Prior to the integration of its learning information sites into the common learning portal (CLP), the National Park Service (NPS) had over 25 different sites for its various learning programs. This made finding learning information complex for its workforce of over 20,000 employees. Navigation required knowledge of the URLs at various sites and each site had different navigation tools and varied widely in appearance. In addition, social learning opportunities in the form of communities were scattered among various commercial sites.

You’re excited about the promise of the xAPI-enabled world, but you’ve still got a learning management system (LMS) and a host of SCORM-based courses that you need. But what if you could get the most out of both a LMS and a learning record store (LRS) at the same time?

Do you feel stuck in a rut because of outdated learning methods and the limitations imposed on you by your learning management system? You’re not alone. Today’s learning methods and technologies are not adapting quickly enough to keep up with the evolving needs of organizations and the entry of millennials into the mainstream workforce. Though there are many stand-alone technologies available, it can be challenging to know how to organize the various tools under one over-arching learning strategy.

The current learning environment is massively disruptive, with new learning technologies appearing daily. Focus has shifted from content to experience, and learning strategies now call for a new emphasis on informal learning, collaboration, and user-generated and curated content. Throw into the mix a wide variety of devices and approaches like gamification, and organizational learning has become a very confusing and complicated state.

Training events often fall short of delivering results in the workplace. Training can be too far removed from application on the job, and in many cases there is a reliance on outmoded models that fail to take into account the dynamic environment of the modern workplace. The demand for information and action is accelerating. This paradigm requires a different approach to supporting performance and development, including real-time access to people, process, tools, and content, linked to the unique needs of the individual.

The Experience API and emerging technologies afford organizations the opportunity to create adaptive learning ecosystems of functionality to support learners. Designing learning ecosystems and adaptive systems requires a shift in design approaches. While the Experience API can provide common tracking similar to SCORM for a learning management system, it really extends the ability to collect data with value between systems. This intersystem data value, combined with new design approaches, unlocks a number of use cases.

Choosing an LMS can be wrought with peril. There are many decisions that go into selecting the system that provides the best fit for your company, and there seem to be no end of things waiting to trip you up on your path to your new system. But if you know what to look for, you can avoid the hazards!

Your learning ecosystem already exists in the resources scattered across your intranet and beyond, but your learners don’t know how to find them. When they are able to access this wealth of information, they are often overwhelmed, leaving the resources underutilized and the employees frustrated and still unable to meet their performance improvement needs. Many organizations have platforms such as an LMS and the content that they want to highlight, but they lack middleware and associated processes to connect the dots.

With the advent of the xAPI, a new learning technology product has come into being: the learning record store (LRS). It is a requirement for using the xAPI to track learner behavior, serving as a repository for data generated by the xAPI statements. Stakeholders need to know the basics of how LRSs work and the range of features available in them in order to make intelligent acquisition, ecosystem design, and implementation decisions. In order to use the xAPI, you must have an LRS.