Adding xAPI learner tracking to your course

Overview

xAPI (sometimes called TinCan) stands for Experience API. Like SCORM, it is a standard that is used to track learner data. However, where a traditional SCORM package can only track two actions—whether the learner has completed the course, and whether they have passed—xAPI is designed to capture detailed data about the learner's experience as well as their overall result. 

You can configure your Online Link and SCORM courses to report additional xAPI data to a Learning Record Store (LRS). Using an LRS is useful if you want to examine the data holistically with other sources of learning or use your existing data analysis tools. Some LMSs have their own LRSs built in; some LRSs are stand-alone applications that run independently.

See Supported xAPI verbs in Elucidat to learn more about the actions you can track with xAPI.

Before you begin

Set up your LRS and obtain credentials

To begin, you need to obtain the LRS‘s endpoint and credentials. This tells Elucidat where to send the data.

The details you’ll need from your LRS are:

• The LRS endpoint URL—this is where your course will send learner information.
• The LRS username—if your LRS requires credentials to connect, then this is the username provided by the LRS.
• The LRS password—if your LRS requires credentials to connect, then this is the password that corresponds to the username provided by your LRS, referenced above.

You may be able to get this information yourself if you are responsible for the LRS. If you aren’t, you will need to speak to whomever manages your LRS to obtain these details.

Once you have these details, you are ready to begin setting up your course to report xAPI data.

Configuring your Project’s releases to report xAPI data

1. Open your Project
2. Select the Configure tab
   
   
3. Select Learner tracking
   
   

The next steps differ slightly depending on the release type you’re planning to use.

a. If you plan to use an Online Link release

1. Select xAPI/TinCan 1.0 from the Tracking mode dropdown
   
   
2. Add the endpoint URL to the LRS Endpoint URL field and add 'statements' the to the end. It should look something like this:
   https://cloud.scorm.com/lrs/FOEMWG2YH6/statements.
   
   
3. Add the username to the LRS Username field; add the password to the LRS Password field. It is best to copy and paste these details as they can be quite complex. Pasting them avoids any typing errors.
4. Set the Learner access control to Identify
5. Select Save changes to save your configuration

b. If you plan to use a SCORM for LMS release

1. Choose your preferred SCORM format from the tracking mode drop down menu:
   
   
2. Check the box labelled Add xAPI/TinCan 1.0.
3. Add the endpoint URL to the LRS Endpoint URL field and add 'statements' the to the end. It should look something like this:
   https://cloud.scorm.com/lrs/FOEMWG2YH6/statements
4. Add the username to the LRS Username field
5. Add the password to the LRS Password field
   
   
6. Select Save changes to save your configuration

Next steps

Once you’ve set up your Project’s xAPI configuration, you’re now ready to release your course and start receiving data. See Exporting your course by creating a release to learn how to release your course so learners can take it.

Consult your LRS’s documentation or support team for more information about how to view your learners’ xAPI data.