Collaborative eLearning: It’s the Developers’ Turn

Calling all eLearning developers.

Collaborative eLearning is no longer something you develop onlyfor other learners. It’s your turn to master some new skills, dig intothis newfangled thing called xAPI, and create a project—together with peoplefrom all over the map.

Twice a year, TorranceLearning launches a free 12-week online learning cohort. Some attendees arenewbies; many are too shy to participate in any way other than lurking andasking the occasional question. Others are old hands who’ve participated inprevious cohorts and who are generous with their time and knowledge. The nextcohort kicks off on August 31.

“The xAPI learning cohort is a mix of people who are new toxAPI and just learning, as well as people who’ve been doing this for years andfind the structure of the group and the space it provides is just what theyneed to keep experimenting and learning,” said Megan Torrance, chief energyofficer at TorranceLearning. “Many people come to the cohort as a lone personin their organization; they’re moving ahead of their organization’s readinessfor xAPI. Here they find eager collaborators to get something started and havea demo project they can take back to their organizations as a proof of concept.In other cases, intact teams have come to the cohort to provide structure andsupport around their project.”

The benefits of cohort learning are many. “Cohort learningbrings human connection back into a learning environment that has becomeincreasingly disconnected due to technology, a global workforce, and increasingworkplace demands,” said Rich Reitter, instructional design manager at HDR, inan email conversation. “Our cohort learning groups allow for a self-sustaininglearning environment where cohorts share information, provide support, resolveissues, and challenge each other without the need for continuous externalmotivation.”

The entire xAPI cohort meets once a week for a one-hourvirtual classroom session using Adobe Connect. The early weeks offer anoutstanding introduction to xAPI; later classes feature guest speakers and demosof team projects. Each weekly meeting includes introductions to and demos oftools and techniques and lots of conversation, including problem-solving andexploration with colleagues of ways to use xAPI to improve eLearning. Attendeesare invited to join one (or more!) teams and create xAPI projects.

A project from the spring 2017 cohort won the Best in Show(non-vendor) prize at FocusOn Learning 2017 DemoFest. Called the “Meta”project, the prizewinner was an interactive xAPI eBook about creatinginteractive xAPI eBooks. Team members explored ways to integrate xAPI witheBooks so that managers could get data on when learners opened the eBooks,viewed videos or specific content, followed links, and more. Sarah Gilbert, of meLearning Solutions, hadparticipated in a previous cohort. “This year, I had a specific project that Iwanted to work on with a team. The biggest benefit was the communityparticipation,” she said. “In a short period, we were able to successfullydevelop and test the project, report statements, and I have been able to applywhat I learned to other projects that I’ve implemented since then.” Watch the Best of FocusOn Learning DemoFest Webinar to learn more. (Editor’s note: You must join The eLearning Guild to access therecording—but membership is FREE!)

Other team projects in the spring 2017 cohort included:

• Exploring statements that various authoringtools send to an LRS
• Creating a course that sent xAPI statements froma SCORM course and a Kaltura video using the Video Profile for xAPI
• Analyzing the data from the Cohort’s own Slackteam (because, of course, the xAPI cohort sent xAPI statements about its ownefforts!)
• Creating a budgeting game that tracks playerdecisions using xAPI

A long-term project continued from earlier cohorts isbuilding a tool to provide alternate visualizations of xAPI data. Past cohortshave created an onboarding checklist that uses connected devices, a game thattracks user clicks as a way to identify UX gaps, and exploration of LMS/LRS interoperability, according to the learning cohort website.Each cohort features some projects that are in progress from previous cohortsas well as the opportunity to launch new projects.

Once teams form, members connect via Slack channels, set uptheir own meetings and discussions, and divide up tasks. During the weeklycohort meetings, teams provide updates on their progress—and demos.

Finally, at the end of the 12-week session, participants areinvited to a daylong gathering, an “xAPI Party,” at TorranceLearning in Chelsea,Michigan, to meet, celebrate—and learn more about xAPI. “The ‘Party’ isactually a free one-day conference,” Torrance said. “About a third of theconcurrent sessions at the party are demos of cohort projects. The rest arehow-to, what’s-next, and case study and tools demo sessions. And we always havea ‘maker space’ project, too, so we build something in a day and demo it foreveryone at the end.”

The learning cohort is free, and anyone who is interested inlearning about xAPI is welcome. No experience is necessary. Registration isopen for the fall 2017 cohort, which starts on August 31.

The long-term goals, according to Torrance, are to getpeople to use xAPI and “drive adoption in the industry.” The benefits arenumerous: Network with fellow developers all over the world who are interestedin xAPI-powered eLearning. Hone your xAPI skills. Create a cool project withnew friends. The drawbacks? There really aren’t any. It’s free, fun, creative,and challenging.

Curious about cohorts?

Join us at DevLearn 2017 Conference & Expo, where Rich Reitter is presenting a session oncohort learning, “The Power of Many: A Cohort Learning Model,” and where you can participate in apre-conference xAPI Camp—and dozens of other sessions and workshops. DevLearn is October 25 – 27in Las Vegas, Nevada. Register now!