Tin Can, and is still used interchangeably with the name "Experience API". The Experience API was developed by a community working group and released as version 1.0 in April 2013. There are currently over 160 adopters (19 January 2016).

Current Status

The current version of the specification is 1.0.3. Released early October 2016. There are no plans for any minor updates to the specification. Previous versions include: 1.0.2., 1.0.1., 1.0.0. version 0.8 (official output of the BAA) and version 0.9 (research version specification) 0.95 (second research version specification).

References

External links

* {{Official website Application programming interfaces