As far as I understand it, xAPI is a format for data collected about learning experiences. The reason for the standard is to allow the ease of communication of the types, levels and content of the learning experiences taken.
Having said all that, it is, in effect, a database structure, which you can then export for sharing.
When I read things like
Code:
Learning professionals are abuzz with excitement about the Experience API (xAPI).
I become very skeptical.
Recently I have had to do some work with warehousing and office supplies stock product coding standardization, and as usual, was IMHO just another big organisation trying to dominate the language of the sector. In fact the funny thing about it was that the supplier I was dealing with, that reformatted all it's product data to standardize it according to the new 'product coding standards that warehousing professionals are abuzz with', distorted the coding system to fit with their particular needs. Such that any outsider (such as me) just had to laugh. 'In order to meet these new wonderful standards we have changed all our data but not quite in line the new standards, changing it enough that any benefits of the change are completely lost, because we would not want our data to be easily swapped out with competitor data, because then you might actually start using dual suppliers or even leave us entirely.'.
I am always wary about who is trying to spread a new format, and especially why. The real motives are not always clear or as pure as might be portrayed.
Anyway, the long and short of it is, yes, CI can deal with it.
Sorry to go on,
Paul.
