As industries mature, they develop standard ways of operating. These serve to increase adoption, reduce duplication of effort and to reduce vendor lock-in.
You can categorise standards by their purpose and how they developed:
Purpose
Interoperability
Interoperability standards allow multiple systems to work together without needing custom-built interfaces.
Quality
Quality standards set a bar against which to evaluate organisations and their processes.
Development route
Organic
Organic standards usually happen when an organisation or an individual defines a way of doing something, and talk about it. As more people adopt that approach, conventions gradually becomes more formalised and documented.
Often these types of standards never quite get to the point of "official" ratification. As more people use them, and more organisations expect them to be used, they can become de facto standards.
Formal standards
Formal standards follow a structured development process, usually facilitated by a standards organisation like IEEE, 1EdTech or ISO.
They rely on working groups and committees, with formal processes to draft, receive comments and approve the standards.
Sometimes organic standards will be adopted by a standards organisation, should there be sufficient demand.
List of available standards
For inclusion in the list below, the standard must play some part in a learning technology ecosystem, such as the one illustrated.
The list is organised into the following types:
- Content
- Generic data exchange
- Quality
- Single-sign-on
Use the search to filter for specific words.
| Standard | Also known as | Type | Purpose | Route | Status | Last updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cmi5 | Content | cmi5 bridges LMSs and xAPI content, ensuring reliable course launches and basic completion/score tracking while leveraging xAPI's ability to collect detailed data. | Formal | ADL specification | 2016 | |
| DocBook | Content | DocBook is an XML schema for writing technical documents, designed for easy conversion into different formats like PDF, HTML, or EPUB. | Formal | OASIS Standard | 2016 | |
| LTI | Learning Tools Interoperability | Content | LTI provides a way for users of Learning Management Systems (LMS) or platforms to access remote tools and content. | Formal | IMS Specification (ie. Active standard) | 2019 |
| QTI | Question and Test Interoperability | Content | The Question & Test Interoperability® (QTI®) specification was created to facilitate the exchange and storage of assessment content. | Formal | IMS specification | 2022 |
| SCORM 1.2 | Shareable Content Object Reference Model 1.2 | Content | Allows packages of content to be used in delivery systems, and their usage tracked by the host system. | Formal | ADL specification | 2001 |
| SCORM 2004 | Shareable Content Object Reference Model 2004 | Content | Allows packages of content to be used in delivery systems, and detailed data about their usage tracked by the host system. | Formal | ADL specification | 2006 |
| CSV | Comma Separated Variables | Generic data exchange | CSV files provide a way to transfer simple tabular data between systems, for example between operations and analytics | Organic > formal | Information memo | 2005 |
| JSON | JavaScript Object Notation | Generic data exchange | JSON provide a way to transfer complex, multi-layerd data between systems. | Formal | Active standard | 2017 |
| Markdown | Generic data exchange | Markdown provides a way to create simply formatted documents just using a text editor. | Organic | Widely used convention | 2025 | |
| xAPI | eXperience API | Generic data exchange | xAPI captures the data describing diverse learning experiences, enabling detailed tracking beyond traditional courses. | Formal | Active standard | 2023 |
| XML | eXtensible Markup Language | Generic data exchange | XML files provide a way to transfer complex, related data between systems. | Formal | W3C recommendation (ie. Active standard) | 2008 |
| ISO 17024 | General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons | Quality | ISO 17024 is an international standard for organizations that certify individuals' competence. It ensures certifications are fair and reliable. | Formal | Active standard | 2012 |
| ISO 27001 | Information security, cybersecurity and privacy protection — Information security management systems | Quality | ISO 27001 helps organizations manage information security risks systematically, protecting sensitive data through a comprehensive framework. | Formal | Active standard | 2022 |
| OpenID Connect | OIDC | Single-sign-on | OpenID Connect provides a way to verify a user's identity | Formal | Active standard | 2023 |
| Oauth 2 | Open Authorization | Single-sign-on | OAuth 2.0 is a security framework that lets you give a third-party app access to your information on another website without sharing your password. | Formal | Active standard | 2012 |
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