Future Focused Platform Decisions with xAPI – ATD TechKnowledge 2017

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Making Future-focused
Platform Decisions
with the xAPI
Rob Houck, UL Compliance to Performance
Megan Torrance, TorranceLearning

Where are you on your
xAPI journey?

Activity Provider
Content
Activity
Statement
Learning Record Store
You
Legacy content

Why 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

xAPI is all about
INTEROPERABILITY,
not silos.
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What is an
LRS?
Answer #1
Learning Record Store
Answer #2
It’s where we store training data.
Answer #3
It’s a database where we send
xAPI activity statements and
retrieve them later for decision-
making.
Answer #4
It’s a next-generation LMS.

What does
an LRS do?
The specification:
• Accept, store & retrieve xAPI
activity statements
The marketplace:
• Reporting and analytics
• Host xAPI resources
• Admin functions
• More!

LMS
Course enrollment
Elearning hosting
Learner plans
SCORM, AICC
ILT & VILT
Video
Social
Gamification
Reporting
Admin functions
+ xAPI / LRS
LRS
xAPI
Reporting & analytics
Admin functions
+ Course enrollment
+ Elearning hosting
+ Learner plans
+ Video
+ Social
+ Gamification
+ External data

If the LMS and the LRS are blurring,
what’s left to decide?

Concepts ahead are oversimplified
to allow you the best opportunity to
try on a model vs. try to get to the
nitty gritty of each individual
situation.

The
integrated
approach
Users
Courses
Enrollments
SCORM
Data
Reporting
Courses
Classes
Certs
Badges
SocialLearning
Messaging
Performance,Talenthooks
Reporting
Games Sims
Perf
Supp
Dash
boards
eCommerce
Import/Export Biz Data
LRS
SCORM
data

The managed
ecosystem
approach
Users
Courses
Classes
eCommerce
LRS
Dash
Boards
Games Sims
Perf
Supp
Reports
Social
Performance,
Talent
Other
Biz Data
Other
LRSes
LMS

But don’t
limit
yourself to
thinking
inside the
course.
There’s a lot going on outside of
your courses:
• Checklists & job aids
• Social interaction
• Mentoring
• Observations
• Assessments
• Performance & talent mgmt
• Actual work behavior stored in
other systems
• Results of actual work behavior
stored in other systems

What do we do in the meantime?

If you don’t
have an LMS
& you
don’t have
SCORM …
Publish to xAPI.
Get an LRS product.
Rock and roll.
Grow over time.

I have an LMS and I have lots of SCORM stuff.
Now what?

Does your
LMS already
have xAPI?
Start with courses published to
xAPI.
• Test each development package
you use.
• Work with support to make sure
scoring completion, etc.
Experiment with learning that
happens outside an elearning
course.
Experiment with dashboards and
reporting.(and you’re not using it yet?)

Wait for your
LMS to adopt
xAPI
Offer to beta test.
Get a sidecar LRS for your special
projects and new projects.
• Two sets of reports
• Export xAPI “Completions”
LMS
Tip: Think through your index values – they have to line up.

Get a full
featured LRS
and work
back to
learning
mgmt.
Relieve yourself of complexity of
your LMS.
Republish SCORM 1.2 courses to
“speak xAPI.”
Experiment with learning that
happens outside an elearning
course.
Start killing SCORM.

In the
meantime
Stop using SCORM where you
can.
If you have to, build for SCORM
knowing you’ll use xAPI.
• Flexible tools that do both
• Follow best practices for xAPI
now
Start asking the “x” question.

Questions to
ask no matter
what
• What does the integration look
like?
• Will users see a difference?
How about LMS managers?
• What does reporting look like?
• What’s it cost? Do I need an
upgrade, or can I just “do it”?
• What does a pilot look like?

Getting
started
Prêt-à-porter
Day hikes
Look for the right project &
sponsor
Start where there is no LMS
legacy
You can’t sell the alphabet soup.

FORMING STORMING NORMING PERFORMING
xAPI needs geeks
Geek-free tools
emerging
Communities of Practice work to define usage
Learn-by-doing in Cohorts
Conformance Certification
Formal learning opportunities & certification
Project Tin Can Specification Standard
More common
than SCORM
We are ready for NORMING!

What will
you take
away?

Future Focused Platform Decisions with xAPI – ATD TechKnowledge 2017

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Future Focused Platform Decisions with xAPI – ATD TechKnowledge 2017