The Experience API (xAPI) is reaching new levels of adoption not only as the technical standard matures but also the corresponding software & platform offerings evolve and the skills of learning design & development professionals improve. From a vision to fill and surpass the shortcomings of SCORM, the adoption of xAPI has contributed to the emerging learning engineering and learning analytics fields and an emphasis in the industry of data-driven design and evaluation.
Fueling this growth is a wave of professionals learning new skills, connecting with peers and with products to support them, and taking on their first projects using xAPI.
The Advanced Distributed Learning group in the US Dept. of Defense (stewards of both SCORM and xAPI) began industry outreach to the xAPI community with xAPI Design Cohorts. When this aspect of the ADL’s xAPI mission ended in 2015, TorranceLearning picked up the mantle by hosting the xAPI Learning Cohorts' free 12-week learning journeys. Over the last eight years, these free Cohorts have supported thousands of learning professionals, onboarding people new to xAPI and helping those with knowledge of xAPI put the specification into practice. In recent years the Cohorts have seen 600-800 participants each semester, with project teams creating proof-of-concept projects using HTML, eLearning authoring tools, voice-enabled bots, game development engines, website and intranet tools, and more. The capstone xAPI Party conference has been a semi-annual celebration of exploration, experimentation, and success of the xAPI.
At the same time, The Learning Guild has been a platform where those in the industry can gather to connect, share, and collaborate on shaping xAPI into the transformative force it is today. Whether it be the early days of Tin Can Alley, the foundation-building gatherings at xAPI Camp, or the growing number of case studies being shared in conference sessions, The Learning Guild has been a proud host of the conversations that have helped advance xAPI and push our industry forward.
The xAPI Cohort has been a major enabler of xAPI adoption in our industry, and it couldn’t be done without the support of the TorranceLearning team and the many professionals from both internal training departments and the supplier community that have shared their work and insights with the Cohort community. The effort and engine required to fuel this endeavor twice a year is not inconsequential, as enrollment grows and the marketing & production effort grow with it.
Exciting announcement
It’s in this spirit that we’re excited to announce that The Learning Guild is partnering with TorranceLearning in supporting the next evolution of the xAPI Cohort. By combining the industry expertise within the xAPI community with The Guild’s expertise in creating learning experiences and environments that enable connections and community, xAPI Cohort will be able to expand its reach and value even further.
From Megan Torrance:
"The Cohort is a unique community and it has been such a privilege to steward its growth over the last eight years. Our first Cohort had only 35 personally-invited members, some of whom are still active in the community today. In the spring 2022 Cohort, over 800 people have registered, more than half of them are brand new to xAPI Cohort. This community works because of the generosity of its members, as we watch members helping newcomers find their way, connecting people to the technical support that they need, and the free offers and extended trials provided by vendors to Cohort members. And we have made an intentional effort to feature a diverse community in both the Cohort hosts and session presenters every step of the way."
From David Kelly:
"As we often say at The Learning Guild, Together We Are Better, and the xAPI Cohort is a wonderful example of that vision in action. The eLearning community drives the increasing value of xAPI, and together we are advancing our field through increased understanding and adoption of the xAPI specification. We’ve seen the growth of xAPI over the years, from its infancy as an idea to the increasing number of examples of xAPI put into practice that we see today. We have been proud to host spaces over the years that enable the xAPI community to connect and collaborate, and are looking forward to continuing to do that through shepherding the xAPI Cohort. We’ve always been impressed with xAPI Cohort, and it’s a privilege to support it towards its next evolution."
The Guild’s support of xAPI Cohort begins with the fall 2022 Cohort. You can learn all the details about the Cohort, including recordings from previous sessions and how you can join the next Cohort group or the May 6 xAPI Party, by visiting xAPICohort.com.