xAPI

The Experience API (xAPI) is a standard that describes an interoperable means to document and communicate information about learning experiences. It specifies a structure to describe learning experiences and defines how these descriptions can be exchanged electronically. In assessing candidates' suitability for positions or their capability for performing various tasks, there is a need to consider a wide range of formal and informal learning experiences, both on and offline. That information, more often than not, is scattered across a wide variety of sources. Out of this decentralized environment, the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative created the original xAPI community and specification. The working group effort was moved to the IEEE in 2019.

xAPI assumes that

• There is a need to be able to analyze information about learning experiences and their outcomes distributed across a wide variety of sources, platforms and technologies.
• Developing a commonly-accepted framework for gathering, storing and exchanging this information represents the best way of achieving this.

The goals of the xAPI are

• To make it easier to understand and compare learning experiences and their outcomes recorded across a wide variety of contexts, platforms and technologies.
• To maximize interoperability of services which create, gather, store and process information about learning experiences.
• To provide a guide to those who want to build applications that conform to and implement this specification.
• To provide criteria against which conformance to this specification can be tested.