A Learning Record Store (LRS) stores learning records, allows reporting against the records, and allows for exporting of raw learning data. LRSs are a new type of storage system that allow the Experience API (xAPI) to offer a lot of new capabilities, but LRSs don’t replace LMSs. LRSs are more likely to be components of LMSs.
What can an LMS do that an LRS can’t?
- Track compliance requirements
- Competency management
- Talent management
- Manage users, roles, instructors, facilities
- Enrollment approval workflow
- e-Commerce for course enrollments
- Skill gap analysis
- Manage prerequisites and equivalencies
- Chat rooms
- Forums where learners can collaborate
- Dropbox section where admins can leave files for learners (PDF, Word doc, syllabus, etc.)
- Email integration (beyond invites)
- Announcements from admins to learners
- The ability for learners to check their grades
- Calendar integration
- Proprietary social networks inside the LMS
- Class roster available to learners
- Integrated wiki
- Video conferencing
- RSS notification integration
- Podcasting
- Google maps integration (see where other learners are)
- News feed / updates
- Extensive personal profiles for learners
- Roster (view course takers profiles/photos)
- Site analytics (aside from course metrics tied to users)
- … and many more things
How can I get an LRS?
Our products already support the Experience API. SCORM Cloud now contains a free, hosted LRS that accepts xAPI statements. Rustici LRS is an integratable, ADL-conformant learning record store designed to receive, store and return xAPI statements.