SPLICE Working Group: Smart Learning Content Protocols

Leaders: Cay Horstmann, Steve Edwards, Cliff Shaffer

Rationale Standard learning system APIs such as LTI are complex and often incorporate server-side components. Too often systems that integrate smart learning content use proprietary APIs that restrict interoperability. This proposal aims to enable learning systems to make use of compliant smart content by lowering the cost of entry through simple minimalistic APIs. The purpose of this working group is to formulate an API that allows smart learning content authors to signal user activity, and learning system implemebters to record it. Learning system implementors can also choose to offer a state restoration service to the smart learning content. Specifically, we aim to standardize two parts:

A JavaScript API that the smart content implementor invokes for communicating with learning systems
The postMessage protocol that is used when the content is embedded in an iframe

We provide a reference implementation for a client library that turns the JavaScript API into the message protocol. We also provide a reference server implementation that produces an LTI launch, embedding an arbitrary web page as an iframe and bridging the message protocol to LTI. With this server, pages containing smart learning content can be included in standard learning management systems such as Canvas.

Draft proposal working document: Google Doc

Draft Implementation: Document

Get in Contact: Google Group