Tin Can API: The Next Big Thing in eLearning Standardization

S.C.O.R.M—these five little letters have packed a big punch for the community of eLearning developers. SCORM dictates how programmers code to enable the seamless integration of eLearning platforms into established Learning Management Systems (LMS). Now don’t get me wrong, standardization is a good thing as it ensures order and widespread compatibility, but it can also stifle creativity and devour budgets. Enter the Tin Can API, the next generation of eLearning standardization. The API’s simplicity is poised to lift the heavy shackles of SCORM compliance off the ankles of eLearning developers and here’s how:

The Tin Can API offers a sleek and clean solution that greatly reduces development regulation, while at the same time, increasing eLearning platform potential.  

Photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart

In its simplest form, the Tin Can API can be described as a statement consisting of a Leaner, Object, and Result, in a learning context to track an aspect of an educational experience. These statements are then transmitted to a Learning Record Store (LRS) or Learning Management System (LMS) for a complete recording of an associate’s training and educational experience.  No longer must an eLearning platform be pulled into the overbearing arms of an LMS. Thanks to this new standard, technology-based training and learning can stand on their own; they just need to check-in with the parents (LRS/LMS) from time to time.

So what does this mean for the eLearning Community?

1. Device Freedom: Any Internet-enabled device has the potential to send Tin Can API statements. This means a learning experience is no longer restricted to a desktop or laptop after logging into an LMS. A learning experience can now be tracked from a multitude of devices, including a mobile phone, tablet, game, or simulator. Best of all, a network connection does not have to be constant, just occasional.  
2. Broader Experiences: SCORM allowed the world to track events that occurred within an LMS but let’s face it, training and learning experiences happen everywhere. The Tin Can API makes it possible to track and measure these occurrences from attendance at a training event to a user’s performance using a simulator. All it takes is a simple transmission of a statement.
3. Cleaner and Simpler Development: Say goodbye to manifest files and complex SCORM file structures. Forget about technology restrictions and endless specifications. Instead, embed Tin Can statements at pivotal milestones and you’re done.  It’s that clean and that simple.

As Rustici Software so eloquently put it, “Learning is happening everywhere. Collect the experiences that matter.” The Tin Can API makes this possible simply and affordably. Learn how by contacting DDA VMS, a developer of interactive, engaging, and innovative eLearning technologies: 215-355-6442.