Overview:
Just as businesses, shopping, bill payments and entertainment went online, so did the education system post the outbreak of Covid-19 worldwide. Educational institutions switched to the medium of online classes to ensure that the education of the students was not affected. Private training institutions, coaches and professionals who wanted to cater to their target audience and expand their reach took to imparting education through education apps. This took remote learning to the next level.
What is an educational chat app?
A mobile application that is used for imparting and receiving an education is termed an educational chat app. It includes audio, video and chat functionality. Live classes, pre-recorded sessions and tests can be conducted on the app. Educational app benefits include learning and teaching remotely from any part of the world. There are no restrictions on geography, language, time zone, age or gender.
Globally, 522 million mobile education apps were downloaded in the first quarter of 2017 and it rose to 936 million in Q1 of 2020. As the number of internet users increases across the world, the number of education app users is also bound to increase. Globally, there were 4,119 million users in 2019 and it has grown to 5,300 million in 2022. The projected revenue from education apps is USD 124,782 million by 2027.
Why are educational apps important?
With the world going digital, education has received a new meaning. Apart from traditional forms of teaching, online teaching methodologies have been established. Independent teachers, coaches and trainers from different disciplines have created and nurtured their communities of students online. Let’s discuss the significance of educational app in detail below.
- The cost of smartphones and the internet are cost-effective throughout the world. Since it is affordable for the common man, the accessibility is high.
- Students can access pre-recorded video lessons on the app at any time. There is no time restraint to learning so the number of people enrolling for online learning is high.
- Learners of any age can benefit from educational app. Teachers can teach students of preschool, school, university, or even professionals who want to upskill and cross-skill. Age is not a bar for the teacher as well as the student.
- Real-time communication is made possible through video API. Teachers and students can interact with each other on a live call for enhanced understanding and to build a bond. Also, people with special needs can benefit by learning any subject of their choice from the comfort of their location. Students have the freehold of choosing any tutor from any part of the world to obtain knowledge.
10 best features of an educational chat app
If you are a business owner, educator or intend to step into teaching online, there are a few features that you must have in your educational app to make it stand out from the crowd. These features drive the functionality of the app as well as provide a superior user experience. Let’s discuss them below.
- Recording live class
- Audio, video and screen recording
The self-hosted solution must have the feature of recording the live video class on the app. This includes audio, video, chat and shared screen to be recorded. Such recorded sessions can be saved on the app for future reference of the students and also benefit those who missed the live class.
- Sharing screen
- Screen sharing
Display sharing Form of communication has been shown to be less successful than visual explanation. While teaching, it is essential to share pictorial, visual and video representations to explain the concept. Screen-sharing features for the presenter, teacher and students must be made available.
- Sharing files
- Share multimedia and files
File sharing option on the video chat enables the participant’s access information easily. The tutor can share files, images and any other content for teaching, evaluation or circulate information to the students directly. This allows for maintaining the privacy of the users as they do not have to share any additional communication information with the tutor to receive the learning material. Also, it saves time for the tutor to carry out redundant tasks after teaching hours.
- Group live chat
- Real-time chat window
Students of the educational app must have a medium to communicate with the teacher during the live class. Group live chat window allows the students to communicate thereby facilitating interaction.
- Adding new participants
- Adding new users to a live class
Students or guests might join a little later than the scheduled time for a live session. Being able to add new users to an ongoing session allows for active participation and eliminates the necessity to restart or reschedule the session.
- Live streaming
- Live video streaming session
Real-time interaction between the teacher and students is made possible through video conference. Face-to-face interaction through video is more effective than audio and text interaction. Along with uploading pre-recorded videos, a live video streaming feature is essential.
- Group chat admin
- Administrators for group chat
Monitoring are required for any group to function optimally and efficiently, and the same is applicable to customizable white-label chat apps for education. The tutor must be able to self-assign as the group admin or be able to add another user as an admin. Group chats facilitate open and mass communication. Admin must be able to create multiple channels within the group to segregate based on projects or other learning activities.
- Emojis
- Hand signals system
Students must have a medium to raise their hands in the virtual classroom to be permitted to speak. Hand signal system that indicates a raise of hands will show up on the screen. The tutor can then decide to unmute the student or give them a chance for the student to speak during the ongoing class.
- Creating polls
- Voting system
One of the best ways to make a virtual class interactive is by way of conducting polls. Conducting polls in the live class with the relevant subject that is being discussed increases engagement. Poll results and response percentages must be displayed at the end of the voting session.
- Breakout rooms
- Group sessions
Segregating students into various groups within the virtual class will be required to conduct group activities. Using the breakout rooms feature, the tutor can split the class virtually and later combine again post-activity completion. Group sessions allow for close interaction with a small group of people within the classroom.
Last words:
Online education industry is booming. To combat stiff competition and build a loyal fan base, it is essential to use the best provider to build your education app. MirrorFly is one of the top in-app communication suite that helps in developing and launching a customized app in minutes. One can integrate voice, video and chat features into existing e-learning applications also to provide high-quality user experience with enterprise security standards. Check it out and use it to take your business to the next level.
