Data to Action: Using xAPI to Elevate Online Learning Experiences  

Great digital learning experiences rely on robust technology and smart ecosystems.  

After working on several software projects using TinCan API (also known as the Experience API, or xAPI), we’ve seen just how powerful it can be for online educators and publishers.  

 xAPI tracks learner experiences, provides meaningful insights into learner behaviours, and helps facilitate unique and tailored content and learner journeys.  

Curious about the xAPI buzz in the edtech world? Here’s how it works and how you can harness it for your business. 

Overview of TinCan API/xAPI: a building block for integrated learning  

TinCan API, also known as Experience API (xAPI), is a learning technology specification that enables the collection, storage, and exchange of learning experiences across multiple platforms and systems.  

It is designed to track and record all types of learning, both online and offline: e.g. how far a student gets in a specific task, how long they take to watch a video, where they click while completing a quiz, etc.  

Compared with other similar protocols such as SCROM, xAPI is more adaptable and flexible, encompassing more learning types and paths. It gives you a rich dataset, ensuring data flow across the entire learning ecosystem. 

💡 Tip: Use xAPI to bridge the gap between digital materials and teachers who rely on assessments to track student progress. Integrate learning data into your digital materials to upgrade the educator experience. 

Different kinds of learner data brought under one system 

xAPI is a key building block of an integrated learning ecosystem as it allows information to flow across different learning environments.  

Need to systematise your data collection methods? Firstly, be clear on what types of learner data you want to incorporate: 

• Formal learning: traditional learning activities like course completions, test scores, and attendance. 
• Informal learning: Capture educational experiences such as watching videos, reading articles etc. 
• Experiential learning: Record real-world activities and simulations, providing a more complete picture of learner progress. 

xAPI allows you to combine all these different kinds of learning data into one all-informed system. 

Key xAPI benefit: an integrated feedback loop 

One of the key benefits of xAPI is that learner activities are recorded in a consistent way, allowing for cross-platform integration. 

For example, you can export learner statics from your Learning Management System (LMS) into a separate reporting dashboard, sending that on to teachers who can then track individual student progress. Systems like these can efficiently alert teachers to high or low performing students and allow them to intervene accordingly. This data can then be fed back into the LMS and the materials themselves, allowing for a fully integrated ecosystem and creating a bridge between online learning materials and the people who use them. 

Having access to real-time learner feedback means that your digital materials can offer a much more immersive learning experience, reacting to the learner in ways that are tied to their actual learning progress. 

Samu Kainulainen, Tech Lead, explains how xAPI works in some current client projects:

“With systems like this, it is not just about providing real-time learning data but about finding the story behind the data. Putting the learner and the teacher first is the real mission behind the tech. We want to help teachers and educators understand how to support students better”.

Enriched data and personalised learning 

Using the xAPI protocol is a great way to enrich and deepen learner data – it gives you a much deeper understanding of the actual experience a learner is having: what questions and passages are making them hesitate, for example. 

Another key strength of leveraging granular learner data through xAPI tracking is the ability to offer more personalised learner journeys, supporting adaptive learning practices where learners’ experiences are generated in a dynamic way through machine learning or AI. 

Use xAPI data to create tailored learning paths based on individual progress and preferences. Add AI to the mix to efficiently create dynamic content. 

💡 Tip: use xAPI to help you create and develop distinct learner profiles through aggregate data. 

Analytics, smart insights & smart ecosystems 

Analyse learning data to identify trends, strengths, and areas for improvement. You can also use analytics and data to help develop learning materials and experiences. 

• Use data to predict learner outcomes and provide proactive support, improving retention and success rates. 
• Facilitate data exchange between LMSs, content providers, and other educational tools, enhancing the ecosystem’s efficiency. 
• Use tools that can visualise xAPI data to make it easier to interpret and act upon. 
• Develop custom reports to meet specific educational goals and requirements. 

Standardisation and compliance 

Probably one of the less obvious benefits of using  xAPI is in improved documentation: boosting your ability to remain compliant.  

Administration and bureaucracy are eternal features of education – xAPI can help: 

• Use xAPI to generate standardised reports that meet regulatory requirements. Ensure consistent data collection and reporting across different learning tools and platforms with xAPI.  
• XAPI can also become your accessibility ally, allowing for a consistent learner experience and a proactive approach to learner needs.  

What to demand from an xAPI development project 

If you are looking to leverage xAPI or similar edtech, keep the following tips in mind: 

• Data privacy and compliance: make sure GDPR is integrated into your data collection strategy.
• Handling, retaining, and analysing large sums of data has its own challenges. You might want to discuss cloud options and server resources.
• Technical complexity and scope will be central to a project like this! Start with a narrow and focused project first.
• Have a very clear idea of what data formats are involved and how they will be flowing across systems.

xAPI offers a flexible framework for capturing and analysing learner experiences across multiple platforms and environments. By leveraging xAPI, educational institutions and publishers can gain deeper insights into learner behaviour, provide personalised learning experiences, and improve overall learning material and outcomes. Careful planning and implementation are essential to fully realise the benefits of xAPI while addressing its challenges.