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xAPI Learning Record Store Test Suite and Adopter Registry Released

April 06, 2017

This week, the ADL Initiative announces the public release of the Experience Application Programming Interface (xAPI) Learning Record Store (LRS) Test Suite and associated Adopter Registry.

LRS Test Suite

An LRS is a server (i.e. system capable of receiving and processing web requests) responsible for receiving, storing, and providing access to xAPI-based data. The xAPI specification defines detailed requirements for LRSs, and strict adherence to these is necessary for interoperability and the effective implementation of xAPI.

The Test Suite evaluates whether an LRS correctly implements the mandatory xAPI server-side requirements by automating HTTP requests to an LRS and evaluating its responses. The Test Suite evaluates over 1300 LRS testing requirements, which were derived from the xAPI specification as well as community input from the Policies and Procedures for Conformance Testing Group.

At the end of a successful test, the Test Suite creates an authoritative certificate verifying conformance. This allows organizations that are developing or acquiring an LRS to ensure it fully adheres to the xAPI specification, which aids developers, DoD and Federal agencies, and the broader community as they seek to implement xAPI-conformant systems.

The ADL Initiative published the LRS Test Suite candidate release in November 2016. Through March 2017, LRS developers were able to provide feedback on its accuracy, general usability, and stability. This feedback enabled the ADL Initiative to refine system, ultimately resulting in this month’s official Test Suite release.

What does this mean for Learning Record Providers and Learning Record Consumers?

An LRS is responsible for returning valid and consistent error codes and messages to Learning Record Consumers (LRCs) and Learning Record Providers (LRPs), sometimes known as “content” or “activities.” As a result, when an LRS passes the LRS Test Suite, it can then be trusted to provide appropriate error messages to other learning components. Essentially, a conformant LRS can also be used to evaluate whether content, tools, and other systems implement the client-side requirements of the xAPI specification correctly.

What does this mean for xAPI Profiles?

The LRS Test Suite verifies xAPI capabilities against the xAPI base specification, which doesn’t include profiles. To support testing of xAPI Profiles, the ADL Initiative expects to provide updated guidance and tools in the future. In the meantime, join the ADL Initiative’s profile research community.

Testing your LRS is easy! Create an account on the LRS Test Suite and follow the instructions to add your product and set up a test configuration. Then click “TEST.” Get started with the LRS Test Suite by creating an account and testing your LRS today!

xAPI Adopter Registry

The xAPI Adopter Registry is a listing of organizations that use xAPI. Any organization implementing xAPI, building xAPI into their content and tools, or providing xAPI services may sign up as an adopter.

If you’re an adopter and have successfully demonstrated LRS conformance via the LRS Test Suite described above, you can upload your conformance certificate to the Adopter Registry. Although any organization can self-assert that they are an adopter, only those LRS products that have passed the LRS Test Suite can be officially listed as xAPI-conformant LRSs.

To those organizations listed on the ADL Initiative’s current xAPI Adopter site, you will need to sign up again on the new site to maintain your listing. To sign up as an adopter, create an account on the Adopter Registry today!

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