Step 1. Implementing an OOAPI endpoint

Eduxchange relies on the Open Onderwijs API (OOAPI) standard to function. To enable Eduxchange to operate correctly, your educational institution must have an OOAPI endpoint that adheres to this standard.

Your institution’s OOAPI endpoint will function as a standardized interface that enables Eduxchange to communicate with your systems without needing to comprehend your specific systems.

Eduxchange utilizes OOAPI for the following processes:

1. Retrieving information about educational offerings to display on eduxchange.eu.
2. Enrolling students in educational offerings.
3. Transmitting students’ grades from the host institution back to the home institution.

Implementation Guidelines

• Gradual Implementation: Not all required parts of the API need to be implemented simultaneously.
• Initial Step: Begin by implementing the necessary parts of the OOAPI to showcase educational offerings on Eduxchange.
• Subsequent Enhancements: Later, you can extend your endpoint to include additional features such as enrollment and grade transmission support.
• Go Live: You can only join the production environment after all steps have been completed and all institutions are on the same level.

Eduxchange utilizes a subset of the OOAPI specification. The specific parts that need to be implemented are detailed in the Eduxchange profile.

Steps to Implement the required OOAPI Endpoint

• Some institutions may already have an OOAPI endpoint for other use cases. If so, a significant portion of the work might already be completed.
  • For example, most Dutch institutions already have an OOAPI endpoint that is used to provide data to RIO (DUO).
• Identify the systems where Eduxchange data is stored.
  • Sometimes those systems already have API’s or interfaces that can be used to build you endpoint upon.
  • In other cases such interfaces might not be available, which makes implementing your OOAPI endpoint more challenging.
    • In all cases it is useful to identify the persons who manage your educational systems and contact them.
• Map your data to the OOAPI data model.
  • This step requires that you study the OOAPI standard and Eduxchange profile and compare them to the datamodels of your institutions’ systems.
• Create a REST API that adheres to the OOAPI standard and the Eduxchange profile [LINK] on your system(s).
  • This step will usually involve development work requiring some time of a programmer. Skills required will include REST API, OpenID connect and general knowledge of student information systems
• You can validate your endpoint using our validator.