Dual Analysis of Literature and Existing Tools for Establishment of Acceptable xAPI Profile for Collaborative Learning

Abstract

The growing use of digital tools in collaborative learning necessitates standardized methods for analyzing learner interactions. While xAPI offers a flexible syntax for logging learning activities, a common vocabulary for collaborative learning is lacking. This hinders cross-platform data integration and analysis. This study investigates the feasibility of applying existing xAPI vocabularies to describe and analyze collaborative learning logs. We conducted a dual analysis: a literature review of 72 Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) studies to identify theoretically important interactions, and an empirical analysis of interaction logs from widely used educational tools in Japanese K-12 settings to identify common real-world actions. Our findings reveal a significant gap between the higher-order interactions studied in research (e.g., assessing, tracking) and the more fundamental actions logged by tools (e.g., editing, submitting). This suggests that while existing vocabularies can cover a majority of current tool-based logs, they fall short of capturing the full complexity of collaborative processes. This study clarifies the current state and challenges of standardizing collaborative learning data, proposing that establishing a baseline for fundamental action logging is a crucial first step toward more advanced, cross-platform learning analytics.