Glossary
What is xAPI?
- xAPI
xAPI, or Experience API, is a specification for exchanging information about learning activities and experiences. The activities are described as structured statements that are sent to a Learning Record Store, or LRS for short. A statement typically describes who did what and what activity it involved.
- Also known as: Experience API; Tin Can API
How are learning activities recorded?
A source system sends structured statements to an LRS, a learning data repository. A statement can describe who completed a task and the result. Multiple sources can send data to the same repository. xAPI describes the exchange, but does not automatically record everything a person learns, and is not an LMS.
Example: xAPI
A simulation reports that an employee has completed a task. An online course reports a test result for the same person. The information is stored in an LRS and can be used for learning analytics. This requires that the relevant systems be configured to send compatible data.