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How to Develop Virtual Classroom Software for Online Teaching?

January 26th, 2023

A virtual classroom software is one of the many eLearning options available. eLearning solutions are increasing in popularity with the increase in the use of electronic devices. Developing a custom solution with the features of your choice on the desired platform will offer greater flexibility to all involved; it is also the less expensive option. This type of online learning solution is the future, get in touch with the professionals like Acquaint Softtech to create your customized solution. 

Importance of Virtual Classroom Software

A good education can do wonders for one's career. Students these days have the option of choosing to study online using advanced technologies. Studying using smartphones and laptops is beneficial in many ways. However, this is essentially distance learning which is not a new concept. It has been around since the 1800s; in fact, the University of Queensland in Australia launched its Department of Correspondence Studies in 1911.

Online learning is now increasing in popularity. It received a big boost during the global pandemic (COVID-19). It is expected to grow with a CAGR of 9.1% during the period between 2018 to 2026. This article provides more information about the importance of virtual classroom software development, how it can be done, and its benefits.

What is Virtual Classroom Software?

Virtual Classroom Software as the name suggests allows teachers to take their regular study sessions online. A large group of students can use either smartphones, laptops, or PCs to access the online sessions using the appropriate tools. 

It can consist of either a single software or several software tools where students not only study but also perform several other activities. Some of the popular activities possible in such an online environment include course material access, submitting assignments, tracking assignments & academic performance, designing course structure, and grading. 

Here are a few statistics, facts, and examples that help explain it better:

  • The mobile e-learning industry has grown by $38 billion as of 2020.

  • The expected rise between 2017 and 2022 is 6 Billion

  • Advanced technologies are being implemented in such digital classroom solutions as AR, and VR as well as gamification and automation.

  • 80% of the companies and 50% of educational institutes have used an eLearning platform.

  • Popular examples of eLearning platforms are Zoom, Blackboard collaborate, EdApp, and Deck Toys.

  • LinkedIn Learning has over 16,000 courses in 7 languages.

  • Skill share is a massive platform with over 4 million users and 24,000 courses. 

The Popularity of Digital Classroom Solutions

Online learning can be accomplished via several methods like audio, and video conferencing, real-time messaging chats, whiteboards, online educational material, and other tools. This learning method is beneficial for many types of institutes like educational establishments, the Government, businesses, as well as the workforce to update their skills. Technology has been evolving for a while now allowing for better and more efficient not to mention custom solutions to suit the special requirements of an eLearning solution.

Some of the main reasons for the increase in popularity of eLearning solutions:

  • Learning at home on the computer or laptop is more comfortable as is learning at any other place other than a school or college like a library or park. Virtual classes make it possible for one to join the class in real-time from the place of their liking.

  • Students tend to miss out on important classes due to being involved in other activities or sports tours. With the availability of online learning options, this can be avoided.

  • Students living in remote locations often find it hard to travel to the classroom daily. Online education is ideal for students living in these types of areas. In fact, they can choose to study at any educational institute in the world to gain a better education and qualification.

  • One of the biggest issues students tend to face is finding the study material. With a digital classroom, the study material, books, notes, assignments, solutions, etc are easily available to authorized students with their access logins. 

  • The global pandemic affected all businesses as well as educational institutes. A large number of institutes transformed their learning sessions into online learning sessions using various types of solutions ranging from existing tools to using custom-built solutions. 

Here are a few statistics that suggest the same:

  • Udemy is an online learning platform with over 20,000 experts and 12 million students.

  • Teachable has 7500 experts with over 20,000 online courses and 3 million students.

  • 63% of students in the USA make use of online learning tools. 

  • The corporate online learning market is increasing and is expected to be as big as $50 billion by 2026.

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Main Features For Online Classroom Software Development

When it comes to digital classroom solutions there are many types of creative features one can implement. Listed here are some of the main ones:

  • Video Conferencing: This allows the students to view the instructor in real time while they conduct the learning session. It can either be a tutorial session or a class session that makes use of facilities available in the classroom as well. This includes being able to see what is being written on the board as well as on the computer screen.

  • Help Desk: An easily accessible help desk for students to get in and gain technical support in the case of any issue with the video conference or any other feature.

  • Courses: All the courses are listed and available for students to browse through. They can also structure the course of their choice and schedule or plan it.

  • Study materials: Students can gain access to their study material online along with reference modules, assignments, notes, lectures, and other material to assist with the current course. This helps students save a lot of time usually spent chasing after course material.

  • Notifications: The way the notifications feature work is both the students and the teachers receive important notifications as per their settings. This can be notifications for the start of the next lecture for a student or a reminder for the lecturer or teacher to prepare for their teaching schedule for the day. 

  • File storage: File storage options are available to the students and lecturers. Students can store the videos of the lecture to refer to during their assignments and while studying. Lectures too can store their teaching material for quick access at the time of a lecture and use it for future lectures or making updates. 

  • Performance evaluation: With students studying online, attending their classes online, and even submitting their assignments online it only makes sense for teachers to assess them online. It is also made possible for students to access their performance evaluations online. 

  • Screen sharing: Lecturers can share their screens with the students to organize a more interactive teaching session. 

  • Digital certificates: Students receive their certificates online as well which is usually in the form of a link and also made available for download.

  • Administration: It is simpler for the admin person to manage all the courses and students using the online control panel.

How is it Beneficial?

Everyone benefits in some way or the other from virtual classroom management software development; this includes teachers, students as well as the institute. Listed here are the main benefits:

  • Teachers can better manage their course structure and students using the online teaching method. It allows teachers to use a wide range of advanced tools to drive their point into the minds of their students and also explain the study material in a more interactive method. 

  • This is the more convenient option for both students as well as teachers. Students will never have to miss a class; they can attend it from any place no matter if they are away for sports, involved in various activities, or trying to balance a life's unique lifestyle with studies. Teachers do not need to cancel a lecture if and when they are away since they can do it from any place. 

  • One of the main issues the working professionals face is fitting the study sessions into their busy schedules. A virtual classroom solves this issue since it saves the time to travel back and forth from the institute. 

  • Virtual learning sessions allow students to study at their own pace to some extent.

  • Students can record the live training sessions for later reference.

  • The course can be made available to all people worldwide without making a big effort. One can grow the strength of their classroom or course by simply offering it online and ensuring everyone can access it. 

  • It allows students to manage their time better and study in a more interactive method.

  • Teachers can design innovative study material, implement a systemic approach and make use of advanced technologies to teach more effectively.

  • Educational institutes can benefit financially by charging students to access the courses.

Tips to Develop a Virtual Classroom Software

A virtual classroom software can be tailor-made for each application and consists of several processes. It can consist of an archive of the courses, recommend courses based on preferences, process registration and enroll students, automates student assessment tasks, performs analysis, and much more.

Here are a few tips on how to develop this type of software:

  • Gather information on the basic requirements of the course to ensure you are fully aware of the requirements of the online teaching solutions.

  • It is important to set aside a budget to build such a solution. Also, research a little on the potential development cost based on your specific requirements.

  • There are many types of virtual classroom software hence it is important to have a clear picture of the requirements and main goals of building such software before approaching a virtual classroom software development company. 

  • The planning stage of developing such software is crucial and should ideally include a brainstorming session. It is crucial because this is when one needs to decide on the number of features to include and the type of solution they wish to implement.

  • Get in touch with the professionals like Acquaint Softtech and begin the design and development process.

  • The cost to develop such software will depend on various factors like the scope of the project, the platform of delivering it like a website or mobile, and the features to be included. 

  • Some of the common modules a solution like this will require include registration, course scheduling, assessment, real-time class, payment, and teacher management modules

  • Businesses have the option of developing an MVP app which is more economical and helps lowers the risk of developing a full-fledged virtual classs rooom software. An MVP eLearning software is a good way to check the feasibility of the market and gain vial feedback prior to releasing the final version of your product.

Contact us for expert assistance to develop a virtual classroom software

Cost to Build Virtual Classroom Software

The cost to develop this type of software depends on several factors:

  • It depends on the nature of the project, what it is meant for and how it is to be used. 

  • The requirements of virtual classroom software for an educational institute will differ from that of a business. 

  • There are also several platforms that one can choose from like websites, mobile apps, or custom software.

  • The location of the development firm or developer will also affect the cost of the project. The main reason being development firms in the USA, UK, Australia, and other European countries tend to charge higher; while those in Asian countries have a lower development cost; like those in India. 

  • It is also affected by how complex or advanced the solution is. A simple solution is bound to cost less however, there is also the option of adding other features using advanced technologies like AR/VR, etc. Such an app or website will cost more. 

  • A majority of the cost is that of development and quality assurance. 

  • The other processes also cost to some extent like UI/UX design, analysis, research, and project management.

This is not a software solution that can be developed by oneself. It is also not advisable to hire an in-house team for this purpose since it would work out more expensive. The ideal solution would be to hire professional developers like that from Acquaint Softtech which is a popular mobile app development company. Get in touch with Acquaint Softtech to develop feature-rich virtual classroom software. 

Common Applications of eLearning Solution

eLearning applications are increasing in popularity. There are now many apps, websites, and software offering a wide range of learning services. Some of the popular types of eLearning solutions include:

  • Website: Website learning solutions for students to learn online. Students can access their course material, lectures and also study online. Some of the main features of this type of learning include using text, images, and videos to make the learning process more interactive.

  • Virtual classroom: A virtual classroom software takes the classroom online with a teacher using several tools to teach from the classroom while all the students attend the class remotely.

  • Microlearning: This is a unique method to deliver training that is gaining in popularity especially with corporations. It typically involves a short 10 minutes module aimed at delivering knowledge, ensuring a high retention rate and effective learning. This is an ideal corporate training strategy.

  • Mobile learning: Mobile learning is one of the best methods for all types of courses since it is delivered to the palm of each learner. It is convenient, flexible, and ideal for a wide range of courses. It is simpler to implement advanced technologies like AR & VR.

  • Product knowledge training: Almost all firms face the issue of familiarizing the staff with existing software. Designing a custom product training session for the employees and making it available from the online platform helps serve the purpose. It simplifies the process for businesses and also makes the learning process more simple for all the staff members.

  • Software training: Corporate tends to make use of professional software packages which are crucial for normal operations. A custom training solution that trains the employees as per the company's special needs and use of the software is highly resourceful. This can be delivered online to anyone at any time thus eliminating common mistakes and downtime. This method is useful to teach software like Microsoft Outlook, AutoCAD, Adobe software like Photoshop, and many more.

Are you convinced virtual classroom software is for you?

Advantages of a Custom Solution

There are two main options for those considering starting online training sessions. They can either do so using one of the many generic software & tools or develop a purpose-built custom solution with full control over what is delivered and how it is done. It is the ideal method to prepare a list of requirements and have the developer add it to your app as per business goals and objectives. It is also possible to add special or advanced features to simplify the learning process.

Are eLearning Solutions the Future?

eLearning solutions introduce gamification, microlearning, video learning, and social learning to make the learning process more fun, interactive, and effective. There are many factors that suggest eLearning is here to stay and will gain in popularity in the future:

  • It is the digital revolution and more people are now using electronic devices and the Internet for various tasks including learning. 

  • It is more convenient to study online and it also offers more flexibility to the teacher. 

  • The online platform has access to a wider range of tools and features to aid the learning process.

  • The assessment process is simpler and faster. 

  • This method helps reduce the costs for all, the teachers, students as well as the educational institute.

  • 63% of high-school students in the USA use digital tools on a daily basis

  • 45% of elementary school students & 64% of middle school students in the USA, use at least one learning software every day.

Conclusion

The field of technology is continuously evolving making available a wider range of solutions to the education industry for online education. Virtual classroom software is highly effective for all types of students like school students, college students, professional courses as well as corporate.

The increase in popularity of electronic devices and more students prefer to study online suggests that online studying platforms are only going to increase in popularity. Trusting a professional software development company like Acquaint Softtech to develop your custom virtual classroom software can be highly beneficial.

FAQ

How much does it cost to develop an eLearning App?

The cost to develop an eLearning app depends on various factors. One of the main factors is the choice of platform. The other factors include the nature of the requirements and the development firm.

What is the type of device needed for a virtual classroom?

Depending on the type of solution one can use either a smartphone, laptop, tablet, or PC to access the online class. 

What are the main features of a Virtual Classroom?

Some of the main features of a virtual classroom include:

  • Real-time online classroom

  • Notifications

  • Access to the course syllabus

  • Downloadable study material, notes, assignments, & submissions.

  • View recorded class sessions for reference

  • Higher level of interactivity 

  • Innovative & creative method to learn using other technologies like AR/VR

What is virtual classroom software?

Virtual classroom software allows students to study in an online environment using either their mobile device, laptop, or some other electronic device.

What is an example of a Virtual classroom?

Examples of eLearning platforms are Zoom, Blackboard collaborates, EdApp, and Deck Toys.

Mukesh Ram

Founder and CEO, Acquaint Softtech

I love to make a difference. Thus, I started Acquaint Softtech with the vision of making developers easily accessible and affordable to all. Me and my beloved team have been fulfilling this vision for over 15 years now and will continue to get even bigger and better.

Table of Content
  • Introduction

  • What is Virtual Classroom Software?

  • Digital Classroom Solutions

  • Main Features For Online Classroom Software

  • How is it Beneficial?

  • Tips to Develop a Virtual Classroom Software

  • Cost to Build Virtual Classroom Software

  • Common Applications of eLearning Solution

  • Advantages of a Custom Solution

  • Are eLearning Solutions the Future?

  • Conclusion

  • FAQ

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