Analytics Tools

There are two large collaborative projects in the LMS world that hold great promise for collecting more robust learning data that can help power learning analytics.

1. Tin Can API  by ADL (the creators of SCORM) & Rustici Software

Description
Tin Can captures learning experiences in RDF triples (with domain-specific vocabularies) that constitute independent learning record stores (LRSs) that can be read and written to by any number of applications.

Opportunities in Learning Analytic Solutions
LRSs can share data independently with learning apps and tools for reporting and analytics.

Weaknesses/Concerns/ Comments
Creating broadly-accepted domain-specific ontologies and getting buy-in from developers and practitioners are enormous challenges.  

2. Caliper by IMS Global (the creators of the LTI standard)

Description
Very similiar to Tin Can, but is still not in active production.

Opportunities in Learning Analytic Solutions
Promises measurement of learning activity and its performance at a very granular level.

Weaknesses/Concerns/ Comments
The concept is strong, but there has been little published progress in the past 12 months.