As someone who spends way too much time thinking about learning data, I’ve come to believe that feedback is one of the most underrated signals in education. It tells us what worked, what didn’t, and how people feel about their learning experience — yet it’s often trapped inside isolated platforms or locked away in unstructured formats.
That’s part of the reason I recently created the Feedback Interaction Profile — a simple xAPI Profile designed to make ratings and comments portable across tools, systems, and learning environments.
In this post, I’ll show how this profile can play a foundational role in decentralised learning — especially when you start thinking beyond the LMS.
What Is the Feedback Interaction Profile?
At its core, this profile gives us a consistent way to capture two key types of feedback:
- Star ratings (on a scale from 1 to 5)
- Written comments (free-form learner feedback)
That’s it. It’s deliberately minimal so it can be easily implemented and adapted across different contexts.
Here’s why that matters: instead of building custom data formats for each tool or vendor, we now have a shared structure that can be used in Storyline, mobile apps, video platforms, and even handwritten comment capture tools.
Why Feedback Matters in Decentralised Learning
In traditional LMS-driven environments, all feedback lives inside a single system. But when learning is decentralised — and let’s face it, that’s where we’re headed — learners engage with content, coaching, peers, and platforms that don’t all speak the same language.
The Feedback Interaction Profile helps bridge that gap.
With it, we can:
- Capture structured feedback from multiple tools in a standardised way.
- Push that data into an LRS where it becomes queryable, reportable, and actionable.
- Analyse learner sentiment over time, across tools and experiences — not just within a single course.
Example: What Feedback Looks Like in a Decentralised Learning Flow
Let’s say you’re running a skills-based training program delivered across multiple learning environments:
- Self-paced content in Moodle, using Storyline or H5P modules
- Live coaching or mentoring sessions supported by a mobile feedback form
- Peer-reviewed assessments captured in a custom tool or spreadsheet
Right now, these systems likely use their own ways to capture and store feedback — if they capture it at all. That makes it hard to get a full picture of the learner experience.
This is where the Feedback Interaction Profile steps in. By providing a consistent way to structure both star ratings and written feedback, it enables each part of the ecosystem to speak the same language, even if the tools are completely different.
- Your Moodle modules can capture learner feedback at key moments — like after a quiz or video.
- A coaching form used on mobile can send comments and session feedback using the same structure.
- And while Remote Reviewer doesn’t currently output feedback using this profile, it’s exactly the kind of capability we’re designing for.
Instead of feedback being fragmented across tools, it’s collected in a central Learning Record Store (LRS). You can search it, filter it, and even run AI-driven analysis on learner sentiment — no matter where or how the feedback was given.
Why This Matters for Learning Designers and Providers
If you’re a learning designer, a coach, or a training provider, this profile helps you:
- Standardise how feedback is collected across different learning experiences.
- Track trends in learner sentiment, satisfaction, and friction points.
- Act on feedback faster — whether it’s from a peer, a coach, or the learner themselves.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel for every system. Just align to the profile, and let xAPI do the heavy lifting.
A Small Step Towards Total Learning Architecture
This profile isn’t a silver bullet — but it is a brick in the wall. A reusable, lightweight piece of infrastructure that helps feedback move with the learner instead of being stuck in the platform.
It fits beautifully into a Total Learning Architecture approach, where data flows freely, learners aren’t constrained by silos, and systems are designed to work together rather than compete for control.
Ready to Explore?
✅ Check out the profile here: Feedback Interaction Profile on ADL
✅ Want to implement or discuss decentralised learning? Feel free to reach out
✅ Using Remote Reviewer? Stay tuned — profile support is on the way.
If you’re building decentralised learning or thinking about how to better capture meaningful feedback across your ecosystem, I’d love to chat. Because at the end of the day, feedback should follow the learner — not the system.
Article written in collaboration with AI