Overview
ISO/IEC TS 20748-3:2020 - "Information technology for learning, education and training - Learning analytics interoperability - Part 3: Guidelines for data interoperability" provides practical guidelines for mapping and exchanging learning analytics data across heterogeneous systems. Using xAPI and IMS Caliper as reference specifications, the technical specification explains data APIs for learning, education and training (LET) and presents both syntactic and semantic mappings to support interoperable learning analytics.
Key topics
- Scope and purpose: Guidelines for mapping between different learning analytics data representations to enable reliable data sharing and reuse.
- Reference APIs: Introductions to Experience API (xAPI) and IMS Caliper, including their roles in capturing activity streams, events, metrics and context for learner interactions.
- Comparison and profiles: Summary and detailed comparison of xAPI vs. IMS Caliper, and guidance on using customized profiles for each specification.
- Mapping rules: Practical rules and a design guide for creating mappings between data models, covering syntactic (format/structure) and semantic (meaning/ontology) interoperability.
- Data flows and preparation: Guidance on understanding data flows, data collection processes, data sources, and preparation steps for interoperability.
- Use cases and practices: Collected examples illustrating typical transition points, challenges and solutions when integrating heterogeneous learning data.
- Annex and bibliography: Informative annex with use cases and references to further LET standards and resources.
Applications
ISO/IEC TS 20748-3:2020 is targeted at real-world learning analytics implementations:
- Integrating activity data from LMS, VLE, mobile apps and simulations into centralized analytics platforms or Learning Record Stores (LRS).
- Enabling cross-platform dashboards and visualizations that combine xAPI and Caliper-derived datasets.
- Supporting adaptive learning, personalized learning environments (PLEs) and institutional analytics by standardizing data exchange.
- Assisting data engineers and architects in mapping legacy or non-profiled data to modern learning analytics APIs.
Who should use this standard
- EdTech developers and API designers implementing xAPI or IMS Caliper support.
- Learning Record Store (LRS) and analytics platform vendors.
- Institutional IT teams (LMS administrators, data engineers) and CIOs planning interoperability strategies.
- Researchers, instructional designers and policy makers working on learning analytics, privacy-aware data sharing and evidence-based teaching.
Related keywords
ISO/IEC TS 20748-3:2020, learning analytics interoperability, xAPI, IMS Caliper, data interoperability, LET, mapping rules, syntactic mapping, semantic mapping, Learning Record Store, data flows, learning analytics API.