Menu
I am trying to better understand how xAPI / Tin Can works (I'm going to call it xAPI henceforth)
Previously I was developing for a SCORM 1.2 LMS where there were 'records' such as: Raw Attempts, Status and Raw Score for each content package. The LMS wants to upgrade to xAPI but I am unsure about the theory behind how xAPI works.
On http://tincanapi.com/learning-record-store/ it states that:
The data stored in an LRS can be accessed by LMSs, reporting tools, or other LRSs, and can be stored as individual learning records and/or entire transcripts
Subsequently on http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1271/the-xapi-and-the-lms-what-does-the-future-hold it also states that:
An LMS that has a built-in LRS supports the Experience API and also does all the other things LMS products do to manage learning delivery.
The question is,
What exactly does this relationship between an LMS and LRS entail? I need the ability to set the said LMS 'records' from an application that resides outside the LMS, how do you do this using xAPI?
Or maybe I've completely misunderstood the xAPI LRS and it is designed to completely replace LMS records?
Thanks for the help. Links to informative resources on this will also be greatly appreciated.
441
Our xAPI integration allows users to create statements (learning experiences) in our platforms, which are later saved in your preferred LRS. You can connect our LMS products to an LRS, then start creating statements made from actors, verbs, and objects. All learning events are stored as statements in the LRS.
Tin Can, Experience API, xAPI – three names for the same thing. It's all very confusing and can be frustrating so this page aims to help you understand. The short version is that it's all the same thing, we call it Experience API or xAPI, but you can call it whichever you like!
With xAPI you can better track the learning activities that already happen in your organization, including those that were impossible to track with older interoperability specifications. You can build up a clearer picture of what learning is happening in your org and the impact of that learning on your business.
Like SCORM, xAPI is a protocol for tracking learning related activity. The key difference is that xAPI allows you to track learning in almost any context, not just in the LMS. xAPI enables the recording, tracking, personalizing and improving of learning activities, both on and offline.
It is best practice to use the LMS for content delivery and the LRS for analytics. All reporting goes through the LRS which will track extended data, then the LMS will track its normal data (scorm1.2 etc) .
Let the LMS do what it does now - course completion, bookmarking and serving the content to the user. Then use LRS for more complex data capture - which path, how long on an interaction, answer given, selection of answers chosen - your "who did what how".
'Most people' using xAPI have ditched their LMS and everything is now done via the LRS i.e. They have dropped hybrid LMS/LRS structures - Why? Because this uncouples all possible learning mediums - apps, videos, face to face etc can now all be tracked in one system to form a more cohesive architecture for analysis / auditing / reporting.
When deploying an iPad app, this directly communicates with the LRS and at no point in time is the LRS able to communicate with the LMS unless YOU write some custom 'web hooks' / code to tie the 2 together - not consensually recomended.
When deploying browser based learning, you can jointly send data to both the LMS and LRS seperately - drawing from the LRS when we need additional analytics about what the learner has done and then leaving the LMS to retain its current functionality - "are we done yet".
To answer my original question. There is no default relationship between the LMS and LRS. If the content is outside the LMS - it is OUTSIDE the LMS permanently - it does not interact with it in anyway. Consider just mimicking the same data fields of the LMS into your LRS calls and run custom reports from the LRS's database.
Thanks to @Mark for his detailed explanation on the 2 systems and assisting my inital understanding of the systems.
This information has been gained from work related experiences - sorry no official sources.
51
If you love us? You can donate to us via Paypal or buy me a coffee so we can maintain and grow! Thank you!
Donate Us With
