What is xAPI?

What is xAPI?

The Experience API, or xAPI, is a specification for tracking and recording learning experiences across various platforms, devices, and environments. Developed by the team behind SCORM, xAPI powers the next generation of learning platforms, including ClearXP. The fundamental unit of xAPI is the statement, which consists of a noun-verb-object message. For example, consider the (very simplified) statements below:

• Tom submitted “Why PPE is Important”
• Rachel marked “Why PPE is Important” with a passing grade
• Tom completed safety training

Unlike older standards, such as SCORM, statements make xAPI extremely flexible. Learners are constantly interacting with other people, content, and beyond. It’s not hard to imagine how you might capture almost any learning experience with statements.

Why use xAPI?

In the past, learning experiences have needed an LMS to create tracking data. What’s worse, it was unlikely that data would be more than completion information. That’s where xAPI fits in. As well as capturing complex learning experiences, xAPI allows these experiences to move beyond the LMS, onto different devices, and even entirely offline.

Next-level data

With the right statements xAPI can track just about anything. Want to start tracking experiences in Virtual Reality? – that’s easy. The power of xAPI is only, really, limited by your imagination and learning platform. Statements get even more powerful when you include context. Context is a bit like a setting for a story – it tells you the where, when, and why. You might add things like which building a class was held and which teacher gave the lecture. Best of all, by including context you can create some very sophisticated reports.

Mobile and offline learning

While mobile learning isn’t new, it’s been tied up to the LMS. Usually, this means accessing a learning platform through a phone browser or installing its specific app. In contrast, xAPI allows any mobile app to capture learning experiences by using statements as a common language. You can even create these statements without an internet connection and send them later when one becomes available. That’s a nifty perk if your learners are on the road or in remote locations.

Collaborative learning

Not all experiences happen between an individual learner and the LMS and it’s important to understand the entire learning journey. Unlike traditional learning standards, xAPI can capture the dynamic moments that happen in group settings – think team discussions, feedback sessions, and collaborative projects. If you’re using a platform like ClearXP, your learners can progress through the same online training and solve problems together in real-time. By tracking these experiences, xAPI supports an interactive learning environment where teamwork and peer-to-peer learning play a key role in the learning journey.

How do I start using xAPI?

That’s easy – if you have a SCORM package, why not try our xAPI Converter?

Otherwise, talk to us and start sending the right statements.