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xAPI (Tin Can API)

Also known as: Experience API, Tin Can API, xAPI

xAPI (Experience API, originally Tin Can) is a learning-data specification from Advanced Distributed Learning that lets any system record "actor — verb — object" statements about learning activities into a Learning Record Store (LRS).

xAPI was published by ADL in 2013 as the successor to SCORM. Instead of being limited to LMS-hosted content, xAPI captures granular activity statements (e.g. {actor: "Anu", verb: "completed", object: "Lab 4: SQL Injection"}) from any source — mobile apps, virtual labs, simulators, even physical training — into a Learning Record Store (LRS).

Why xAPI matters for universities

Engineering programmes increasingly run hands-on lab work outside the LMS — coding sandboxes, virtual machines, cyber ranges. xAPI is the standard that lets those activities count toward grades, badges, and compliance reports without forcing learners to do everything inside an LMS course shell.

Related terms

SCORM

SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is a set of technical standards from Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) that defines how e-learning content packages communicate with an LMS — launching lessons, tracking completion, and exchanging scores.

Cyber Lab (Cyber Range)

A cyber lab (or cyber range) is an isolated, on-demand environment of virtual machines and networks where learners practise offensive and defensive security techniques without risk to production systems.

Learning Management System (LMS)

A learning management system (LMS) is software that delivers, tracks, and reports on learning activities — courses, assessments, certificates, and learner progress — for a defined audience such as a university, training institute, or enterprise.

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