For everyone who is just starting to get to know more about e-learning, it could be a difficult to catch on to the terminology and understand everything clearly. The standards in e-learning are essential to understand, but they can sometimes be quite complex, which doesn’t help at all.
Two of the best-known standards that you can find in e-learning are Tin Can API and SCORM and they are used for providing a better online learning experience with reporting and tracking. For learning management systems (LMSs), SCORM was very important because it allowed courses to pass some of the most basic information onto these platforms.
Tin Can API was designed with similar goals in mind, only which this concept takes all of this to a whole different level. If you are looking to get into e-learning and learn more about it, you’ve probably heard this term many times and you don’t understand how it’s related to the whole topic. This is why learning about it right from the start is key.
Where did the name come from?
The whole thing started with the Project Tin Can and the name simply remained. Both the terms Tin Can API or Experience API (xAPI) are same things, hence don’t be confused by these terms as they are used interchangeably.
No matter what you decide to use, everyone who understands it and has knowledge about this topic won’t face any issues. You can even find people referring to it as Tin Can, which is just a shorter version but it refers to the same thing. For the purpose of this post, we will refer to it as Tin Can API, as we started this way and we wish to remain consistent.
What hides behind the name Tin Can API?
Ang API ay maikli para sa application programming interface at ang pangunahing layunin ng kanyang disenyo ay upang payagan ang pagsubaybay ng iba't-ibang mga aktibidad sa pag-aaral at pag-iimbak ng mga ito sa lahat sa isang platform,,en,kadalasan ay isang sistema ng pamamahala ng pag-aaral,,en,Ang application programming interface ay isang protocol na nagpapahintulot sa komunikasyon sa pagitan ng iba't ibang mga programa ng software at lumilikha ng isang channel sa pagitan ng mga ito,,en,kung saan maaari silang magbahagi ng impormasyon,,en,Ang SCORM ay isang hanay ng mga pamantayan na maaaring magpapahintulot sa mga kurso ng e-learning na makipag-usap sa mga sistema ng pamamahala ng pag-aaral,,en,ngunit Tin Tinutulungan din ng Tin Tin maraming iba't ibang mga solusyon sa software upang subaybayan ang mga aktibidad sa pagkatuto ng isang partikular na user,,en,Bagaman maaari pa ring gawin ng Tin Tin API kung ano ang ginagawa ng SCORM,,en, usually a learning management system (LMS). The application programming interface is a protocol which allows communication between different software programs and creates a channel between them, through which they can share information.
SCORM is a set of standards that can allow e-learning courses to communicate with learning management systems, but Tin Can API also allow many different software solutions to track the learning activities of a certain user. Although Tin Can API can still do what SCORM does, it can also keep track of all of the learning experiences that a learner takes part in and store them in a learning record store (LRS).
This improvement in e-learning standards has made more room for innovation as many different learning activities can now be tracked. As an example of Tin Can API use, it can be employed by LMSs for creating browser extensions which will help the learner track all of the content that they are learning from through their browser.
How does this learning record store help?
The learning record store is actually one of the key elements of Tin Can API. It stores separate records of all of the learning events of each participant. Ang isang tagapamahala ay maaaring mag-roll ang lahat ng mga rekord nang magkasama upang matutunan ang mahahalagang bagay tungkol sa kung paano ang pag-aaral ay nagaganap sa loob ng isang samahan,en.
The LRS allows a computer to design and send countless statements in the background, and these statements are all curated by Tin Can, as it controls the way they are created, interpreted and sent. Simply put, it creates a standard for them. For developers, this can save a lot of valuable time and hard work, as they previously had to manually create solutions that would allow data circulation.
This process can cost a lot of money and last for a long period of time, and the fact that this process is now streamlined is revolutionary. From there on, nasa sa gumagamit na gamitin ang data na ito nang pinakamainam hangga't maaari - ang mga pagpipilian ay walang katapusang at nakasalalay sa samahan upang masulit ito,en.
New possibilities with Tin Can API
Now that we know that Tin Can API allows you to track various different learning experiences through different environments, let’s mention some examples of where it is possible:
- Mobile apps
- Games
- Various simulations
- Informal or casual online browsing (learning)
- HR systems
- CRM systems
Here are some practical things that Tin Can API can do and that wasn’t possible with SCORM:
- Having complete control of all the user experiences and content delivery
- Ability to launch content which is outside the LMS software
- Allowing learners to navigate freely across different content
- Mga pinahusay na hakbang sa seguridad upang maiwasan ang mga mag-aaral mula sa pagdaraya,en
- Supporting offline learning in case of connection loss
On top of all of these things, Tin Can API also has the power to enrich online courses and give a better experience to learners. Some of the things that courses can now include:
- New learning model such as blended learning
- Adapting and interactive learning courses
- Multi-modal learning experiences
- Long-term learning experiences
People are switching to Tin Can API
The e-learning industry has already started to transform in different ways with the introduction of Tin Can API. Organizations looking to adopt this new standard will have a much better understanding of all of the training and learning efforts that they put in, and they will be able to create more effective programs that will bring better results.
Tin Can enables organizations to determine what kind of training paths they take will help them get the best results possible. Not only is this a great benefit for organizations, which will spend less time on training because they will be more efficient at it, but learners will also benefit a lot because they will participate in more engaging learning that they will enjoy.
Anyone who switches to Tin Can will have great advantages in the training department, and organizations that do this will be able to gain a great competitive advantage. On top of that, if we are talking about educational institutions, makakakuha din sila ng maakit ang mas maraming mag-aaral dahil ang kanilang mga kurso ay mas mahusay na gagawin at mas makatawag pansin,,en,Ano ang ibig sabihin ng Tin ng API para sa mga organisasyon,,en,Kung maaari o hindi ang Tin Can API ay mapapatunayan na kapaki-pakinabang para sa iyo ay depende sa iyong partikular na mga pangangailangan,,en,o maging mas tumpak,,en,ang impormasyong sinusubukan mong makuha,,en,Ang mga organisasyong nangangailangan ng Tin Maaari ang mga naghahanap ng mobile learning,,en,kung nais mong mangolekta ng maraming iba't ibang data tungkol sa iyong mga gumagamit at sa kanilang pag-uugali,,en,at mayroon kang mga mapagkukunan upang pag-aralan ang data na ito at gumawa ng mga kapansin-pansin na desisyon batay dito,,en,pagkatapos ay ang paggamit ng Tin Can API ay maaaring ang tamang paraan upang pumunta,,en,Ang maraming mga organisasyon ay gumawa ng isang malubhang interes sa Tin Can API,,en,dahil may mga walang katapusang posibilidad na may pamantayang ito,,en.
What Tin Can API means for organizations?
Whether or not Tin Can API will prove beneficial for you depends on your specific needs, or to be more precise, the information you are trying to acquire. Organizations that need Tin Can are the ones that are looking for mobile learning.
On the other hand, if you want to collect a lot of different data about your users and their behavior, and you have the resources to analyze this data and make sensible decisions based on it, then employing Tin Can API may be the right way to go. A lot of organizations have taken a serious interest in Tin Can API, as there are endless possibilities with this standard.
Konklusyon
The future of e-learning relies on Tin Can API and it has been gaining more and more popularity lately. Organizations that want to make progress in this area are investing in exploring additional possibilities for utilizing Tin Can and you should as well.
Author Bio: Kamy Anderson is an ed-tech enthusiast with a passion for writing on emerging technologies in the areas of corporate training and education. He is an expert in learning management system & e Learning authoring tools.
