Over the years, I’ve worked with a number of organisations trying to figure out their learning ecosystems. And one thing I constantly see is everything is in an LMS. Whilst this isn’t a bad thing, it’s also not necessarily the best option these days.
With technology today, the future of learning is decentralised. Thanks to a combination of xAPI and the Total Learning Architecture (TLA), we can connect all the learning experiences that happen outside the LMS.
The Problem With Centralised Learning
Most traditional LMSs are walled gardens. If learning or assessment doesn’t happen inside the LMS, it’s often invisible to the L&D team. Watch a YouTube tutorial? No record. Try out a workplace simulation? Listen to a podcast? All might as well not exist.
What Is the Total Learning Architecture (TLA)?
TLA is a framework built by the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative to solve this exact problem. It’s designed to help learning systems connect, share data, and build a richer, more complete view of the learner.
The best way that I have found to understand how the TLA works is to think of TLA like a bicycle wheel.
At the centre, you’ve got your hub—the Learning Record Store (LRS)—and each spoke reaches out to a different tool or platform: the LMS, a video platform, a VR headset, a mobile app, a podcast, a chatbot on Teams, anything that can be a Learning (or assessment) Provider.
All those spokes are connected back to the LRS.
The LRS is the heart of the wheel—it collects, stores, and links together all the learning data, no matter where it comes from.
And the beauty of it all? xAPI is what makes the wheel spin.
How xAPI Makes This All Work
xAPI (Experience API) is an open data standard that tracks learning wherever it happens—not just in the LMS.
The magic of xAPI is that it’s built around a simple statement structure:
“Someone did something.”
You watched a video? You completed a VR scenario? You answered a question in a chatbot or browsed a learning site?
xAPI captures that. Every activity becomes a data point, a breadcrumb on the learner’s journey.
All of those xAPI statements get sent to the LRS, which acts like the data hub of your bicycle wheel, feeding into analytics tools, AI models, or even adaptive learning engines.
Why This Decentralised Model Matters
By decentralising learning, you stop relying on a single system to tell the whole story. You start to see a multi-dimensional view of how, where, and when learning happens.
And that leads to some serious benefits:
– No more blind spots. You’re not limited to LMS interactions anymore.
– Personalisation at scale. Tailor learning experiences based on real learner behaviour.
– Better design decisions. Use actual data to improve content and strategy.
– Future-ready learning. Plug in new tools and platforms as your ecosystem evolves.
Let’s Start Thinking Outside the LMS
TLA and xAPI aren’t just buzzwords—they’re the foundation of a smarter, more connected learning ecosystem. They help you track learning wherever it happens—whether that’s video, VR, mobile, or in the flow of work.
Learning doesn’t live in just one place anymore. And neither should your data.
Written in collaboration with ChatGPT