A Learning Record Store (LRS) is a

data store In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete values that convey information, describing quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted. ...

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

Experience API The Experience API (xAPI) is an e-learning software specification that records and tracks various types of learning experiences for learning systems. Learning experiences are recorded in a Learning Record Store (LRS), which can exist within tradit ...

(xAPI) standard by ADL or th
Caliper
standard b
IMS Global
The Experience API is also known as the "

Tin Can API The Experience API (xAPI) is an e-learning software specification that records and tracks various types of learning experiences for learning systems. Learning experiences are recorded in a Learning Record Store (LRS), which can exist within tradit ...

" and is an Open Source e-learning specification developed after AICC and

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 concept of the LRS was introduced to the e-learning industry in 2011, and proposes a shift to the way e-learning specifications function.

History

SCORM has been the e-learning industry software specification for interoperability from 2001 until the present. The governing body of SCORM,

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), realized that the specification was not keeping up with advancements in technology, and that it needed to be updated. 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 with updating the SCORM specification. The BAA was awarded t
Rustici Software
and the result was a one-year research and development project called Project Tin Can. The final result of Project Tin Can was the

along with the concept of the LRS.

Overview

xAPI-enabled learning activities generate statements, or records of e-learning in the form of "I did this" or "Actor verb object". These statements are transmitted over

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, ...

HTTPS Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It is used for secure communication over a computer network, and is widely used on the Internet. In HTTPS, the communication protocol is enc ...

to an LRS. The main function of an LRS is to store and retrieve the data that's generated from Experience API statements. An LRS can exist inside a 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 learni ...

(LMS), or on its own. LRSs can communicate learner data with other systems, such as LMSs, sensor-enabled devices, mobile technology, and other LRSs. Systems sending data to an LRS are known as "Activity Providers." Individual learners can have their own LRSs, or Personal Data Lockers, in which they store all of their learning data for their own personal records. xAPI statements are capable of being sent to multiple LRSs at once. With traditional LMSs, a learner's data stays with the organization that administers the LMS. When the LRS is introduced, the sharing of learning data is possible, and the learning data can follow the learner wherever the learner goes (for example, from job to job or from school to school.) LRSs offer the ability to create very in-depth e-learning

analytics Analytics is the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics. It is used for the discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns in data. It also entails applying data patterns toward effective decision-making. It ...

because of the large amounts of learning data they record and store. Traditional e-learning specifications like SCORM are limited to storing simple data points such as a final score, or that a course has been started or completed. With the statement structure that the LRS records, there are many data points that can be reported against. Reports can be pulled on any number of combinations of "actor", "verb" and "object". However, an LRS that is built strictly to the Experience API specification doesn't have a built-in reporting mechanism. The LRS administrator (or the administrator of the LMS in which the LRS exists) must provide means to access the data in the LRS, and in turn create a reporting system for the data.

References

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