When creating eLearning courses the content that you are offering is considered to be of the utmost importance. After all, the information being shared and the overall educational experience is what truly matters in terms of instructional design. However, having the tools to track what learners are doing, how they are performing, and allow open communication between learning systems is essential. The question is, how do you achieve this in a technological era, wherein eLearning must constantly evolve to take full advantage of the current tech climate?
The answer is TIN CAN API, which is also known as Experience API. This software enables you to track a wide variety of information on a number of different platforms, including those that weren’t included in SCORM‘s list of capabilities. In this article, we’ll delve into the benefits that TIN CAN API can offer organizations of any size, both in the educational and business sector.
SCORM vs TIN CAN API
SCORM (sharable content object reference model) is the predecessor to TIN CAN. In many respects, TIN CAN offers a wide range of advantages that are not provided by SCORM. For example, while both options give you the ability to track user completion and the time they took to finish a task, only TIN CAN provides you with the capability to view in depth test results, work outside of a learning management system, and easily transition between platforms. As such, many eLearning content creators and instructional designers are now switching to TIN CAN API, due to the fact that it seems to be the next stage in the natural evolution of online learning.
How Does Tin Can API Work?
In essence, TIN CAN captures the user activities and stores the information for later use.
The secret behind the success of TIN CAN API is something called a learning record store (or LRS). When information is gathered by the software, it is stored in the LRS, and then relayed to the LMS when the user connects to the internet. Information stored here is in the form of statements, which each contain a verb, noun, and object. When the content creator designs the course, they will specify where they want the data to be stored within the program and how the statements are configured.
The Benefits of a Tin Can Api Compliant Learning Management System (LMS).
Here are just some of the most significant benefits associated with Tin Can API learning management systems:
1. No web browser required. One of the things that makes TIN CAN a cut above its predecessors is that it doesn’t require an internet connection. This means that it can track and store information for a variety of different scenarios, such as mobile learning. You will only occasionally need to connect to the internet in order for the LRS (learning record store) to gather the information. TIN CAN API statements can be shared between any enabled devices, making it quick and easy for simulation and mobile game data to be shared and utilized. This is one of the most notable perks of this software, especially in this day-and-age, given that so many learners are on-the-go and rely heavily upon their tablets and other mobile devices to carry out eLearning and training courses.
2. Greater control over eLearning content. With TIN CAN API, instructional designers are given the opportunity to have more control over content and course creation. You won’t have to stick with just a browser or browser-based applications, such as Javascript to develop your courses. You can now use the form you are comfortable with and develop it to function on the platform your user prefers, while still being able to track activities and achievements remotely.
3. Enables you to record virtually any activity. Thanks to the structure of the statements used by TIN CAN API, you are able to track and record virtually every user activity. This was a major drawback of SCORM, which was really only effective when it came to tracking quizzes and the status of courses. TIN CAN API, on the other hand, allows you to track every click of the mouse, every answer, and every answer to a test question. It’s more detailed and more precise.
4. Gives you the opportunity to work outside of an LMS. With TIN CAN API, you are no longer bound to an LMS platform. The content that you create can be developed, implemented, and utilized by the user anywhere and on any internet-ready device. All you need is an LRS to store the data and then send it to the LMS once the device has linked up to the web. Best of all, the data that is sent is controlled by the instructional designer and you can design a course that includes information from different servers. This makes your courses more effective and enhances the overall educational experience, given that your content can now exist outside of your standard LMS.
5. Greater portability thanks to the Learning Record Store (LRS). Users can begin a course on one device and then finish it on another, without having to worry about their progress being lost in the transition. Given that Experience API can function off-line and without connecting to the LMS, the learners data can be stored within the LRS, allowing them to truly go mobile with their eLearning. The fact that learning record stores can also share information with one another is an added bonus, due to the fact that a user’s learning experiences can now also be transferred to another LRS if need be. “Personal data lockers” can even be used to store a user’s personal info so that it can be accessed at a later date.
6. Allows for easy tracking of various learning scenarios. The area where SCORM truly fell short (and where TIN CAN excels) is in regards to the types of learning scenarios it could track. Experience API has the ability to track and record serious games, simulations, informal learning, and even real-world performance. It can also track data that has been collected from off-line learning, adaptive learning, and blended learning scenarios, as well as team-based learning. As such, it’s much more versatile than SCORM.
Have a look at our short video for a summed up analysis:
| Tags: xAPI
Great article and good overview. However, I think a few things are little over stated. You say Only Tin Can provides you in depth test results and be able to transition easily between platforms. SCORM 2004 and 1.2 both provide individual item results for test questions, which is often what most folks “consider” in depth results. It would would be useful to provide a clearer distinction here. For Transition easily, the whole point of SCORM was to make courses easily loadable in one LMS or another and for the most part that is pretty true today. I think you might be alluding to something else and it would be good to elaborate here as well.
You also speak to being able to use mobile and use mobile offline and send data back as well as start on one device and finish on another. Tin Can doesn’t really “enable” that as much as it makes it easier to accomplish these tasks. A number of LMS vendors and others have provided offline course players that do all of this or some of it with SCORM packages for some time. Also just “having” tin can doesn’t make something “offline anytime” In think this is a common myth that folks have started to believe because of initial hype.
re: Test (you also mention this one twice and that really isn’t accurate -especially in the 2nd response).
That being said – lots of great info here – keep pushing the possibilities of Tin Can!
only
TIN CAN provides you with the capability to view in depth test results,
work outside of a learning management system, and easily transition
between platforms. – See more at:
http://blog.talentlms.com/benefits-tin-can-api-certified-learning-management-system/#sthash.tTOpIZS8.dpuf
only
TIN CAN provides you with the capability to view in depth test results,
work outside of a learning management system, and easily transition
between platforms. – See more at:
http://blog.talentlms.com/benefits-tin-can-api-certified-learning-management-system/#sthash.tTOpIZS8.dpuf
only
TIN CAN provides you with the capability to view in depth test results,
work outside of a learning management system, and easily transition
between platforms. – See more at:
http://blog.talentlms.com/benefits-tin-can-api-certified-learning-management-system/#sthash.tTOpIZS8.dpuf
IN
CAN provides you with the capability to view in depth test results,
work outside of a learning management system, and easily transition
between platforms. – See more at:
http://blog.talentlms.com/benefits-tin-can-api-certified-learning-management-system/#sthash.tTOpIZS8.dpuf
IN
CAN provides you with the capability to view in depth test results,
work outside of a learning management system, and easily transition
between platforms. – See more at:
http://blog.talentlms.com/benefits-tin-can-api-certified-learning-management-system/#sthash.tTOpIZS8.dpuf
Hello Paul,
Indeed you are correct on both – actually TinCan makes easier to have offline and better tracking on test results but it is not unique features. I would welcome you to read an older post of mine on TinCan that makes those points clear.
http://blog.efrontlearning.net/2012/11/tincan-demystified.html
Great article. Do you have any case studies or examples of customers using xAPI?
Where is the data stored? Is in a cloud? Also, how is development done if you are not connected to the internet? Do you have an example of how the Tin Can API works?
Hi,
Just to say that you can find an introduction to Tin Can and some prototype content at http://tincanapi.com . Let me know if you have any questions I can help with.
info@tincanapi.com
Andrew
I may not want to know every click a person makes when they are in my course, can I adjust the setting to reflect what I would like to see?
Unfortunately, TinCan does not describe how the data should actually being used – in my opinion this is the biggest minus of the standard. From a practical point of view each developer needs to work its own solution on translating TinCan statements to useful data. On Talentlms we offer a timeline that filters TinCan stamenets data based on (for example) user, course or tests – but can and will be improved in the future.
Does SAP LSO/Enterprise Learning support Tin Can API?
Hi John,
I agree with you that an LMS should be Tin Can compliant.
One of the key reasons why I choose Tin Can-compliant LMS ProProfs Training Maker for my elearning needs was that I wanted to keep a close track of students progress even when they were not logged in to the LMS.
With the availability of the Learning Record Store, I was able to record learning activities such as accessing training programs, learning resources as well as achievements or scores.
Also, the feature that ProProfs Training Maker could be used as an authoring tool & an LMS both proved to be a great help for me when I was creating elearning modules.