Overview
The education industry experienced massive changes during the course of its history. The advancements of the Internet, more powerful devices of each individual user, and the COVID-19 outbreak are the three major factors that changed education more than ever.
According to Think Impact, in 2020, during the peak of COVID-19, 98% of universities moved classes online, and in 2021? 75% of schools planned to do the same. No wonder, Tech Jury projects that the online learning market is projected to grow up to $325 Billion in 2025!
There are some roadblocks to the popularization of online learning, and here they are, according to Research.com:
However, over time we can expect that these percentages will decrease as the technology and necessary devices are becoming cheaper and more and more educational institutions can afford them. For businesses that want to enter this industry, there is a massive opportunity to create an online learning platform that will find its niche and change the world for the better.
How to create an online learning platform? What approaches are the most efficient in this process? What steps do you need to take in order to succeed? We will discuss these aspects and many more in the article below!
“Online learning is not the next big thing, it is the now big thing.”
— Donna J. Abernathy
Virtual learning platform development: The Benefits
The first question we need to get out of the way is why to get into e-learning platform development in the first place and find developers with necessary expertise and experience in the first place? Here are some key advantages:
- You will not be limited by any geographical location. You will be able to find your students all over the globe, so the target audience for your educational services will be massive no matter where you are
- Your students will be able to learn at their own pace and go back to the lectures and lessons they already watched, which makes the learning process more convenient
- According to numerous pieces of research, online learning helps students to save over 50% of the time, compared to traditional classrooms
- IBM claims that studying online, the student can learn five times more information compared to traditional studying, which is another proof of the effectiveness of this approach
- Speaking of engagement, which is always tough for any form of education, e-learning is able to achieve over 50% of retention rates compared to 10% with traditional learning
So, what you need to do to get those benefits? Let’s discuss how you can build your platform!
How to create an online learning platform
Conduct rigorous research
First thing to do is to study your niche and make an analysis of similar solutions. What if the solution to the problem you want to solve already exists and your efforts won’t be appreciated by the market?
Let’s look at some top existing solutions to give you an idea for your own e-learning platform design!
Coursera
A number of available courses: 3,000+
Price range: $9.99-$2,000 (from monthly to complete course payments)
Certificates: Yes
Accreditation: Yes
This is one of the most popular platforms that have partnerships with 200+ universities. It has accredited certificates that are recognized by employers, and very detailed courses including over 1000 high-quality free courses, multilingual classes, and a greatly designed website that is easy to use. However, the platform gets criticized for strict deadlines for some courses, additional applications for some degree programs, and no certification for free courses. There is definitely some room to grow and the opportunity to introduce a better product here!
Udemy
A number of available courses: 183,000+
Price range: $11-$200+ (for a single course)
Certificates: Yes, but not for all courses
Accreditation: No
This platform stands out thanks to the sheer number of available courses. It has nearly 70,000 instructors that will gladly teach almost anything to students who will be willing to learn. Udemy has no deadlines for courses, there are multimedia lectures available, it covers nearly 70 languages, and has a 30-day refund guarantee. On the drawback side, it is important to mention that quantity does not always result in quality, as courses can be published here without review and are not accredited. The instructors here are not very engaging in Q&A sessions.
Skillshare
A number of available courses: 35,000+
Price range: $168 for annual subscription
Certificates: No
Accreditation: No
This platform focuses on creative topics like writing or video editing. It has almost 70 various free courses aimed at different directions in art and creativity. Skillshare stands out by offering group plans for groups over 20 people. It has a 7-day free trial for subscriptions, and many celebrities act as instructors here. On the drawback side is the fact that all courses are available only in English. The number of free courses is limited, and the users won’t see advertisements only on premium subscriptions.
Of course, the abovementioned examples of the most popular platforms can serve only as the inspiration for your project. The chances are, that your project is unique and will need more functionality or entirely another approach to connect with students, however, you can still pick some important features from well-established brands.
Think of a realistic solution to a problem you want to solve
So, you had determined the area you want to work in, analyzed the competitors, and now you need to come up with your own unique solution to a problem (or better alternative to the existing one). You need to choose one of the types of e-learning platforms you want to develop. The options are Learning Management System (LMS), Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), online tutoring platform, online employee training, or video-based e-learning.
After choosing the type of platform, the next step is to decide on features. Keep in mind, that in order for your product to survive in a tough market environment, you need to build a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) to test your ideas in practice. In order to do this, you need only the most necessary features during the MVP phase of your product, with the opportunity to add up new features as your platform evolves.
Only when you decide on features, it will make sense to think about the budget and deadlines. The amount and the complexity of features will take a large chunk of your budget because for more sophisticated features you will need to hire more proficient experts with higher salaries.
Next, you should choose the distribution model for your app or website, and it will be a wise idea to plan the maintenance, post-release support, and future improvements from the very beginning.
Choose the right software development partner and approach to build an online learning platform
After you turn your vision into a requirement, and have an approximate budget and timelines, it’s time to choose how you will create it. There are multiple options here as well.
First, you can open your own in-house office. You will get the maximum level of control and ability to change the development direction quickly. However, it is probably the most expensive option, and you may face a roadblock when required experts will simply not be available in your region. This is a great approach if you represent a large, big-budget corporation with long-term software development plans, and when something goes wrong you will be able to assign your full-time employees to another project.
Secondly, you can hire freelancers. The problem with freelancers is the lowest level of control, and since they don’t have any contractual obligations with your company, they can abandon your project at any time. Additionally, you will have to manage those separate remote experts you hire, or find a Project Manager for the job. Freelancers are great for relatively simple one-time tasks, but for creating complex learning management platforms with diverse functionality, hiring freelancers will end up very expensive and put stress on you as a result of managing them.
Probably the best solution for building your e-learning solution, whether it will be a global platform that will change the world or an online learning platform for schools, is to hire an experienced outsourcing partner that will have proven experience in developing custom software. Look for platforms, like Clutch and Good firms, to find a relevant candidate.
Why an outsourcing company is so great in this scenario? Because you will be able to hire only the experts you need for a fair price and for the time you need them to complete your project. Experts in outsourcing companies already have formed and experienced teams to deliver results, and you can also hire a Project Manager there, as well as experts like Business Analysts or QA engineers.
| In-house team | Freelancers | Outsourcing company | |
| Advantages | – Full control- Flexibility to change the development direction | – Good for simple tasks | – Cost efficiency- No hiring hassle- You only pay for what you need |
| Drawbacks | – The highest price- Additional expenses on recruiting and office rent- Possible lack of local talent | – Lack of control- Hard to manage big teams | – Possible lack of control |
Test your platform on real users and improve on feedback
Finally, make sure to have enough time before the release to test your platform on focus groups and have the opportunity to change certain aspects of your product.
FAQ
What is an e-learning platform?
An e-learning platform is a website or a mobile app that allows students to learn and teachers to teach remotely. E-learning platforms are very different, having various purposes and sets of features. You can look up an example of this, such platforms as Udemy or Coursera. However, there are a lot of less-known projects that can serve as a great example of this.
What is e-learning development?
This is a process of creating platforms for online education. This is also a huge industry that is on the rise. If you want to build your own e-learning platform, it will be a good idea to contact an experienced outsourcing software development company for a consultation. Other options to build a platform include hiring freelancers or assembling your own in-house team.