Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Caliper Analytics Specification Set for Release

The Caliper Analytics interoperability specification from the IMS Global Learning Consortium has achieved "candidate final release" status.

Caliper Analytics is a new standard that aims to reduce the cost of collecting analytics data from digital educational tools and to simplify the process of presenting that data consistently, according to information from IMS Global. The specification includes a Sensor API (application programming interface) to enable the collection of analytics data and Metric Profiles to establish a common format for presenting that data.

The Caliper Sensor API and Metric Profiles have been tested across a wide range of products over the past 18 months, and they are now operational "in several well-known educational products," according to IMS Global. The Caliper workgroup is led by D2L, Elsevier, Intellify Learning, Learning Objects, McGraw-Hill Education, Penn State University and the University of Michigan.

"The release of IMS Caliper removes a significant barrier to collectively assessing learner activity outside the learning management system (LMS)," said John T. Harwood, associate vice provost for Information Technology at Penn State, in a prepared statement. "Penn State and other institutions recognized the need to have a holistic view of learning to enable student success in achieving academic pursuits.".

IMS Global has established a new developer community for IMS affiliate members and contributing members to "support developers of applications, digital resources, learning platforms and learning event stores, as well as facilitated special interest groups," according to IMS Global.

Resources available through the Caliper Analytics developer community include:

  • Getting Started Guide;
  • Implementation Guide with sample code;
  • Sensor API code in six programming languages;
  • Conformance certification test harness; and
  • Community technical forums.

IMS Global has also established the Caliper RAM (Real-time Analytics Messaging) workgroup, which is "led by universities that are applying Caliper to implement real-time, actionable messaging alerts," according to IMS Global. The Caliper RAM workgroup is co-chaired by University of Kentucky, University of California Berkeley and University of Texas at Austin.

Further information about Caliper Analytics can be found on the IMS Global site.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • In Data Center Office Male IT Analyst Watches Screens Fill With Virus and Malware Warnings

    Global Ransomware Attacks Rise 23% in Q3

    Global ransomware activity increased 23% in the third quarter of 2026, with organizations in North America and Europe accounting for the largest proportion of attacks, according to cybersecurity firm NCC Group.

  • closeup of hands using smart phone

    Learning Continuity Built into the LMS Withstands Cloud or Cybersecurity Interruptions

    When your institution's administrative or instructional capabilities face disruption from natural, technical, or malicious events, what measures does your LMS offer to provide a "business as usual" operating and learning environment? Instructure's Ryan Lufkin comments on the LMS and learning continuity.

  • A computer screen shows a phishing email warning message in a modern office

    AI Platform Behind 12,000 E-mail Breaches Shut Down

    Microsoft has disrupted EvilTokens, a cybercrime service that used AI to help attackers break into e-mail accounts, study their victims, and build convincing financial scams.

  • A glowing digital brain with neural connections and light trails

    AI Giants Warn It May Be Time to Slow Down

    For years, leaders in the artificial intelligence industry have warned that increasingly capable AI systems could eventually become dangerous, all the while continuing to race to build them. Now, their sentiments have changed.