Session Outcomes:
- Identify xAPI specification
- Explain the benefits of implementing xAPI in online digital content design
- Write basic learning activity xAPI statements
- Access the learning activity data through a learning record store (LRS)
Topic and Relevance:
Distance learning has risen in popularity in the last decade. This became even more apparent when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a rapid shift to higher education. More lights have been shed on the design and development of online courses. The increased interaction between the students and the digital content has been recognized as a significant factor to improve learning outcomes (Hung, Kinshuk, Chen, 2018). How do we know if students are engaged and the design is effective? The Experience API (xAPI) can provide us deep insight into how students are interacting with digital content in their online courses.
In this session, we will introduce the concept of xAPI, explore its basic infrastructure and compare it to SCORM. We will present our pilot solution which consists of 1) instructional digital content: two interactive presentations which have xAPI statements embedded, 2) a Learning Record Store (LRS), which is responsible for receiving, storing, and providing access to xAPI activity logs. We will provide a practical guide to track and store students' online learning experience data, from writing basic learning activity xAPI statements to accessing the learning activity data through a learning record store (LRS). We will show how this learning activity data can improve the digital content, facilitate effectiveness, and eventually lead to greater learner engagement and success rates.
Plan for Interactivity:
Attendees will experience xAPI in action by interacting with a learning activity during our session and access their interactions in a learning record store (LRS). During our session time, not only will attendees learn how to implement data-powered learning design, but also witness the effects firsthand through a sample experience.
Takeaways:
At the end of the session, attendees will get the opportunity to implement the Experience API into their learning activities and ultimately measure the effectiveness of online learning.
Reference:
I-Chun Hung, Kinshuk, Nian-Shing Chen, Embodied interactive video lectures for improving learning comprehension and retention, Computers & Education, Volume 117, 2018, Pages 116-131, ISSN 0360-1315,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.10.005. 
