xAPI:
An Intro for
Instructional Designers
Megan Torrance | mtorrance@torrancelearning.com
DevLearn 2018 | Session 206
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mtorrance@torrancelearning.com
@MMTorrance | @xAPIGnome | @Tlearning
Megan
Torrance
3
Where are you on your xAPI
journey?
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Tour the campus & buildings
Explore benefit package
Take a skills assessment
Attend webinar
Attend a class
Rate your experience
Complete online course
Observe the job being done
Receive coaching
Watch a video
Follow a blog
Read a book by an expert
Elearning: Welcome & virtual tour
Elearning: Log into LMS
Elearning: Plant tour
Class: Your benefits & you
Class: Email and You
Elearning: Who’s who
Elearning: Our customers
Class: Finance 101
Recorded webinar
Webinar
Multiple choice test
Practice doing the job
Job shadow
Class: Using the intranet
Onboarding Plan BOnboarding Plan A
xAPI is …
X = experience
API = application programming interface
Specification for sending, storing, retrieving
activity about learning and performance
experiences
Not so much “next generation SCORM”
as it is “what will replace SCORM.”
Experience API is
…
Tin Can API is …
SCORM
Time
Score
Location
Status
Answers
Actor verb object
Actor verb object context
xAPI
lego.com
Learning Record
Provider
Content
Activity Statement
Learning Record Store
You
Other & Legacy data
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Claire read Business Writing for
ProfessionalsJohn practiced frosting birthday cakes
Lindsey watched the Company History video
Rashad completed Oil Change Upselling
Mohammed wrote a blog post about local theatre
that got 45 views and 3
commentsOron rated ATD event Essentials of
Creating Learning Experiences
with xAPI @MMTorrance 4
stars “coffee rocked, nice use
of WebEx”
Cynthia completed Oil Change Upselling score
60%Ladan simulated landing at DTW
Arthi simulated landing at DTW in SimSuite #4
and was rated 98% by
Instructor
Claire read Business Writing for
ProfessionalsJohn practiced frosting birthday cakes
Lindsey watched the Company History video
Rashad completed Oil Change Upselling
What can you do with xAPI?
• Learn more about the learning experience – not just elearning
• Learn more about the performance
• Correlate learning with performance
• Offer more targeted training
• Support performance in better ways
• Use data to learn with others
• Compare performance and learning across learners
• Deliver and track training outside of the LMS
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xAPI is
all about
INTEROPERABILIT
Y
not silos.
!
Design a solution to
meet stated needs
!
Remove a
kidney stone
!
Provide verbal feedback
to teammates
! Collect & enter
data accurately
!
Nail roof
shingles safely
Practice in
Training
Know . . .
Business Goal
that solves a
Business Problem
Adapted from: Cathy Moore
Kirkpatrick Levels
of Training Evaluation + Cathy Moore
16
Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
On the Job
Behaviors
!
Knowledge &
Retention: Testing
Business
Results
Level 1
Satisfaction &
Experience
Brinkerhoff &
Apking’s
High Impact
Learning
Map
Learning
Objectives
Critical Job
Tasks
Key Results Business
Unit Results
Organization
Goals
WHY?
HOW?
Our brains
are designed
to forget
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The Ebbinghaus
forgetting curve
https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1400/brain-
science-overcoming-the-forgetting-curve
Spaced repetition
“Boostering”
The 70/20/10
Learning
from Others
Learning from ExperienceFormal
Learning
We are here now
Gottfredson & Mosher’s
(& Torrance’s)
Moments of
Learning Need
5 Moments of Learning Need: Gottfredson & Mosher
9 Moments of Need: Torrance
Apply
New
More
Solve
Change
Before
Prepare
Remember
Teach
21
A
D
I+E
D
I+E
D
DD D
TIME
Getting Started
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torrancelearning.com/xapi
First pick
a project
SCORM is not the (best) answer.
The project’s sponsor is on board.
There’s plenty of data.
You can capture or get to the data you need.
STEP 1:
Send the
data
Use your current elearning authoring tools
Get your product vendor to send the data
Use aggregator like xapiapps to assemble things
that aren’t xAPI into a thing that is
Write some custom code
Import from business data
AUTHORING TOOLS
Out of the box:
• SCORM-like transactions
• Individual page views
• Actions and triggers (depends)
With a little JavaScript or with xAVIER:
• Any action or trigger you want
More info:
Learning Solutions Magazine: xAPI: Out of the Box
THIS LIST IS INCOMPLETE
THIS LIST IS GROWING
MISC OTHER OPTIONS
Not really “authoring tools,” but very deep
learning experiences, LMCSes, etc. that send
xAPI data.
THIS LIST IS INCOMPLETE
THIS LIST IS GROWING
First tool we’ve found outside L&D that uses xAPI
THIS LIST IS INCOMPLETE
THIS LIST IS GROWING
xapiapps
STEP 2:
Receive the
data
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The
integrated
approach
Users
Course
s
Enrollments
SCOR
M Data
Reporting
Courses
Classe
s
Certs
Badges
SocialLearning
Messaging
Performance,Talenthooks
Reporting
Game
s
Sims
Perf
Supp
Dash
boards
eCommerce
Import/Export to Biz Data
LRS
SCOR
M data
The
managed
ecosystem
approach
Users
Courses
Classe
s
eCommerce
LRS
Dash
Boards
Game
s
Sims
Perf
Supp
Report
s
Social
Performance,
Talent
Biz
Data
Other
LRSes
LMS
Intranet
Biz
Data
IoTwww.
The sidecar
approach
Users
Course
s
Enrollments
SCOR
M Data
Reporting
Courses
Classe
s
Certs
Badges
SocialLearning
Messaging
Performance,Talenthooks
Reporting
Game
s
Sims
Perf
Supp
Dash
boards
eCommerce
Import/Export to Biz Data
Learning
Record
Provider
Learning
Record
Provider
LRS
The LMS(es)
as
secondary
34
Learning
Record
Provider
Learning
Record
Provider
LRS
Learning
Record
Provider
LEARNING RECORD STORES
Out of the box:
• Data storage & retrieval
• Visualizations & reporting
Connecting to analytics
• Tableau, Microsoft BI, Envision BI, etc.
UP TO DATE LIST OF CONFORMANT LRS:
https://adopters.adlnet.gov/
THIS LIST IS INCOMPLETE
THIS LIST IS GROWING 35
LMSes WITH LRS INSIDE
Out of the box:
• Learning management functions
• SCORM
They may struggle with:
• Accepting statements from outside the LMS
• Reporting data in extensions
UP TO DATE LIST OF CONFORMANT LRS:
https://adopters.adlnet.gov/
THIS LIST IS INCOMPLETE
THIS LIST IS GROWING
PURE™ Learning
36
LMSes THAT CONNECT TO YOUR LRS
What you can expect:
• xAPI statements from courses & experiences
• Non-SCORM LMS activity, too
THIS LIST IS INCOMPLETE
THIS LIST IS GROWING 37
Financ
e
Sales
Market-
ing
Operati
ons
Legal
HR
Recruit
-ing
Supply
Chain
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
38
Take 2
aspirin…
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Start
learning
more …
Vendor sites & xAPI Camp
www.learnxapi.com and xAPI MOOC
Free Udemy Course: xAPI Fundamentals
xAPI Learning Cohort
xAPI Hands-On & Geek-Free Nov 14-15
xAPI Party
Learning Solutions Magazine
FORMING STORMING NORMING PERFORMING
xAPI needs geeks Geek-free tools emerge
Communities of Practice work to define usage
Conformance & Certification emerge
Project Tin Can Specification Standard
More common
than SCORM
Is xAPI ready for prime time?
Get started!
www.torrancelearning.com/xapi-
cohort
Free 12-week, vendor-neutral learning-by-doing-in-teams experience.
Weekly web meetings 2-3pm ET (recorded). Winter/Spring & Fall
Ad hoc teams form to tackle a project together and provide weekly report-
outs.
Megan Torrance
mtorrance@torrancelearning.com
@MMTorrance | @xAPIGnome | @Tlearning
Questions
&
Thoughts?
43

xAPI Intro for Instructional Designers - DevLearn18