The mammoth investments in the online learning industry and an expected worth of $325 billion by 2025 prove that e-learning is on the rise. The Covid-19 pandemic has boosted its momentum. The education centers are either partially or entirely adopting remote classrooms through digital learning apps.
Therefore, many Ed-Tech startups are trying to fill this gap and provide quality solutions to educators and students. As a result, ed-tech entrepreneurs must ensure that they provide ready-to-use solutions, whether building a new EdTech app or adding features to current learning applications.
Most ed-tech startups don’t know which features to include while creating an application for users. So, here’s a list of essential features of EdTech apps that you should consider.
Essential Features of EdTech
We shall review the best ed-tech features you should incorporate into your apps. These are mentioned below:
Assignments & Assessments
Evaluation and assessment through quizzes, tests, and exams are vital parts of education. It enables educators and students to be conscious of their progress and gaps in knowledge and recognize areas where they need improvement.
Quizzes, tests, and assignments are a must-have feature for successful educational software. There can be various formats, such as fill-in-the-blanks, essays, multiple-choice questions, time-sensitive tests, etc.
Learners always look for sample quizzes, tests, and question papers to practice for exams. Thus, your e-learning platform must offer learning materials for exam preparations. Moreover, self-assessment methods boost students’ confidence to ace real-world competitive examinations.
Live Classes
Ed-Tech platforms include live classes and recorded lectures. However, since 2021, the pandemic has shown that recorded lessons are insufficient to complete the learning process. The most crucial requirements are real-time classes where students and teachers can communicate and collaborate.
Live classes may incorporate the following features;
- Digital Whiteboard/Blackboard; an interactive whiteboard that aids instructors and learners in presenting ideas better.
- Instant Messaging; a real-time chat window where learners and educators can communicate.
- Class recording; enables instructors, parents, and students to review classes and rewatch lectures to understand complex concepts.
- Other features may include attendance marking, two-way interaction through screen sharing, raising hands, etc.
Privacy & Security
At the beginning of the pandemic in-person classes were suspended, forcing the education sector to move to an online learning environment. This sudden shift resulted in compromised security systems of online platforms, making the data prone to hacking attacks. It raised concerns about the decision to switch to online learning platforms.
Hence, the complete security features development will assist educational startups in winning the trust of students and other stakeholders while protecting vital enterprises’ teaching documents.
Collaboration
When online platforms enable collaboration among students, they let learners contribute to the lessons and enhance the overall learning experience. However, since the digital transformation from conventional classrooms to educational technology software has happened, it has disrupted the interaction between students and instructors; therefore, a collaborative mode feature can solve this problem and be the answer for your ed-tech startup.
Companies can build a collaborative mode feature in many ways. For example, let instructors divide learners in class into small groups, assigning them gamified assignments that can only be solved by the collaborative effort of more than one student, etc.
Mock Tests
Any online learning platform must build test features to evaluate students’ level of knowledge and understanding. For example, in the case of IELTS masters for IELTS training, they took it seriously to upload and store IELTS test papers. Additionally, they combined a feature that enables learners to take tests and fill in the answers directly on the app, keeping students’ results for later use.
Some training and learning institutions have raised concerns about cheating in a digital environment. But thanks to the technological development in the educational environment in recent years, some businesses have been able to develop features like the detection of electronic devices, human sounds in the background, multiple people in the learner area, live proctoring, review and record proctoring, etc. Thus, these features aid stakeholders in overcoming the challenges inherent in online testing.
Integration with LMS & SIS
An ed-tech software should likely be built on the entire education technology tech stack, including Student Information System (SIS) and Learning Management System (LMS).
LMS and SIS appear in most educational institutions. Therefore your ed-tech product should integrate with SIS and LMS systems.
Gamification
To make your online learning application attractive, gamification is one of the best features. Hence, to gamify an ed-tech application, it is crucial to integrate components such as performance charts, badges, levels, points, scoreboards, dynamic analytics dashboards, etc.
Gamification is attractive to learners because it creates motivation, encourages healthy competition among them, and gives a sense of fulfillment every time a student achieves something.
For instance, raising the user’s level or giving them a reward or a badge will encourage them to overcome the next challenge. Moreover, edtech gamification improves the interaction of users with the app and between each other.
Individualized Learning
One of the significant downsides of traditional forms of learning is that they have the same lesson plan for all students in a classroom. It is unproductive and ill-suited. E-learning apps can enhance the learning experience to provide optimum results by tending to the individual preferences and needs of the students.
Incorporating features like surveys and feedback in ed-tech app development, startups can monitor and assess user needs and learning patterns to provide custom content that resonates well with their preferences.
AI & AR
In recent years, the strong growth of AI technology has made it a powerful tool for any ed-tech startup application. As an example of AI that can be used in an ed-tech app, instructors can construct a knowledge base that is linked to your in-app messaging platform.
Learners and parents can send questions using the app; hence, the AI will respond with pertinent information or connect them directly with educators. Not only will it save time for learners and teachers, but it will also enhance the interaction between them.
In addition, the ed-tech apps will become more engaging for students when combined with augmented reality (AR). Even for younger learners who have limited attention spans or are studying subjects that have lower engagement rates, AR keeps them hooked to the learning process. Combining the benefits of AI and AR technology, learners can now aim their cameras at a plant, and visual information about it will pop up. They can even see the plant’s growth in front of their eyes.
Monetizing Options
Monetizing your online learning app might be challenging. There are several possibilities, such as annual membership, pay-per-user subscription plan, download price, etc. However, you must convince your potential customers to pay for your ed-tech application before thinking about monetizing it.
One of the best strategies is to put a barrier to some functionality. Offer premium course authors permission to download or adjust user interaction reports. It will be directed at independent instructors, trainers, and freelancers who want to enhance client engagement and user experience (UX).
Final Thoughts!
With endless advantages like remote learning, personalized learning, and gamification, ed-tech apps are being preferred by educators and learners alike. These learning platforms can improve the learning experience by making it simpler, captivating, and accessible for everyone.
Constructing an app for AI in education is a significant responsibility, and delivering the most effective and best methods and features should be the priority. Hence, by implementing these top 10 features of the EdTech app, you can create an unmatchable learning experience for users.
