xAPI 101TorranceLearningJuly 24, 2015

It’s really more than one question.

1. What does it do?2. How does it fit into what I already

know and am already doing?3. Why do we need it?- Where is it used?- When is it used?

4. Who has any questions?

What does xAPI do? How does it fit into what I know/do?

1. Grab a stack of cards2. One item/card: write down all the

activities/behaviors you do to learn or that you create for others to learn.

What is SCORM?

• Time• Score• Location• Status• Answers

SCORM or xAPI?

SCORM xAPIContext Do: Experiment, participate

Fail Read

Complete Context

Answer questions Watch

Practice Move

Formal Instruction Discuss

E-learning Field trip

Research

Job Shadowing

Why do we need it?

• Learn more about the learning experience• Learn more about the performance• Correlate learning with

performance• Correlate learning with results• Correlate performance with results• Offer more targeted training • Support performance in better

ways• Learn from others• Share learning with others• Compare performance and

learning across learners• Deliver and track training outside

of the LMS

Where & when do we use it?

• It depends on your needs & goals.

• The following models are based on:• The nature of the experience• The nature of transactions• The context of the situation• The purpose for the evaluation• Who the initiator of the

transaction is

The experience is …

Social• Activity is (can be) shared

with and followed by others• Activity is consumed

horizontally across the organization• Encourages learning from

others (high performers)

Personal• Activity is (relatively)

private• Activity is primarily

consumed by the learner and vertically with leaders

S P

The transactions are…

Predictable• We know the triggers and

when to expect them• We know the possible

range of statements

Variable• Triggers are “random” or at

least not prescribed• Verbs and direct objects are

unknown until used

P V

The context is …

Learning• Transactions document the

learning process and/or performance simulations• Source of transactions has

(often) been created by the L&D team

Performance• Transactions document

actual performance • Source of transactions has

been created by (or in) another source and sent to or imported by the learning system

L P

The initiator is …

The learner• The learner

chooses when to document the experience.

An observer• An observer

chooses when to document the experience.

The environment• The experience is

documented behind the scenes. The learner may not be overtly aware of it.

L O E

The evaluation is …

Formative

• What do you know? What don’t you know? • Data is used to determine

learning gaps (and ultimately fill them).

Summative

• What have you learned?What can you do with it?• Data used to certify that

learning has happened.

F S

Exp

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is…

Init

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Traditional SCORM Elearning• Learners access elearning in a learning

management system (LMS).• Important metrics include completion,

score, status, location.

E

L

P

P ersonal

redictable

earning

nvironment

S ummative

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The learning to do list

• Personal learning checklist• The learner has a checklist of things to

accomplish as part of a curriculum. • SCORM and non-SCORM items can be on

the checklist. • Two-way communication with the LRS

means the learner can initiate some checks, and others can be gathered “hands-free.”

L

L

P

P

F

ersonal

redictable

earning

earner

ormative

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The Fitbit® of learning

• Track performance as it happens.• As the learner is doing the work, activity

statements keep track of what’s happening.• It doesn’t actually track learning, it tracks

doing.• It’s real time.• Typically this underpins work that is

performed in a system or in something that’s tracked already.

E

P

P

P

erformance

nvironment

F ormative

ersonal

redictable

Exp

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…Tr

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The ultimate scoreboard• Track performance that happened.• Data that reflects actual results is fed

from a business system to the learning system.• It doesn’t actually track learning, it tracks

doing or the results of doing.• It can be done at any time, including

historically.• Typically this underpins work that is

performed in a system or in something that’s tracked already.

E

P

P

P

S

ersonal

redictable

erformance

nvironment

ummative

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The marauder’s map

• Leave a trail for later• As the learner progresses through a large

body of knowledge, annotated bookmarks mark a path for later.• Others can see or follow the path.• Comments can be analyzed for meaning. • High performers can be followed.• Creates a personalized & transferrable

performance support.• L&D can see who uses what, what needs

to be changed.

L

L

V

S

?

ocial

ariable

earning

earner

Claire read Business Writing for ProfessionalsJohn practiced frosting birthday cakes

Lindsey watched the Company History videoLuke completed Oil Change Upselling

Actor verb objectActor verb object context

Anne wrote a blog post about local theatre that got 45 views and 3 comments

Lindsey rated A2ATD event xAPI Technology Competency @LearnShare @MMTorrance 4 stars “coffee rocked, room was cold”

Claire read Business Writing for ProfessionalsJohn practiced frosting birthday cakes Josh watched the Company History video

Luke completed Oil Change Upselling Cynthia completed Oil Change Upselling score 60%

Tonya simulated landing at DTWMolly simulated landing at DTW in SimSuite #4 and

was rated 98% by Instructor

Where it gets a little tricky

• Verbs need to mean the same thing to everyone (http://adlnet.gov/expapi/verbs/index.html or https://registry.tincanapi.com/#)

• So much data, so little structure

SCORM is “structured”

SCORM has “buckets” for everything it needs to store.. like an Excel spreadsheet.

So where do you put “experience” data? It doesn’t fit the mold!

Learner Course Time Score StatusHouck, R Compliance 101 28 M 85 Pass

Simpson, H Compliance 101 35 M 90 Pass

Torrance, M Compliance 101 26 M 70 Fail

xAPI is “unstructured”

• Unlike SCORM, the system doesn’t need to understand what data is being stored ahead of time.• This allows storage of information

that was previously impossible (or really, really hard) to collect.

Who has a question?

Who’d like help thinking through an xAPI case for their organization?